Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP

• From Breakaway King to GC Contender: Derek Gee Gears Up for the Giro

  Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP Guys, the Giro is almost upon us! This weekend, the 3 week beast that I raced twice in my career kicks off over in Albania of all places. The start list is absolutely stacked, with the likes of Roglič, Ayuso, Bernal, and heaps more huge riders going toe to toe to try to take home one of the most iconic jerseys in cycling; the Maglia Rosa.  One rider who’s going to throw his hat into the ring and have a crack at this year’s GC is the young Canadian talent Derek Gee - and I’m stoked to have him on this month’s pod to talk all things Giro, preview the race, and answer a few questions sent in by you guys!  Derek’s been a pro on the road for just 3 years, After spending his early years racing on the track, he burst onto the scene at the 2023 Giro d’Italia where he finished 2nd on 4 stages and spent more time in the breakaway than he did in the peloton! I think I managed to make it into the breakaway at a grandy once in my whole career - it’s bloody hard - but Derek made it look easy, and absolutely ripped that race to pieces. Although he didn’t come home with a stage win, he sure made a name for himself and put himself up there as one of the most exciting racers to keep an eye on. The year after, he made his debut at the big one; the Tour de France! Going into that race, Derek was looking to repeat his exploits from the ‘23 Giro and poach a few stages, and it was great to hear how this focus shifted to GC over the course of the race, leading to him finishing in the top 10 overall; an absolutely huge ride, that really proved he can do it all!  Derek’s a cool guy. Born in Ottawa, I loved hearing about how inspired he was by the Canadian World Tour races the GP’s Quebec and Montreal, and how that led him down the path of professional racing, eventually coming over to Europe and joining Israel Premier Tech - the team he’ll be riding for until at least 2028!  After chatting a bit about his career, and how he’s feeling ahead of the 2025 Giro that kicks off this weekend, we preview this year’s race and take a bit of a look at how Derek’s going to approach it. He’s been at the front of races for long enough now to be heading to the start as one of the favourites; so he’s definitely feeling the pressure!  It’s been a while, but I wanted to bring you - the listeners - in on this interview, so we wrapped up by answering some of the questions you all sent in over the last week. Does Derek see other ex track stars like G and Wiggo as inspiration? What interval session does he use to get race ready? What’s his favourite Celine Dion Song? I ask Derek all these questions, and more, and he’s got some cracking answers.  I loved chatting to Derek. As well as being a mega talent, he’s a really chilled out, humble guy and no doubt one of the most exciting racers in the pelo. I can’t wait to see him race the Giro - the most beautiful of all the Grand Tours - and reckon he’s a real Maglia Rosa contender. The Giro? More like the Gee-ro……..right? Enjoy this ep, guys. Sit back, relax, grab yourself a limoncello and some gelato, and get excited for the Giro with me and Derek.  Cheers! Mitch   ----more---- This episode is supported by Shokz Shokz are the leaders in open-ear headphones — perfect for cycling, running, or just staying aware while you listen. I’ve been using the new OpenRun Pro 2s, and the sound and fit are unreal. Head to shokz.cc/LITP-2505 and use the code LITP for a special listener discount! This episode is also brought to you by our good friends at Epic Ride Weather Epic Ride Weather gives you super accurate, personalised forecasts based on your route, speed, and timing. Know when to ride, what to wear, and where the wind’s coming from. Get 25% off at epicrideweather.com/LITP or by scanning the QR code below.

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• BONUS: From the Peloton to the Page: The Story Behind the Stories

  This is a cheeky bonus excerpt from the longer episode. To listen to the whole thing and future episodes become a member of The Pelo. You won't want to miss these exclusive chats dropping throughout the 2025 season! This episode from the Chronicles is a sneak peek into how my Life in the Peloton  and Svein’s incredible 'We Will Never Be Here Again' books came to life. In this special snippet, I’m joined by my mate (and co-author) Tom Southam as we dig into the early days of writing the book together—back when we were just two mates sitting down in Girona, recording hours of stories. It’s raw, honest, and a real behind-the-scenes look at how it all began. Cheers! Mitch  

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• Race Radio: Ardennes Fever, EF Insights & Tales from Liège

  Harry and Stu might come from opposite ends of the UK and sport very different hairstyles, but there’s one thing they share a passion for: The Old Lady. Not just any old lady – I’m talking about the fourth monument of the season, Liège–Bastogne–Liège. It’s the oldest of all the monuments, and marks the end of the Classics season – and that’s what this month’s episode of Race Radio is all about: the Ardennes classics.  The boys are back with another banger of an episode to get you all hyped up for the Ardennes. These races are usually a bit forgotten about, lost in the shadow of Flanders and Roubaix. But, as always, Harry and Stu’s fan’s-eye perspective is oozing with enthusiasm that’ll get you pumped for these races. Harry’s back from the roadside of Flanders and Roubaix, and Stu’s gearing up to get himself out to Belgium for Liège. That’s what I love about these boys – they’re diehard fans that get out on the roadside and soak in the atmosphere at the races, and their passion is absolutely infectious. Here’s what Harry had to say about this month’s episode of Life In The Peloton’s Race Radio: ‘This episode of LITP’s Race Radio is all about the Ardennes and it’s somewhat of an EF Education-Easypost special, with not one but two guests from the team on the show!  First up is punchy young Irish climber Archie Ryan, swiftly followed by the team’s not-so-young and punchy DS (and LITP Communiqué regular) Tom Southam.  The two tell us what makes these hilly races great, Tom remembers witnessing a live mugging during a recon ride in Liège while Archie dreams of a Ben & Jerry’s helmet sponsorship. Enjoy!’ My experience with the Ardennes as a rider is limited; in fact, of all the races, I only started Amstel Gold Race once – I was always more of a cobbles man. But, after listening to the boys yarn about these races, I am gee’d up for the Ardennes!  I hope you all enjoy this one as much as I do. Cheers, Mitch

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  48:23
• The Race Communiqué: Roubaix Mayhem, Solo Masterclasses & Durbo's First Quiz

  Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP You can also watch this episode over on my YouTube channel here! The chaos of the Cobbled Classics is over for another season. From Omloop, through E3 and Wevelgem, Flanders, and then the big one - Paris Roubaix; these are the biggest and best races on the calendar for me, so I was super excited to sit down with Tom Southam and Luke Durbridge to break down this year’s edition of Paris Roubaix in this month’s Race Communique. This year’s Roubaix was an absolute cracker; totally flat out from the gun. Even before Arenberg - where the race used to really kick off back in my day - the bunch was strung out and the real favourites were taking huge chunks out of each other. Tom, Luke, and I run through the riders that really made this race such an epic edition. Of course, it was dominated by Mathieu Van Der Poel on his way to his third victory in a row, but what about Pogačar?! His first go at Roubaix and he’s up there rubbing shoulders with the big boys, and I literally mean the big boys; he’s ten kilos lighter than most of these guys! Southam made a good point actually; is he going to be carrying some extra timber into the Ardennes that kick off next week? Of course, we also had the women’s race the day before. That’s something I love about Roubaix; the men’s and women’s races being on different days means we get a whole weekend of Paris-Roubaix action! What a cool race, with absolute legend Pauline Ferrand-Prévot putting her immense off-road skills to use to become the first French rider to list that big cobblestone since Frédéric Guesdon in 1997. I absolutely loved to see the GOAT herself; Marianne Vos, riding in support of her Visma LAB team mate; for me, that’s what makes her a true champion. Obviously, there’s been other races going on aside from the cobbled classics. We wanted to talk briefly about the Tour of the Basque country, and for good reason; after a few years in the wilderness, Caleb Ewan is winning at the highest level again. What a move that transfer to Ineos turned out to be! It’s so cool to see Caleb getting his hands in the air again, and I think it represents a real shift in mentality at Ineos - who have been looking a bit lost for a few seasons now.  Southam was actually down in the Basque country in the car for EF Pro cycling - who knocked out a stage win with young Ben Healy - so he gives us a quick breakdown of the race in this week’s Talking Tactics. Healy’s win came after a ridiculous 57km solo move, so this month Tom’s talking about the art of the solo breakaway. We see these long range attacks sticking more and more these days; with everyone aero optimised and more and more data and information being fed to riders. Southam compared his view from the car to being behind a rider in a TT, and being able to feed him really accurate cues about the course ahead played a huge part in Healy’s win.  Poor old Durbo got a bit cut off in this month’s Pelo Chat, so we rolled it in ahead of the Communi-Quiz! Durbo wanted to talk about race programmes, and how the teams decide who’s racing where. Of course, the Spring Classics is a savage block of racing; and plenty of riders don’t make it all the way to the end owing to sickness or injury, which creates plenty of headaches for team directors trying to pull together squads at short notice.  As always, we wrapped up with the Communi-Quiz. Hosted by Durbo, it’s a Roubaix themed ‘Who Am I?’. I’ve won a stage and the overall at the Tour of Beijing and Paris Roubaix - who am I?.....you’ll have to listen to this month’s Race Communique to find out. Well, guys, that’s the Cobbled Classics done and dusted. The Ardennes are about to kick off to round out a monster Spring of racing which can mean only one thing; the next time I sit down to talk to Southam and Durbo will be in May just before the first Grandy of the year; The Giro d’Italia.  The Race Communiqué is brought to you by TrainingPeaks! Track, plan, and train smarter—just like the pros. Get 20% off TrainingPeaks Premium now at www.trainingpeaks.com/partners/life-in-the-peloton/. Chapters 00:00:00 - Intro 00:07:34 - Race Recap 00:42:05 - Talking Tactics 00:51:10 - Pelo Chat 00:58:56 - Communi-Quiz: Who am I? Until then, Cheers, Mitch

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  1:04:10
• Flanders Finished, the Roubaix Cobbles Await: Laurence Pithie’s Reckoning

  Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP I don’t know about you guys, but I thought this year’s edition of the Tour of Flanders was an absolute classic. It had everything: drama, excitement, chaos, and - of course - a worthy winner. I couldn’t wait to catch up with our man on the ground, Laurence Pithie, to hear what happened between the barriers on the bergs of Flanders, and hear how he’s feeling ahead of the Queen of the classics; Roubaix. Laurence went into Flanders after a pretty nasty crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen the Wednesday before. Fortunately, although he was a bit stiff and bruised, his legs came good and - after over 6 hours of brutal racing - he rolled home in an impressive 11th place. The TV cameras were pretty fixed on that leading group of Pog, Van Der Poel, Pedersen, and Van Aert for the last few hours of the race, so Pithie’s ride went a bit under the radar - but that’s one of the things I’ve loved most about getting these updates from him this season; hearing those stories the cameras miss. Although he’s still only 22 years old, the way Laurence talks about these races shows just how experienced and mature as a rider he is. Hearing how he raced this year’s edition compared to last year, and the changes he made to his tactics even just over the course of this classics season, it’s easy to tell how professional he is; already a real seasoned pro. Laurence isn’t racing Scheldeprijs - the midweek race between Flanders and Roubaix - so he actually made the decision to fly home for a few days of normality to reset before heading back to the cobbles for Paris Roubaix this Sunday. Flanders is such a huge event with so much build up, it can be pretty overwhelming - so breaking out the bubble for a few days should let Laurence reset and come back ready for all out war at Roubaix. I mean, just looking at the walls of fans on the roadside all the way around Flanders, I’d need a few days to get my hearing back, let alone my legs! I have absolutely loved these regular phone calls with Pithie and really trying to understand what those 3 weeks on the road are like from the inside. It’s no secret that I absolutely love the Spring classics; the ins and outs, the crashes, the stories - I could talk about them all day. it’s not all about the podium riders - every single rider in these races is giving absolutely everything, and I think that’s why they mean so much to so many people; you’ve got 180 guys lining up ready to leave everything out there on the road.  Of course, it’s not all over - the best is yet to come. This Sunday, the Queen of the Classics, the Hell of the North, my favourite race: Paris Roubaix. Last year Laurence bagged himself a classy 7th place, and he’s looking to better that this time around. I could hear the fear in his voice when he told me the weather forecast; after one of the warmest, driest Springs on record - the rain is coming…oh, man, a wet Roubaix! It’s the stuff of dreams…or nightmares. Whether the clouds break or not this weekend, I’ve got no doubt that Laurence is going to get to that iconic velodrome and round out a great Spring classics season with another pearler of a result. Who knows, he might even come home with a cobblestone of his own.  Guys, thanks for following along on this Spring Classics mini series. I hope you’ve enjoyed these updates from Laurence and the rest of the Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe team as much as I have. In fact, Laurence has actually agreed to give me a call after Roubaix so we can wrap up this series and hear about what went down on the pavé - a cheeky bonus ep. for you all.  Laurence; this is it now, mate, the big one. Go and get it. We’re all rooting for you.  Cheers! Mitch   Chapters 00:00:00 - Intro & Flanders Recap 00:03:25 - Laurence on Riding Flanders 00:08:00 - Strategy & Team Tactics at Flanders 00:12:10 - The Turning Point: Final Moves at Flanders 00:18:09 - Reflections on 11th Place 00:24:05 - Resetting for Roubaix 00:26:00 - The Allure (and Fear) of Paris-Roubaix 00:34:10 - Roubaix Recon & Equipment Talk ----more---- This episode is sponsored by our friends at JOIN - the adaptive training app that helps you become a better cyclist. Head over to join.cc/litp to get your first month free. ​This episode is brought to you by Wahoo Fitness. Elevate your ride with Wahoo's cutting-edge indoor trainers, GPS bike computers, and heart rate monitors. Engineered for cyclists, by cyclists. Discover more at wahoofitness.com.​ I’VE WRITTEN A BOOK! The Life in the Peloton book is OUT NOW! Get your copy now exclusively at maap.cc! Can’t wait for you to read it. JOIN US IN THE PELO Where do you sit in the PELO? Come and join the Life in the Peloton membership.

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  44:05

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