Domestique Cycling Podcast

Three stages into the Giro and the race is already cracked wide open. Rasmus Søjberg joins us on the rest day to break down what we've seen so far: the crashes, the sprint margins, and why UAE could still win stages despite losing key riders.Rasmus is one of the lead-out men for Tobias Lund Andersen at Decathlon CMA CGM, and he walks us through what went right and what went wrong on stages 1 and 3, why Milan looked off the pace, and how Magnier has put himself in the conversation as a top-three sprinter at this race. We also look ahead to stage 4, the Blockhouse on stage 7, the time trial, and Felix Gall's GC ambitions.If you want to understand how a Grand Tour really works from inside the bus, this is the conversation.

Three stages in Bulgaria, three completely different stories. Paul Magnier wins the opening stage in Burgas and takes the first maglia rosa of his career, then doubles up in Sofia. Guillermo Thomas Silva becomes the first Uruguayan ever to win a Grand Tour stage, taking pink into Italy. And on a slippery road with 23 km to go, a mass crash takes Marc Soler, Jay Vine, Adam Yates and Santiago Buitrago out of the race in a single moment.In the middle of the carnage, Jonas Vingegaard launches a sharp double attack on the Lyaskovets Monastery, and only Giulio Pellizzari can answer it. We dig into the power data from Velon, including Vingegaard's 520 watts for a minute and a half, Magnier's stage 1 sprint with 300 watts less peak power than Jonathan Milan, and the criminally easy first three days where Adam Yates averaged 150 watts for 100 km. We also talk about the stage 1 finale that should never have been designed that way, the broken-helmet question on rider safety, and whether cycling needs G-force sensors in helmets.Then we look ahead to the Italian week: stage 4 to Cosenza, the punchy day to Potenza, Naples on cobbles, and the big one on Friday. 244 km to Blockhaus, the longest mountain stage in over a decade and the first true GC test of the race.This episode is fueled by MNSTRY. Get 20% off your first Tasting Box order with code DOMESTIQUE20 to see why your sports nutrition shouldn't be a choice between on-bike performance and off-bike health.Order now!

In this episode, Gorazd Štangelj joins Aidan in the Hotseat for a look inside the role of a sports director, from preseason planning and race tactics to the split second decisions made from the team car.Gorazd explains why modern racing has become faster and more chaotic, with positioning now often deciding races before the climbs even begin. He reflects on his own Giro history, the race’s unique demands, and why experience with Italian roads, weather and racing culture still matters.The conversation then turns to Bahrain Victorious’ Giro d’Italia plans. Santiago Buitrago leads the team for GC, but Štangelj makes clear that Bahrain will also hunt stages through riders such as Damiano Caruso, Afonso Eulálio, Alex Segaert and Edoardo Zambanini.He also breaks down the difference between racing against Visma and UAE, where small tactical windows can open, and why Bahrain’s targets are a strong GC finish and an early stage win to lift the whole team.The episode closes with thoughts on bonus seconds, the white jersey, young talents like Paul Seixas, and the relentless post stage routine of a Grand Tour sports director. 

The 109th Giro d'Italia starts this Friday in Bulgaria - three weeks, 3,459 kilometres and 50,000 metres of climbing all the way to Rome. Jonas Vingegaard is the clear favourite, chasing the third Grand Tour of his career and the treble that would put him alongside Merckx, Hinault, Anquetil, Gimondi, Contador, Nibali and Froome. We break down the route stage by stage - the Bulgarian Grande Partenza, Blockhaus on stage 7, the 40-kilometre Tuscan time trial, the five-star showdown at Pila, and the Dolomite double of Piani di Pezzè and Piancavallo that will decide the pink jersey. Then the GC favourites: Giulio Pellizzari carrying the hopes of an entire country, Adam Yates stepping into UAE's leadership role, Derek Gee returning to where it all began, Egan Bernal closer than he has been in years, Thymen Arensman, Jai Hindley, Felix Gall, and the question of who can actually push Vingegaard.This episode is fueled by MNSTRY. Get 20% off your first Tasting Box order with code DOMESTIQUE20 to see why your sports nutrition shouldn't be a choice between on-bike performance and off-bike health.Order now!

Pavel Bittner sits down on the Hot Seat to talk through a brutal Paris-Roubaix campaign, what it's like watching the race from inside the broom wagon, and why he keeps coming back to a race that has, in his own words, "always treated me pretty shit."We also get into his breakthrough win at the Vuelta a España, beating Wout van Aert in a sprint at 21 years old, the unspoken etiquette of the final 3km ("the respect goes out the window"), and where he sees his career heading - sprinter, classics rider, or both.Plus: the truth about Gravel Bittner, his tattoos, and goals for the rest of 2026 including the Tour de France.