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TADEJ POGACAR BOYCOTTS OLYMPICS! FIND OUT WHY | RIDER SUPPORT

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29:15·26 July 2024

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RIDER SUPPORT

Tadej Pogacar's decision to skip the Olympics has stirred up debate, but there's more to the story than just fatigue. We dig into the controversy surrounding his fiancée Ura's omission from Slovenia's Olympic team, explore what it takes to peak for back-to-back events (with a nod to Bradley Wiggins' 2012 Tour-Olympics double), and preview the men's Olympic time trial with our predictions.

Key Takeaways

Pogacar's Olympic withdrawal is primarily about avoiding fatigue and preventing another burnout like he experienced at last year's World Championships, not just the Ura selection controversy
Post-tour criteriums are entirely predetermined showcase races where towns pay appearance fees—they're entertainment, not competitive cycling, so don't read too much into the results
When peaking for two events in quick succession, you don't taper between them; instead, you hold your form by keeping intensity in training while shedding duration to stay in 'race mode'
For a 300km unsupported ride, break it into 100km chunks with food stops, start early to maximize daylight, and learn basic mechanical skills (chain repair, tire boot) before you need them
Speed Play pedals offer advantages over Shimano: lower stack height for aerodynamics, dual-sided entry, more advanced float adjustment, and lighter overall weight—but it ultimately comes down to personal preference
Bike weight matters at the professional level (roughly 100g per kilogram on a 10km climb), but descending ability and aerodynamics are equally critical variables that riders can actually control

Expert Quotes

"If I can't fight for you who can I fight for—isn't this just so beautiful how romantic they're very much in love"

"There's a word that comes before cycling and that's professional—you need to advocate for better equipment internally through the right channels, not wash your dirty laundry out in public"

"A long ride is just like a short ride only longer—don't build it up, it's everything you need for a 100k ride you need the same for 300k, just a little bit more food"

KEY QUOTES

“I think 1 kilog on a 10 kilm climb is 1 minute so you can probably extrapolate from that like it's a few hundred grams heavier so on a 10 like it is going to be it's not milliseconds it's definitely seconds but it's not minutes either.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

“Wiggins stayed in that bubble like he didn't come out with a t France bubble he didn't meet his wife he didn't meet his kids like he seen them occasionally but he didn't go back to live in a home he stayed fully in that Preparatory mode.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

“our bikes weigh 7.7 kg a kilo more than the uci's permitted weight I do not want to make my bike even heavier with a bike computer and param meter which also weighs 200 gram so that's why he didn't he didn't ride with a parameter during the TR of France at all.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT7 SECTIONS

Pogačar skips the Olympics

Welcome to this week's riter support this week we're going to talk about who is the favorite for the Olympic time trial we're going to talk about the post tour Criterium which are well underway at the moment they're probably fixed but we will still touch on them and we're going to talk about the controversial decision of Tour of France Champion T pogacha to not participate in the Olympics is that decision motivat I love we will find out before we jump into today's podcast this podcast is brought to you by our amazing ongoing sponsor W bike I absolutely love my w bike in between podcasts I have it in the studio I jump up on it there is zero setup no messing around taking back wheels off getting oil all over my hands I jump it up it works every single time connects to my favorite virtual platforms zift Ruby whatever you're using if you head on over to W bike.com and use the code roadman 10 that's rad d m an teen that gives you 10% off your W bike Sarah there's controversy of force to Romeo and Juliet of cycling there is and this so I'm going to read out the question now in a moment this question has come in probably 80 90 times this week just in an to us in anticipation for our Rider support this is just one sample and this comes in from Rob hi Anthony what do you think about t pag c not going to the Olympics surely it's the biggest honor of your career to represent your country at the Olympics is the biggest honor of Rob's career not that he's career he just won the Tour yeah he just won the Tour I think that probably it is it it's his year kind of sewn up the Olympics come on though it is it only comes around every four years and who knows where pagach is going to be in another four years even if he's you know who knows will he be competitive will he be riding the bike I mean we don't know so to not take this opportunity to go and show up at the Olympics is a bit strange so on Monday the Slovenian Olympic Committee said in a statement that Pacha had decided not to go to the Olympics citing fatigue as his reason for that which is quite plausible pogacha has embarked on something embarked on and completed something that hasn't been done since 1998 when Marco Pani won uh jir Italia and tto France in the same year and the plan this year is to do a triple crown which is Ziro tour worlds which hasn't been done since our very own Steven roach done it all the way back in 1987 so is the Olympics an unnecessary distraction from that I know you're talking about it's an honor to participate like Rob's question like aacha has bigger plans than participation and if he's gone to the Olympics with a view to participating I don't think that'll float a boat from him he does genuinely feel fatigued and he's just gone there to show face I think it's a good decision if it's motivated by order maybe it's a questionable decision yeah so it people have been interviewing him and asking him a lot of questions obviously his fiance Ura it came out last week that she was not picked for the Slovenian Olympic team now she is an amazing Rider she's won the national time trial the person who came second was four minutes behind her and she won the national road race with a 10minute gap and W yeah she gone full T yeah she's she's an she's an exceptional writer and there is a little bit of talk in you know on the the platforms that the boss of the two the team boss is the coaches the two girls who have actually been selected and everyone's just kind of smelling a little bit of a rash that he picked the two girls that he coaches himself that's bizarre yeah and like even if there's no bias there's a perception of bias which shouldn't be present in a selection yeah I I totally agree and I'm absolutely GED for her it came out during the uh tour to France when Ura messaged Pata that she hadn't made the the Olympic Squad he was like oh my God I have to row in here I have to help I have to make some calls I have to you know talk about this and she basically begged him not to just because his profile is so huge it would just blow things out of the water and he said to her if I can't fight for you who can I fight for isn't this just so beautiful how romantic they're very much in love I know people like Lance Armstrong and all those kind of older harder more grizzled people don't even think the wives and girl friends should be at the races or at the finish line or changed a lot it changed a lot I think for the better because these

Post-tour criteriums exposed

The people in the the background they're the ones that support all seen the carp Arts interview where he's you know his wife was pregnant and gave bir at the bottom of a mountain at a nwe altitude Camp so there's huge sacrifices going across the family but did you know that Pacha in last year's Tour of France 2023 Tour of France five days in he was going to pull the plug and drop out of the tour because Ora had a crash and he want come home and mind her and also he had a very emotional win this year I cannot remember where it was but it yeah I think it was because ura's mom had passed away that exact same day the previous year so like he really does put her very first another comment that he when he was asked you know had he withdrawn because of this Ura Ura gate he said it didn't help she totally deserved a spot but well now we're going on vacation together it's really primarily about fatigue and avoiding a slump similar to the one that I fell into last year and when he talked about last year he basically is referring to the world Champs in Glasgow when he crossed the Finish Line he kind of he called himself uh a dead bird so he was you know absolutely complet there so the criteriums are going on at the moment and look we don't give too much air time to them because they're all rigged yeah um it's just a showcase it's it I never really I never really understood this so if you explain to the listeners because I'm sure a lot of people don't understand that you're kind of expected to do this whole circus well I don't know if you're expected some of them maybe teams will have it in their contracts and stuff but there's basically a a load of post tour criteriums that happen and the one hour criteriums in a town and the town will pay or sponsors in the town will pay big appearance money to get people there and they're largely rigged not largely rigged they're entirely rigged like Victor carpent Arts won the Chris there two days ago in his hometown H Pacha wins a crit caraz a win a crit you know all the personalities from s of France will win a crit they race it like you know Chris last year won the Singapore Chris and so it's fast and it's pretty cool to watch like you can imagine a Chris coming to our hometown with the T of France stars at it like huge crowds turn out and they just want to see them they're not too bers to realize it's WWF and it's a little bit of a panine they get to see the main stars and the guys don't have to worry about to a point they don't have to worry about crashing and stuff because it's not the same Jing for position and but they're racing other world tour Riders just different T might be you know yeah people get obviously pach is attracting much more appearance money but a lot of the personalities from the Tour of France will attract a decent amount of prize money but a microphone on front of Pacha only decided to do one of these postor crits in Holland this week that was on Tuesday I think and a journalist got a microphone under him for it and asked him about this as you're were calling it Ora gate and he said it's not the main reason but for sure it didn't help I think she deserves her spot she's the double national champion in road racing time TRW so he's definitely acknowledging that there's a part to play in it yeah oh for Ura anyway I hope they enjoy their holiday okay next question instead of racing the Olympics look just another point on that like to have an Olympic medal or to say that you you know it's everybody kid any if you're into a sport and you see you watch the Olympics it's it's just such a dream for so many people so like I understand that t has he's achieved so much already this year but yeah to miss you also know it's not without risk and if it's not part of the plan like it's another race off the back of fatigue there's potential for crash there's potential for illness like yeah I can see why he's not there it it's so close to the tour it's so close to the to yeah and to Worlds it's kind of yeah look like in month yeah where 27th I think September okay so hi Anthony and Sarah I loved the tur to France and tried to watch as much as I could even better and more entertaining has been some of the writers reactions to how they performed over the three weeks I particularly noticed an interview with gam martan the French writer where he firmly put his Slow Time up climbs on his bike being too heavy does the mere difference of 100 kg make a

Gaudu blames his Look bike

Colossal difference so 100 g i assum she means there 100 kilograms would make a pretty big difference are right a few hundred kilograms yeah sorry so yeah I don't know if you saw this but gam Maran he came 13th Place in the GC and he has been very vocal since the CH of France finished and blaming his look bike the brand look saying said it's too heavy he came out and said our bikes weigh 7.7 kg a kilo more than the uci's permitted weight I do not want to make my bike even heavier with a bike computer and param meter which also weighs 200 gram so that's why he didn't he didn't ride with a parameter during the TR of France at all he said if you calculate with a bike that weighed a kilo too much I wouldn't have finished 45 seconds behind the Pacho group at the top of the Banette I would have stayed with them and also taken some time to eat I would have felt better anyway and I would have known that everything was better we pay attention to weight and nutrition with our nutrition all year and just before you comment on it I have to say that the team came out like I mean immediately and tried to shut this whole thing down and they basically said that yeah the weight of the bike is an important consideration but it's not the only performance Factor the bike used by martan is specifically designed not to exceed 7.4 kg and it basically said that we've achieved several victories with the same bike in the 2023 tour and the 2023 welta and this year's jro so that was kind of what the team had to say about that but anyway I think that gam is moving it looks like he's heading to ftj this year so he I don't think he's he's holding back at all he shooting St from the not what you want to hear from a ryer though like it's hard enough to attract sponsors and then to hear that from a ryer yeah weight matters but also we' seen yonas and Jorgenson on one of the queen stages opting to not ride the cell climing bike to use the CLL Arrow bike which is I can't remember the exact stats but I'm going to say it's 800 grams or around that sort of Mark heavier than the other bike so I'm just saying that to illustrate the point that weight's not the only variable that matters aerodynamic also matters and I don't know and I haven't seen the Aero profile of this look bike maybe it's designed to be a little bit more aerodynamic and that's why it's carrying some extra weight but also like just G Maran like learn to go downhill like that might save you a bit more rather than control what you can control you're a professional bike rider you need to ride the bike you're given I get that you need you can Advocate internally for better equipment and you know better nutrition better but control your variables he's an absolutely appalling descender like one of the worst in the pelaton and that's a variable he can control and look heavy bike probably got him back on and few Des as well so cuz we did see him do doing one of those super long descents to try and catch up with I think the second group on the road one of the days and he was yeah everyone was kind of commenting that his descending wasn't absolutely amazing better than any of that we could ever descend but on a world T level his descending skills are pretty poor what do you can you kind of explain to this listener though she she wants to know does the mirror difference of a few hundred kilograms really make such a coloss of course it makes a difference yeah like everything makes a difference at that level but like how much of a difference is the question like I think 1 kilog on a 10 kilm climb is 1 minute so you can probably extrapolate from that like it's a few hundred grams heavier so on a 10 like it is going to be it's not milliseconds it's definitely seconds but it's not minutes either yeah H but there I had an old director and he excited me there's a word that comes before cycling and that's professional like there's nothing professional about GM maran's statement like if yeah like I said if you want to Advocate internally for better equipment brilliant but that's what makes you a professional you do it internally through the right channels not in public right now you have a rep with being a little M bike don't wash your your dirty laundry out in the public uh before we jump on to the next uh one Sarah we a little bit of business to do H have been an amazing sponsor for the podcast I'm absolutely addicted to this stuff I have a lot of meetings around the city I'm going to meet potential podcast guests and I've always struggled

Wiggins' Tour-Olympics double taper

To F myself properly for training that evening I find myself eating sandwiches junk even Sushi out of the garage wouldn't recommend that one and when I found H it means I can get 22 gram of protein on the go in this small little bottle so I just bang it into my backpack they've loads of amazing flavors this one's banana which I'm rocking at the moment but there's eight other flavors including iced coffee which I'd toly recommend you check out as well if you're training hard at the moment and you're looking to optimize you're fueling off the bike I definitely recommend you checking it out if you head on over to hu.com h.com Road man they're going to be able to hook you up over there it's all in the show notes down below I often wonder who eats that gas station Sushi I do freaks me out it just feels like a tapeworm you know there's one hiding in there okay next question I'm targeting two events in quick succession this coming September remember in 2012 Bradley Wiggins won the Tour of France and the Olympic time trial how did he hold his form between the two not comparing myself to Wiggins but it would be useful to know if he tapered between events this is a brilliant question yeah that is a really there's a really good documentary on YouTube that's it's free anyone can find it I think it's called Bradley Wiggins a year in yellow which this time of year it'd be a brilliant watch we must pull it out and watch it again and it follows them for the historic Tour of France Olympics double 10 days it was in between him in Paris winning the Tour of France and then the Olympic road race in London where a million people turned out to watch Wiggins win the Olympic gold you definitely didn't taper in between the two so it's not a case of you know traditionally we see this kind of phase of you go like Joe Freel who the master of this stuff to my mind he'd Advocate like build it Bas period one Bas period two Bas period three build period build period taper and then your main event and then when you're going back into your next event he would say you go back to build and then you go build again and then you taper you don't have enough time between two events like this to start again so you just need to hold on to that Peak for someone coming off the tour to France I didn't catch the guy's name who put the question in I can't remember it's not there I don't think but he it's not like he's coming off I would assume a three-week grand tour so he doesn't have the same fatigue management considerations that Wiggins would have but Wiggins wouldn't have taken that much of a break because by taper you would mean kill the duration of your training but keep a little bit of the intensity in it Wiggins would have had to keep the legs turning over because if you take downtime this why everyone rides on a rest day because if you take downtime and you just shut off the body thinks okay I'm in fight mode I'm in fight mode okay now it's time to chill now I can let the body get sick now I can let the body repair and get injured so he needs to stay in tour to France mode almost so Wiggins stayed in that bubble like he didn't come out with a t France bubble he didn't meet his wife he didn't meet his kids like he seen them occasionally but he didn't go back to live in a home he stayed fully in that Preparatory mode he would have spent quite a bit of time on his time draw bike cuz that's different hip flexor angle you're closing off the hip flexor you're closing off the diaphragm so he wanted to get used to that more but he would have kept a nice bit of intensity in his training but like race Pace intensity so I can't remember his exact pace and I think he was around 440 Watts was his Target Pace for the time draw which is insane to most people but he would have done a lot of intervals at around that type of intensity but no you can't let go your form and try and build again you need to just hold on to the form it's all part of one Peak wow that's yeah tapering is it's quite a science isn't it you really need if you can to get somebody to help you to taper it correctly because it's it's comp you can also yeah it's a combination maybe of Science and Arts where you need to experiment with it and see what's right for you cuz what's right for the peer reviewed group of 50 people it doesn't really matter what that ISS it just means like that's something to try and then see how you actually respond to because if you don't individually respond to

Picking the Olympic TT winner

That protocol well there's no point in just using it let's say for instance the first event that this listener is doing is like a 200 km race and then the second event is going to be like a shorter like a crit now I know they're kind of on the complete opposite ends in regards to what you're using they're different parts of your engine but would that again be a very complicated taper to do well tap no not really that would be more complicated in the training because you're trying to train someone to be slow and fast at the same time which you're like it's like saying Hey I want to get ready for the Olympics I want to get ready for the Martin on the 100 meters it's like two different yeah they two different things to get rid of but the taper is essentially just going to be shedding fatigue and keeping a bit of intensity in the system it's not going to change that much okay the very best of luck with your two events okay next question Anthony and Sarah who do you think will win the Olympic time trial it's on tomorrow and we're going to do a live Olympic time trial podcast tomorrow yeah we're going to do a reaction to the winners the losers the of course ridiculous kit and yeah it'll be our our first little look at the Olympic Games which is going to reaction to fipo GH winning it you think it's going to be fipo yeah well look it's so last time out we had RIT W it and actually the last Podium was RIT Tom Duman and Ron Dennis and obviously Tom Duman has since retired not far off his Peak he just T wasn't for him anymore Ron Dennis has found himself in a bit of hot water more than a bit of hot water and Primos rugit actually has a fractured vertebrae at the moment that came out yesterday yeah he released the X-ray pictures of his ver vertebrae and I was thinking he was a bit soft for everyone everyone was thinking that about him days since the workplace accident per ret doesn't clock too many of those up to he but yeah so you're you're going with fipo yeah look I even rewinding from that I am excited to see the time trial in the Olympics again I was looking at when it was first in the Olympics it started out in 1912 in the Olympics and it was a 320 km time trial back then but then they shelved it in 1932 for reasons unknown and it didn't come back until 1996 in the Atlanta Olympics there's a huge gap in it so it is amazing to have it in the Olympics as an event this course is pretty much pan flat it's 150 M of elevation over a 32.4 km out and back course like that's a very very short course for a Time Tri like you know you're 32 km like the winning time last time was 55 minutes and 4 seconds from rugit last time so I it's it's not going to be anywhere near that that was probably a 45 km circuit like we're looking at W fart didn't have an amazing tour to France by his standards so yeah you could put one argument and say that W vanard was training through the tour to France you know mat vandero was also in large part training through through the tour to France although he a roll in you know yasper Philipson's lead outs W fart for me just doesn't feel like he has the form I don't didn't feel like he was getting that much stronger in the tour he was on record saying he'd never gone into a grand tour in such bad shape before the tour France I don't see him really pulling it out of the bag Remco Remco yeah that's who I was going to ask about really really really strong looked to be getting stronger as the tour went on didn't have a brilliant finish in time trial though but that was opale yeah this time trial suits him a little bit better I think yeah won a bunch of time trials similar this year flat time trials obviously world time trial Champion as well so Remco would be a strong bet for a Podium for me Philip oana and Josh Tarling Josh Tarling European champ focused just on this he's really a product of the you know the Wednesday night club 10s in the UK so he's going to have a lot of Hometown support for that type you know upbringing he's a very relatable writer for a lot of people I don't know a whole poile about Josh tling of never talked to Lad he looks a serious tester it looks like a course for him if I was to predict the podium I would say in no particular order it's Ghana Remco Josh tling I don't think I don't think W to be on the podium okay okay very good okay Anthony I want to do an unsupported ride this year

Riding 300km unsupported

I'm thinking 300 km in one day it's not my fitness I need help with I think I'll get through it just need some advice as to how to do it unsupported what kind of food hydration root planning equipment Etc yeah it's a pretty unusual ride to do I rolled 300K one day last month well yeah you the night before we were just get we were in bed we were just about to fall asleep and Anthony I don't know if you had checked the the weather or something just got it into his head at midnight he was like I think I'm going to get up early in ride toale which is 300 K I felt like sending it along well I had a gap on my calendar I don't have a gap too often on my calendar so I was I'm I'm going to send it along and do a big one but then you were like oh yeah I'll I'll set the alarm and I'll decide in the morning and I was like there's no way he's going but see WEA no one wants to you were gone before I was up uh Kut I think is a great starting point for route planning I use that a lot uh I find it better than straa if I'm honest I find it brings me more interest in roads they also have kind of these like crowd Source features where you can see a cool viewing point and you can rout to that I've always found it brings me really nice roads if you're running 300K as well start super early so you have all day to do it and breaking into chunks cuz 300K sounds a lot but if you say I'm going to do 100K and I'm going to stop for a bite to eat I'm going to do another 100K I'm going to stop for a brew and a sandwich I'm going to do another 100K all of a sudden it doesn't sound that hard like the obvious things like eating and drinking are going to be massive like staying on top of your fuel and staying on top of your hydration because you'll get through a 4 hour ride you get through a 6 hour ride 7h hour ride without fueling properly but it does catch you in hours 8 nine 10 if you're averaging kind of 30k an hour and you're finishing in 10 hours it definitely will catch you having friends to do with it's going to pass the time massively I done it solo and I actually I didn't even listen to music for the entire ride I don't know what was going I always listen to music or a podcast and the city was so quiet and peaceful when I set out I said I'm not going to put headphones in and I just got forther and F without headphones in I was like actually just really enjoying listening to Nature and stuff can be lovely to do that um ordered him that you drove down and met me so I didn't have to bring any clothes CU we stayed for a couple of days at the destination well I've been rocking the tail finan which I'm going to bring bike pack in next week which is a really solid way to bring some kit with you without wobbling all over the place transporting your stuff planning yeah that seems like seems like you's got a hold yeah if you said if your Fitness is okay you don't need any help with it that makes me think that you've done very long rides before I think for me when we went bike packing last year we did 150 km in the first day and 160 or 117 the second day and those days gave me a lot of you know confidence to maybe even go and do something on my own after or do something without Anthony bring spares brings like like that's what I saying for you confidence on your own yeah what would un unseat you on a trip like this will be a broken chain yeah so that's I was just going to say so it's like I had Anthony with me if something catastrophic happened so I know if I was go to go into do a 300 km ride in one day I would need to definitely brush up on my mechanical you know and get myself a chain breaker you know all this like and there's not much you need to do because a lot of the catastrophic Mechanicals like you're just getting a taxi or it's it's dnf you're calling for a lift so like if you break a wheel it's done if you break a frame it's done if you break a handlebar it's done you need to be able to fix the stuff like uh a punctured like I've broken a chain I've even sliced the tire and I how to make a little you know Tire boost that you can keep going with yeah yeah it's just little things like that and I think until you ride the 300 kilm you won't and

Speedplay vs Shimano pedals

Until you come across these things and start to think about them outside the box how can I fix this or can I go off my route to go to a bike shop can I navigate around this obstacle a little bit you won't really know what you're going to come up against until you go out there and experience it and go in that amazing adventure just before we move on from that one like I had someone on the podcast a while ago and he had something said a long ride is just like a short ride only longer yeah and that doesn't make that much sense until you say actually it makes perfect sense like don't build it up it's it's 100 everything you need for 100k ride you need the same for 300K roide just a little bit more food I'm so jealous can I come it's days like that are just absolutely amazing okay next question what is the difference between Speed play and Shimano pedals I saw yona's finger guard wearing Speed play in a clip of him during the tour to France but everyone in my club wears Shimano is one better than the other and this is from Rob and yeah I don't know if you if you saw that clip of yonas back at his team car they were fixing his cleat as he was cycling along he took his shoe off handed it in they fixed it kind to back him but yeah you could see that he was in he he used on the road bike or TT bike the road bike that he was using H Speed play pedals so I've always been a Shimano girl can you tell us what the difference is uh yeah a couple of differences on Speed play pedals used to be a little bit more popular than they are Speed play are a little bit more aerodynamic because they reduce the stack height so they Clos that distance between your foot and the pedal axle so that will give you obviously improved aerodynamics because you have less wind hitting this extra section and power transfer is a little bit better apparently through Speed play than Shimano you have dual sided entry so you don't have to you know way you're a traffic light trying to don't imagine this is a problem for you Hest but you know at a traffic light where you're trying to get your toe under and flick the pedal up so it's correct side you have G side entry on the speed play which makes them really nice the float function on Speed play it's more advanced so you get a little bit of float on Shimano but then with Shimano we also check around cleats to get more floats you might go from yellow to Blue to red or whatever severity they go and I think blue is the tightest you can adjust that in the pedals the fine tuning of the amount of foot rotation you get is more in Speed play which makes them maybe a little bit more comfortable they are lighter than Shimano as well but then some the cleat is heavier so I don't know if that Nets out as a gain or not honestly it's just down to preference like look to a a carbon bladed pedal as well which is another option and then there's you know those other brands out there I think the Catan are talking about developing their own brand at the moment as well wow but yeah I think Speed play are a good ver a good option for a newbie because as you said you can clip in on both sides of them just rather than I've never used them I don't know how if they're an option for newbie or not cuz maybe they're harder to get out of okay so I don't know before all the starts breaking their teeth well I'm a Shimano girl Shimano till I die s your speed play TR sh till I die Ro man thanks for tuning in to another episode of rer support there's another video up here which I think you're really going to enjoy and click down here to subscribe it's really important you do this cuz we're coming tomorrow live for the Olympic time trial so if you don't click down here you're not going to know we've gone live until then have a great time see you then

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why is Tadej Pogacar not riding the 2024 Paris Olympics?+

Pogacar is skipping the Olympics to focus on completing the Giro–Tour–Worlds triple crown, a feat not achieved since Stephen Roche in 1987. The Slovenian Olympic Committee officially cited fatigue as the reason for his withdrawal.

Did Urska Zigart get left off the Slovenian Olympic team?+

Yes, Urška Žigart was omitted from the Slovenian women's Olympic team despite winning the national time trial by four minutes and the road race by ten minutes. The selecting coach chose two of his own athletes instead, which Pogacar confirmed "didn't help" his decision to skip the Games.

Was Pogacar snubbing the Olympics because of Urska?+

Pogacar stated the treatment of his fiancée Urška Žigart played a role in his decision, though the primary reason given was fatigue and his focus on the Giro–Tour–Worlds triple crown. Anthony and Sarah from Rider Support discuss both factors in detail and make the case that the selection controversy was a significant contributing factor.

Who last completed the Giro Tour Worlds triple crown before Pogacar?+

Stephen Roche was the last rider to complete the Giro–Tour–Worlds triple crown, achieving it in 1987. Pogacar is targeting the same feat in 2024, which is the central reason his team and the Slovenian Olympic Committee gave for his Olympic withdrawal.

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LACHLAN'S PERFECT UNBOUND: TYRES, BIKE & HELMET | RIDER SUPPORT

After Lachlan Mortons win at the biggest gravel race of the yesr, Unbound, a listener wants to know some of the skills he can learn from the champion. Sarah and Anthony chat about how the gravel scene has changed so much in the last few years and discuss if the "Spirit" of gravel is well and truly...

with Rider Support

Episode#2416

Community26:12

WHY LEMOND THINKS MOTOR DOPING IS DESTROYING CYCLING | RIDER SUPPORT

Anthony & Sarah sit down to answer all your questions in another edition of Rider Support. What wind speed is too much to go training in, how do you grade cobbled sections, the best bike under 7k and motor doping in cycling.

with Rider Support

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Key Takeaways

Pogacar's Olympic withdrawal is primarily about avoiding fatigue and preventing another burnout like he experienced at last year's World Championships, not just the Ura selection controversy

Post-tour criteriums are entirely predetermined showcase races where towns pay appearance fees—they're entertainment, not competitive cycling, so don't read too much into the results

When peaking for two events in quick succession, you don't taper between them; instead, you hold your form by keeping intensity in training while shedding duration to stay in 'race mode'

For a 300km unsupported ride, break it into 100km chunks with food stops, start early to maximize daylight, and learn basic mechanical skills (chain repair, tire boot) before you need them

Speed Play pedals offer advantages over Shimano: lower stack height for aerodynamics, dual-sided entry, more advanced float adjustment, and lighter overall weight—but it ultimately comes down to personal preference

Bike weight matters at the professional level (roughly 100g per kilogram on a 10km climb), but descending ability and aerodynamics are equally critical variables that riders can actually control

Expert Quotes

"If I can't fight for you who can I fight for—isn't this just so beautiful how romantic they're very much in love"

"There's a word that comes before cycling and that's professional—you need to advocate for better equipment internally through the right channels, not wash your dirty laundry out in public"

"A long ride is just like a short ride only longer—don't build it up, it's everything you need for a 100k ride you need the same for 300k, just a little bit more food"

KEY QUOTES

“I think 1 kilog on a 10 kilm climb is 1 minute so you can probably extrapolate from that like it's a few hundred grams heavier so on a 10 like it is going to be it's not milliseconds it's definitely seconds but it's not minutes either.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

“Wiggins stayed in that bubble like he didn't come out with a t France bubble he didn't meet his wife he didn't meet his kids like he seen them occasionally but he didn't go back to live in a home he stayed fully in that Preparatory mode.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

“our bikes weigh 7.7 kg a kilo more than the uci's permitted weight I do not want to make my bike even heavier with a bike computer and param meter which also weighs 200 gram so that's why he didn't he didn't ride with a parameter during the TR of France at all.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why is Tadej Pogacar not riding the 2024 Paris Olympics?+

Did Urska Zigart get left off the Slovenian Olympic team?+

Was Pogacar snubbing the Olympics because of Urska?+

Who last completed the Giro Tour Worlds triple crown before Pogacar?+

TADEJ POGACAR BOYCOTTS OLYMPICS! FIND OUT WHY | RIDER SUPPORT

Key Takeaways

Expert Quotes

KEY QUOTES

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

NEVER MISS AN EPISODE

READ THE GUIDE

RELATED EPISODES

IS POGACAR TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE? | RIDER SUPPORT

LACHLAN'S PERFECT UNBOUND: TYRES, BIKE & HELMET | RIDER SUPPORT

WHY LEMOND THINKS MOTOR DOPING IS DESTROYING CYCLING | RIDER SUPPORT

RELATED CONTENT

LACHLAN'S PERFECT UNBOUND: TYRES, BIKE & HELMET | RIDER SUPPORT

IS POGACAR TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE? | RIDER SUPPORT

WHY LEMOND THINKS MOTOR DOPING IS DESTROYING CYCLING | RIDER SUPPORT

LIKED THIS EPISODE?

TADEJ POGACAR BOYCOTTS OLYMPICS! FIND OUT WHY | RIDER SUPPORT

Key Takeaways

Expert Quotes

KEY QUOTES

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

NEVER MISS AN EPISODE

READ THE GUIDE

RELATED EPISODES

IS POGACAR TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE? | RIDER SUPPORT

LACHLAN'S PERFECT UNBOUND: TYRES, BIKE & HELMET | RIDER SUPPORT

WHY LEMOND THINKS MOTOR DOPING IS DESTROYING CYCLING | RIDER SUPPORT

RELATED CONTENT

LACHLAN'S PERFECT UNBOUND: TYRES, BIKE & HELMET | RIDER SUPPORT

IS POGACAR TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE? | RIDER SUPPORT

WHY LEMOND THINKS MOTOR DOPING IS DESTROYING CYCLING | RIDER SUPPORT

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