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CYCLING'S RESPECT CRISIS (DARYL IMPEY) | ROADMAN PODCAST

with Roadman Podcast

35:04·27 April 2023

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ROADMAN PODCAST

Daryl Impey opens up about the physical and mental toll of professional cycling as he approaches the end of his career, revealing why even two-time Tour Down Under winner and 11-time South African National Champion is stepping back. Beyond personal sacrifice, he diagnoses a dangerous shift in cycling culture: a respect crisis in the peloton where younger riders are taking increasingly reckless risks, and the sport's leadership has failed to establish clear consequences for dangerous behaviour.

Key Takeaways

The risk-to-reward calculation changes fundamentally as a cyclist ages—early career risks make sense for potential upside, but late-career crashes for limited gains force riders to question whether the sacrifices are worth it
Cycling's respect problem stems from leadership failing to punish dangerous conduct rather than just consequences; jumping pavements, blocking roads, and reckless sprinting go unchecked because riders who pull it off face no penalty, normalising the behaviour
Tactical blocking (like slowing down a climb to force riders to unclip) undermines fair racing and drives desperation that leads to dangerous moves; the sport needs consistent rule enforcement across all races and countries
Family responsibilities and mental fatigue compound physical aging—watching your children see you in a wheelchair or cry after a crash reshapes your willingness to take professional risks in ways pure physiology doesn't
Social media content creation by pro cyclists is net positive for the sport's growth and sponsor ROI, helping cycling reach casual fans who drive bike sales rather than just hardcore racing enthusiasts

Expert Quotes

"I've come from far back, I'm back where I am, but geez what all has it taken on me... there's a point where you just feel like hold on a second, like I've reached a point where I'm tired of sinking my teeth into the deso of the peloton."

"There's nothing worse than seeing guys in the final years of their career just hanging at the back and getting spat every day... I want to go out and say well I've had a good run and my time is up."

"If you're going to go oh well he managed to pull it off, he wasn't so lucky, then everyone's still going to do it because it's so intense in the peloton—nobody gives an inch, so the only place you can pass is on the pavement."

KEY QUOTES

“I think there is less respect because there's the figureheads that in our sport that could have stood up and made examples with the Gaza to doing those things jumping Pavements all those kind of things you know that's they were able to do those and they got away with it and then it slowly as the nothing happened to those costs taking those kinds of risks it just started becoming a free-for-all because everybody got away with it.”
Daryl Impey — Two-time Tour Down Under winner, 11-time South African National Champion

“I broke my pelvis in 2021 that was a big one it was a big one mentally but it was also like really hard for the family and to see the kids you know go through it because they were older and they could understand it and for them to see me in a wheelchair and things like that it was hard to raise that for me.”
Daryl Impey — Two-time Tour Down Under winner, 11-time South African National Champion

“I see more danger as I've got older like and whether or not that same those same dangers were there when I was racing 10 years ago there probably were but I felt like cars like more looked after each other you know we used to speak on the start line we used to shake each other's hands we used to like now it's like you stay in your team you can't sit in with the Peloton if you're not all behind your teammate it's like a [ __ ] rule.”
Daryl Impey — Two-time Tour Down Under winner, 11-time South African National Champion

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT3 SECTIONS

Final season motivation struggles

EMP sense is the arrival of get ready for a rare and raw glimpse into the world of professional cycling with could he defy the odds two-time tour down under winner and 11 time South African National Champion is fighting his way back Mr darling he gets home he TP who wins for South African to wear to cover the yellow jersey in the Tour de France also a stage winner in that race it's celebration for all of South Africa teams lucky they still have I'm on the contract Daryl's accomplishments on the bike they're nothing short of incredible now of course we're gonna have champagne of course man I think the red has improved in this exclusive interview Daryl shares his perspective on the challenges and rewards of pro cycling including the risks very very special uh moment for the organization very very special one indeed and how was approach to taking risk has evolved over the course of his career he was one of the last writers we signed the first year of this team but has turned into the most valuable most valuable Rider in this organization has ever had they're not going to want to miss this one-of-a-kind conversation with Mr Daryl MB um good job man it's our limpy what's going on so much man just uh I've actually just knocked there five hours I had a mental game mental back and forth the whole day actually so I've haven't had the best run into the races that I've actually really liked so and with it being the final part of my career it's a bit of a roller coaster this last three months to be honest are you still motivated to go out and do a five hour ride or is there uh you know you live into your honestly you're kind of looking off the weather but it's not always sunny so if you look out the window and just go I just couldn't be asked him five hours in this bad weather uh you know like the the only thing that's actually keeping me going is like I know how hard it is to race to be at this level and how how bad it can backfire in the race but not trading so that's so that's the real that's the real motivator for me at the moment is like to like there's times of course I wake up and I go oh I don't feel like doing this five hours or I don't feel like these kind of efforts or Jesus it's the last time I'm ever gonna have to probably do efforts like this so get it done but it's more like knowing that I go to a race and if I haven't done the work it's kind of that's the something that's pushing me to like do the job because there's nothing worse than you know seeing guys in the final years of their career and just hanging at the back and just getting spat every day so it's hard because like my motivation used to be I always used to be the guy that was counted on in the end and uh not that they don't count on me I kind of want less pressure but myself I'm having the battle with like apart from you saying like you don't want all the stress you don't want everything and then the other half is saying like you should be there you know like you you were always there and why aren't you there so it's like a bit of an up and down period actually but it seems like and you know we'll get into some of your achievements and sort of France yellows and stuff through the course of the conversation but it seems like you've gone out the very best way it's possible to go out at the end of the season like going out on your terms not going out we're like oh yeah I'm gonna do another year and then you just can't get a contract and you kind of you know become a gravel Rider exactly like there comes a time where you've got to realize like what the sacrifices are to be a pro cyclist and to to keep up with kind of to keep up with the Joneses in cycling you know keep up with the guys that are sitting the bar and they things change your life you also you'll have a family and you you grow as a person and you have more responsibilities and other other parts of your life and to do all these things to be as competitive as your as your competition it's like and now it's becoming such a thing of staying at altitude more time away from home more sacrifices and as you as you know as I'm sure you've seen other riders that over the years there's just no more space for kind of doing all those sacrifices once you like a father and things like that so it makes it pretty tough when you know like to be at that level to be winning I know I should be at altitude for three weeks longer and when I know I'm not willing to put in those sacrifices anymore oh I'm not able to put in those sacrifices because the Tank's starting to run on empty then it's you know then the reality is there kind of like well instead of just being that guy that gets told is not good enough um rather be rather go out and say well I've had a good run and my time is up do you think it's a your physical body what are you now 38 39 years old physical is it the physical age and process that is the reason someone would have to walk away or is it the other stuff that he accumulate as a 38 year old like responsibilities family a little bit of you know mental fatigue from having to just do the same thing year after year um I think um I think there's lots of things that come into the equation for me is like I've had a lot of big crashes I've had like probably like three career ending crashes coming from back from those has been you know has been achievements in the own but the final one I broke my pelvis in 2021 that was a big one it was a big one mentally but it was also like really hard for the family and to see the kids you know go through it because they were older and they could understand it and for them to see me in a wheelchair and things like that it was hard to raise that for me you know and even last year when I raised the Walter the family came to watch and they were all there just in Holland just an easy you know bench Sprint and I was kind of at the back and they crashed at the back and I actually crashed in front of them all and you know and then I remember finishing the race and my son was in tears because I've gone through this whole thing and I'm just not willing to take the those risks that are required anymore to be to be at that pointy end and it's not like I stopped myself but it's it's more like the yeah you're getting tired of getting hurt man so you're tired of putting yourself through that through that mindset of like everything's gonna be okay no one's gonna make a mistake and we've seen guys make more mistakes crashes are bigger the crashes are faster and you get to a point where you probably just say well chat enough of that no you know obviously we raced our entirely different levels but that was one of my motivations for not riding the bike full-time anymore I think we make that kind of risk to return calculation in our head and the risk for you earlier in the career it makes sense because you're like okay I can get these contracts I can have all this financial upside this living the dream the fame the notoriety that goes with it as you get closer to the end of the career it's like well I've got a lot of that stuff already I've basically got as much out of that deal and Shrek as I can now I'm taking all the risk for a limited upside for me when I was quite limited talent wise like Continental was kind of my seal and I felt when I you know I'd race with guys like your teammate now Michael Woods uh he raced for Garner Quebec the same year I was out in Canada I was looking at him going we are not the same thing like he's not the same creature as me he's he's climbing at twice the speed I am so I was taking all the risk guys like that were taken but I had none of the upside potential because I was never gonna step up to World Tour so when I had one or two big crashes I was like you know what it's just not worth risk to reward ratio if you started assessing that differently as your career has progressed yeah for sure I've never really struggled to come back I've always wanted to come back and even when I broke my pelvis I was like I need to come back because I have a certain responsibility I've come to Israel Premier Tech to to do a certain job and now I'm not able to do it like it was just natural for me to to come back but the partitude actually didn't actually put together is once you've done it once you've back in it and the toilet's actually taken on your body to get there you actually kind of while you're doing it you feel like everything's okay but then there comes a point where you just feel like hold on a second like I've come from far back I've I'm back where I am but geez what all has it taken on me and I think that's kind of I think why this year I wanted to just like take a little bit of a step back to to get out of that even if it was is like the team knows like I didn't want to be in the point here and I wanted to rather help I wanted to pass on like wisdom to guys like Corbin strong and things like that um and and guide those guys instead and I think they kind of got that part where they were like okay maybe he's just reached a point where he's like tired of uh sinking his teeth into the I call it the deso another Peloton because it's like you know it is does feel like that sometimes so I I think that's that's part of one of those aspects that we're talking about but then look yeah there's so many things that make you realize like that that should be you know time and I think it's the thing is like I feel good about it you know there's no bitterness there's no anything like that it's more about uh you know I think I'm nervous about what's after cycling but then I'm also like I'm really chuffed at what I've achieved um over the course of my career because I look at the fights in there like a few weeks ago for our Milan San Remo you look at the fight into the bottom of the suppressor and I'm just like there's nothing about that that I'm jealous or envious about that just looks stressful and dangerous what's that like to to still be in the 44 position there because we're hearing from X Pros all the time I can talk to Christian vanderveld a couple of weeks ago and he was like you know what I'm glad I'm on the other side of the fence looking at it he said from the outside it just looks like they're taking more and more chances there's less and less respect is that your interpretation from the inside look yeah I think there is less respect because there's the figureheads that in our sport that could have stood up and made examples with the Gaza to doing those things jumping Pavements all those kind of things you know that's they were able to do those and they got away with it and then it slowly as the nothing happened to those costs taking those kinds of risks it just started becoming a free-for-all because everybody got away with it yeah I think particularly with the younger guys we we are seeing a bit of like less respect but it's also like when I was younger too not that we had less respect but I think it was more like the older guys like made us aware of like you know you have a spot here in the Peloton and you know where you're sitting like hey good luck if you pull a result that's great and you you deserve everything but it was almost like calm down and wait until you've proven yourself where is now like it's just like everyone thinks they're the you know the best ride in the world and they've come and they've got a job to do and the best answer people can tell you is like if you tell them they've done something wrong like you just come up to a ride and say listen mate what you did there was like could have gone really pear-shaped you know next time maybe don't do that there's some balances just [ __ ] you you know it's like you're just like well that's the attitude of everybody that we're gonna go nowhere and it's it's it's more like yeah I think a lot of guys have lost that aspect of like you know they haven't crashed hard enough yet whereas a lot of us have crashed hard in our careers and it's the ones that have crashed hard that go ah I don't want to be back there because of your mistake um and that's where I think there is this respecting and together it's a whole UCR everybody needs to kind of come to a way of trying to sort it out but the ultimately it's the bike Rider's responsibility to look after each other while we're out there but oh that's not really happening I mean I want to also say like when I was really trying to focus on the pointy end I didn't also get so blindsided by it all I wasn't so like oh it's hectic attack because I was in that great mode it was like I have to be there I have to be there's no other way around it whereas I feel like now I'm kind of like I have to be there but I'm not the chosen son so I don't need to really be there you know so and that's the like the different part of it is because like now I'm thinking like I have to take risks to put so-and-so in position but I I also don't need to be there actually because it's actually his responsibility to be there too yeah so I look at it like a little bit differently like now like now I see more danger I guess that's that's like what I'm trying to say is I see more danger as I've got older like and whether or not that same those same dangers were there when I was racing 10 years ago there probably were but I felt like cars like more looked after each other you know we used to speak on the start line we used to shake each other's hands we used to like now it's like you stay in your team you can't sit in with the Peloton if you're not all behind your teammate it's like a [ __ ] rule there's also a weird thing going on where people want to take elcoms and almost not criminalized on board really condemn certain outcomes rather than looking at the consequences and I'll expand on that to say what I mean like we're seeing the downhill I'll Sprint with grown away again and Jacobson a couple of years ago in tour of Poland which was absolutely ridiculous for so many reasons the downhill spreads those stupid barriers with the legs but grown away again deviated from his lion a small bit the consequences of it were tragic but there's way worse deviations we've seen buhani you know basically every single bike race he's in with worst deviations from a Sprint line then gruner wagon hard but grunawaken gets punished for the consequences rather than the conduct and again we've seen that kid last week here at a week for our Flanders that tries to move up on the grass gets his front wheel caught um you know takes out half the Peloton and he gets disqualified from the race but people are jumping up on footpaths all the time it just doesn't go wrong I think we need to move away from saying we're only going to punish consequences and actually punish the conduct that's Laden to those consequences yes sadly we're only reacting to when things go bad I mean should be just a standard thing like you go on a pavement that's not on the road you're you're out because it's the only way to it's the only way to stop it I mean if you're going to go oh well he managed to pull it off he wasn't so lucky oh gee he just slipped through there you know luckily nothing happened then everyone's still going to do it because I can tell you it's so intense in the Peloton right now nobody gives an inch so the only place you can pass now is actually on the pavement so if they're gonna not do anything about it people are going to risk people are going to try it's like eating fines like you're always going to get if someone's going to get a speeding fine even if you say a lesson you can't speed over 80.

Desperation and dirty tactics in the peloton

They're still going to get people speeding so there's still going to be us pushing the limits trying to peek through and I like part of me when I first thought I was like I want an idiot but then I'm like well he actually only moved up Wellens had just done the exact same move just before him yes and had enough Road and jumped on and sure like he cocked it up this guy and the consequences are massive but like I also go like well if you're going to throw him out the race you should have thrown all those guys that were on the pavement there out of the race because like they all made it just with enough time but I mean it's it's so difficult these days with directors shouting you get to the front get to the front and everyone's just so desperate the desperation is so intense in the Peloton that people are willing to do whatever it takes you know like especially in the classics it's like the position is everything and then you're getting like DSM doing what they did I mean I don't want to highlight like what they've done but I mean I mean check have done it in yours have done it loads of teams have done it but it's like when when we actually making those kind of moves in the Peloton and racing like that that's why people can you expand on that a little bit for people that don't know what you're talking about well DSM in the Rhonda from Flander and actually blocked the road completely so they all got the full team to the front and once they got to the full team to the front so I think it was on the molenberg if I'm correct and then they slowed it right down so that the people at the back of the Peloton were going so slow that eventually they had to like unclip once everybody had unclipped then they decided to accelerate because then everyone's starting from absolute zero upper steep Club some of them probably might even have to walk up if it's slippery you know for me that's like it's not really a fair playoff cycling that's not relying on the legs there's tactics sure you know closing the road or maybe a guy attacks it but to really slow down that guys actually have to unclip and stop and I mean for me that's stuck it's not a that's not a fair play thing and that's why we're getting people doing stupid things like riding on because you don't want to like massage you don't be caught up by someone doing something like this and it's it's down to Riders as well like um you know and whoever made that call and like I say it's not the only their team that have done this before there was last year in the frinklers Frank one of those races uh in Germany where Borah did the same tactic after 30k blocked the road in Germany completely made everyone unclipped TSM was for that it was like it was the first time I'd seen DSM disease and I'm like oh DSM it just highlighted me how little results they've had this season when I've seen them slowing it all down I was like that's purely the act of a desperate team yeah like I mean I know though maybe trying to go well you know maybe we can capitalize on it but it's I just think like everybody needs to like just just rely on the legs you know like we were trying to like we're attacking feed zones we like you know it's like it's like quite important now where you put your feed Zone in the races because it's like you know everyone used to feed together but now that since covert that's changed but now it's like oh maybe I like we feed here earlier than the other teams and then you know and the Daniel we rather Daniel and then they can maybe miss a feed and then like it's just one of the reals I shot my friend about you today do you know if you're getting dropped it makes no sense to not use the cars swing out with a car sticky bottles it makes absolutely no sense to not use the cars to the maximum amount you can even if it's totally illegal because if you get caught you get thrown out with a race but if you don't get back into the race you're out of the race anyway so the punishment is totally pointless you may as well just do everything you can to get back in legal or illegal yeah like I think the like it is the other thought it's like there's so many gray areas like you stop for a pee and then you can get back on by using the cars and you give a crash and then but then sometimes this happens in key moments and then it's like not to set the same rules don't apply so it's like oh it's very it's a very gray area in cycling and uh but there's the I mean I've sometimes come back in the cars dropped on the top of a car but then the cars passes over the top and then there's a convey of of course on the Daniel and you you sneak back in through the cause um that's just how it is it's like yeah it's like if you on the good side of it sometimes you do get back in the race but then you know there's there's often times where God shouldn't be they should have been dropped and there's just a poor decision from the commissary to allow the cars in that have been able to bring back the second group it's the same thing with TV motorbikes it's just you know depends which race you're at I mean we when we race sometimes in Spain and movie stars right in the front all of a sudden the speeding the pelotons up and if you're racing somewhere else uh you know and even in time trials I mean you've seen time travels when the favorites go out they've got motorbikes and cars behind them and you know VIPs watching them and that's but then you get someone that's like further down the field that's putting in an awesome time and he's got no one just a lead motorbike that's sitting 300 meters ahead of him if you're one of the favorites you've got the motorbike right in front of you five ten meters in front of you filming you you're getting a massive draft so this yeah there's so many little things intricacies this and it you know sometimes you are on the good side of it and sometimes you're not on the good side of it so it's just like cycling is yeah it's a difficult it's a difficult one because there's so many different rules and then there's so many different countries and there's so many like different countries abide by the rules differently you've got Australia they're super strict no why there's no point like chance of any of this happening then you go somewhere else and you know it's like throw me the Vlogs that you guys are doing on YouTube if anyone hasn't checked out Style's YouTube channel I'll link it in the show notes and stuff it's brilliant but they really give people that haven't raced bikes and insight into what it's like because most average Joe publics who listen to the podcast they don't know uh the morning of a Tour de France stage is like what your power data or your lack of power data looks like in a Welter stage it's just such a brilliant Insight how has that been is this is it an annoyance having to film is it annoyance to teammates or is it only positive no you know what like I am a lot of the times guys that chase you like kind of do it all by yourself because yeah and there's certain guys in the team I know I can have a chat with and a bit of a laugh and put a camera in their face and they're comfortable but then I have to respect the guys that don't enjoy it you know you guys on the team that I can tell like oh they won't be Keen for this I I kind of just like don't show them or I just kind of do something before they get in the bus or you know so I try and I try and really like keep you know I I uh the job is to raise my bicycle it's not to get my YouTube channel going um so and and whatever the group is it's got to work for the group so particularly when I went to UAE then we had like darcit and Rick's arbel and everybody like lost you and I knew oh this is a crew that's like happy in front of the camera and have a bit of a laugh but then you can go like to the audience where it's like woodsy Fool's getting these guys that don't really like they're not sure to give you like and rightly so they're focusing on winning liaise and they're not sure to mess around um so you've just gotta understand your kind of the group you're in um and not be annoying because I think when they see you like are you doing your thing but you're not tagging them or whatever they're fine with it you know but it it is a little bit challenging and it's uh it's also not something that's done in the Peloton by writers sometimes you there with your camera and then you think like I wonder what these guys actually think you know do they think like cheese chicken empty is just Clowning Around yeah but um you know I'm like super serious behind the scenes but then I'm like well what it is and this is what my final years of my career are like and I'm actually going to film it because I I want to keep these memories and then I also want to be able to just like show a little bit of I don't know bring a little bit of like humor into the team the actual reality is and I know sometimes we're in the hardcore cycling bubble it's a different version of reality Joe public you know Factor sponsored a podcast and they sponsor your theme like Joe public who goes out and buys a factor by and large they're not the dudes who are racing 1.1 races they're not the guys racing carmesses most bike sales are driven from you know sportif Gran fondos car fours cat trees they're the vast vast bulk of cycling participants that sell bikes and you get the Reuters who are super super serious and they think uh top 20 in a shield to prey is a phenomenal result which it is but most of those people buying bikes don't even know what Shield of prey is they don't know that's a bike race never mind who came 19th and 2022 Edition but they will tune into a vlog on YouTube and buy a bike as a result of that the idea of using social media as a tool to help the sport just grow and be less reliant on philanthropy and Good Will and more reliant on an actual return on investment model it needs to move towards that in the next few years and find kind of safe parameters that you can create your Vlogs in without the looks of frugal connection going oh he's at this again because it's just net positive for everyone from what I can say I think it is getting better like I think a lot of writers now are starting to go oh I think as soon as you start seeing like garzak room and all those guys like doing get thoughts become like I was chatting with Alex Dawson about his like starts becoming more acceptable within the Peloton it starts becoming more like okay well he's doing it like so there must be some value to it or there must there must be a reason behind it and then people start asking questions like oh why are you actually doing this and he could say I do it because you know I don't know I'll make x amount of YouTube or I've sold x amount of bikes for a factor and they love me for a day or whatever it is um and I think live writers these days are starting to go like maybe there's something to this maybe I actually can get more value just showing a little bit and giving something back to my sponsors as well because like you know a few years ago there was no way I was going to buy a camera and a thing to to do any anything and then the other day like I bought an insta 360 camera just did some cool shots you know so like because then you like want to improve you know you want to be better you wanted to make it look cooler for the sponsors for for everything so yeah there are certain things that you that I that I'm enjoying about it and yeah I think I think it's a need for for sponsors to get more out of cyclists these days because if you you know be interesting to see what that Netflix series is going to be like on yeah I'm so Keen to see because like when I look at some of the characters they are guys that are going to be in this thing I'm like oh oh who was in it I haven't heard that much about it sorry well it's the one before the tour of well during the Tour de France so I think it was six or seven teams that had given full access um so it'll be interesting to see because some of them are really hot up in the you know I think jumbo was one of them maybe or so it'll be interesting to see what it's like there if it's just talking to management or if like the writers are really like just kicking back relaxed and you know giving kind of what you see in the F1 thing which is like you know that's what got me a little bit interested in F1 racing because I was like oh geez these guys are having a great time and behind the scenes is like super stressful and then like oh there's some talks of contract because in cycling nobody talks about who owns what what to deal gonna be a deal breaker or this guy's getting shafted it's just like it's all I kept hush hash still locked last minute you know where it's like F1 kind of opened it's world to everybody a little bit yeah it was quite cool to see why does no one talk about contracts because I I know the one that we've heard talked about and kind of I think it's been so wrongly hammered for it is forumi's Big contract with Israel like through me since I started watching cycling he's one of the greats you know we use one five third of France yet there's Twitter pages of like is through me dropped yet during the tour and it's like you know I have some respect like what's going on with that is that frustrating to listen to that and then kind of following on from that is there frumi's contract was obviously widely debated is there a kind of people within the team kind of jealous or envious of those big contracts to get thrown around there's like two parts to it really because like friendly gets paid on his whatever his market value was at that point that was his market value you know and if anybody's chose to sign him on that those amounts there was obviously some kind of a counter offer which was very similar to that so that is his market value whether or not he's he's been able to deliver on that um that's another question but the the thing is like what people forget is like premium give Israel Premier Tech a lot of credibility you know Mark Woods came across I came across Jacob Fool's gamecan Hoover Hall we've had like Simon Clark so there was a there was a huge shift of writers that came across because of fumi that's also part of it and also whenever you go to the tour whenever you go anywhere any other race in the world there's still people that love for me they hang preemie's name it doesn't matter if you've come there with the previous winner and if Rumi's theirs he's still the priority and people forget how how big he is in cycling you know even joining the team with factor and all that kind of stuff like sales wins up on bikes with factors so on the road maybe they don't see the value of him what he's done in the race compared to his previous best years but maybe as a sponsor maybe they've actually seen like a huge uptick in like oh well this makes actually perfect sense for us in a different way but also you get paid on what you who you are what you've what you bring and really it's a brand and there's very few exactly exactly he's a he's a massive name in cycling there's still no one has rivaled him recently and you know I believe today and then obviously it's surpassing but I mean he was the greatest of Our Generation as a grand tour writer and uh you know it's he also deserves he deserves part of that taken up by bad accident and does he work hard to get back to where he wants to be yes he's he's up there on altitude he's working hard he's not sitting back with some pina coladas and just chilling you know he's working he's working his office to try and come back and maybe it's not maybe he's maybe he's not going to get back to his best level um but also that at the same time sucking had a massive shift after this covet and everything it does like but also on the Picacho one like I'd agree with you it looks probable the Picacho will go on and Eclipse through me real has actually won those races he actually has won those five tours and he has them in his back pocket sure we could all see her now and speculate and go off gotcha looks like he's going to dominate the next decade but there was a point when Bernal won his first tour to France where we would have sat here and had that same conversation and say oh now it's going to be unbeatable over the next decade so it is really difficult to forecast what's coming down the road so this sort of future expected victories I think people overvalue them a lot it's what you've done up to this point is a lot more persuasive for sponsors yeah yeah and also like to be nice cycling a lot can happen you know what takes one miscalculated thing and then you know maybe you're having to deal with all these injuries and you come back and you don't come back the same you know I never came back the same off to my to my hip fracture you know it's just it's just one of these things and you also remember a guy was nearly like dead in a way you know like it was he was fighting for his life you know and he's come back and he's racing at the world tour and then the problem with being so good is that you've set the bar so high and people forget like where you've come from what's happened before that you know you had a bad accident some people don't but then there's obviously people that go ah there's jealousy oh you make so much money and blah blah blah but actually at the end of the day you've got to you've got to also like put the picture in in a holistical way to go instead of just like exactly what's happening right now like oh you I dropped in Rwanda oh he doesn't deserve the money or whatever it's just yeah I think I think Chris Chris's what Chris has done over the over his career has been magnificent and whatever he's made from his career is you know he's deserved it so I think I think people should just like focus on what they what they actually need to focus on themselves instead of what everyone's making if we compare money or people making we can compare Sports as well and say well nobody else does 21 days racing in a row and Roland garroths and all these people how much do they make in tennis I mean it's like we can just start there you know take me back to 2013.

Wearing yellow at the Tour

How big was this to be the first African to pull on a yellow jersey in the Tour de France no that was Mega it was uh if I look at my you know obviously I've had some nice nice victories and things like that but uh yellow Jersey was like the Holy Grail you know um off cycling and besides being like the first African and South African um it was more like I joined the club I joined the club of like like without having the same amount of results or same amounts of expectations as them it was like wow I've joined this group I mean even at that point like a guy like Cavendish hadn't even had the yellow Jersey I mean he already had like 30 stage wins by then and he still hadn't worn the yellow Jersey you know and like that's the magnitude and the difference is like everything has to line up everything has to go away like there's so many factors that have to go your way to actually have that Jersey form Team all these kinds of things like that year there was no time bonuses in the tour for some reason it was just a different format and like yeah and it just it just kind of stars lined up and there I was like in the yellow Jersey and like back home it went nuts um everyone was wearing yellow on Friday and it was just so cool like schools were dressing in yellow and it just it was yeah it was Mega so it was like so cool to see all those things happen but it's only like a couple years later and you think like when you add the tour again and you're there suffering and you're like you see another guy and yelling you're like that's a big moment you know like like you know you must enjoy it because it goes so fast and you never know when it's going to come back like when I wore the yellow I didn't think Archie probably next year I'll have another go at this I was kind of like say for this moment it was like one of those moments you knew this way won't come back like very easily it's probably never going to come back in your career and that's an amazing awareness to have though at that time because I think as athletes there's downsides and upsides to being so goal focused within cycling like I chat to people in the business World sometimes and you know they've got a good grasp on key performance indicators and where they should be moving but when you look at cyclists no one has a grasp on goal setting like Cycles you know exactly why you're going out the door today what the goal is from today's session how it fits into the week's plan what the early season targets are like goals around diet goals around sports psychology just goals all over the place when you get to a moment like that have that EQ to go it might not ever get any better than this this is the summit of the mountain after this I'm walking back down far so Ed sure your level's not going to drop huge but you're at the peak right now you're on The Descent after that that takes a massive emotional intelligence to understand that yeah I think I think was a I was never thinking about it or you can get yeah I dream about wearing like but I never thought you know it just seems so far out of out of range of like you have to be a great Karma or a sprinter to to get it you know and and it was just like that was just the year that things just lined up and we were there just panned up but I think like I never obsessed about it or anything like that but obviously one when I had it I was so caught off guard I didn't actually know what to do like I switched off my phone and as I switched it on it just started ringing in and then I'd be like oh this is not because like people back home are just trying to find find get a you know interview this that I was never ready for that kind of heart or anything but it was fantastic like I remember once I lost the yellow Jersey straight away it was like I mean even the day I still had the yellow and I knew I was going to lose it that day I didn't know I was going to lose it through me I knew I had a good chance of losing it too African yeah and and I I there was no journalist outside the bus headboard even though the yellow Jersey it was like no one I remember going oh so obviously now I'm losing it today you know it was just like reality like straight away like okay we don't have to ask him any questions we know he's going to lose today so but we'll move on you know and and for me that was like the the reality straight away like okay cool you back down to earth and it's like it's such a moment not just for you it's like if you think about every touch point you've had on the way up through cycling like the difficulties you know I've gone over to race uh the Armani project Scrabble racing Kenya this year and chat to Mikhail the organizer there it's like the difficulties around visa from Bridging the Gap from Africa over to Europe all the different cultures you've had the people who facilitated your early moves to VC La Palm when you were over in France like so many people are involved in that moment and they all have a smile on her face that day as much as it's a personal amazing achievement it's a collective amazing achievement for everyone who's had an inter a positive interaction with you on the way up for sure that's like the really for my family my dad and you know who loves racing and then you know my brother and all that kind of stuff my mom it was just like everybody who played a part that Dave fault spit like felt something like touched I think you know in a little way like they felt like I was part of that you know that was like amazing to be a part of and like even like the like and even when I got the messages from people I like made sure like I reply to everybody because I knew like oh these guys have like they've also sent me messages on the tough days you know like oh come on mate you'll get through so like I really I was so like tired of just replying but I I like made it like a thing to like make sure like that I value also just saying like even if it was short like just our cheers thanks and then like later as things quieten down and go hey man sorry I meant to reply a bit more than cheers thanks but I think uh in those days you're on cloud nine man you just you you you're walking around the Peloton the guys are patting you on your back and even like you know big stars in the Peloton are kind of coming up to you and saying like congrats you know because I think they also like oh geez for this guy coming from Africa for everything and huge you know and they realize the gravity of it I tell you I wasn't rooting for you in on Bastille Day in 2019 you're in the break where my compatriate rochi and I was like I think I can't remember exactly how a panda but I think it was you Keith bernut and roach at one point and then he has managed to distance him and obviously you absolutely rinsed he's been out in the Sprints coming in the road yeah we knew that the guys were coming from behind but it was just like nuts that green Edge team seemed special like the atmosphere there seemed special like I've had Whitey on the podcast I've had it's been tough done a couple of times and I've been on his and there's just some characters that Christy old Jensen like there was just characters all across the team the atmosphere just looked phenomenal how motivating was that to be around and then how hard was that to leave look it was yeah it was special special years at greenage we had you know I loved my time there I had the best moments there um it was a family to me Boo the guys grew on me I mean I saw a lot of the guys live here in Girona we catch up a lot there was also like a team that picked me up from when I was really like you know nearly ending my career early on when I was at NetApp and it was kind of like Neda picked me up when I'd lost my contract with uh RadioShack because I signed with the failed Pegasus team um but yeah they kind of gave me I was the last writer that signed for the team and they gave me the shot luck okay this is it you know you've got a chance to join the team and like make sure you make it count and I was super super tough to be able to do that but yeah as the years went by we just we just clicked they had faith in me I had faith in them it was like every race I went to every staff member I was with I just we were just so happy it was it was you know we were clowning around we were having fun but we were winning races yeah your Legends really appreciate it thanks Anthony cool man

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why is there a respect crisis in professional cycling?+

Daryl Impey argues that younger professionals are riding recklessly without facing meaningful consequences, which has eroded the unwritten code of conduct that once governed behaviour in the peloton. He believes leadership has failed to enforce accountability, allowing dangerous riding to become normalised at the sport's highest level.

What injuries did Daryl Impey suffer during his career?+

Impey broke his pelvis in 2021, which proved to be a significant turning point in how he assessed risk as a professional rider. He also describes crashing in front of his children, an experience that reshaped his willingness to accept danger as part of the job.

Why are crashes in professional cycling getting worse?+

Impey points to a combination of faster racing speeds, larger pelotons, and reckless behaviour from riders who have not yet faced consequences for poor positioning or aggressive tactics. These factors together mean that when crashes do occur, they are more severe and involve more riders than in previous eras.

How does crash risk affect a professional cyclist's decision to retire?+

Impey explains that veteran riders increasingly weigh up whether the physical risk of continuing to race justifies the rewards, particularly once serious injuries have altered their perception of danger. When crashes happen repeatedly and leadership does not act, experienced riders lose confidence that the peloton is a safe environment worth staying in.

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Key Takeaways

The risk-to-reward calculation changes fundamentally as a cyclist ages—early career risks make sense for potential upside, but late-career crashes for limited gains force riders to question whether the sacrifices are worth it

Cycling's respect problem stems from leadership failing to punish dangerous conduct rather than just consequences; jumping pavements, blocking roads, and reckless sprinting go unchecked because riders who pull it off face no penalty, normalising the behaviour

Tactical blocking (like slowing down a climb to force riders to unclip) undermines fair racing and drives desperation that leads to dangerous moves; the sport needs consistent rule enforcement across all races and countries

Family responsibilities and mental fatigue compound physical aging—watching your children see you in a wheelchair or cry after a crash reshapes your willingness to take professional risks in ways pure physiology doesn't

Social media content creation by pro cyclists is net positive for the sport's growth and sponsor ROI, helping cycling reach casual fans who drive bike sales rather than just hardcore racing enthusiasts

Expert Quotes

"I've come from far back, I'm back where I am, but geez what all has it taken on me... there's a point where you just feel like hold on a second, like I've reached a point where I'm tired of sinking my teeth into the deso of the peloton."

"There's nothing worse than seeing guys in the final years of their career just hanging at the back and getting spat every day... I want to go out and say well I've had a good run and my time is up."

"If you're going to go oh well he managed to pull it off, he wasn't so lucky, then everyone's still going to do it because it's so intense in the peloton—nobody gives an inch, so the only place you can pass is on the pavement."

KEY QUOTES

“I think there is less respect because there's the figureheads that in our sport that could have stood up and made examples with the Gaza to doing those things jumping Pavements all those kind of things you know that's they were able to do those and they got away with it and then it slowly as the nothing happened to those costs taking those kinds of risks it just started becoming a free-for-all because everybody got away with it.”
Daryl Impey — Two-time Tour Down Under winner, 11-time South African National Champion

“I broke my pelvis in 2021 that was a big one it was a big one mentally but it was also like really hard for the family and to see the kids you know go through it because they were older and they could understand it and for them to see me in a wheelchair and things like that it was hard to raise that for me.”
Daryl Impey — Two-time Tour Down Under winner, 11-time South African National Champion

“I see more danger as I've got older like and whether or not that same those same dangers were there when I was racing 10 years ago there probably were but I felt like cars like more looked after each other you know we used to speak on the start line we used to shake each other's hands we used to like now it's like you stay in your team you can't sit in with the Peloton if you're not all behind your teammate it's like a [ __ ] rule.”
Daryl Impey — Two-time Tour Down Under winner, 11-time South African National Champion

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why is there a respect crisis in professional cycling?+

What injuries did Daryl Impey suffer during his career?+

Why are crashes in professional cycling getting worse?+

How does crash risk affect a professional cyclist's decision to retire?+

CYCLING'S RESPECT CRISIS (DARYL IMPEY) | ROADMAN PODCAST

Key Takeaways

Expert Quotes

KEY QUOTES

Final season motivation struggles

Desperation and dirty tactics in the peloton

Wearing yellow at the Tour

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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Key Takeaways

Expert Quotes

KEY QUOTES

Final season motivation struggles

Desperation and dirty tactics in the peloton

Wearing yellow at the Tour

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Key Takeaways

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KEY QUOTES

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3.Wearing yellow at the Tour

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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Key Takeaways

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KEY QUOTES

1.Final season motivation struggles

2.Desperation and dirty tactics in the peloton

3.Wearing yellow at the Tour

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Final season motivation struggles

Desperation and dirty tactics in the peloton

Wearing yellow at the Tour

Final season motivation struggles

Desperation and dirty tactics in the peloton

Wearing yellow at the Tour