Today, the former pro from Ottawa directs up-and-coming talent at Tag Cycling. With a seemingly clairvoyant ability to read races, Fraser has been helping emerging road riders improve and move up the ranks of the sport. He’s also a vintage bike collector. In this in-depth interview, he reveals how a story he wrote for Canadian Cycling Magazine led to a reunion with a special bike from his past.

Also in this episode, CCM photographer and writer James Bunga reports from Belgium, where he’s covering the Spring Classics. He and editors Matthew Pioro and Matt Hansen preview the Tour of Flanders.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine podcast is supported by MS Bike. In 2026, MS Bike is running 10 great rides in six provinces. Each event is fully supported with fuel, roadside assistance and first aid. These rides are welcoming. You only really need a bike, a helmet and the desire to keep pedalling. It is all for an important cause: raising money to help those with MS. Did you know that on average, 12 Canadians are diagnosed with MS each day? You can help. Register now and start your fundraising journey at msbike.ca.

In this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, Elly Hoskin looks back at her breakout 2025 season and ahead to new goals in 2026. She also discusses racing here at home compared with abroad, wrenching on her own bike, race prep and strategies, the ever-evolving health of enduro (of which she sees hope and optimism) and why she sometimes doesn’t know whether to say “beanie” or “tuque.” That feature interview starts at 20:00.

Also in this episode, a preview of Milan-San Remo and San Remo Donne, the first Monuments of the road cycling season.

MS Bike has lent its support to this episode. The organization is running 11 rides across the country this year. These are top-notch, fully supported events. The first ones are in June in Alberta. The last one is Waskesiu, Sask. There are also rides in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. No matter which one you choose, there’s still plenty of time to prepare. If you need some training tips, there are two-month and three-month plans for you on the Canadian Cycling Magazine website.

Remember, through an MS Bike event, you raise funds, which go to help MS research and services. Head to msbike.ca. Register, and then start training and fundraising.

In this episode, Valenti, who’s from Orangeville, Ont., talks about how he came to ride for Club Ciclista Padronés-Cortizo, an outfit based in Spain’s Galicia region. He also discusses why he gets teased about his Fortnite playing, and how the video game relates to his riding and recovery.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by MS Bike. Every MS Bike ride is a professional event: fully supported with fuel, roadside assistance and first aid. The rides are welcoming, too. You only really need a bike, a helmet and the desire to keep pedalling. It’s all for an important cause, raising money to help those with MS. Register now and start your fundraising journey at msbike.ca. Then, head to Canadian Cycling Magazine’s training plans to prepare for your big ride.

In this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, world-record holder Ashleigh Myles explains the benefits of such grungy accommodation and other facets of pedalling from the top of the Western Hemisphere to the bottom.

This past December, the Halifax rider and cycling-event organizer travelled from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina, in 118 days, two hours and 30 minutes. That time marks the fastest trip on the Pan-American Highway by an unsupported female cyclist.

In this in-depth interview, Myles not only discusses northern outhouses, but the gear she took on her ride, dealing with illness and aggressive animals, and handling parts of the route that a cyclist simply can’t cover.

Now that Myles’s has set such an impressive record, what could the next goal be?

Now, at the start of the 2026, both riders have big ambitions for the season ahead. Gee-West spoke from the recent Lidl-Trek team camp. He chatted about coming on the new team and the plans for the first part of the season, which will culminate in his return to the Giro d’Italia, where he finished in fourth-place overall this past year.

Woods is back on the bike, and skis, and is in the pool, all in pursuit of a year filled with a variety of endurance challenges. It’s part research project, part midlife crisis. Find out more about Woods’s plans that could even include the Winter Olympics (in 2030).

All this activity sits in sharp contrast to Rochette’s state in December 2024. Her European racing campaign came to an abrupt end as burnout and illness took hold. She stopped riding. She even thought she was done with racing. Instead, Rochette began to reset.

In this episode, Maghalie Rochette looks back at that period. After time to rest, really rest, the rider began some light training. With big gaps between her workouts, Rochette started a project she had had in the back of her mind for some time. “I had this idea of creating a book about cyclocross,” she says, “not necessarily about my full story, but about cyclocross and stories I’ve lived through it.” The writing began around the end of February and the whole work came together rather quickly as the regular newsletter writer had a bank of ideas.

Rochette, with her characteristic pep and enthusiasm, also discusses the state of her beloved cycling discipline. Despite declarations of its demise, cyclocross—Rochette argues—isn’t dead. While it may be tough to source a proper cyclocross bike these days, that’s no impediment to getting out and getting into the muddy art. Other topics that the rider/writer covers include the differences between North American and European cyclocross scenes, her misadventures within the latter and the rock ‘n’ roll nature of CX. Visit maghalierochette.com for more information about the tour and to order the book.

Editor Matthew Pioro and feature writer Jake Williams talk about the slew of Canadian successes at the mountain bike world championships. They also chat about the big road cycling events in this country, the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal, which are about to get underway. Make sure to tune in to the Canadian Cycling Magazine website and social media channels throughout the events to stay up to date on all the action.

The discussion turns to the project both McKall, and CCM photo editor and MTB tester Matt Stetson have been working on: a comparison between the Fuel LX model and EX one. McKall took the longer travel bike out on the trails of Vancouver Island, while Stetson played on routes in Ontario. You can check the video with McKall and Stetson’s insights, after you listen to the pod.

Trek offers three versions of the Fuel: EX, MX and LX. The Fuel EX and LX models both run 29” wheels. The former has a 150-mm fork and 145 mm of travel. On the LX, there’s 160 mm of travel working with a 170-mm fork. Finally, the MX is a mullet bike (29” front, 27.5” rear wheel) sporting a 160-mm fork and 150 mm of rear wheel travel. To add to the lineup, there’s also the new Fuel+ eMTB, which replaces the EXe. It is similarly available in EX, MX and LX versions with a new motor and battery. Find out more details about all those bikes.

McKall and his guests discuss how Trek came to develop the new Fuel system and what changes designers had to make to the frame so that it could work with such a wide range of forks and travel options. They give you more information about what’s required to convert from one platform to the other. Also, Howes and Rushin talk about how riding has evolved and how those changes have affected the design of the new Fuel system.

Before the big event in Kansas, Britton’s season wasn’t going well. Bad luck, mostly, led to a series of results that left the Victoria rider frustrated. To change things up, he registered for the 350-mile version of Unbound. At 3 p.m. on May 30, he set off with a group of riders that included Ted King, Laurens ten Dam, Robin Gemperle and the rider Britton jokingly refers to as Gravel Jesus, Lachlan Morton. The next day, 17:49:51 after the race began, Britton crossed the finish line, winning Unbound XL with a record-setting time.

In this episode, recorded just before gravel nationals in Water Valley, Alta., (but with a short clip following that event), Britton gets into the details of the race, including gear, fuelling and some of the tactical decisions he made. He discusses his long-time relationship with Lachlan Morton, which goes back to some of the Australian’s earliest road races in North America. Today, there’s a “Morton effect” on gravel racing that even had an influence on Britton’s race beyond the one-on-one duelling on the rough roads of Kansas.

Back in 2017, when Britton was a pro roadie, he won the Tour of Utah stage race. How does the biggest win of his road career compare with his victory at gravel’s main event? How long does he think his Unbound XL record will last? And does his win in Emporia, Kansas, change anything or open any new doors for Britton? Find out.

Anytime Shimano releases a new top-end group, it’s big news. But the Japanese brand’s mountain bike groups have, historically, foreshadowed what eventually shows up on dropbar and other bikes. Disc brakes? Clutch? 12-speed? 1-by? All started on trails before hitting tarmac.

So with XTR being the brand’s first fully wireless groupset (Dura-Ace is semi-wireless, with wires running from the main battery to the front and rear derailleurs), everyone at the CCM office is paying close attention.

In this episode of the podcast, you’ll hear how the group was developed and about some surprising, innovative and maybe mildly controversial (for Shimano, at least) design decisions. All these details come from Nick Murdick, Shimano’s North American product manager and a member of Shimano’s global product development team. Murdick has been driving the development of XTR Di2 M9200, all the way back to its origins in 2015 with XTR Di2 9050.  

Murdick gives candid insights into some of the internal debates at Shimano, some changes to the team’s culture there and how they’re reflected in XTR M9200. He even addresses the elephant, or Eagle, in the room of why it took so long for Shimano to respond to its biggest competitor with a wireless mountain bike group.

It’s an interesting conversation, especially considering the details covered about gears, brakes and levers. Dive in, then check out mountain bike editor Terry McKall's full review of XTR Di2 M9200, as well as his thoughts on what this means for the future of Di2 across Shimano’s range and electronic shifting more broadly.

And, for even more good stuff, check out this interview from our archive with long-time Shimano rider Geoff Kabush.

Roldan and her family—parents, twin sister and younger sister—spent about 10 years travelling North America in an RV (a Blue Bird Wanderlodge to be exact). At 13, she entered her first mountain biking race. By 15, she was training seriously, even as her family moved around. The young rider was diligent, making sure to get the workouts done. “It was kind of up to me to find places to train, whether that was on rollers in the back of a Walmart parking lot one night or on a super nice trail system the next night,” she says. “We just tried to make it work where we were because we were obviously never in the same place. It was a challenge, but I think also a really fun part about travelling.”

In this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, Roldan gets into her unique route to the WorldTour, the role of the development team Tag Cycling on her career, as well as the time Alison Jackson likely saved the young rider’s life.

Archive: Another Canadian has ridden on Roldan’s team. From 2016 to 2022, Leah Kirchmann was on the squad based in Sittard, the Netherlands. Check out the feature interview with the Giro stage winner and multi-time national champion.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by MS Bike. It is running 11 great rides this season in seven provinces. Each MS Bike ride is fully supported with fuel, roadside assistance and first aid. These events are very welcoming. You only really need a bike, a helmet and the desire to keep pedalling. It’s all for an important cause: raising money to help those with MS. Register now and start your fundraising journey at msbike.ca.

The pair of riders will find themselves at many of the same races this season, including other Life Time events, such as Unbound, and gravel nationals in Water Valley, Alta. They are both racing as privateers, responsible for their own logistics, sponsorships, maintenance, on top of all the training and competing. Each one has a unique plan and set of goals for the season, which they discuss in this episode. L’Esperance is mixing gravel, mountain bike and even road racing. Cartier is blending his training and transportation: he’s bikepacking to all six of the Life Time Grand Prix events.

Also on the pod, Canadian Cycling Magazine editors Matthew Pioro and Matt Hansen, as well as feature writer Jake Williams, discuss recent races, such as the men’s and women’s Amstel Gold and De Brabantse Pijl. Pioro reports back from Sea Otter. He says he knows a bunch about the 32” wheels that seem to be coming to mountain bikes, but what is he actually able to reveal?

The team, Winspace Orange Seal, has been around since 2013. In 2022, when the squad was at the continental level, and called Stade Rochelais Charente-Maritime, it got an invite to the Tour de France Femmes, where it got hammered. Of the six riders who started the race, only one finished. This year, the team has been invited back. It’s now moved up to ProTeam status. Also, its riders seem to be levelling up, as well. It will be exciting to see what they can do at the big event this July.

The team has only 11 riders. Four of them are Canucks. In this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, you’ll find out all about them, and how they all got on this French ProTeam.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine podcast is supported by MS Bike. It has 11 rides across the country. These are top-notch, fully supported events. The first ones are in June in Alberta. The last one is Waskesiu, Sask. There are also rides in Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. No matter which one you choose, there’s still plenty of time to prepare. If you need some training tips, there are two-month and three-month plans for you on the Canadian Cycling Magazine website.

Remember, through an MS Bike event, you raise funds, which go to help MS research and services. Did you know that 60 per cent of those diagnosed with MS are between 20 and 49, with an average diagnosis age of 43? Give your riding some focus and some purpose. Head to msbike.ca. Register and start fundraising.

Johnston covers a wide range of topics In this in-depth interview. How had the geography of her home region shaped her as a rider? Why did she do a cool trick in a high-stakes race? Does she tie her own flies for fishing? Johnston talks about some of the people who’ve had a big effect on her career, including an innovative bike builder on Quadra Island. She shares her insights about the current state of Canadian women’s cross country mountain biking and how, in a sense, she has two lives: a European one and a Comox Valley one.

Also in this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, editor Matthew Pioro and writer Jake Williams chat about recent races. Milan-San Remo, men’s and women’s, were stunning events. XC racers had many successes in the UC Cup races in Fayetteville, Ark. Gent-Wevelgem is coming up. It’s a race that Williams, a Luca Paolini doppelganger, has a particular fondness for.

For more on one of Johnston’s cycling influences, head to the podcast’s back catalogue. In August 2020, two-time world champion Catharine Pendrel was featured. The episode, quite rightly, is titled “Catharine Pendrel is awesome.” Check it out.

The pro road contract marks a big switch in Ramsay’s cycling career. For the past few years, cross country has been the focus of the 22-year-old rider. This past fall, he was 11th at the Lake Placid World Cup XCO race and fifth in the short track event at the Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup. Despite Ramsay’s promise on the singletrack, he didn’t have a team that could help him further his racing career. In August, a friend of Ramsay’s recommended he try out for the Zwift Academy, a talent-identification competition supported by the virtual training platform. Ramsay made it to the finals, which were held in Spain this past December.

In this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, Ramsay tells the behind-the-scenes story of his Zwift Academy win. Also, Ramsay’s coach Peter Glassford of The Consummate Athlete gives an account of the rider’s talents that have gotten him to the Alpecin-Deceuninck development team. Ramsay looks ahead to his upcoming road season, discusses his hopes for the next few years and muses about where mountain biking might fit in with his new road career.

Also in this episode, editors Matthew Pioro and Matt Hansen, as well as feature writer Jake Williams, discuss the men’s and women’s Strade Bianche, and look to Trofeo Alfredo Binda and Milan-San Remo. For the Classicissima, the focus is more on the women’s race, which is back after a 20-year hiatus. What’s the right length for a race called “Milan-San Remo?”

Recently, on the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, another rider making a cycling-discipline switch was featured. This season, Mathias Guillemette is making the switch from track to the road. Give that episode a listen, too.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by MS Bike. Its first rides are in June. There are two in Alberta, Airdrie to Olds and another from Leduc to Camrose. The latest ride of the season is in Waskesiu, Sask., in September. And there are eight more—in B.C., another Alberta one, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. Whichever one you choose, you have plenty of time to check out our training and preparation advice for MS Bike events.

Every MS Bike ride is a professional event. It's fully supported with fuel, roadside assistance and first aid. These events are very welcoming. You only really need a bike, a helmet and the desire to keep pedalling.

Of course, this is all for an important cause, that is raising money to help those with MS. Did you know that on average, 12 Canadians are diagnosed with MS each day. You can help. Register now and start your fundraising journey at msbike.ca.

This year, Guillemette’s cycling career is taking a new direction. He’s landed a spot on the Tudor Pro Cycling continental-level development team. At 23, he’s a senior rider with some teammates four years younger than him. In this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, you’ll find out how Guillemette, with a little tip from another track cyclist turned roadie, got on to the Swiss team and how his skills on the track might translate to success on the road with the devo team and the ProTeam.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by MS Bike. Its first rides are in June. There are two in Alberta, Airdrie to Olds and another from Leduc to Camrose. The latest ride of the season is in Waskesiu, Sask., in September. And there are eight more—in B.C., another Alberta one, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. Whichever one you choose, you have plenty of time to check out our training and preparation advice for MS Bike events.

Every MS Bike ride is a professional event. It's fully supported with fuel, roadside assistance and first aid. These events are very welcoming. You only really need a bike, a helmet and the desire to keep pedalling.

Of course, this is all for an important cause, that is raising money to help those with MS. Did you know that on average, 12 Canadians are diagnosed with MS each day. You can help. Register now and start your fundraising journey at msbike.ca.

Regular contributor Jake Williams was at the event, not only racing in the relay and the championships themselves, but taking in the action. In this episode, he shares his interviews and stories from Lévis with editors Matthew Pioro and Matt Hansen.

Emilien Belzile grabbed his first championship win in the junior men’s category. He faced a tough race and even went down on the course. In the end, he had to sprint hard against Evan Moore for the finish line. In early November, Belzile was third in the junior race at the Pan Am championships. This past June, the Fédération québécoise des sports cyclistes named him mountain bike athlete of the month for his podium placings in Canada and Quebec Cup events.

Nineteen-year-old Mika Comaniuk is no stranger to CX nationals or racing in Lévis. In 2023, he won the C2-level Cyclocross de Lévis. Back in 2022, he was second in the junior race at CX nationals in Victoria. This past weekend, he got a gap on his fellow racers in the under-23 men’s group that he was able to maintain until the end.

Marin Lowe took a break from her studies at the University of Victoria to jet across the country, borrow a bike and win the under-23 women’s race. Lowe already has a maple-leaf jersey in her collection: she is the 2023 junior cross country champ. Also that year, at the cross country world championships, she crossed the line in second place, behind her then-teammate Isabella Holmgren. In this episode, Lowe reveals the unique indicator she has that tells her when she’s really ready to race.

Like Comaniuk, Rafaelle Carrier won in Lévis in 2023. Actually, Carrier has won in a whole bunch of places the past two years, including Gullegem in Belgium and in Missoula, Mont., at the 2023 Pan Am championships. This year, Carrier was second in the junior category at the cross country world championships. In a way, it’s no surprise she defended her 2023 national junior CX title. Still, her competition was top-notch. In second was USCX overall winner Nico Knoll. Third was Aislin Hallahan, a regular on recent USCX podiums.

While Isabella Holmgren’s elite win wasn’t much of a surprise either, she also faced some serious competition, too, like multiple CX champ Maghalie Rochette and current Pan Am champ Sidney McGill. Ian Ackert continued his relatively compact but successful 'cross season by snagging his first elite title. You’ll learn how he celebrated that win and how those festivities didn’t really seem to hinder him on his next race day at the C2 event.

Throughout this episode, Jake, Matthew and Matt bring their analysis to the event, mixed with their signature humour.

At a recent CX race in Toronto, editor Matthew Pioro looked into the cyclocross heckle. He spoke with Isabella Holmgren, the current elite Pan Am champion participating in one of her first 'cross races of the season. She revealed how family can unleash some pretty harsh words. Ian Ackert, the under-23 Pan Am champ racing in bleached blond hair, seemed to have corralled any disses around his locks. Sidney McGill, two-time under-23 national champion, has been followed by a squirrel-related heckle. The three pro riders not only spoke about course-side razzing, but their goals for the ’cross season ahead as well.

Pioro also went looking for a heckler who landed what the editor considers some of the harshest burns he’d ever received. The meeting and the conversation goes in a direction that Pioro didn’t expect. Could it be time to retire the heckle and replace it with something more positive?

In this episode, Pioro has help with CX heckle analysis from Canadian Cycling Magazine web editor Matt Hansen and feature writer Jake Williams, two guys who know all about unleashing trash talk.

Each year, the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal bring the world’s best riders to Canada. In 2024, mixing it up with Tadej Pogačar, Biniam Girmay and Julian Alaphilippe, were most of the top Canadian athletes, as well as some of the nation’s notable up-and-comers.

Derek Gee discusses his development as a rider. He had his breakout in 2023 at the Giro d’Italia. This year, he won a stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné and finished third overall. At his Tour de France debut, he was ninth in the GC. The rider from Osgoode, Ont., seems to be able to approach his races with a relaxed, “let’s see how this goes” attitude. But as he’s progressing in the sport, is pressure starting to mount?

Michael Woods, 37,  is in the latter stages of his cycling career. Earlier this year, as a yet-to-be-diagnosed bacterial infection troubled him, he was considering retiring sooner than later. But things seem to have turned around for the rider who came to the Montreal GP in his national champion’s jersey. For Woods, Montreal is one of the most important races on the calendar. Also, there’s an event coming to that city that might keep Woods in the pro ranks just a little bit longer. That same event is a big motivation for Woods’s teammates Hugo Houle and Guillaume Boivin, too.

A bunch of riders made their debuts at the GPCQM. Michael Leonard, from Oakville, Ont., was signed to Ineos Grenadiers in 2022 at the age of 18. The past two years have had some ups and downs, but Leonard feels he’s been making some significant progress since this past summer. In August, he won the prologue at the Tour de l’Avenir. In Montreal, he got into the breakaway. His 156-km ride was another breakthrough. In Quebec City, two other young Canadians did some serious time ahead of the bunch. In a special GPCQM episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, find out what it was like for Jonas Walton and Félix Hamel in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec breakaway.

In the 2000s, Gatto competed in downhill, earning national championship titles. After a bad crash in 2014, she stepped away from racing. In 2017, her video with IFHT, “Ferda Girls”—a parody of Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble” that critiqued the sexism and the challenges women face in mountain biking—won Crankworx’s Dirt Diaries. The video remains a landmark in Gatto’s career. Today, Gatto, a  YT Mob member, continues to ride big lines and is an alternate for this fall’s edition of Red Bull Rampage, which will include women riders for the first time.

Another first in 2024 is the FMBA Slopestyle World Championships for women. Can Gatto connect her riding and activism to progress in the sport such as that? She is maybe a bit humble, and mixes her analysis with humour. “I mean, I've had a couple of people name their babies after me,” she says in this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast. “So, I've got to be doing something right. (Or I just have a cool name.)”

Find out more in this wide ranging interview with Gatto that also looks at another one of her pursuits, the art of tattooing, and how it is connected with mountain biking.

Also in this episode is Derek Gee. The rider from Osgoode, Ont., won a stage at this year’s Critérium du Dauphiné, held the leader’s jersey for a stage and finished third overall. Later in the summer, he rode to an impressive ninth at the Tour France. He looks ahead to the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal. Editors Matthew Pioro and Matt Hansen look further at the WorldTour races set to run in a little more than a week. Big names are on their way to Canada.

From the beginning, Xert had AI-like features. It could look at a rider’s power data and make predictions. But, until this past December, the company didn’t really lean into the term artificial intelligence. Then, eight months ago, Xert began rolling about a beta version of a feature called Forecast AI. What was it about this feature that made it AI? Why wasn’t the previous predictive number crunching of the software AI? Mastracci not only discusses these questions, but explores larger ideas that affect cyclists looking to improve their performance, as well as the AI field as a whole. Can an AI model handle all the data that cyclists can now collect, such as heart-rate variability to blood-sugar levels? Some AI models have shown certain biases. Are there biases in training platforms? With AI training systems getting better and better, should traditional coaches be worried? Take a listen to this fascinating interview with Mastracci and get a glimpse of the future of training.

Also in this episode, an update from Paris. Canadian Cycling Magazine writer Tara Nolan is at the Summer Games. She checks in with behind-the-scenes news from the time trial and mountain bike races. Make sure to read Nolan’s stories about the races against the clock and the Holmgren siblings, who competed in their first Olympics in cross country mountain biking. How did the Holmgrens get to Paris? Well, that’s a good story, too. You can listen to it in a previous episode.

The man behind this initiative was Marc Lemay. He’d got his start in cycling as a  road rider, but soon realized he was better as an organizer. He worked at the club level in his hometown of Amos, Que. Later, he became the technical director of the Tour de l’Abitibi as that race got off the ground. From there, Lemay eventually progressed to the head of the Canadian Cycling Association. In 1991, he was elected to the International Amateur Cycling Federation. Today, he’s the president of the UCI’s arbitral board and member of the UCI’s disciplinary commission. Outside of cycling, Lemay is a lawyer. From 2004 to 2011, he served as a Bloc Québécois member of Parliament for the riding of Abitibi—Témiscamingue.  

Throughout the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Lemay helped to develop mountain biking. He had the support of UCI president Hein Verbruggen. The Canadian figured mountain biking might make it to the Olympics by the 2000 Games. But in March 1993, there was the opportunity to get XC into Atlanta, if everything went right and as long as the wrong people didn’t find out what Lemay and his allies were up to.

In this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, Marc Lemay tells the riveting story of how mountain biking became an Olympic sport. It is a great tale from the man who was at the centre of it all.

The 16-year-old rider also discusses some of his results abroad. In March, he won Tour du Bocage et de l'Ernée 53. It was his first UCI race, a 2.1, in Europe. Later, he came in seventh at Paris-Roubaix Juniors. It was an experience he enjoyed, even with the tough cobbles of the Hell of the North. In fact, he found it easier to race on the pavé than to ride over them in his race reconnaissance. Since the event is held on the same day as the elite and under-23 men’s events, the roads were lined with fans. In the final cobbled sectors, he was hit with sounds of the cheering crowds, which gave him a boost. He’s keen to return to that race next year.

Looking ahead, Barry has his sights on the world championships, both the TT and the road race. His U.S. titles qualified him for those races around Zurich, Switzerland. It’s the one-day races that have captured his imagination, such as worlds, Paris-Roubaix, Tour of Flanders, Milan-San Remo, and even the Olympics. With his talent, it seems he’ll be in the mix in those events in the years to come.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by MS Bike. Register and start fundraising at msbike.ca.  Also, check out MS Bike-specific training advice and tips from Canadian Cycling Magazine experts: there are eight-week and four-week training plans to get you ready. Also, for your fundraising efforts, you can get some pretty cool kit. Register and start fundraising.

Stephen Cheung is a professor and senior research fellow in the department of kinesiology at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont. He has studied the effects of environmental stress (which includes heat) on human physiology and performance. For the 2016 world championships, he helped U.S. cyclist Amber Neben to adapt to the heat she’d face in Doha, Qatar. She won gold in the time trial that year.

Cheung is a rider, too, and has contributed to Canadian Cycling Magazine with various articles throughout the years. In this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, he helps you understand heat and its effects on your rides, and what you can do about it. He discusses how your body can adapt, how much to drink, the role of sweat and what to wear. And don’t forget your sunscreen.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by MS Bike. Register and start fundraising at msbike.ca. Also, check out MS Bike-specific training advice and tips from Canadian Cycling Magazine experts.

In this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, hear from the two riders from Orillia, Ont. Learn how everything came together for the sister and brother on one weekend in May. Also find out why their places on the start lines at the Olympics aren’t assured just yet, and what they plan to do until the end of July and beyond.

Topics the duo cover are why there’s only a 2-by option of the groupset, the GRX’s compatibility with Di2 road groups and the new feature called Front Shift Next. Also, is there ever tension within Shimano between innovation, possibly pushing technology and keeping things ultra reliable, a feature which the brand is known for?

Canadian Cycling Magazine has something to say about the new gravel group, too. Recently, associate editor Andre Cheuk was at a Shimano media event for GRX in Carson City, Nev. He took the groupset on some serious rides, including Stetina's Paydirt gravel race. Cheuk, ever the gear geek, gets into the nitty-gritty details of how GRX performs on gravel, in sand and even after some stream crossings. You can read Cheuk's detailed look at the Shimano GRX Di2 on the Canadian Cycling Magazine website.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by MS Bike. Register and start fundraising at msbike.ca. Also, check out MS Bike-specific training advice and tips from Canadian Cycling Magazine experts.

So, go behind the scenes of the Giro d’Italia with Michael Woods, Riley Pickrell and others at Israel-Premier Tech. Also, take a ride in the Israel-Premier Tech team car. Directeur sportif Oscar Guerrero offers support to Pickrell on his first Giro stage and shares his knowledge about riders and Grand Tour racing.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by Yoeleo Canada. Did you know that the brand, which is based in China, has an office in Montreal? That's where you'll find support for all of Yoeleo's carbon products including bike frames, handlebars and wheels, like the new Pro Next wheelset. If you head to yoeleocanada.com with the code UPGRADE2024 you can get 20 per cent off a pair of Pro Next wheels. 

In this episode, Roche looks back at the challenges he faced during that historic season: the tumultuous Giro with the split within his team and the Italian public seemingly out to get him; the Tour, which was not only a physical contest but a psychological one, too; and the world championships where the rider got himself into “a fine mess” in Villach, Austria. Roche is a great storyteller. He also brings his cycling insights and analysis to the current day. Ahead of this year’s Giro, which starts May 4, Pogačar is the favourite to take that Grand Tour. He’s won two Tours de France in his career and, at 25, is a top contender for the 2024 edition. The hilly worlds course in Zurich looks to be a puncheur’s playground—a place where the winner of Il Lombardia (three times), Liège-Bastogne-Liège (twice), the Tour of Flanders and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal could take the rainbow jersey. Roche breaks down just what has to happen for Pogačar to make history.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by MS Bike. Register and start fundraising at msbike.ca. Also, check out MS Bike-specific training advice and tips from Canadian Cycling Magazine experts.

Van Dam uses road cycling to support the track, however, she finds the track work doesn’t actually add to her racing on tarmac. Still, she’s continuing to balance both disciplines this year as she did the previous season. Last year, she took on a serious block of road racing in Europe, which she found overwhelming at first. She didn’t even eat during a 140-km stage. In March, she was back on the narrow, twisty routes of that continent, making improvements. Following the Olympics, Van Dam is planning to mix it up once again on the roads of the one-day Egmont Cycling Race Women and seven-stage Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche.

From serious racing, and serious splinters from crashes on the track, the discussion in this podcast episode also moves to dancing. Van Dam and her teammate Maggie Coles-Lyster create dance numbers for social media. Van Dam discusses that process, and how they roped in a reluctant Champions League rider, one who’d go on to win the event, into one of their clips.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by the No. 22 Bicycle Company, makers of fine titanium bikes. Founders Mike Smith and Bryce Gracey check in to discuss their unique approach to bike construction, which is all done in North America, and their hands-on approach to getting you the best bike.

Recently, track cycling legend Gordon Singleton passed away. Editors Matthew Pioro and Matt Hansen remember and pay tribute to the world champion and world-record holder from Niagara Falls, Ont.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by the No. 22 Bicycle Company, makers of fine titanium bikes. Founders Mike Smith and Bryce Gracey check in to discuss their unique approach to bike construction, which is all done in North America.

Field looks at some commonly held ideas about road cycling in Canada, and then takes a look at the numbers. The data shows interesting, and sometimes startling, trends. Is road racing really dead in North America? With our nation’s pros winning Tour de France stages and a Monument, is Canada truly in a good spot within the pro circuits? Finally, is road cycling all about the young superstars? Junior to pro—it’s the only way to go? Find out what the ever-insightful Field has to say about these topics. 

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by the No. 22 Bicycle Company, makers of fine titanium bikes. Founders Mike Smith and Bryce Gracey check in to discuss their unique approach to bike construction, which is all done in North America.

Listen to this extended interview with Sauri, presented with the support of YT Industries. Recently, YT released a 30-minute documentary about Sauri’s Migration Gravel Race, “The Wildest Gravel Race in the World.” Check out the doc and her one-of-a-kind YT Szepter gravel bike that she received for the challenging ride in Kenya.

You can also listen back to interviews with the year’s biggest newsmakers:

• A deep dive into Michael Woods’s Tour de France stage win
• In-depth interview with Derek Gee on the Giro d’Italia and the seconds that count

There are former and current national champions—some of them multiple-time winners—Pan Am champions, champions in other disciplines and even a world champion. Two are actually not racing in Victoria, but their stories provide important context for nationals.

In all the interviews—with Michael van den Ham, Sidney McGill, Luke Valenti, Evan Russell, Rafaelle Carrier and Isabella Holmgren—the stars of CX reveal what it means to be Canadian cyclocross racers and discuss the challenges they face as they practise that muddy art.

Listen to this extended interview with Khattar as he unpacks the trip. Also, find out what made the difficult journey completely worth it.

Also, check out Nick Iwanyshyn’s photos from the races.

Plus, scandal! An Israel-Premier Tech rider had St-Hubert ribs in the lead-up to the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec.

Episode Highlights

6:39 13-year-old Derek Gee, a ride from Ottawa to Montreal and Thomas Voeckler’s gloves

14:16 Benjamin Perry on the significance of the GPCQM

29:41 Pan Am champ Pier-André Coté breaks down the Quebec City race soon after finishing

40:31 How the 2026 road world championships course in Montreal is shaping up.

46:51 A few laps in the Team Canada car at the GP Montreal. It’s not a car race!

1:01:17 Charlotte of the Ottawa Bicycle Club and her bottle basketball net.

1:02:49 An old friend of the pod, and former co-host, makes an appearance.

1:06:54 Success for Charlotte!

1:07:28 Ava and Isabella Holmgren have a job to do at the GP Montreal.

1:12:21 In this case, it was No. 1 that affected Derek Gee.

Also in this episode, the Matts, Pioro and Hansen, look ahead to the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal. The two one-day races return in about two weeks. The Canadian Cycling Magazine  editors break down the routes and likely key riders at North America’s only WorldTour events.

Recently, Kadey hosted the fifth grand depart for the first route he designed, the BT 700. He talks about the importance of such send-offs. Kadey not only builds routes, but community, too.

Also in this episode, the regular Matts (Pioro and Hansen) look back at recent races abroad and in Canada. One Matt competed against the other in a hill climb, using an ebike. It didn’t go exactly as planned.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by MS Bike. Register and start fundraising at msbike.ca. Also, check out MS Bike specific training advice and tips from Canadian Cycling Magazine experts.

The two Matts chat about La Vuelta Femenina, prairie dogs and something you shouldn’t do with a cargo bike.

Also, the two Matts talk Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Pan Am championships. Terry reports on the cool stuff he saw a Sea Otter, including carbon-fibre bottom bracket threads, new hubs and, yes, jean shorts.

Editors Matt and Matt discuss Paris-Roubaix and Alison Jackson’s historic win at the Hell of the North.

Also, lots of talk about recent pro races abroad and a look ahead to the Tour of Flanders. Another lesson: always guess “Steve Bauer” for Canadian cycling trivia.

You can also listen back to interviews with the year’s biggest newsmakers:

• The inside story of Hugo Houle’s Tour de France stage win
• Road and criterium national champion Maggie Coles-Lyster is on the podium a lot

Also, the Matts talk riding in Italy—where Hansen was recently to check out Campagnolo’s facility—and masters cyclocross. Pioro had a short CX season riding across fields, sliding in mud and running through sand. Do you know what drivetrain was on his bike? It’s Classified. No, really. It’s Classified. Find out more.

In this episode, former president of Cycling Canada John Tolkamp looks back at the volatility in cycling 10 years ago and how he struggled with the information that was coming to light, officially. He also speaks about his organization’s attempts to clean up the sport. Tolkamp is both an insider in the world of cycling, but also a cycling fan who was working his way through tough revelations about Barry and, later, Ryder Hesjedal.

Also in this episode, the Matts go on about testing gravel bikes—mostly how they feel post-ride.  It seems their outing left them a bit spent.

Also in this episode, the Matts—Pioro and Hansen—discuss the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal.

Also in this episode, the Matts—Pioro and Hansen—discuss the Vuelta a España and a not-uncommon bit of “advice” that really ticks off Pioro.

In August, the day after the World Cup at Mont-Sainte-Anne, Arseneault returned to her place in Bromont, Que. She had had a tough XCO competition as she faced a few mechanicals. Still, she was glad she could race in front of friends and family, and vowed to return to MSA stronger next year. In this episode, the rider from Terrebonne, Que., talks about racing, a superstition, the role of fishing in her life, the "fire in her heart" and what she’s most proud of this season. (Hint: It’s not a race result.) Arseneault still has two major events ahead of her for the 2022 season: the world championships in Les Gets, France, and the final World Cup of the season in Val di Sole, Italy.

Before the interview with Arseneault, the Matts (Matthew Pioro and Matt Hansen) talk Finn Iles’s win at Mont-Sainte-Anne, why Matthew should probably never interview Arseneault in French, swearing on a pod and at work and Matt’s continuing adventures in crit racing. Also, Matthew likes Matt’s humour piece. Matt treats it (too) seriously.

The rider from Maple Ridge, B.C., has also had much success on the track. In fall 2021, she competed in the UCI Track Cycling Champions League, where she won the first scratch race of the series. In 2017, she won the points race at the junior track world championships. As this episode comes out, she’s racing on the track (and road) at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

In this conversation, Coles-Lyster also discusses the vibe in the U.S. crit scene, a competitive approach to yoga, dissecting salmon and the races she’ll take on later this year.

In this episode, Jackson discusses her career as a cyclist, the growth of her team and the new women’s Tour. What can that race do for women’s cycling and what can’t it do? Jackson also reveals the EF Education-TIBCO-SVB’s lineup for the Tour. Since the interview was taped, Magdeleine Vallières-Mill was added to the six-rider squad and Sara Poidevin was designated as a reserve rider. The rest of the lineup that Jackson reveals remains unchanged.

The trio discusses a bridge that could have a significant effect on the race, cobbles and the main contenders. Can Tadej Pogačar be beaten? Also, Euro Disney [?!] and Michael Woods’s chances of taking a stage or the polka dot jersey.

At Canadian Cycling Magazine, editors often call on Shellnutt when they need an expert quote or insight about road safety and cyclists' rights. Shellnutt is quite active in the community. He not only commutes, but races gravel, too. He does workshops. He’s also behind the Bike Bridge, an initiative that gets food to communities in need.

Not long after Shellnutt spoke with Canadian Cycling Magazine’s Matthew Pioro, the lawyer called out the president of the Toronto Blue Jays. Mark Shapiro wanted an end to one of the city's active transportation arteries so ball fans could have an easier time driving their cars to games. You can imagine how Shellnutt felt about that idea. He’ll call baloney when he sees baloney.

The main goal for this conversation with Shellnutt is to bring you tips and advice for staying safe on the road and for what to do in a crash. Crashes are not a great subject. But we have to be ready if the worst happens. The Biking Lawyer can help.

This episode also features interviews with two up-and-coming endurance track riders. From the infield at the Milton velodrome during the most recent Nations Cup, Ngaire Barraclough and Sarah van Dam discuss their races. Barraclough competed in the scratch race. Later, during the omnium competition, she won the first event, which was another scratch race. Van Dam had a crash in the elimination race, but was able to get back on her bike and finish in an impressive sixth place.

Ottawa’s Alex Cataford checks in from the Giro d’Italia. No pizza for him during the stage in Naples, nor any wine after a winery visit. (Fantini is a major sponsor of Cataford’s Israel-Premier Tech team.) Grand Tour racing is truly hard.

Tro Bro can be a chaotic race. Riders, sport directors and race officials each often have only a partial picture of what’s going on at a given time. Remembering how a race played out after a space of 10 years can be tricky, especially with an event as tough as Tro Bro. For some extra perspective on the race, Kevin Field, Roth’s sport director on SpiderTech powered by C10, shares his recollections from 2012 as well.

The show starts with a current race: the Giro d’Italia. Alex Cataford of Israel-Premier Tech talks about the opening stages of this year's Italian Grand Tour and gives a few hints as to what might lie ahead for the Ottawa rider.

For more on Roth and his 2012 Tro Bro Léon—including video of the rider checking with the race moto to confirm that, in fact, he was about to win the race—read his story “No, I didn’t win a pig.”

At this year’s first instalment of the Nations Cup series in Glasgow, Mitchell won gold in the sprint. She, along with Lauriane Genest and Sarah Orban, took silver in the team sprint. The next stop in the Nations Cup is in Milton, Ont., from May 12 to 15. Mitchell and her colleagues in the team sprint will be there.

So Mitchell has made it as a track cyclist, right? This is the top? Well, sort of. Mitchell is definitely not an up-and-comer. But she says she still has more to learn. Right now she seems to be beating people with her raw power. But imagine what happens when she matches that power with richer race tactics and experience.

In this interview, Mitchell not only talks about where she thinks she’s headed, but also where she’s been, starting at the Champions League, where a whole lot of cameras and microphones were aimed at the track star.

In this episode, Côté discusses connections between hockey and cycling and the nature of risk in bike racing. He knows a thing or two about financial risk, as he’s studying to be an actuary. He definitely has a numerical, analytical mind. Yet, he balances that with a certain wisdom that goes beyond number crunching. His discussion about power meters and his relationship with them and his training contains insights that many of us who are training with power should think about.

This episode is brought to you by GCN+. Canadians can get 25 per cent off of a subscription to the service that streams races (including the Giro d’Italia) and cycling documentaries. Go to gcn.eu/canada25 and sign up.

Tuft retired from professional road cycling at the end of 2019. In November 2020, the Langley B.C., native moved back to his hometown with his family after living in Andorra for eight years. In this discussion, he gets into all the reasons and challenges of that move. He speaks about what he likes about being back in B.C. and what he misses about the small European country.

Things have been pretty busy for Tuft in his retirement. He talks about the tricky business of balancing his drive and passion of exploring on his bike with the importance of being home and raising children. Tuft has ideas about what can make older riders with day jobs faster. The discussion covers a lot of ground as Tuft has a lot of wisdom to share.

Field has been dubbed the Moneyball of Canadian Cycling because of his ability to crunch data to help achieve successes for this country’s athletes. He’s been involved with Symmetrics, Spidertech powered by C10 and Cycling Canada. He worked with the team that got Michael Woods and Simone Boilard on the podium at the 2018 road world championships.

Today, Field is working with a longtime figure in cycling, Pierre Hutsebaut, as well as former pro French cyclist Flavien Dassonville and pro roadie Hugo Houle to develop a group of young riders. In this episode, Field discusses just how he and the Premier Tech u23 Cycling Project can get these riders to reach their full potential.

You can also listen back to interviews with the year's biggest newsmakers:

• Was this Guillaume Boivin’s best season ever?
• Canada’s newest world champions
• How is Carter Woods planning to win his next race?

If you’ve been keeping an eye on junior and under-17 racing, you’ll know that Bibic has an unofficial under-17 world record in the 2-km individual pursuit. At the 2019 Canadian track championships, he won seven gold, two silver and bronze. He set Canadian records in the 200 metre time trial and the team sprint, too. Mattern is also no stranger to the podium. He’s been racing steadily from an early age and is a diligent and dedicated athlete.

Bibic is 18 years old and from Mississauga, Ont., just west of Toronto. Mattern is 17, from Ancaster, Ont., close to Hamilton. They’ve both benefited from the legacies of major cycling events held in that province. Mattern has raced for NCCH, the National Cycling Centre Hamilton. That organization grew out of the world road cycling championships that were held in Hamilton in 2003. Both riders have honed their track riding skills on the velodrome in Milton, Ont., which was built for the 2015 Pan Am Games. Those events and their influence have had real positive effects on the cycling careers of these two riders.

Mattern and Bibic discuss the challenges and successes of racing in Cairo, and its overall importance. Remember, junior racing has been hit harder with cancellations than elite level racing throughout the pandemic. The two very ambitious and talented riders also speak about their future goals.

Canadian Cycling Magazine editor Matthew Pioro spoke with Jackson not long after she returned from her second trip to Europe this year where she had raced the cross country world championships and the Lenzerheide World Cup. She was at her home in Horseshoe Valley, near Barrie, Ont., for a bit. Now, as this episode is coming out, she’s getting ready for the final World Cup of the season in Snowshoe, W. Va., and then is on to cross country nationals. It’s been a long season for Jackson.

Jackson has a lot of respect for Canada’s tradition and strength in the field of cross country mountain biking. But she’s concerned as things seem to be waning when it comes to results. She feels an internal pressure to carry on the legacy of riders, such as Catharine Pendrel, Marie-Hélène Prémont, Chrissy Redden and Alison Sydor.

While there is deep reflection on the season’s ups and downs, Jackson is also still having fun. Remember the Hawaiian shirt she wore at cyclocross races? That comes up as well as possible sartorial options for this year’s CX season. So have a listen to the ever-insightful Jenn Jackson.

A few days ago, bike component maker Shimano launched its updated version of both the Dura-Ace and Ultegra road groupsets. It’s a big deal. These are the brand’s top and second-from-the-top component lines. You see the pros riding Dura-Ace in the major races. Calling Ultegra “second-tier” doesn’t do the lineup justice. Ultegra parts are usually pretty much the same as Dura-Ace, just a bit heavier and often friendlier on the wallet.

This episode's guests are Nick Legan and Dave Lawrence. Nick is the road brand manager at Shimano and Dave is the road product manager. (Nick says that they both love road and managing.) Dave is actually more involved in the nitty-gritty of making road components, while Nick’s priorities are letting people know about them. Dave cooks the steak, Nick sells the sizzle, if you will. They are both incredibly knowledgeable about bike components and their design.

What does Dura-Ace mean to the world of road cycling? How much did road group developers steal from the mountain bike side? What were some of the ideas that led to some of the newest features like wireless shifters, wired derailleurs and updated braking dynamics? These are just some of the questions that come up in the discussion.

Time to get techy.

In 2009, Chernove was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome. It’s a degenerative disease that affects the nervous system. The nerves start losing their ability to transmit signals. Chernove had been active all his life. He competed in whitewater paddling and even FireFit competitions for firefighters. Roughly six years after his diagnosis, his competitive nature had him riding the track and road as a paracyclist.

Chernove is classified as a C2 athlete. That means he rides a regular bike, as opposed to a tandem, tricycle or hand-cycle. The number in the classification indicates the level of limitations the riders have. C5 athletes, for example, have fewer limitations in their lower or upper limbs than C2 athletes. You’ll find out why Chernove might be reclassified in Tokyo.

Chernove is incredibly driven. He started a company that now manages the airport in Cranbrook, B.C. Juggling the duties of a CEO and a top athlete leads to late-night training sessions. But there’s a price for all that. In this interview, Chernove, quite candidly, delves into the strain all his commitments put on his family, that is, his wife and two girls, who are 14 and 11 years old.

The rider has 13 rainbow jerseys and he’s kind of lost track of which one goes with which win. Yet, his cycling ambitions go beyond his own victories, and they are centred on the roads and trails of Cranbrook. You find out what he hopes to accomplish while working with organizations like the Kootenay Adaptive Sport Association.

It’s a question that Carter Woods occasionally asks his Norco Factory teammate, Peter Disera. It may seem a bit cheeky, but it leads to a discussion of race tactics and strategy. As Woods mentions in this interview, you can’t win World Cup races with sheer pedal power. Earlier this year, Woods nailed the race tactics on two notable occasions.

From about mid-April to July, Woods and his cross country team had a long European campaign, competing in a variety of events, including four World Cup races. Woods won the under-23 race in Albstadt, Germany—his first World Cup win and the first World Cup win by an elite Canadian man since Geoff Kabush won in Bromont in 2009. Then, just a week after Albstadt, Woods won another World Cup, Nové Město in the Czech Republic.

The Cumberland, B.C., native also speaks about the racing scene on Vancouver Island, which was important in his development as a rider. There’s some cyclocross talk, too. Remember, he’s the 2018 junior national champion.

The discussion starts with bikepacking. Before the interview, Woods had just gotten back from a tour on the island. It was a way to explore his home turf and prepare for the second part of his season.

In 2009, Chernove was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome. It’s a degenerative disease that affects the nervous system. The nerves start losing their ability to transmit signals. Chernove had been active all his life. He competed in whitewater paddling and even FireFit competitions for firefighters. Roughly six years after his diagnosis, his competitive nature had him riding the track and road as a paracyclist.

Chernove is classified as a C2 athlete. That means he rides a regular bike, as opposed to a tandem, tricycle or hand-cycle. The number in the classification indicates the level of limitations the riders have. C5 athletes, for example, have fewer limitations in their lower or upper limbs than C2 athletes. You’ll find out why Chernove might be reclassified in Tokyo.

Chernove is incredibly driven. He started a company that now manages the airport in Cranbrook, B.C. Juggling the duties of a CEO and a top athlete leads to late-night training sessions. But there’s a price for all that. In this interview, Chernove, quite candidly, delves into the strain all his commitments put on his family, that is, his wife and two girls, who are 14 and 11 years old.

The rider has 13 rainbow jerseys and he’s kind of lost track of which one goes with which win. Yet, his cycling ambitions go beyond his own victories, and they are centred on the roads and trails of Cranbrook. You find out what he hopes to accomplish while working with organizations like the Kootenay Adaptive Sport Association.

Boivin also discusses the Olympics. Near the beginning of July, he was named as the third rider, after Michael Woods and Hugo Houle, who will be at the road race in Tokyo. While still in the midst of his first Tour, Boivin looks ahead to his next big objective. In a way, the two events are similar: Boivin's role is to help Woods cross the finish line first.

Boivin has been with the team Israel Start-Up Nation in its various forms since 2016. Before that he did a season with U.S. team Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies. There were also two years on the Cannondale WorldTour team with riders such as Peter Sagan, Matej Mohorič and Elia Viviani. Going way back, Boivin was on the influential Canadian pro continental squad SpiderTech. In 2010, he famously tied for third-place with Taylor Phinney at the under-23 world championship road race.

While Boivin loves to mix it up in a bunch sprint, throughout the past few years, he’s developed into a skilled support rider with a range of abilities. Take the current Tour de France, for example. Boivin’s first job has been to help a climber like Michael Woods with his goals of stage wins and the KOM jersey. Yet, Boivin can also help out a fast man like André Greipel.

The Tour de France is stressful for riders. But was Boivin dealing with an added stress at the start of the Tour? He’s a big hockey fan and his team is the Montreal Canadiens. (Also, make sure to listen to this story of Boivin's about catching a Habs game in Montreal with Sagan.) The Tour started just before the Stanley Cup finals got underway. With the time difference between France and North America, was Boivin losing precious sleep over his struggling Habs? That's where the conversation begins with this very Canadian rider.

“That’s what I’m training for: that one time that it goes down in a race,” deadpans de Vos in his interview. “No. I’m just kidding,” he adds quickly.

The rider from Victoria has been a pro since 2015. His results have largely been at a simmer and occasionally bubble up. He won a 1.2 level one-day race in Austria in 2017. That year, he led an important race in the North American scene: the Joe Martin Stage Race. He was at the top of the GC for most of the event. In 2018, de Vos won a stage of the Tour of Langkawi and held the yellow jersey for two days. But, as with most riders, the results only tell part of the story.

Find out more about the long-reigning national champ Adam de Vos as he talks boxing, wine and especially cycling.

Canuel has been competing since she was 11. She came up through the influential Club cycliste d’Amos. She was fifth at the junior world championship road race in 2006. She has seen women’s road cycling evolve from the final days of races such as  le Tour de Grand Montreal  and le Tour de PEI to where it is today, a much more professional discipline. Still, there are things Canuel feels are missing in the Women’s WorldTour

In late May, Canuel had just helped her teammate Anna van der Breggen take a stage win and the race overall at the Vuelta a Burgos Féminas. Soon after, Canuel left for altitude to train for the Tokyo Olympics. Find out what’s ahead for this rider who has stood on the podium here in Canada and on the world stage. Will Canuel continue to race beyond 2021?

On Aug. 4, 1983, Lovell was out on a training ride northwest of Toronto, when a driver of a dump truck hit him. The star cyclist then became a quadriplegic. In the following years, he dedicated himself to the cause of finding a cure for spinal-cord injuries.

In this episode, which comes out on the anniversary of Lovell’s death, three top Canadian cyclists who were influenced by Lovell—Gordon Singleton, Steve Bauer and Michael Barry—remember the complicated figure who is the first modern hero of Canadian cycling. 

Cruz seems like someone who’s always on the go. He not only races DH, but he skis, snowmobiles, hunts and rides dirt bikes. That list might only scratch the surface of his pursuits. Cruz discusses these many activities, as well as his days racing BMX, a highly influential kids program run out of Whistler and the legacy of Steve Smith. 

He also talks about the importance of having fun, which he really seems to take to heart.

Tuft retired from professional road cycling at the end of 2019. In November 2020, the Langley B.C., native moved back to his hometown with his family after living in Andorra for eight years. In this discussion, he gets into all the reasons and challenges of that move. He speaks about what he likes about being back in B.C. and what he misses about the small European country.

Things have been pretty busy for Tuft in his retirement. Near the beginning of April, he featured in a short video. He has a new podcast with his recently retired teammate Ryan Anderson. Their pod is called Back on the Bus. In March, Tuft and his wife Justine welcomed their second child, Heidi, who is the little sister to their son Gunnar. Tuft talks about the tricky business of balancing his drive and passion of exploring on his bike with the importance of being home and raising children. He also discusses why a job as a sport director with his old WorldTour team wasn’t for him. He has ideas about what can make older riders with day jobs faster. And he tells a bit about a forthcoming book. The discussion covers a lot of ground. Tuft has a lot of wisdom to share. 

Smith is heading abroad soon, however. In about mid-April, she and L’Esperance will go to Europe to start racing. The big targets are the World Cup races in Germany and the Czech Republic. Results at those events could affect selection for the Olympics. While the chances of Smith representing Canada in Tokyo this summer are good, partly because of her third-place finish at the World Cup in Nové Město in 2019,  nothing is totally certain.

In January, Smith published a story about her struggles with mental health. In the past, she’s spoken about the problems she faced as a teenager and how, for the most part, she overcame them. But in 2020, her struggles grew more and more serious. Smith is always incredibly articulate when she discusses mental health. She’s honest and insightful, even when she’s overwhelmed with emotion, which you will hear in this interview. So get ready to tackle some big topics, as well as some big jumps, with mountain biker Haley Smith.

Hempstead is from Ottawa and is a former runner. She’s faced anxiety, depression, an eating disorder, burnout and broken bones. Now, things are looking more positive. Her discovery of cycling is part of that complex change. She may have broken a world record on her bike, but the machine has played a more significant role in putting things back together for the rider. In 2019, Hempstead’s mother signed her up for a talent identification program that aims to steer young athletes toward Olympic goals. That bit of parental initiative has Hempstead on a path to the Games in 2024 for cycling.

So listen to this conversation with Hempstead to find out more about this 20-year-old rider with big potential. And find out just what type of pizza she crushed after setting a world record.

You might remember hearing Atkins on this podcast more than a year ago. He and two other riders took on the Wapusk Trail, the world’s longest winter road that runs from Northern Ontario to Manitoba. He’s also been part of bike-based expeditions along James Bay and in Northern Quebec.

About 10 years ago, Atkins raced mountain bikes in Canada Cups and a few World Cups, such as Bromont and Mont-Sainte-Anne. He was a world unicycle trials champion, in 2006 and 2008. More recently, he’s been focused on obstacle course racing. He’s been the World's Toughest Mudder six times, the Spartan Ultra world champion twice and the OCR world champion. He likes to push and challenge himself.

Atkins’s Seven Summits challenge is, well, bonkers, especially the day he gained 6,961 m on a treadmill. That’s the height of Argentina’s Aconcagua. What attracted Atkins to this challenge with its jaw-dropping difficulty, both physically and mentally? The athlete seems to have a superhuman enthusiasm for daunting, repetitive tasks. Still, he found very cool moments throughout the challenge. They were more than just silver linings, but insights he would have never gotten otherwise. He also ate a lot of cookies and gummy bears.

If you think you might want to try climbing Seven Summits yourself, you’ll hear some tips that will help you with your own bonkers challenge.

The Spring Classics are starting. Do you have trouble pronouncing race names, such as Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Scheldeprijs and Brabantse Pijl. Host Matthew Pioro gets some coaching on the proper pronunciation of these races. Listen in so you, too, can talk Spring Classics like a pro.

For more on Saldanha and Israel Start-Up Nation's co-owner Sylvan Adams, check out this Canadian Cycling Magazine story on the pair from Montreal who are making big changes within the WorldTour.

Perry’s a good talker and very self-aware of his strengths as a cyclist and where he thinks he can go at the top levels of the sport. In this interview, he speaks about the strangeness of his team camp, because of COVID-19 precautions, and also some of the zaniness there. It sounds like he made a few very smart decisions at training camp. One involved a certain bit of costume makeup that he got as part of an initiation outfit. It seems there’s nothing that went on at this camp that will ever come back to haunt Perry should he, say, ever become prime minister.

Have a listen to this chat with Perry and get to know a first-year WorldTour rider who's put in a lot of time on the road.
 

The cross country rider also talks about a gruesome ride she took on in 2020. You'll also hear more about what she learned doing stage races, about the tough, and still ongoing process for making the Olympic team and about taking time for self discovery.

While there are reasons to have a bit of optimism for 2021, planning for the year ahead is still tricky. If you set a goal race, will it actually run, for example? Given the high probability that you’ll face some more curveballs next year, how do you plan to get better and fitter on the bike?

Molly Hurford is a contributor to the magazine and the podcast. She has a great story in the current issue, and now online, about why you should ditch traditional training goals or resolutions for 2021. She proposes setting intentions for what she calls #theseUncertainTimes.

Molly and her partner Peter Glassford host the Consummate Athlete podcast and have a new book called Becoming a Consummate Athlete. Some of the discussion in this episode picks up on ideas from that book. Some other things that came up are cross country rider Haley Smith’s 2018 bronze medal ride at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, bathtub crayons, Marie Kondo and cycling gear, and the book Forever Fit by pop legend Cher. But most important, there’s lots of great training advice for the year ahead.

Despite breaking his leg in March, Woods had some great results when racing resumed in August. There was his stage win and two days in the leader's jersey at Tirreno-Adriatico, a stage win at the Vuelta a España and even a win at a virtual race. Woods and Pioro get into comparisons with his 2018 season, which was the previous high-water mark for the Ottawa rider.

There's also discussion of Woods’s evolving relationship with Alejandro Valverde, his new team for 2021, Israel Start-Up Nation and all the people who will be familiar to him at that outfit. And there’s his busted-leg buddy who’s quite an accomplished cyclist.

The interview took place in mid-November. Woods was at home recovering from an operation that saw the removal of four screws from his leg. Remember, he broke his femur badly at Paris-Nice. How badly? It was so bad, that he was seriously considering ending his cycling career. But it's good he didn't. Instead, he had a road season that right now really could be his best ever.

Anderson got his start daydreaming his way through mountain bike races in his home province of Alberta. Then he moved to banging bars on the road. Later he worked as hard as he could to get to Europe to race against the sport’s best.

He’s seen a lot during the past 13 years. Teams and races have come and gone. As Anderson takes his leave from racing, he looks back at people and events that shaped him and that continue to shape road cycling today.

On the Monday following Koppenberg Cross, which Rochette had raced, she was in her camper van that carries her entire support crew: David Gagnon, Rochette’s partner, coach, mechanic and it’s probably fair to say general manager of Team Rochette, and their dog Mia. It’s a small, nimble operation, but they are wrestling with some big questions. They had come to Europe to race for months, which is a challenge for North American riders in the best of times. Now they are wondering how safe it will be for them if they continue on. What if one of them should fall ill? How long will the racing continue? From a distance, it might be easy to say, “Well, if you don’t feel comfortable, you should just leave Europe.” But, cyclocross is Rochette’s job. Now, there’s not enough high-level racing on this side of the globe. If racing continues in Europe, and if she doesn’t participate, it will have a negative effect on the next season. Rochette gets into these and other dilemmas.

Rochette also talks about racing at the mountain bike world championships in early October, her creative projects and even board games.

Michael Barry did get a pretty significant prediction totally wrong. And you're probably glad he did.

In his episode, Johnson speaks about bear encounters, riding gravel, bugs, fishing and his new perspectives on his adopted province.

Also this month, Michael Woods won a stage at Tirreno-Adriatico and held the leader’s jersey for two days.

Both riders are slated to represent Canada at the road world championships on Sunday. They’ll tell us what we might see on the circuit in Imola, Italy and of their hopes on how the road race might play out for them.

Pendrel is a very generous and active supporter of the mountain bike scene in Canada. About two years ago, she and her husband Keith Wilson started Pendrel Racing, a development team for young riders. This past summer, they’ve had an up-and-coming Canadian rider staying at their place and riding in the Kamloops, B.C. area. (Listen to find out who.)

Pendrel also discusses how she reacted after a crash in one of the biggest races of her career and who she thinks will be going strong when this year’s shortened mountain bike World Cup starts in September. She gives some insights into the selection process for mountain bikers for the 2021 Olympics. Pendrel speaks on some advice she had for a rider on her development team on how to ride in this extended off-season that athletes face. That advice could help you, too.

In this episode, Britton covers all kinds of topics related to bikepacking. He talks about how he sometimes pushes himself and his friends. He’s very safety conscious, and even has some good advice about when and how to take risks. There’s discussion about gear, including his go-to equipment list. He puts a lot of thought into every gram including what goes in his flask.

After you hear this interview with Rob Britton, you’ll want to plan a big cycling adventure.

Recently, as we passed the one-year-to-go-until-the-rescheduled-Olympics date, talk of cancelling the 2021 Games started up. On July 22, the president of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee Yoshiro Mori said to Japanese media that if the pandemic continued has it had been so far, the Games could not go ahead in 2021. A few days before that, the Kyodo news agency released the results of a poll that showed that only 23.9 per cent of the people surveyed throughout Japan thought the Olympics should be held. A segment as large as 36.4 per cent thought the Games should be postponed again. From the survey, 33.7 per cent said the Games should be cancelled.

With the threat of Olympic cancellation creeping in once again, let’s listen to track cyclists Gordon Singleton and Steve Bauer, and road cyclist Louis Garneau as they discuss the time, 40 years ago, that the Olympics didn’t happen for Canadian athletes.

RELATED Steve Bauer remembers the 1988 Tour de France

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The rider, who has studied public health and nutrition and is a passionate cook, also talked sourdough and salmon. Check out her popular banana oat pancakes as well as the recipes she’s developed for her team’s Food Friday. 

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Michael Barry, who runs Mariposa Bicycles with his wife Dede, raced from 1995 to 2012. When he looks at the compressed road calendar, he sees a lot of challenges and unknowns that could derail racing. But, according to the former pro, there are sure signs of hope for cycling.

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Please rate and review the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast wherever you get your episodes.

Please rate and review the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast wherever you get your episodes.

Also, an interview brought to you by Structure Cycleworks. Loni Hull, founder of the Calgary-based mountain bike company, discusses his unique front linkage system. It is literally, WTF: without telescoping fork.

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Last year, they rode along James Bay, a trip they called the James Bay Descent. The Wapusk trail trip was longer and more remote.

RELATED Lessons from the James Bay Descent

This year’s trip is not only a fascinating adventure but it speaks to the challenges we are facing today. It’s also about challenges—both environmental and societal—that we'll face in the near future. When Miller, Batty and Atkins went into the woods, the world was one way. When they got out, it was completely different.

To learn more about the expedition’s charitable component at True North Aid.

RELATED Waiting for it to get cold enough for a fat-bike expedition in Ontario and Manitoba’s Far North

RELATED Listen: Stories from a 600-km winter fat bike ride in Northern Ontario, Svein Tuft: from bike bum to the WorldTour

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In March, Canadian Cycling Magazine editor Matthew Pioro spoke with Bauer. The CCC Pro Team sports director had recently returned home to St. Catharines, Ont., from Europe and was in self-isolation. We discussed the Monument that almost, almost went to a Canadian.

This Sunday, as you face absence of Spring Classics in 2020, do re-watch A Sunday in Hell, Jorgen Leth’s documentary of the 1976 Paris-Roubaix. Also, highly recommended is William Fotheringham’s book about the making of the documentary called Sunday in Hell. Wouldn’t that be just hellacious? In the good way. Enjoy both Hells!

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After the crash, Woods was taken to a hospital in Lyon, France. He didn’t remember much from his time there as he was on strong painkillers. He figured he came in just ahead of any coronavirus-related surge in that area of France as the building seemed quiet. Woods didn’t stay in the hospital for long. His parents came to hurry him to Spain – where he trains in the colder months – before the border was to close.

After the stress of the crash and the hasty departure from France, Woods could relax. In late March, he was avoiding the Internet, reading and enjoying time with his daughter who wasn’t yet two months old. His snuggle buddy Max, short for Maxine, was a perfect lockdown partner as she was too young to walk and was just starting to smile.

“In the leadup to Paris-Nice, I’d been putting in big training hours and I was not as present at home as I would have liked to have been,” Woods said. “So, this has been a nice opportunity to hit the reset button. From a health perspective, that means gaining a bit of weight, just kind of fattening up a bit. I want to get a big recovery block in, and then be mentally fresh for whatever is left in the season and for 2021.”

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The Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast thanks Ontario Creates for its support.

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Jake Williams, from frenemy podcast The Lantern Rouge, checks in from the Pan Am championships. You can see all the muddy action in our galleries from the event.

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Photo by Nick Iwanyshyn

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Coach Peter Glassford has advice for transitioning to trainer season. He shares great tips for riding on the spot throughout the winter.

Hamilton rider Ed Veal recently spent 24 hours riding on a trainer. He was chasing a distance record within the Zwfit platform. Listen to the ups and downs of riding for a day, set up on a stage in a Las Vegas hotel.

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Photo by Bruce Buckley

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This past Thanksgiving weekend, editor Matthew Pioro and producer Adam Killick raced an Eastern Ontario Cyclocross Series event in Ottawa. Pioro spoke with organizer Vince Caceres about the significance of the race held within the national capital’s city limits.

Coach Peter Glassford discusses the post-ride beer. Is it really the thing you should be drinking after a big effort on the bike?

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Coach Peter Glassford has tips that will help you run better when you have to get off your bike in a cyclocross race.

Cyclocross racers Maghalie Rochette, Jenn Jackson, Michael van den Ham and Ruby West took time out of their busy schedules at the Waterloo World Cup to talk about their early successes and challenges as well as the rest of the season ahead.

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Photo courtesy Epic Israel.

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Full Send/No Send on the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal, Team Canada’s efforts at those one-day races, Nick Zukowsky’s KOM and Maghalie Rochette’s cyclocross World Cup win. Also, a Full Send/No Send question. Why is it full send on dropping out of a road race, but full send on toughing out a gravel race?

“You just need to taste blood.” Coach Peter Glassford explains openers and how they can help you with your cyclocross races, time trials and mountain bike events.

Send in your questions for Ask a Coach to podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

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Photo by Brian Hodes.

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Many pro and amateur cyclocross racers target CX weekends with competitions on both Saturdays and Sundays. Such events are athletic and logistical challenges. Coach Peter Glassford has advice that will help you prepare, perform and recover from a ’cross double-header.

Send in your ideas for Full Send/No Send and Ask a Coach to podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

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Photo by Oran Kelly.

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“It really reminded me that being a racer is not just what I do; it’s who I am,” Pendrel says. “I love that. Just to experience that joy of racing, no matter what kind of racing I’m doing, kind of fired me up to find my best in World Cups again.”

On Full Send/No Send, editors Matthew Pioro and Dan Walker discuss the new name of Maghalie Rochette’s cyclocross team. Also, should a 40-to-60 per cent chance of rain derail a ride? What’s the call if the time it will take to clean your bike might equal the time it takes to do the ride itself?

Peter Glassford is back with his Ask A Coach segment. What do you in fall if you’re just not that into racing cyclocross?

Canadian MTB editor Terry McKall speaks with Vaea Verbeeck right after she was crowned the Queen of Crankworx in Whistler, B.C.

Related: How you should treat your bike mechanic

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Related: The Canadian influence on Shimano’s new gravel groupset

Leah Kirchmann of Team Sunweb took second place at La Course by Le Tour de France. It was a thrilling race that featured the Winnipeg rider’s best finish in her sixth appearance at the event. Kirchmann analyses her race, the role La Course has in the women’s road calendar and what seems to be the next necessary step in its evolution.

Two days after Michael Woods finished riding the world’s biggest bike race, he looked back on his Tour de France. His broken ribs were still sore, maybe even more troublesome with the racing over. He reflected on his team and some of the Canadian fans that cheered him along the roads of France.

Related: Full transcript of the Michael Woods interview

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“I have been riding quite a long time on dirt and mountain bikes. It certainly was my first gravity event, which, to me, sounds weird, as I’ve ridden lots of times in pads and downhill, but never on the clock,” Stetson says. “But cross country, I’ve done dozens of times. The enduro was a different feel. I couldn’t believe how tired I was at the end of such a short amount of riding.

In Full Send/No Send, Pioro admits Walker was right about something. Is “Alien” a good nickname or an accusation? Should you take a swim in your bib shorts?

Canadian MTB editor Terry McKall interviews the CEO and founder of Structure Cycleworks. Loni Hull discusses the WTF (Without Telescoping Fork) linkage system that his company has designed. He also gets into the significance of keeping his company in Alberta.

Send in your ideas for Full Send/No Send and Ask a Coach to podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

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Read the Canadian Cycling Magazine feature on the six Canadian women who completed in the 1984 Tour de France Feminin.

In Full Send/No Send, editor Matthew Pioro and social media editor Dan Walker preview the 2019 Tour de France and the Giro Rosa (full name: Giro d'Italia Internazionale Femminile). Walker has a beef with the Giro Rosa.

Send in your ideas for Full Send/No Send and Ask a Coach to podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

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"When you see a corner coming up and it looks like it's the end of the climb, it absolutely is not," she says.

In Full Send/No Send, Matthew Pioro and Dan Walker discuss 650b versus 700c wheels. Also, if Michael Woods goes to the Tour de France, should he go for stage wins or general classification?

Finally, an interview with Jeff Webb, the CEO of Fara Cycling . He’s originally from Huntsville, Ont. About four years ago, he and his partners (who now include Thor Hushovd) started the cycling company based in Oslo, Norway. At Blacksmith Cycle in Toronto, Webb talks about Fara, as well as the long rides he does. He’ll ride from Oslo to Stockholm, about 530 km, on a whim.

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In Full Send/No Send, Dan Walker and Matthew Pioro discuss Geoff Kabush's social media shots at the men’s podium finishers at Dirty Kanza. They wrap up the Giro d’Italia and look at tire choice. Can you have too much of a good thing?

Coach Peter Glassford has tips for getting the most out of your local roads and paths for your training rides.

Send in your ideas for Full Send/No Send and Ask a Coach to podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

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Social media editor Dan Walker and Matthew Pioro debate Giro smack talk, bad bike-maintenance karma and the no-look right turn in Full Send/No Send.

Canadian MTB web editor Terry McKall starts a new series that focuses on Canadians who are influencing the discipline of mountain biking. In this episode, McKall speaks with Noel Buckley, the founder of Knolly Bikes in Burnaby, B.C.

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Those with curly bars can ride the gran fondo. There are also other races for competitive types. Into gear? Williams says 200 brands will be at the festival with tons of demo bikes, including the new-to-North-America-brand Canyon. Bring the kids to the Joyride 150 area. You have to mark July 4–7 on your calendars.

Also, if you need some advice for taking on the hill-climbing challenge at Sea Otter, check out "How to crush a KOM challenge with these 5 climbing tips."

Coach Peter Glassford makes the case for keeping the trainer accessible, and ready to go, even throughout the spring and summer. Think of it as a batting cage for your legs.

Dan Walker has created a new game with a long, ever-changing name: What Does That Sponsor of the Italian Pro Conti Team in the Giro d’Italia Do? Find out how well editor Matthew Pioro does.

Send in your ideas for Ask a Coach and Full Send/No Send to podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

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Social media editor Dan Walker and editor Matthew Pioro get Full Send/No Send on the Full Gazz versus the Astana Rap, Mathieu van der Poel and Boels-Dolmans kit.

Coach Peter Glassford talks about early-season burnout. It’s definitely something to watch out for, especially if you’ve been smashing it on virtual rides throughout the winter. Peter has great tips to keep your motivation high and your fitness levels improving.

Send in your ideas for Ask a Coach and Full Send/No Send to podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

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The Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast thanks the Ontario Media Development Corp. for its support.

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Social media editor Dan Walker and editor Matthew Pioro get Full Send/No Send on the Tour of Flanders, champagne-induced bronchitis, hitting the trails early and who should claim ebikes.

Coach Peter Glassford has great equipment tips and training strategies that will help you get on the roads as they clear and let you take advantage of the trainer you still have set up in your pain cave. Sorry, it’s not time to put the trainer way, just yet.

Send in your ideas for Ask a Coach and Full Send/No Send to podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

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Social media editor Dan Walker is back and so is Full Send/No Send. He and editor Matthew Pioro take on petrochemical companies in the peloton and the use of bar bags on road rides—all weighty topics!

Finally, Canadian MTB web editor Terry McKall gets a preview of the Bear Mountain Bike Festival from race director Jon Watkin. The event, running March 30 to 31, features Canada Cup cross country races, the Rocky Mountain Enduro, a kids bike day and more.

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https://cyclingmagazine.ca/sections/ridesevents/bt-700-charts-path-for-a-new-southwestern-ontario-bikepacking-event/

Jaden Chipman, the national BMX freestyle champion, speaks about the significance of his podium spot at the recent Toronto X-Jam. X-Jam is not only an important event for Chipman, but BMX freestyle as a whole in the run-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Finally, coach Peter Glassford discusses junk miles. What are junk miles, exactly? How can you avoid them?

You can send in your Ask a Coach questions for Glassford to podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

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The Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast thanks the Ontario Media Development Corp. for its support.

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To hear more about the trip, listen back to the James Bay Descent preview in Episode 9.

https://cyclingmagazine.ca/cycling-magazine-podcast/podcast-ted-king-james-bay-rally-uhc/

For Full Send/No Send, Dan Walker and Matthew Pioro talk about virtual championships jerseys, if it’s OK to like Astana and the track cycling world championships.

Coburn and Doug Brown speak about the lessons they learned doing a cross-Canada tandem bike trip. The tandem can challenge any relationship, but the pair persevered. Their stories combine with tips and advice for anyone planning a big two-wheeled adventure.

Svein Tuft, the Canadian champion who is riding for Rally UHC Cycling this season, looks back on his long road cycling career and how the sport has changed. As interviewer Molly Hurford says, “You’re just an OG bike bum.”

Please rate and review the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast wherever you get your episodes.

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https://www.ericbatty.com/

Podcast artwork by Maxine Gravina
https://www.instagram.com/maxgravina/

The Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast thanks the Ontario Media Development Corp. for its support.

For Full Send/No Send, Dan Walker and Matthew Pioro try to decide what level of disrepair is OK for a winter bike. They also talk about Peter Sagan’s book and Oleg Tinkov.

Peter Glassford is back with Ask a Coach. He discusses strength training for cyclists. Check out his Anywhere Core routine.

This past September, the Development Team Sunweb announced some new signings, which included Ben Katerberg from Courtenay, B.C. He’s the current junior road and time trial champion. At the start of this year, the 18-year-old rider moved to the Netherlands. One thing he learned early on is that he’s been saying his surname wrong.

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The Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast thanks the Ontario Media Development Corp. for its support.

King discusses his preparation for the trip and his concerns, which include polar bears. Then expedition organizer Buck Miller talks about more of the trip’s details. (He’ll be riding with a 12-gauge shotgun, in case of bear trouble.) Miller is a former member of the Canadian national team. He also lived on James Bay for five years. He tells about the ride’s charitable component: fundraising for the Moosonee office of the Timmins Native Friendship Centre.

For Full Send/No Send, Dan Walker brings up what is possibly his most outrageous topic for debate to date. Can he and Matthew Pioro get through this segment within the allotted five minutes? They haven’t done so for the past two episodes.

Peter Glassford is back with Ask a Coach. He talks about the types of training he recommends for these cold, snowy days.

Contributor Molly Hurford spent some time at the Rally UHC camp in early January. She’s sent back a few interviews from the team that is just chock full of Canadians. In this episode, Sara Bergen from Vancouver and Sara Poidevin from Calgary speak about how they got into the sport and their seasons ahead. They also have tips for new cyclists.

Rate us on iTunes, Google Play or wherever you get your podcasts. Send in your ideas for Full Send/No Send and/or for Ask a Coach to podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

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The Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast thanks the Ontario Media Development Corp. for its support.

Full Send/No Send is back. Matthew Pioro and Dan Walker discuss the new kit that EF Education First Pro Cycling will be sporting in 2019. Is January too early get excited about road racing? And, how cold is too cold for a ride?

From Dec. 23 to Jan. 1, a group of athletes participated in Cycling Canada’s Christmas ’Cross Camp. It’s a project that brings Canadians to the mud of Belgium to ride in some of the discipline’s biggest races against some of its biggest stars. Throughout the Kerstperiode, national champions Michael van den Ham and Ruby West, as well as Jenn Jackson, kept audio diaries. Their words will draw you into the highs and lows of racing abroad when most are at home with family.

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The Christmas ’cross dispatches feature “Like Music (cdk Mix)” by Analog By Nature featuring Phasenwandler. Copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike (3.0) licence.

The Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast thanks the Ontario Media Development Corp. for its support.

Social media editor Dan Walker and editor Matthew Pioro try to cover their top-five moments in cycling for 2018 in five minutes.

Coach Peter Glassford of the Consummate Athlete podcast offers advice for making it through the holidays without totally zapping your fitness and without forgoing a nice glass of scotch.

Finally, regular contributor to Canadian Cycling Magazine Melanie Chambers got a last-minute invitation to the Taiwan KOM Challenge this past October. In a short documentary, follow Chambers up 3,275 m in 105 km after only three-weeks of preparation. Chambers was against the clock. She wanted to finish in less than the six-and-a-half hours to earn a finisher’s medal.

Artwork by Maxine Gravina

This episode features music by Chris Zabriskie, licensed through CC 4.0.

Rate us on iTunes, Google Play or wherever you get your podcasts. Send in your ideas for Full Send/No Send or your questions for coach Peter Glassford to podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

The Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast thanks the Ontario Media Development Corp. for its support.

In this episode’s Full Send/No Send segment, Dan Walker and Matthew Pioro wrestle with UCI regulations about sock height, holiday cycling challenges and clothing made specifically for indoor cycling. (Find out who tries to get away with a shrug on a podcast.) They give a final big full send to Paul Sherwen, who recently passed.

Finally, writer Tom Babin talks Spikes on Bikes. In the most recent issue of Canadian Cycling Magazine, Babin has a feature about the harm-reduction program based in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The program comprises “peers” who head out into the neighbourhood on bikes. They do everything from saving people from overdosing to offering advice on getting off the streets. Often, the peers themselves have experience with addiction and homelessness. It’s a story of hope and community building amid the opioid crisis.

Rate us on iTunes, Google Play or wherever you get your podcasts. Send in your ideas for Full Send/No Send to podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

Artwork by Maxine Gravina

The Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast thanks the Ontario Media Development Corp. for its support.

In 2013, Jack Burke failed a doping test. He was later cleared, but his story doesn’t end there. In the years following, his adverse analytical finding continues to plague him, while his case has set precedence in other sporting disciplines. Dan Dakin, senior editor, wrote a feature on Jack Burke. Dakin discusses the fascinating story.

The Full Send/No Send segment returns! Dan Walker and Matthew Pioro wrestle with important subjects, such as Strava purity, pro roadies swinging at T-balls and Mathieu van der Poel ruining cyclocross (and somehow Walker thinks that’s connected to Pioro). But Walker has a made-in-Manitoba solution in mind.

Rate us on iTunes, Google Play or wherever you get your podcasts. Send in your ideas for Full Send/No Send to podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

Artwork by Maxine Gravina

The Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast thanks the Ontario Media Development Corp. for its support.

For more on the Pan Am CX champs, check out video from within the elite men’s race. Web editor Terry McKall hangs on for as long as he can, trying to avoid the 80 per cent rule, which clears off riders before the race leaders might lap the slower CXers.

This fall, Ted Glenn released his book, Riding into Battle, which focuses on the combat cyclists of the Canadian Corps and what they faced in during the First World War. The fighting was fierce and the bikes were heavy.

Finally, David Jack, coach and derny driver at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre, speaks about the art of managing a keirin race and how a wrong turn led him deeper into the Japanese keirin scene.

Rate us on iTunes, Google Play or wherever you get your podcasts. Get in touch with us at podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

Artwork by Maxine Gravina

The Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast thanks the Ontario Media Development Corp. for its support.

From Nov. 3 to 4, the Pan Am cyclocross championships will run in Midland, Ont., a town roughly 150 km north of Toronto. Since 2014, that community has been the site of the Silver Goose. It's grown in stature throughout the past four years hosing the provincial championships in 2016 and UCI C2-level competitions in 2017. Last year, Ruby West, the under-23 national champ, won the C2 races at the Goose. Also that year, national champ Michael van den Ham came third at the Pan Am champs. Maghalie "#CXFever" Rochette, the 2014 under-23 Pan Am champ, recently finished sixth at the World Cup CX event in Bern, Switzerland. All three Canadians preview the Pan Am champs/Silver Goose.

Rate us on iTunes, Google Play or wherever you get your podcasts. Get in touch with us at podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

Artwork by Maxine Gravina

The Cycling Magazine Podcast thanks the Ontario Media Development Corp. for its support.

Editors Dan Walker and Matthew Pioro go full send/no send on burning hot topics, such as the recent announcement of Floyd Landis' sponsorship of a Canadian team, riding to a nice round number so the distance looks good on Strava, the correct pronunciation of "Deceuninck" and, the most contentious, socks over or under tights or leg warmers.

Phil Gaimon speaks about his Worst Retirement Ever and Best Retirement Ever series, which took him to Vancouver in September. Not everyone was pleased with his performances on the climbs of the Triple Crown.

Rate us on iTunes, Google Play or wherever you get your podcasts. Get in touch with us at podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

Artwork by Maxine Gravina

Thank you to the Ontario Media Development Corp. for its support.

Editors Matthew Pioro and Dan Walker look back at the recent cyclocross World Cup in Waterloo, Wis., sick tailwhips and all. You can also read more on Canadian riders’ thoughts from the race on our site.

We ride with James Piccoli, member of team Elevate-KHS and Montreal native, up his hometown climb, Camillien Houde into Mount Royal Park. The stretch of road means a lot to the young climber.

Throughout, international WorldTour riders share their thoughts on Canada. (A certain sweet substance from our national tree seems to come up a lot.)

Get in touch with us at podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

Artwork by Maxine Gravina

Thank you to the Ontario Media Development Corp. for its support.