Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

The Tour Down Under is done and dusted for another year, and it was an absolute banger. I was lucky enough to get in amongst it right there at the roadside all week and, to make it better, I was joined by my old mate - the Doughboy himself - Ian Boswell. 

For this episode, I wanted to take you guys inside the Tour Down Under; not just the racing, but the atmosphere around the race and the vibe that gets cooked up in Adelaide every year. The racers lining up for the first time, getting use to their new teams and equipment, the fans at the side of the road, and all the sweet little events that go off each morning out of Adelaide. 

Ian and I kicked off our week with a big bang, getting stuck into the cut and thrust of the short, sharp prologue from inside the team car! I hopped in the NSN passenger seat to follow Ethan Vernon - who actually went and finished 2nd on the stage, missing the win by less than a second…maybe his DS was a bit distracted?

In the paddocks, we got a chance to catch up with some of the riders who’ve come Down Under to start their 2026 racing season. Guys like the new Natty champ Pat Eddy, British up and comer Matty Brennan, the 16 wheeler himself Harry Sweeny, and heaps more. We spoke about the race, as well as some general questions about their seasons and - of course - a cheeky little mini CommuniQuiz to keep them on their toes!

Of course, this race is defined by the fans. People have travelled from far and wide to be here - one girl I spoke to even made the journey all the way from Texas in the USA! It was great chatting with people up and down the roadside about their TDU experience - and meet loads of LITP listeners in person. 

This is a chokka block episode with loads of great little soundbites you only get from being right there at the races live and in person. I hope Boz and I managed to capture the vibe so you can sit back, crack a frothy, and pretend you’re right there under the baking Adelaide sun with us.

Cheers!

Mitch

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Check out our new Substack! It’s a new place for us to go a bit deeper — home to Tom Southam’s Director’s Cuts, my Pelo Journal, and stories from inside the peloton… and a bit beyond it too - https://lifeinthepeloton.substack.com/

It’s been a long winter, but here we are, guys, the first podcast from Life In The Peloton of the season and oh man, is it a good one. I got in the booth LIVE with Tom Southam and Luke Durbridge at the Tour Down Under to unpack the Aussie national champs, talk a little bit about the TDU, and have a look ahead to what we can expect this racing season. 

We kick off with the man himself, Turbo Durbo, giving us the inside line on the Aussie National Champs. If you watched the race, then you’ll know Luke came pretty close to bagging himself the top step, but it didn’t quite work out that way. He gives us a bit of insight into how the race unfolded and how Jayco AlUla reacted to the final result. 

In this month’s PeloChat, Luke goes through every single Aussie in the men’s World Tour bunch. From neo pros to old hands, Luke shares a bit of info and his thoughts on all the riders to see who’s representing the land Down Under overseas in 2026. 

Southam’s Talking Tactics takes a deep dive into the rest of UAE. Away from Pogačar and his Tour de France A-Team, what are the rest of the team going to do? That squad is stacked with absolute hitters, so how are they going to manage themselves and make sure everyone’s happy? Tom gives us his thoughts. 

You know what’s coming next, we round it out with a classic CommuniQuiz. We’re honouring the soon-to-retire Aussie legend, Simon Clarke, with a quiz all about his awesome 17-year career. How many Grandys did he race? Which monument did he only do once? What teams has he ridden for in his pro career? You’ll have to listen to find out! 

Guys, I’m so excited to kick off the 2026 season. I’m on the ground at the TDU picking up heads of eps with some really special riders so keep your eyes peeled for those dropping soon. 

Cheers,

Mitch

P.s. If you want to see our ugly mugs in the studio, head over to Life In The Peloton’s YouTube channel to watch!

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Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

It’s been a long season, but we’re here, we’ve made it, it’s the final pod of 2025! I’m joined by EF sports director, Tom Southam, and Jayco Alula pro cyclist - and Aussie national road champion - Luke Durbridge, for one last Race Communique to wrap up the podcasting year. 

I wanted to kick off by running through the season we’ve just witnessed. There’s so much racing going on from January at the Tour Down Under right the way through to Lombardia just last week, it’s easy to forget just how great the racing has been. Durbo, Southam, and I discuss our favourite wins of the year - some quite obvious ones and some that you might have forgotten about. Then, we go through some quick-fire awards: best kit, worst kit, most overhyped rider, biggest loss to the peloton, and more! 

Of course, we’ve got our regular PeloChat - where Durbo rounds up all the retiring riders this year - and Talking Tactics - where old mate Southam gives us the final scores on the doors for this year’s relegation battle, which was thrilling right down to the final day of racing. What does WorldTour promotion mean for UnoX? We’ll have to wait and see…

But, for the season finale, I wanted to give the CommuniQuiz WorldTour status for this episode and let my guests…I mean co-hosts…take a segment each. This is a bumper quiz that’s peppered throughout the episode, so listen closely and play along at home. 

Guys, the monthly Communiques have been a real highlight of the year for me. Catching up with Southam and Durbo, having a yarn about the racing, and - of course - some great banter has been great fun, and I hope you can hear how much we love recording these episodes. 

Thanks to Tom Southam and Luke Durbridge for joining me every month for these episodes. Their insight and expertise makes the Communique, and I can’t wait to have them back after the off-season to kick off 2026. 

Guys, it’s been a hell of a year. Thanks for listening to the Race Communique and all the other podcasts we put out here at Life In The Peloton. Put your feet up tans crack a few frothier this winter, and I’ll speak to you next season. 

The Race Communiqué is brought to you by TrainingPeaks! Track, plan, and train smarter - just like the pros.

Get 20% off TrainingPeaks Premium now at trainingpeaks.com/litp

I’ll be heading to Adelaide this January for the Santos Tour Down Under - chasing the racing, riding the bunches in the morning, and soaking up all the summer vibes the city has to offer. Hope to see you there.

🎧 Timecodes

0:00 Intro

08:57 Race Recap & Quickfire Awards - Best kit, worst kit, most overhyped rider & more

38:19 Communi-quiz Part 1

45:14 World's Quickest Pelo Chat

49:47 Communi-quiz Part 2

54:47 Talking Tactics - Southam breaks down the relegation battle

1:07:29 Communi-quiz Part 3

Cheers,

Mitch

The 2025 season is almost at an end. The Tour of Guanxi is nearing its exhilarating climax, riders have started to upload their “2025: Completed it, mate” Instagram posts, and Harry and Stu have recorded their final episode of Life In The Peloton’s Race Radio. 

These guys have had a great season; they’ve been on form from January right the way through to October, and they’re really finishing on a high. 

Here’s what old mate Harry had to say about this final episode of LITP’s Race Radio:

"The 2025 season is over, so it’s time to remind ourselves of the amazing racing we enjoyed throughout the year. Stu and I decided to keep it fun in this last ep – not that being serious has ever been our forte – with a few games that you can play along to while listening, including cryptic headlines and picking our teams of the year. Thanks to Mitch for the incredible opportunity this year, and we hope you’ve all enjoyed our podcasts. See you on the road."

As always, I really hope you’ve enjoyed having Harry and Stu in your ears these past 10 months as much as I have. I’ve been out of the peloton for a few years now, but having these two boys with their finger on the pulse of the racing scene, some amazing connections and great interviews, and heaps of enthusiasm for the sport we all love has really been one of the highlights of my year. 

Harry, Stu - thanks for a great season. Put your feet up and enjoy a few cold ones this winter; you’ve earned it. 

Cheers

Mitch

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

Guys, it’s here - the final episode of Life In The Peloton for 2025! This season has absolutely flown by; it feels like yesterday I was cracking open a Coopers at the Tour Down Under back in January getting warmed up for the year ahead, but here we are, the Il Lombardia of the podcasting calendar.

I wanted to round the season out with a bang, so I’ve got a couple of very special guests this month. My old mates Daniel Friebe and Lionel Bernie - perhaps better known as the masterminds behind The Cycling Podcast - are on the pod, and we’re going through everything cycling & podcasting from Armstrong to Zubeldia. 

These guys are true legends of cycling journalism. They’ve been there on the ground at the Grand Tours for a decade now, and even before that have been covering races like the Tour de France since the 1990s! They have the sort of depth of knowledge that you only get when you’ve been inside the sport for generations, and their podcasts really show that.

Long time listeners of either pod will remember when LITP was actually hosted by The Cycling Podcast way back in 2020 & 2021, from 2021 to 2024 the guys had me out in France making daily The Cycling Podcast episodes on the ground with other guest presenters like Ian Boswell, Richard Abraham, and Graham Willgoss. I learnt absolutely heaps from lifting the curtain seeing how these guys operate, and I feel like my own podcast stepped up a level thanks to their influence.

In this ep, we go through the whole timeline of The Cycling Podcast, from the early days before the boys knew each other, right through to today and what’s next! I feel like we really dig into how the sausage is made…

Of course, The Cycling Podcast itself was founded by Lionel, Daniel, and the late - and very great - Richard Moore, who sadly passed away in 2022. Richard was a hero of mine, an innovator in podcasting, and an absolute pillar of cycling media. His influence can still be felt on the pod, and I loved hearing Daniel and Lionel’s old stories of the total legend.

There’s a few Talking Luft style questions thrown in there for the boys too - worst ever meal on a bike race, best ever podcast guest (me, obviously…), cycling heroes, and more! 

Guys, this year’s been another absolutely massive one for the pod - and I’ve had a mega time producing these episodes for you to enjoy. Thanks so much for lending me your ears every month and listening to me yarn away with a whole host of guests.

Don’t despair - we’ve still got an episode of Life In The Peloton’s Race Radio and The Race Communique to come before the end of October, then it’s time to hang the mic up for a few months and enjoy an off season filled with bike riding, a few frothies, and making plans to make the pod even better in 2026. 

Cheers!

Mitch

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I’ll be heading to Adelaide this January for the Santos Tour Down Under - chasing the racing, riding the bunches in the morning, and soaking up all the summer vibes the city has to offer. Hope to see you there.