Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP The pro calendar is winding down for another year. The world champs are done, Lombardy’s only a few days away, and plenty of riders are racking their bikes ready for a well earned off season. It’s not just the pros getting ready to crack open a few cold ones after a hard year on the road, Harry and Stu - better known as Life In The Peloton’s Race Radio presented by SHOKZ - are heading to Italy for their final race of 2027. The Italian Classics that pepper the weeks before Il Lombardia are exactly that - classics. These are some of the oldest races around with deep, rich histories and die-hard, passionate fans; the Tifosi. Although they’re not the most well known races, they have an absolutely amazing atmosphere. I only raced a few of these in my career and, let me tell you, they’re bloody hard, but they were such a cool way to end a year of racing. Harry & Stu have been right there sipping espresso amongst the Nonnas at the Coppa Bernocchi and Tre Valli Varesine. Here’s what old mate Harry had to say about their time in Italia: Harry: "Italy. Land of art and culture. Of fashion and elegance. Of endless carbs. Of cinema and polemica. Of pneumatic blondes and plastic surgeons. Of great cyclists and drug scandals. Of Mario Cipollini and Marco Pantani. We came for this exaggerated view, but what we got was a blissful few days bathing in the autumnal sun at two humble, beautiful one-day races in the lead up to Lombardia. As Giro winner Jai Hindley told us: ‘there’s just something in the air, mate’. Take us back.” This episode is absolutely packed. If you’re a bike racing fan you have to get your ears around this. There’s interviews with some total legends like Jai Hindley, Michael Matthews, Alan Marangoni, and Charly Wegelius, Harry flexes his Italian skills, and the boys take us on an incredible tour around the iconic Madonna del Ghisallo chapel and museum - the ultimate pilgrimage destination for all cyclists. The boys have finished their season with a bang with this one; the podcast equivalent of winning Lombardy. I do miss the races over in Europe, but having Harry and Stu get roadside this season to capture the atmosphere, tell the story of the race, and share the pure joy of watching bike races has made me feel like I’m right back there. None of this would be possible without our good friends at SHOKZ, so get across to SHOKZ’s website, and enjoy a cheeky discount for being a LITP listener. One more Race Radio episode to go in 2027; their end of season awards show. I can’t wait to hear it. Cheers, Mitch

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP I can’t believe the 2026 UCI World Championships kick off in just a few days! With Pogačar sidelined, the elite men’s race is set to be an epic showdown, and one of the most open worlds we’ve seen in years! Of course, that means it’s time for me, Tom Southam, and Luke Durbridge to catch up, preview the race, and have a good old yarn on this month’s Race Communiqué. Over the weekend we had the GP Quebec and Montreal, which gave us a great look at who’s in shape ahead of Worlds and how the circuit in Montreal is going to be raced. Durbo was on the ground racing, getting chopped left, right, and centre and gives us some amazing insight into the chaos and tension in the bunch. We’ve shuffled the order around this month, so Durbo jumps straight into PeloChat! Durbs goes through the nuance of how to ride on the front of the bunch and protect your leaders, how to know when to get off the front and let someone else pull, and how a team can dictate a hard race by just riding smart. This is the kind of insight that 15 years in the peloton gets you - Luke really showing us why he’s had such a long and successful career as one of the most trusted teammates in the bunch. Southam’s Talking Tactics is all about the fantastic Vuelta we’ve just seen. Movistar turning their race around after a difficult first week to capitalise on Pogačar’s misfortune and roll out some real old-school Grand Tour tactics to take the red jersey all the way to the finish in Grenada was an epic spectacle, and Southam gives us all the inside gossip from the road. Before we get into the World Champs preview, I wanted to give the Vuelta a proper send-off and discuss the five most interesting points of the race. When will Pogi go back and try to win? Where will Roglič go from here? What does such a strong grandy mean for Wout van Aert’s world champs chances? The 2026 elite men’s world championships road race is just less than two weeks away. The Montreal circuit we saw raced on the weekend will be tackled 12 times, but who’s going to come away with the rainbow jersey? Evenepoel, Del Toro, Seixas, Pidcock, Van Der Poel, Van Aert, and more - with Pogačar sidelined, this is going to be one of the most open worlds we’ve seen in years. I can’t wait. Guys, if you know me, you know I love a cold one. I also love pro cycling, so I thought I’d combine my two passions for a bit of a laugh with the boys this month - the ‘Beer Bus’; combining our favourite beverages and pro cyclists. Fabian Cans-Of-Larger, anyone? Durbo brings us home with a CommuniQuiz he’s cooked up all about win records in the races we’ve discussed in this episode! It’s a banger with some crazy surprising statistics, so play along at home and see how you do. Guys, that’s all for this month’s Communiqué! I can’t believe the season’s coming to its conclusion! It feels like only yesterday the peloton was defrosting after their winter hibernation at Omloop, yet here we are barreling towards the end of another amazing season of bike racing. Cheers, Mitch 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 Listen to the Life In The Peloton Podcast 🔈 lifeinthepeloton.com/listen Join Mitch's Mailing List ✉️ lifeinthepeloton.com/subscribe Send Mitch a message 🗣️ lifeinthepeloton.com/contact