Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP

The Tour de France may be the biggest bike race in the world, but there’s a little-known race in the heart of the Pyrenees you might not have heard of that, in my opinion, might just be better. That’s right, La Route d’Occitanie, formerly known as La Route du Sud, is a third-tier stage race that sees up-and-comers and the occasional legend rip around the wild, rustic mountain towns of the Pyrenees a few weeks before the big show in July. No, it’s not the biggest race in the world, but it’s one of the most honest. Nowhere to hide, no massive plaudits: just heat, suffering, and craft. A real racer’s race. Just take stage four of the 2010 edition, for example: one of the toughest days in history won by a real racer… With this in mind, I thought it would be the perfect place to send Life In The Peloton’s Race Radio p/b SHOKZ for stage three of their year of chasing the lesser-known but deeply loved races that the most passionate of fans get behind each year. With the mercury tipping over 40 degrees Celsius, Harry & Stu were in for a scorcher as they made their way from Saint-Paul-Cap-de-Joux to Loudenvielle. Here’s what Harry had to say about their long weekend on the Euro barbecue: Three races into our ‘b-calendar’ for LITPRR this season, and after spending an amazing weekend at La Route d’Occitanie, I’m now totally convinced that smaller races are the best way to get out and watch bike racing live. You get the same thrill of a hundred pros whooshing past, but none of the endless road closures and angry policemen blocking the road, none of the jostling for position with other fans to get a glimpse of a flash of a bike or fleeting set of calves. Big races make everything much harder. At smaller races, you get the best view in the house with no effort. You’ve got a better chance of chatting to the riders before or after the race, and everyone is much less stressed. The racing is still exciting, and the roads are still just as beautiful. I loved listening to this ep and hearing some familiar voices – my old team mate and DS on EF Pro Cycling, Matti Breschel, and Robert ‘Wagi’ Wagner, another former team mate and one of my oldest friends from my racing days. Now, I don’t like to pump my own tyres up, but I did actually somehow manage to win a stage of this race back in 2010, the final day from Lauvar to Castres. It was great to see the old Skil Shimano kit from that year dusted off and worn by Harry himself at the roadside – it even managed to get some TV time as Davide Piganzoli ripped past to take the overall win. Guys, enjoy this ep. The sounds, the vibes, and the atmosphere over in France at this time of year are the perfect combination to get you geed up ready for the big one in July, but don’t discount a trip across yourself next year for the Route d’Occitanie; one of the toughest races on the calendar. Only real champions win here…and me. Cheers, Mitch This Episode is sponsored by SHOKZ and Saily! Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! Use code PELOSURF at checkout. Download the Saily app or go to https://saily.com/pelosurf If you’re after the best sports headphones - be it for cycling, running, or even swimming - get across to SHOKZ’s website, and use the code LITP enjoy a cheeky discount for being a LITP listener. https://bit.ly/4skq7lK or use the code LITP at checkout.

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP Guys, get yourselves ready, this is a banger of an ep. I got to sit down with the man himself, the Sweendog. The 16 Wheeler. Sweet 16. Harry Sweeny He’s one of the strongest riders in the pelo right now. They don’t call him ‘The Truck’ for nothing. I spoke to Harry in person over in Adelaide at this year’s Tour Down Under and picked his brains about everything from his journey into the sport, his transition from Lotto to EF Education Easypost, how his neurodiversity makes him a better bike racer, and heaps more. Harry’s a super interesting guy. He’s a consummate professional and leaves no stone unturned in his hunt for being the best athlete he can be. Hearing Sweendog talk through how he prepares for every single race, and the level of detail with which he plans every gel, every corner, every meter of road covered really opened my eyes as to how hard he works. Up until this point, Harry’s cut his teeth in the bunch riding as a domestique; turning himself inside out for team mates to great success - pulling guys like Ben Healy to monument podiums and the Yellow Jersey at the Tour de France. But, after a conversation with his team boss Jonathan Vaughters, Harry’s finding the confidence to ride for himself and show how strong he can be. As JV put it, ‘being 10% more of an arsehole’. Not long after we recorded, Harry’s efforts were rewarded with an absolutely stellar podium finish at the Tour Down Under - his first World Tour GC Podium. It’s a fantastic result, and - I think - marks a real shift in focus; he knows he’s got the engine to go toe-to-toe with the big guys, and now he’s proved it out there on the road. I loved chatting to Harry, and I hope you guys enjoy listening to one of the most hard working, enthusiastic pros out there. Prefer to watch along? This episode’s up on our YouTube channel too.📺 https://www.youtube.com/@lifeinthepeloton Cheers! Mitch ----more---- This Episode is sponsored by Saily and JOIN Cycling. Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! Use code PELOSURF at checkout. Download the Saily app or go to https://saily.com/pelosurf For 30 Days JOIN Cycling FREE, head across to join.cc/litp 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/

This is a cheeky bonus excerpt from the full episode. To listen to the whole thing — and get access to future Chronicles — become a PODIUM Member (our foundling tier) via our Substack. 👉 https://lifeinthepeloton.substack.com/about Guys, welcome back to another year of The Life In The Peloton Chronicles. It’s been a hectic start to 2026; I hit the podcasting ground running over in Adelaide at the Tour Down Under to start the year with a bang, so it was great to get back to Melbourne, slow down, and recharge with a catch up with my old mate Sveino. I wanted to chat to Sveino about a topic that always comes up at this time of year; goal setting. Whether or not you write it down, we all come into a new year with goals we want to achieve throughout the season - we did it when we were racing, and we still do it now. One thing I want to get back into the habit of this year is meditation, and that’s something Svein and I have a bit of a yarn about in this episode. If you know anything about Svein, you know that he is one cool cat - super mellow, always chilled out. It really surprised me that actually he doesn’t meditate! He’s a big believer in channeling his negative energy and stress out through movement and activity, rather than dedicating time to sitting down with his thoughts. Meditation isn’t something that came naturally to me. In my early days as a pro, I used to laugh at the idea of sitting there with my eyes shut just…thinking. That was until I was roommates with a guy called Taylor Phinney. The Phin Dog is probably the only guy I know who’s more chilled out than Sveino. From the mountains of the hippie haven of Colorado, Taylor grew up surrounded by spirituality and, after a life changing crash at the US national championships in 2014, he found meditation through his recovery. Years later, when we became team mates, he showed me the way when we were in a Belgian hotel room racing the spring classics. I tried to be open minded and, with Taylor guiding me, I started to get it - finding the calm in the chaos. I gave Taylor a call to catch up and chat to him about meditation and how he practices it now he’s retired from a life as a pro rider - which is pretty stressful at times. Guys, this is a chilled one, but it was super interesting chatting to Svein and Taylor about tuning out the noise and finding peace through meditation, setting goals for the new year, and heaps of other pieces to kick off this season of Chronicles. Sit back, shut your eyes, take a deep breath, relax, and get your ears around this enlightening episode of Life In The Peloton: Chronicles. Cheers, Mitch!

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! 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

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