BONUS: Surviving the Spring Classics

BONUS: Surviving the Spring Classics

From Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP by Mitch Docker

April 30, 2026 · 17 min · Episode 140

About this episode

Mitch Docker and Svein Tuft discuss the challenges and passion involved in the Spring Classics races.

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 The Spring Classics are done and dusted for another season. When I was a pro, I used to absolutely love these races. The grit they demanded of you as a rider, the passion of the fans in Belgium, the race craft you had to possess just to survive…man, I lived for it. This month’s episode of The Life In The Peloton Chronicles is all about exactly that - surviving and thriving at the Spring Classics. Sveino may not have enjoyed the races quite as much as I did, but he gave them a bloody good go throughout his career, and shares that deep understanding of what’s required to even just get to the finish line of these races, let alone win them. If I had to summarise the Spring Classics in a word, it would be ‘Passion’. You need to have passion for these races, for these roads. You have to be prepared to basically die for every single corner - that’s how intense the fight to be at the front at the key moments is. If you don’t have that passion, you’ll never win…

People in this episode

Host: Mitch Docker

Guest: Svein Tuft

Topics covered

  • Spring Classics
  • cycling
  • passion
  • race craft
  • professional cycling
  • survival
  • youth talent

Keywords

  • Spring Classics
  • cycling races
  • Mitch Docker
  • Svein Tuft
  • passion
  • race craft
  • professional cycling
  • youth talent

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Substack

Places: Belgium

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