The Cycling Podcast / Our Giro stage 14: White-knuckle ride

In this episode we look at the art and psychology of descending the big mountains.

As Our Giro approaches the big mountain stages, Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe we talk about some editions of the Giro d’Italia that have been decided going down hill.

We hear from American rider Christian Vande Velde, who suffered a bad crash on a descent early on in the 2009 Giro d’Italia. Vande Velde struggled with the mental aspect of descending in races and Daniel speaks to him about how he worked to conquer those fears.

We also speak to Steven Kruijswijk, the Dutchman who arguably could have won the Giro but for crashing into a snow wall on a descent in the 2016 Giro.

There’s also a reminder of the Tiramisù World Cup and Lionel’s efforts at making the coffee-infused dessert are judged by Felicity Cloake. There’s also controversy from the turbo trainer in Our Giro.

The Cycling Podcast is supported by iwoca and Science In Sport.

FURTHER READING
The Outside magazine article about downhill skiing by Jennifer Kahn that Daniel mentioned is here.

COMING TOMORROW
The Visual Giro. We speak to legendary photographer Graham Watson about seeing the race through the lens of his camera. We also hear from Sir Paul Smith, who designed the maglia rosa in 2013, and Andy Storey, author of the Art of the Jersey, about Italian style on the bike, plus we learn about the colour pink.

COPPA ITALIA OF CYCLING JERSEYS
What is the best-looking Italian cycling jersey of all-time? You decide. Starting tomorrow on our Twitter page is the Coppa Italia of Italian cycling jerseys. Vote for your favourites in the group stage from Sunday.

LIFE IN THE PELOTON
While we’ve been doing Our Giro, Mitch Docker and his old Orica-GreenEdge teammates have been remembering Their Giro when they won the opening team time trial of the 2014 race in Belfast.

WATCH OUR FIRST FILM

Our first film, And So We Rode… is available for Friends of the Podcast to watch now. This is the story of Larry Warbasse and Conor Dunne packing their bags and going on a bikepacking trip in the French and Italian Alps after their pro team Aqua Blue Sport folded mid-season. It costs £15 to sign up as a Friend of the Podcast and you will be able to watch the film as well as listen to all our special episodes. thecyclingpodcast.com/join

iwoca became The Cycling Podcast’s title sponsors in March 2020. Iwoca specialises in supporting small businesses and can lend between £1,000 and £250,000. Applications can…