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Jens Voigt joins us on The Hotseat for a wide ranging and honest conversation about talent, trust and what it really means to leave a legacy in cycling. From his now famous “blessed by the gods” explanation of once in a generation greatness to his belief that the sport is living through a genuine golden age, Voigt reflects on Pogacar, Van der Poel, Sagan and the pressures facing modern riders. Along the way, he opens up about growing up in East Germany, surviving cycling’s darkest eras, and why scepticism and belief can coexist. Also in this episode: - The origin and legacy of “Shut up legs” - Life inside the anti doping whereabouts system - Why modern cycling is cleaner, but scrutiny will never disappear - What cycling still owes the current generation of riders - Voigt on legacy, fatherhood and life after the peloton - Why kindness matters as much as toughness in elite sport

🚀 Fuelled by MNSTRY. Get 20% off your first Tasting Box order with code DOMESTIQUE20 to see why your sports nutrition shouldn't be a choice between on-bike performance and off-bike health https://mnstry.com/en-in?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=domestique&utm_campaign=260126_domestique_partnership-2026 Remco Evenepoel makes a stunning start to his Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe career with three dominant victories in Mallorca, including a monster 55km solo at the Trofeo Serra Tramuntana. We break down what his aggressive racing style tells us about his season ahead and preview his next challenge at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana. Plus: Tobias Lund Andresen sprints to victory at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, Jan Christen snatches overall victory at the AlUla Tour for UAE Team Emirates, and we give you a full stage-by-stage preview of the Volta Comunitat Valenciana starting this Wednesday.

🚀 Fuelled by MNSTRY. Get 20% off your first Tasting Box order with code DOMESTIQUE20 to see why your sports nutrition shouldn't be a choice between on-bike performance and off-bike health  https://mnstry.com/en-in?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=domestique&utm_campaign=260126_domestique_partnership-2026 This week we're diving deep into Remco Evenepoel's early season plans, exploring whether he could be cycling's answer to Max Verstappen, breaking down the return of team time trials, and catching up on all the action from the Tour Down Under and look ahead to the Cyclocross Worlds. 🔥 IN THIS EPISODE: The Remco Show Evenepoel is loading up his Mallorca Challenge schedule and Red Bull-Bora boss Ralph Denk thinks he could transform cycling like Verstappen transformed F1. We break down what makes Remco special and whether one rider can really change the sport. From Mallorca to Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, teams are using TTTs as Tour de France test runs. We discuss why this early-season preparation matters and which teams to watch. A UAE Team Emirates DS gets suspended after two yellow cards, but the team keeps winning anyway. What does this say about the UCI's enforcement and UAE's team depth? Dylan Groenewegen gets an important early win for Unibet Rose Rockets. We look at what this means for the new team's first season.

Former Grand Tour ironman Adam Hansen joins us on The Hotseat for a wide ranging and deeply honest conversation about life after the peloton, his role as president of the CPA, and why modern professional cycling is pushing young riders to the brink. From anti doping pressure to mental health, Hansen offers a rare inside view of the sport’s growing pains. Also in this episode: Why the whereabouts system has become a mental load for ridersWhat a “missed control” actually is and why it scares riders so muchHansen’s take on the new power data passport and how it adds pressureThe “super licence” idea to slow down the jump into the WorldTourWhat riders really face after retirement once the team bubble disappearsHow the CPA transition fund helps riders retrain and start againWhere the CPA still has to push harder on safety and rider protection

Fresh off her Tour Down Under triumph, Noemi Rüegg joins Domestique Hotseat to break down a week that tested her limits. From brutal heat adaptation, tactical gambles on Corkscrew Road to how to beat 3 UAE riders, the Swiss rider reflects on pressure, teamwork and taking the next step as a leader. Also in this episode: Defending a GC title and dealing with expectation from day oneTraining through winter in Switzerland and preparing for 37 degree heatThe decisive role of the reigning world champion as a teammateTurning consistency into victories and targeting the next step forwardThe Swiss rider also opens up about life inside the team, the importance of trust over hierarchy, and why sometimes winning comes down to leaving doubt behind and committing fully to the gamble. 

World Tour racing is back! Bram Wulteputte and Ethan Lessiter break down the 2026 men's Santos Tour Down Under, which organisers are calling the toughest route they've ever put together. In this episode, we preview all six stages of the race, from the unique 3.6km prologue in Adelaide through to the decisive battles on Willunga Hill and the challenging Norton Summit finale. We discuss the logistical challenges teams face bringing equipment to Australia, the innovative aero setups mechanics create for the prologue, and which riders are best positioned to take the overall victory. KEY TOPICS: • Stage-by-stage breakdown of the 2026 route • Why this is the most attritional Tour Down Under in years • Defending champion Jhonatan Narváez's chances • The battle between Lennert Van Eetvelt, Jay Vine, Santiago Buitrago and Ben O'Connor • How the prologue and Willunga Hill will shape the GC • Sprint opportunities for Sam Welsford and the lead-out trains • The Norton Summit finale and what it means for the overall classification OUR PODIUM PREDICTIONS: Bram: 1. Van Eetvelt, 2. Narváez, 3. Fischer-Black Ethan: 1. Narváez, 2. Van Eetvelt, 3. Buitrago Plus: A quick look ahead to the European racing calendar, including Valenciana, Mallorca, and the upcoming Vuelta a la Comunitat Valenciana.

Former sprint king Alexander Kristoff joins us for The Hotseat to talk about life after retirement, his unforgettable memories racing alongside Tadej Pogačar, and why he would swap one of his Tour stage wins for rainbow stripes. Also in this episode: - Why he's only touched his bike three times since retiring in October - His honest take on Pogačar's evolution from 2020 Tour winner to today's dominant force - The brutal reality of racing against Sagan, Cavendish and Kittel in their primes - Losing the 2017 World Championships by just 3-5 centimetres on home soil in Norway - Whether Van der Poel at peak form could beat Boonen, Cancellara and Van Aert at Paris-Roubaix - His new life painting apartments and picking up his kids from kindergarten The Norwegian also reveals which rider was crucial to his success at Katusha, shares stories from that incredible 2020 Tour de France with UAE Team Emirates, and explains why watching the classics on TV beats suffering in the back of the peloton.

The cycling world was stunned this week when Simon Yates announced his immediate retirement at just 33 years old, walking away after winning the Giro d'Italia. We break down why the two-time Grand Tour champion called it quits at his peak. Plus: Derek Gee's transfer saga finally ends as he officially joins Lidl-Trek after months of arbitration with Israel-Premier Tech. Matteo Jorgenson opens up about the "reality check" of Grand Tour racing and the sacrifices required to compete at the top. Jay Vine claims the Australian time trial title in dominant fashion. And the women's WorldTour season kicks off in Australia, with world champion Magdeleine Vallières set to make history.

In this episode of the Domestique Hotseat, Tim Declercq sits down with Aidan for a wide ranging conversation that moves well beyond watts and race results. Declercq talks about the shift from rider to coach, what modern cycling asks of young riders, and why safety and stress became harder to ignore as his career went on. They also get into the bigger picture: what new money is doing to the sport, why nutrition has changed the level of the peloton, and how Declercq views Remco Evenepoel’s Tour de France ambition in an era shaped by Tadej Pogačar’s climbing standard. Other things they talk about:  🚜 Where the nickname El Tractor came from and why it stuck 🧠 The pressure of being responsible for positioning in the Classics, and the fear of not delivering ⚠️ Safety in the bunch, why it weighed on him, and what can realistically change 🥖 The real performance shift: more carbs on training rides, faster recovery, higher repeatability 👨👩👧 Family life on the road, and the hidden load carried at home 🔬 Data, development teams, and why early specialisation is rising fast

The 2026 season hasn't even started properly, but we've already got drama. Wout van Aert crashed at the cyclo-cross race in Mol and fractured his ankle, requiring surgery. We break down the injury and discuss whether this disrupts his spring classics campaign. We also tackle the Remco Evenepoel rumour mill after he was spotted recon'ing the Tour of Flanders route with a team car. Is Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe throwing him into the deep end, or was this just a casual training ride? And with the Tour Down Under just over a week away, we go through the start lists, debate which teams look strongest, and predict who'll dominate the sprints in Australia.

Relive the funniest, most insightful and most emotional moments with some of the best riders in the pro peloton. Thanks for listening throughout 2025, and we’ll see you next year. 00:00 Intro 01:25 Amanda Spratt 08:15 Michae Storer 12:15 Kim Cadzow 24:55 Finn Fisher-Black 34:13 Kim Le Court-Pienaar 44:06 Byron Munton 48:52 Wout Poels 53:55 Sarah Gigante 59:15 Niamh Fisher-Black 01:04:01 Bas Tietema 01:08:38 Cole Kessler 01:12:57 Cat Ferguson 01:17:45 Marcel Kittel 01:22:47 Magdeleine Vallieres 01:27:15 Rasmus Pedersen 01:32:27 Matteo Jorgenson 01:37:26 Victor Campenaerts 01:42:17 Jonathan Vaughters 01:47:37 Mikkel Honore 01:51:03 Happy New Year! Get your cycling news and feature articles on Domestique: https://www.domestiquecycling.com/

To end the year, we decided to have some fun and do things a little bit differently. We rank every pro cycling team's 2025 season! We're looking back at the 2025 campaign and grading each WorldTour and ProTeam squad based on their roster strength and success in the biggest races. From the superteams stacked with Grand Tour contenders to the squads fighting for survival, we break down who's positioned for glory and who might struggle when the racing starts in January. This is our take on how the 2025 season unfolded – but we want to hear yours too. Do you think we've underrated your favourite team? Disagree with where we've placed the big hitters? Head to the link below and create your own tier ranking, then share it with us in the comments. Rate the 2025 teams yourself: https://tiermaker.com/create/2025-cycling-teams-18999658 This episode was brought to you by Factor Bikes. Check out the new Factor One here: https://factorbikes.com/

Honoré reflects on the emotional highs of 2025, including Kasper Asgreen's crucial Giro stage win and the dramatic 20th stage on the Finestre, which ultimately didn’t deliver victory for teammate Richard Carapaz. Honoré also discusses what makes modern cycling compelling for fans, the return of team time trials, and why he believes moving the Giro to August would solve some of the race's biggest challenges. Other things they talk about: 🚲 The role of gravel in Grand Tours 🗻 That unforgettable Stelvio stage in the 2020 Giro 🥹 Kasper Asgreen's emotional stage win in the 2025 Giro 🇯🇵 Japan, off-season adventures, and switching off from cycling Enjoyed the episode? Give us a 5-star rating 🙏 Subscribe for more in-depth interviews with the WorldTour peloton.

This week's cycling news: the 2026 Vuelta a España reveals a brutal route with over 58'000 meters of climbing, Ineos Grenadiers announces the signing of Australian sprinter Sam Welsford and the launch of their racing academy, and the UCI moves forward with plans to change contract start dates from 1 January to November.  Bram and Ethan discuss the awkward optics of riders training in mismatched team kits during the transition period, examining the Remco Evenepoel situation at Soudal Quick-Step and Red Bull, as well as the chaotic Lotto-Intermarché training camp, where half the riders wear different colors.  They also cover Marc Madiot stepping aside from FDJ after decades at the helm, Fem van Empel taking a break from cyclocross, and Wout van Aert's Nike clothing line as evidence of major sports brands returning to professional cycling. Merry Christmas from the Domestique team.

In this episode of the Domestique Hotseat, the conversation shifts from the peloton to the boardroom. Host Aidan sits down with EF Education - EasyPost founder and team boss Jonathan Vaughters for a wide ranging, sharply opinionated chat about what worked in 2025, what did not, and why the sport’s economic model is creaking under its own weight. Vaughters assesses EF’s 2025 with bluntness. The big races, he says, went almost exactly to plan. The smaller ones did not. He links that gap to the reality of running the youngest WorldTour squad in the peloton,. At the heart of the episode is a clear eyed critique of cycling’s business model. Vaughters argues that one year licences strip teams of long term value, that sponsorship is doing too much of the heavy lifting, and that without meaningful media rights the sport has very few levers left.  Cost controls and permanent franchises, he suggests, are not ideological choices but practical ones. To make the point, he sketches a deliberately provocative scenario: what a salary cap era might mean for a rider like Tadej Pogačar, and why it could reshape competition rather than flatten it.