Did Not Finish

Multi-discipline masters are the subject of the latest episode of DNF – who are the greatest cycling unicorns, and why did so many of them ride for Team Sky? 

Cillian, Harry and Stu are back after a week away, sat astride a horse galloping onwards in the pursuit of cycling knowledge, with a saddlebag crammed with stats! 

While the Warner Bros. Discovery decision continues to send sizeable ripples, the trio unpack a fact that has its own repercussions through not just the year but entire cycling careers. Ready for lift off?

Warner's Brutal Decision… Wrecked Broadcast Direction… Whoops! Bicycling Dead… You see where we’re going with this one. 

In episode 02 of DNF, we discuss the shattering news of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) hiking up the price to watch cycling in the UK and Ireland from £6.99 a month to £30.99 – what a bunch of corporate b*stards! Or is it that bad? Cillian and Harry speak about their time working at GCN+, and the trio debate how we got here, and where things go now.

What a Bloody Drama! World's Best Discussion!

An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman start a podcast about cycling… In the first episode of Did Not Finish (DNF), Harry, Cillian and Stu debate why there have been so few rainbow jersey winners down under, tell stories about the curse of said jersey, and discuss their favourite Aussie riders ever. There’s also talk of Alberto Bettiol eating jelly babies straight out of a leather bag, a FIFA-esque proposal for stage racing in December, and fevered thoughts of Chewbacca racing leadouts.

An episode about resolutions, shit brothers, signing to Life in the Peloton and moving in with Mitch Docker, and a double helping of fresh, hot news. Dig in!

Buckle up, it's a bumper edition. Harry & Stu welcome a bona fide pro cycling expert for Stage 16, none other than Cillian Kelly – that's doctor to you – sky-rocketing the show's pro cycling credentials.

An hour-long chat about the good doctor's history – reaching back to the good old days of VHS – into the present day and beyond, we get to the soft centre of cold hard stats and see there's truly more to the numbers than the boring swill we're subjected to en masse in the instant gratification era of social media.

We're treated to a pronunciation of Djamolidine Abdoujaparov that would raise a Rob Hatch eyebrow (in a good way), the difference between brilliance and bollocks, understanding why everyone else is wrong (us included), plus a couple of tasty football tidbits for those who enjoy other sports.

So, let us begin: an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman. Come in, Race Radio: we've been expecting you.

In Stage 15 of acclaimed pro cycling podcast Race Radio, Harry and Stu individually/together (what's the difference?) address rumours surrounding their slightly extended absence, bake a banana bread, confuse races, consider Wout van Aert's singing voice, get to grips with ultra, regale one another with stories from the fringes of cycling, and debate the pros and cons of attending a knobhead's jamboree without considering that they might already be in attendance albeit without Pete Tong DJing. All this and more within: open invitation.

In which Harry and Stu practically pick up where they left off, Stu has the remnants of a late summer cold, Harry talks about life behind bars before recounting an outrageous dinner party outcome with a former pro cyclist of some repute (the two are not related), the most winning bikes of the world tour from a position of little authority and cursory research, we dream about live dream bike builds, talk about Harry’s week at the Tour de France Femmes and why it’s the best race of the year, we talk about the Vuelta and how it’s the best race we’re not currently watching, discuss some ways to rejuvenate or extend its appeal, before spiralling into delusion and inviting Dr. Cillian Kelly onto the podcast – live! Will he join us? Find out in Stage 14 of Race Radio.

In which we allow ourselves to be caught up in Olympic fever (no rule 40 here), celebrate a raging Remco, remember Pauline's camper, lick the stamp/inside of Tom Pidcock's mouth, races with bikes but no cyclists, tentatively test the timbre, get briefly (very briefly) excited about track, consider vomiting in sports, leading nicely to a special challenge after Stu locates a storied piece of memorabilia. On your marks!

In which a weary traveler returns to correct some French, before commencing an earnest discussion on the following subjects: winning, alternative uses for the humble pannier, Lachlan Morton's emerald slippers have a BOA strap(?), Dickie Carapaz slips that Yates brother(s) like a turn on the front, Biniam Girmay gets an impromptu beat, Derek Gee's Gran Fondo has a special feature, S-Works is the only bike, bear baiting at the WorldTour, Remco leaves the exam early, Chloe Dygert is not who you think she is, and the Olympics are coming.

Let's blow this popsicle stand.

In which we talk – more or less chronologically – about the first week of the 111th Tour de France, which has (mild spoiler alert) been really rather good.

Including but not limited to: Sean Kelly's dulcet tones, playing Playstation in a van, bag of sick, Cillian Kelly corrects us, DSM's work experience boy, we get the Galibier, our 'we met Mark Cavendish' stories (there's more than one), Vin Diesel will be the next Batman, can Bryan Coquard actually bunnyhop, gravel on the horizon, and keeping up with the peloton.

Come on in, the sunflower fields are fine.

In this episode we talk about real American heroes, Ben O'Connor has a strop for show in that Netflix doco, great commentators (Steve Chainel, we're looking at you), villainous villains, the worst (on paper) teams and riders at the Tour de France, young studs on show, Bradley Wiggins declares bankruptcy, the second or third or fourth coming of the renaissance, Arnaud de Lie wears a new jumper and we miss the big reveal of the new BORA/Red Bull jersey by mere moments, Remco debuts possibly with a pizza in tow, and some other stuff too. It's all of cycling – as well as some adjacent sports – in a jiffy, isn't it?

Another week, another pod, another guest. There's no stopping the Useless Postal content machine from cranking out cycling-adjacent substance.

On this episode we’re delighted to talk turkey (other poultry also available) with Race Radio’s Motoman himself, none other than pro cycling photographer Zac Williams.

We caught up with Zac fresh-ish from three weeks spent riding pillion at the Giro. He tells us what it was like to have a front row seat (or saddle) for the Pogcineration.

And better yet, this pod gets somewhat interactive – no, not scratch and sniff, but we talk about some of Zac's finest photos from the Giro. Duck over to @uselesspostal on Instagram to join in this two-pronged attempt on your subtler senses, and in the meantime slide Zac's luscious baritone chat in your ears. Howzat?

Lachlan Morton won UNBOUND Gravel on Saturday.

But did you know he did it wearing a size small women’s aero helmet? And did you know he didn’t actually use the bladder pocket sewn into the back of his fancy new Rapha Project Blaero skinsuit, but shoved the bag down his front instead? And did you know that said bladder was actually filled with ice cold Pabst Blue Ribbon*?

All of these revelations and more in our first ever interview with a real life proper guest on our very own podcast: welcome one and all Lachy’s right hand man, the Paulie to his Rocky, all round nice guy and real American hero, Tom Hopper.

* Reports unconfirmed

Well that's actually not true, because in episode seven of Race Radio, brought to you by cycling content confectioners Useless Postal, we do also hear a little bit about a Classique ride that's just happened in Essex.

But if the Giro thang is still tickling your fancy, we've got a whole host of amusing (we hope) awards, bad moustaches then and now, Rob Brydon is maybe Geraint's uncle, Primoz Roglic is Benjamin Button in banana form, and a small assortment of post it notes we found in a book that's yet to be written about the future of Italian cycling.

All of this in no particular order. Let's go! Disc brakes are banned in this streaming surprise, so there's no stopping once you hit the first bend.

The Race Radio train keeps on rumbling… Choo, choo! Speaking of, Harry and Stu obsess over the pink Giro train that rides alongside the peloton (if only this ‘Snowpiercer’ could have cleaned up the Stelvio for next week), discuss optimal rest day activities, compare Pog to renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci, delve into the bizarre ‘race’ within a race, the Giro-E, big man Jonathan Milan's Lidl feet, Stu claims that the bicycle was invented two thousand years ago… All that, and fan favourites found within. Because who else will lick the francobollo in our absence?

Quick, listen before we’re derailed!

It’s time for Episode 05 of Race Radio, in which the actual real life Filippo Ganna tells us what ice cream flavour he is, we discover Demi Vollering’s very corporate LinkedIn page, @alanma1984 leaves us a beautiful voice note, Harry sings another song (badly) while bragging about his 100% fantasy game predictions record, Stu reads some Pippo Pozzato-inspired fan fiction, and we do also talk a little bit about the race in Italy. But not much – there are tiny sausages to speak of.

The ‘amore infinito’ is in full flow on Race Radio – available wherever you pod.

Pippo Ganna wrangler: Alex Duffill @alexduffill

Official RR photog and Motoman: Zac Williams @z_w_photography

Amore infinito is here. We talk about how great the Giro is, the prowess of Tadej Pogacar, can grand tours still be fun when the winner is a forgone conclusion, who is the new Derek Gee, what flavour of ice cream would Filippo Ganna be, when is the general classification not the general classification, wildcard kit reviews, fond memories of being woken up by Juan Antonio Flecha in a ditch, remembering Pantani twenty years on, complaints from a woman named Donna, and our own infinite love for Aussie legend Mitch Docker.

As Timbaland said in the intro of Aaliyah's Try Again, It's been a long time, we shouldn't have left you without a dope beat to step to.

But worry not, we're back and talking about where we've been, the goings-on at the Ardennes, a few of its trends, Tom Pidcock's suit, Tadej Pogacar's leaving money on the table with a potential Henson Creature Shop collab, and a bunch of other stuff including the upcoming Giro.

The boys are back for episode two of Race Radio with a punchy, pavé-tastic podcast on Paris-Roubaix. In the mail bag this week:

Is domination boring? (yes)... Should MVDP mix up his finish line celebrations more? (yes)... Should riders celebrate minor placings more, as Pfeiffer Georgi did? (yes!).

There’s also a terrifying tale of ghostly goats , a superstar DM slide-in for Useless Postal snapper Zac Williams (@z_w_photography) and a breakfast of pain au chocolate with Les Amis on the Carrefour de l’Arbre.

Nothing flakey about this offering though – just a solid, sweet seam of rich chocolate content for your ear holes to gobble in a flash.

Sound weird? Wait till it hits your mind's tongue.