This week on Spin Cycle: Caley, Jonny, and Ronan revisit the story of carbon monoxide use in the pro peloton, discussing Romain Bardet's ridiculously eloquent statements against its use for performance enhancement. The conversation then shifts to Red Bull's sponsorship of the Bora-Hansgrohe team and whether the team is poised to "level up" in the 2025 season after limited financial support from Red Bull in 2024. The hosts highlight the team’s recent hires, Dan Bigham and Johnny Wale, as potential "backroom superstars" who could make a significant impact on the team's performance through marginal gains.

The episode concludes with the news that Trinity Racing, a British Continental team, has shut down. Why didn't INEOS, a team in need of a development squad, partner with them?

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In this special episode, Caley and Jonny are joined by reporter Chris Marshall Bell to take you behind the curtain and onto the cutting room floor of our recent Skyfall feature. We discuss the origins of the story, how it was reported, and dive further into some of its major topics, particularly the relationship between the team and its star rider, Tom Pidcock.

We explore the many factors we believe contributed to the team's decline from their dominant era as Team Sky, investigating how their initial success was built on more than just talented riders but also a pioneering approach to marginal gains that the rest of the peloton eventually caught up with.

We also examine the impact of Dave Brailsford's shift in focus away from cycling, the subsequent power vacuum, and the team's struggle to adapt to the new landscape of professional cycling. The team has failed to develop a pipeline of talent, and it's now paying for it.

From its incarnation as Team Sky in 2010, the team swiftly rose in the sport's ranks, winning seven Tours de France in eight years. But after billionaire Jim Ratcliffe purchased the team and rebranded it as the Ineos Grenadiers, its position atop the sport has eroded – slowly at first but with increasing speed. In just a few years, cycling's once-dominant stage racing team has transformed from an innovative powerhouse into a rudderless corporation, haemorrhaging talent and results despite its massive budget.

To dissect this empire’s collapse, Escape Collective spoke with more than a dozen sources in and around Ineos – former riders and staff, agents, and other well-connected people in pro cycling – to learn what took the team from winning seven Tours de France in eight years to struggling to hold onto talent both on and off the bike.

This is an audio version of the written story on Escapecollective.com now. Because this story is behind our paywall, you will only hear about half of it on this podcast. To listen to the whole thing (or read it), plus get access to everything else Escape makes, sign up here.

If you are already a member and want access to the members-only podcasts, click here (you'll need to be signed into the website to access this page).

In this week's episode, Caley, Jonny, Kit, and Dane dissect Mark Cavendish's recent "retirement" from professional cycling and the unbroken kayfabe (the practice of pretending staged events are real) of his final "race."

Then the crew explore the uncertain future of Astana, which faces potential relegation. The hosts discuss Astana's recent hiring of Alex Dowsett as their aero expert, noting a growing British influence within the team. This leads to speculation about whether Cavendish might join Astana in a non-riding role, further fueling the team's "British invasion."

Plus! The ongoing controversy surrounding a spectator who threw beer on Eli Iserbyt during the Koppenbergcross race. Iserbyt is pursuing legal action against the individual, sparking a debate about appropriate fan behavior and the boundaries of sportsmanship. And the crew discuss the challenges teams face in nurturing young riders while also maximizing their competitive potential and preventing burnout.

Is the cycling off-season ever really off? Even though road racing has been done for a while (except for Saitama, of course!), there's plenty to talk about. Tadej Pogačar's new contract with UAE is massive - €8 million a year until 2030, making him the highest-paid rider in the peloton. It's sparked a larger discussion about the economics of pro cycling and how teams are built around these superstar riders. Demi Vollering’s move from SD Works to FDJ is a big shakeup in the women’s peloton. It seems, unlike on the men's side, that the women's transfer market is wide open, with teams throwing around big money to secure top talent. This move also prompts questions about the role of sponsors like Specialized in rider moves, and the cultural differences between Dutch and French teams.

Then there’s some good old-fashioned paperwork drama. Ceratizit messed up their WorldTour license paperwork and might lose one of their star riders. Is this just an "admin error," or is there something more going on? And of course, no Spin Cycle episode would be complete without some listener interaction. This week, we tackled Drew’s question about the aerodynamics of a leg-shaving mullet, with Ronan offering his expert analysis. Don’t forget to send us your own cycling-related queries at escapecollective.com/hello. We’ll be answering them in an upcoming mailbag episode.

Jonny Long, Kit Nicholson, and Dane Cash join Caley Fretz to break down the route of the 2025 Tours de France (men's and women's), and they also talk squirrels, rally car racing, and crypto in cycling.

This week on the Spin Cycle podcast, Caley, Jonny, and Kit kick off with an update on Tom Pidcock's dramatic transfer saga. It turns out he's going nowhere. Or is he? This whole situation adds to the growing narrative that INEOS is a difficult team to be on, as evidenced by Ethan Hayter's recent comments about the "weird environment." Despite the failed transfer, it sounds like there are a few other teams still interested in acquiring Pidcock, but it'll probably take a hefty buyout to pry him away from INEOS at this point.

Next up, the crew discuss Chris Froome's shocking admission that he won't be vying for another Tour de France victory. It's tough to see a legendary athlete come to terms with the limitations of their body, but we admire Froome's honesty and grace in addressing the situation. We also take some time to discuss the UCI's exploration of budget caps within the WorldTour. Chris Marshall Bell, who broke the story for Escape Collective, joins to talk about the potential implications of these financial regulations. While there's no consensus on the matter yet, it's clear that the UCI is serious about addressing the financial disparities within the sport.

And finally, we want to take a moment to acknowledge the tough news regarding Chris Hoy's health. His strength and positivity in the face of such a challenging diagnosis are truly inspiring, and we wish him and his family all the best.

This episode of the Spin Cycle Podcast focuses on the latest developments in the Tom Pidcock saga. Caley, Jonny, and Kit discuss rumors of his potential move to Q36.5, a second-tier team. What are the implications of the move for Pidcock's career? Is there potential for Q36.5 to rise in the ranks of professional cycling with a billionaire backer and Doug Ryder at the helm? We dissect the media frenzy surrounding Pidcock's withdrawal from Il Lombardia and the lack of clear communication from Ineos.

In the second half of the show, the crew analyze Tadej Pogačar's dominant season, culminating in his victory at Il Lombardia. Is dominance boring? We polled our members and most don't think so.