Escape Collective

Placeholders: Giro di Rascast

On this week's Placeholders episode, Caley Fretz is joined by Ronan Mc Laughlin and some of his teammates at the Rás Tailteann, as well as their soigneur Jonny Long, to talk:
What it's like to compete in Ireland's biggest race
What the Rás means for the Irish racing scene
Hectic days at the Giro d'Italia
Tao Geoghegan Hart's departure from the Grand Tour
Jonathan Milan's rise

Geek Warning: Introducing Ask a Wrench

This week’s episode of Geek Warning sees former World Cup mechanic Brad Copeland join the team to talk all things bike tech. With Brad onboard, it was time we kicked off the first "Ask a Wrench" segment, which answers questions from our live audience of Escape Collective members.
Before the geeks get to answering questions, they discuss some of the latest tech seen at the opening round of the mountain bike World Cup.

Wheel Talk: A last minute Itzulia GC shake-up

Abby Mickey and Loren Rowney are joined by retired professional cyclist for SD Worx and Canada Karol-Ann Canuel to discuss Itzulia Women. At the end of the episode, Abby catches up with Kasia Niewiadoma to talk about how her season is going, how the level is changing, and what she’s targeting this season.

Pretty Serious Bike Racing: A Giro in flux and Reusser’s rise

This week on the Pretty Serious Bike Racing Podcast, Abby Mickey joined Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano to talk:
Remco Evenepoel's Giro d'Italia departure
The Ineos Grenadiers vs. Jumbo-Visma battle
The many climbs to come
Marlen Reusser's emergence at SD Worx

Wheel Talk: Emma Norsgaard feels right at home with Movistar

It's time for another bonus episode of the Wheel Talk Podcast! In between racing La Vuelta Femenina and Itzulia Women former Danish national champion Emma Norsgaard sat down with Abby to chat about why she loves the Spanish team, the truth about being teammates with Annemiek van Vleuten, and why she’s adapted her strengths as a rider.

Placeholders: Tactics and crashes at the Giro

With the Giro d'Italia now well underway, Ronan Mc Laughlin, Abby Mickey, and Jonny Long join Caley Fretz for this week's Placeholders to talk Soudal-QuickStep's tactics in support of Remco Evenepoel, crashes, crashes, and more crashes, and the action to come.
Meanwhile, away from the Giro, the crew looks ahead to the Women's Itzulia, and Ronan's own upcoming race program.

Geek Warning: The golden era of high-performance endurance road tires

Don't you dare call it a tire; it's "endurance engineering"!
Jokes aside, Specialized and Vittoria are upping their games when it comes to high-end road tires that (supposedly) won't leave you stranded, Chris King is expanding its range of thermoplastic carbon wheels with a new aero all-road model, we debate the pros and cons of the latest crop of fancy bike care products, and Ronan outlines the UCI's latest foibles. And as always, Dave has tools on his mind.
A manually curated list of time stamps:
2:30 - The narrow tread of the new Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres.13:00 - “Don’t call it a tyre!” Specialized’s Mondo tyre.21:42 - Chris King brings thermoplastic rims to road29:22 - CeramicSpeed’s new Bike Care line and a discussion on wax lubes.42:57 - The growing segment of Bike Care products.46:50 - More price drops! This time it’s Salsa.47:53 - Rome gets excited about new bearing removal tools.50:37 - An update on the peculiar new UCI product registration rules coming to the TDF.56:45 - Does the UCI need a Jig for its Jig?1:02:45 - On Rome’s mind and over the head of his family.1:08:07 - News for next week’s episode!

Wheel Talk: We’ll need a minute after La Vuelta

Woah. What a stage race that was! Abby, Matt and Gracie get together to recap (almost) everything that happened at La Vuelta Femenina. From Realini’s first WorldTour win to Vollering’s climbing to why we love the G.O.A.T.

Pretty Serious Bike Racing: The start of the Giro and the finale of the Vuelta Femenina

Grand Tour season is in full swing, and the Pretty Serious crew is here to break down the action. Ruth Winder and Caley Fretz join Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano this week to talk:
Overperformers and underperformers from the Giro's opening TT
A changing of the guard for the sprinters?
Controversy with the timing of a key move and decisions made by officials at the Vuelta Femenina
A thrilling conclusion to the race

Placeholders: The sacrifices pros make and a Giro preview

On this week's Placeholders episode, we catch up on the Vuelta Femenina, discuss Matteo Jorgensen's approach to the season, and look ahead to the Giro d'Italia. Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič look like the favorites to take the win, and we'll name a few outsiders as well. Plus, Greg Van Avermaet is hanging up the wheels. All that and more in the podcast ...