This week Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie are back and joined by one of the most illustrious and recognisable voices in Belgian cycling, Sporza’s veteran commentator and reporter Renaat Schotte. After the usual news round-up, we review the action from the cyclocross Worlds in Hoogerheide, where Fem Van Empel and Mathieu van der Poel went double Dutch by taking the women’s and men’s titles respectively. Defeat for Wout van Aert meant disappointment for Belgium, although spirits there will have been buoyed by the latest evidence of Arnaud De Lie’s prodigious talent at the Étoile de Bessèges. With Renaat’s help, we find out more about a rider who is already being hailed as a Tom Boonen-Philippe Gilbert hybrid. Neilson Powless took overall victory at Bessèges - and the American would be most people’s choice as the rider of the early season. We hear from the EF Education-Easypost man about his early-season success, why he’ll try his hand at the cobbled Classics and why his Native American ancestry is so important to him, especially when things are going well on the bike. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com Science in Sport The Cycling Podcast has been supported since 2016 by Science In Sport. World leading experts in endurance nutrition. Go to scienceinsport.com to see the whole range. NordVPN Exclusive NordVPN deal – go to nordvpn.com/tcp to try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. D Vine Cellars To order The Cycling Podcast Highlights case, or any of the cases commemorating the 2022 Grand Tours visit dvinecellars.com Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.