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Wheel Talk
Wheel Talk
Author: Escape Collective
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© Escape Collective 2022
Description
Weekly breakdowns of what is going on in the Women's World Tour plus exclusive interviews with professional riders and influential people in the sport. Hosted by Abby Mickey with Gracie Elvin, Georgie Howe and Loren Rowney.
Escape Collective is member-funded. If you like this podcast please consider supporting us by becoming a member: https://escapecollective.com/wheeltalk/
216 Episodes
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The full team of Gracie, Loren, Georgie, and Abby are back this week for a lengthy discussion on Milan San Remo, including the attack that wasn't on the Cipressa, that crash, how UAE Team ADQ lost the race, and how Lotte Kopecky won it. Plus: a discussion of whether this means SD Worx-Protime can salvage their spring.Abby also called up Margaux Vigié, who was one of the Visma-Lease a Bike riders to go down in the crash, to talk about her perspective on the incident.Abby also sat down with Pfeiffer Georgi of Picnic PostNL to talk about her comeback after crashing in the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, her role on the team, and more.
There was a lot to talk about after the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, so Loren, Gracie, and Georgie all joined Abby this week on the podcast. We discuss the strength and depth of UAE Team ADQ, the importance of confidence in yourself and your team, how data has changed in-race decisions, and more.
It's a full team this week to discuss Strade Bianche! Gracie, Loren, and Georgie joined Abby to talk all about FDJ United-Suez, how the team expertly pivoted when Demi Vollering was taken off the board, what made Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney and Elisa Longo Borghini's bids for the win different from Chabbey and Koch's, and more.We also talked about the importance of The Cyclists' Alliance, and you can find my written piece on their financial difficulties here.
A lot was learning during Opening Weekend, and Abby, Loren, and Gracie are here to break it all down. From FDJ United-Suez's seamless tactics to a promising spring ahead for Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney and our favourite storylines to look forward to this Classics season. Up next: Strade Bianche!
It's Opening Week! The week before opening weekend, the Wheel Talk podcast just opened our new Instagram account. Follow us for women's cycling coverage and news, plus more content from Abby, Georgie, Loren and Gracie.This week, we talk about Pauline Ferrand-Prèvot's extension, salary caps, and the upcoming Classic - Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.Plus, Abby chatted with Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig about coming back from her crash in 2024, her first year with Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto, and the one race she wants to add to her palmares.
After a windy edition of Setmana Valenciana, Gracie, Loren, and Abby chat about the Spanish stage race that attracts a good amount of top talent. They also break down the new Paris Roubaix Femmes course, what it means, and how the change of date will impact the race. Finally, it's back to the Winter Olympics to talk about which retired riders would return to the peloton today and throw their hats in the ring.
Gracie, Loren, Georgie, and Abby are back this week to talk about the UAE Tour, Lorena Wiebes, sprinting in February, UAE Team ADQ, and...the Winter Olympics.
This week, Abby, Gracie, and Georgie wrap up all the action in Australia with a chat about the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, including a fantastic rant from Gracie about the "doomed" solo breakaway. Georgie also sat down with Tour Down Under winner Noemi Rüegg before the race on Saturday to talk about her win in Adelaide, plus we look ahead to the UAE Tour and the Winter Olympics in Italy.
Before the peloton makes its way to Geelong for the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, Abby, Georgie, and Matilda Raynolds have a few points to wrap up the Tour Down Under. Plus, in Mallorca, it's Movistar vs. UAE Team ADQ for two (maybe three) races straight.
After a thrilling conclusion to the women's Tour Down Under, Matt de Neef and Gracie Elvin are joined by reigning Olympic time trial champ Grace Brown to break down all the action from a dramatic final stage.
The 2026 WorldTour season is underway at the Santos Tour Down Under in Adelaide. After a fascinating finale to the opening stage, Matt de Neef and Gracie Elvin are joined by TDU assistant race director Nettie Edmondson to break down all the action and take a peek behind the curtain of Australia's biggest bike race.
It's 2026, and we're back! This week, the whole team gets together to talk about the Australian Road Nationals and preview the upcoming Tour Down Under.
The team is back for the final episode of 2025 to talk about the latest news in women's cycling and create a totally chaotic Wheel Talk playlist just for you.
For the final interview of the year, Abby got the chance to talk to David Spindler, neuroscientist and Cognitive Performance Strategist. He has worked with some of the top riders in men's and women's cycling, as well as a host of other sports. They talked about some of the most common mental struggles for professional athletes and how David helps his riders maintain happy lives while excelling at their craft.
This week, Wheel Talk continues the offseason interviews with a conversation with Ellen van Dijk. Ellen and Abby talk about Ellen's delayed retirement, her bid for the 2024 Olympic time trial in Paris, her pregnancy, and her time with Lidl-Trek vs. other teams.
This week, Abby talked to Gracia Sotomayor, the artistic cyclist from Peru. Sotomayor grew up knowing that, as a woman in a man's world, she had to be a certain way and do certain things. She had it all – a stable, good job, a home, and a partner to take care of her, but she was unhappy. When she started riding her fixed gear bike, everything changed. A few years later, Sotomayor was living in Germany, training to become Peru's first artistic cyclist on the world stage. Now, she inspires Spanish speakers everywhere to gain confidence and independence through cycling.
You could make a Bingo game out of how many times Gracie, Loren, Georgia, or Abby bring up the development problem in women's cycling – the lack of lower-level races and teams, WorldTour teams signing riders too young, etc. But we aren't the only ones constantly harping on about these issues. This week, Loren and Abby sat down with someone who has been pinpointing these problems for years and is actively working to combat the lack of development on a daily basis: Natascha Knaven-den Ouden.If you follow her on social media, you'll know she has come head-to-head with a lot of the challenges currently facing the lower levels of women's road cycling, and as the General Manager for NXTG Racing, she's guiding the next generation through the growing landscape.
This week, Abby handed the mic over to Matt de Neef, who got the chance to catch up with one of Australia's up-and-coming talents, Talia Appleton. Appleton has been upping her game every season, but broke through in earnest this year with a podium finish at Tour de l'Avenir and a stellar ride at the World Championships. Matt sat down with her to talk about how she felt this season and what she's eyeing in the coming years.Make sure to read Matt's written piece here.
This week on the Wheel Talk Podcast, Abby chats with road cycling legend Tiffany Cromwell about her split focus on road and gravel with Canyon-SRAM-zondacrypto, the future of gravel and how the discipline can improve, and what it's like to be a race promoter in gravel right now.
In their final group show of the season (maybe), Loren, Gracie, and Abby talk about their top moments of the year, their favourite riders, and their favourite teams. They also answer some questions sent in by listeners about the best staff members of teams, best domestiques, and more.You can send in your own question for the team to answer, just head on over to this link to record an audio message.





did you get a GIGANTE audio diary? surely it is what we all want to hear after Le Court moving into yellow
An excellent podcast. Great presentation of the Tour de France Femmes. Topical discussions, insight, chat and lots of input from riders. Keep up the good work! 5*