Sigma Sports presents Matt Stephens Unplugged

Ashton Lambie on his Rainbow Stripes and his Astronaut Wife

Matt Stephens and Ashton Lambie reflect on his incredible Individual Pursuit World Record, as the first person ever to ride the 4km discipline in under four minutes. He’s also a decorated gravel racer and loves nothing more than heading off on multi-day adventures on his gravel bike. On the same day that he became World IP Champion, his wife Christina was accepted to NASA’s Astronaut Candidate Class. Ashton discusses the influence that training for short and long distances has on the two disciplines he excels at, and how having his fellow track racing partner Christina in his corner, helps him achieve his goals.

Rouleur Live 2022 with Pidcock, Banks, Phinney, Haas and more

Recorded in the Green Room at Rouleur Live 2022, Matt Stephens enjoys a freeflowing chat with a range of guests from the top table of professional cycling. Tom Pidcock enjoys mixing it with the ‘Big Dogs’, Lizzy Banks discusses the merits Corduroy, Taylor Phinney and Adam Blythe rate one another’s teeth, and Nathan Haas explains the difficulty in finding the Green Room on behalf of the colourblind community.

Tales of the Rainbow Jersey Live with Mark Cavendish, Adam Blythe, Óscar Freire and Johan Museeuw - from LeBlanq Ibiza

In a cosy live setting on the island of Ibiza, Matt Stephens hosts a chat between some of the most successful riders of all time, and Adam Blythe. Mark Cavendish reflects on his career, and what annoys him about the record he shares with Eddy Merckx, Óscar Freire has a controversial opinion of his friends in the peloton, and Johan Museeuw flies the Belgian flag with all his might. With thanks to LeBlanq, ‘Tales of the Rainbow Jersey’ was part of their Ibiza Joyride package, recorded in front of a live audience.  

Thymen Arensman loves history and has a bright future

Matt Stephens chats to Thymen Arensman about the incredible impact of his first two seasons as a World Tour pro, and where he sees his career going with the Ineos Grenadiers in 2023. The powerful dutchman is perhaps a surprisingly capable climber, and his victory for Team DSM at the Queen stage of the 2022 Vuelta marked him out as a potential future Grand Tour winner. But he’s not letting it get to his head, as he explains to Matt he’s happy to try his best and see where he ends up. For a man who loves history, he’s got the potential for a very bright future.

George Hincapie still loves riding his bike, but still hates intervals

Matt Stephens and Super-domestique George Hincapie chat about the highs and lows of his incredible career where he helped deliver Tour de France victories to three different teammates. However, it wasn’t all done cleanly, and George admitted to doping during a portion of his career which meant his Palmares in Lance Armstrong’s era of dominance were stricken from the record. George helped bring about positive change and is considered by many to be the best teammate of all time, including Mark Cavendish who shared a touching voice note that leaves George shaking.

Lizzy Banks on injury, illness, and grabbing life’s chances by the proverbials

Matt Stephens and Lizzy Banks discuss how the landscape of women’s pro cycling has changed for the better in the past five years. It hasn’t been all plain sailing for Lizzy however, who has been plagued by a serious case of concussion and more recently, pericarditis caused by a Covid infection continues to keep her off her bike. Having studied medicine before pursuing her career in the pro peloton, the Team EF Education–Tibco–SVB rider is well placed to impart wisdom on how to recover from concussion and has the grit to focus on her heart’s recovery by wild swimming and sharing her knowledge of the sport she loves on The Cycling Podcast and GCN Eurosport.

Mental Health and Cycling - Pete Kennaugh and Lee Stephenson

In this special episode to mark World Mental Health Day on October 10th, Matt Stephens chats with two guests to discuss the relationship between cycling and their mental health. Pete Kennaugh is an Olympic gold medalist and enjoyed a successful career racing for Team Sky and Bora–Hansgrohe, who retired to gain better control over his difficult mental health condition. Lee Stephenson was a member of the armed police force in the UK, who suffered immensely in the aftermath of a particularly traumatic incident. Lee discusses the positive influence of cycling in his recovery and ongoing management of complex PTSD.
This podcast deals with difficult themes including suicide, and listener discretion is advised. If you are struggling with your own mental health, please contact your local health services or General Practitioner. Or contact www.samaritans.org for more information.

Alex Dowsett is happy to have maxxed out his pro cycling career

Matt Stephens and Alex Dowsett enjoy catching up in the neutral zone of this podcast, before getting down to brass tacks. With his incredible pro cycling career coming to an end with Israel Premier Tech, Alex reflects on how the time felt right to move on to the next chapter with lots of exciting media and business ventures to look forward to. With some great advice on how to use a power meter to best effect, and a deep-dive analysis of how he could outperform his teammates on time trials while pushing fewer watts, Alex is a firm believer in racing with your head, not your legs.

Alex Richardson on making deals in the heat of the breakaway

Matt Stephens learns how Alex Richardson went from brokering deals in the City of London to striking deals in the pro peloton. With a fascinating story of how Stage 3 of the Tour of Britain unfolded, Alex feels that putting too much trust in his fellow riders’ word perhaps cost him the race. The story of how an obsession with cycling took over his life leaves no wonder how he made it from laps of Richmond Park, all the way to the pro peloton. 

Philippe Gilbert on his illustrious career and imminent retirement

Matt Stephens and Philippe Gilbert discuss his incredible career in the pro peloton and how he has prepared for retirement at the end of the season with one final ride on the Cauberg. A former world champion, with stage victories at all three grand tours, his dominance of the Spring Classics is perhaps how Philippe’s career will be best remembered. But the Lotto Soudal rider insists it’s not just the victory that matters, but the manner in which it is won. 
 
For more information on Phil’s last ride as mentioned in the podcast, visit www.philslastride.com