Stanley St. Social | Cycling News and Interviews

Max is back from the footy trip (alive) and Plappy's building form for Tour of Bright as the boys dive into a huge week of La Vuelta a España. They break down every stage from 9 to 16 - Van Aert's green jersey dominance, Movistar's masterclass in setting up Enric Mas, and Brenner's big win for the team. Plus: Max's off-the-red-eye top 5 (and honourable mentions) for the best under-25 riders in the world right now, Tour of Britain wrap, early Worlds selection chat for Belgium, Slovenia and the Aussies, and a fresh batch of transfer news.

Bling / Michael Matthews joins the podcast for a wide-ranging conversation spanning his entire career — from a motocross-obsessed kid in Canberra who stumbled into cycling, to Australian champion within six months, to a decade-plus at the top of the World Tour. Bling opens up on the origin of his nickname, meeting Kobe Bryant in a hotel elevator during his first year as a pro, and the eerie parallel of watching LeBron James walk through a crowd in Paris untouched. He walks through the highs — winning the Green Jersey with Sunweb, the emotional 2017 Tour de France stage win in Rodez two years after breaking ribs on the same climb, the legendary Green Edge "Aussie rock star" era — and the lows, including a horror pre-Tour crash in 2014 and a brutal, injury-riddled run through the 2015 Tour just weeks before his wedding. He also reflects candidly on team culture then versus now, what he sees of his younger self in Tadej Pogačar, the role his wife and daughter play in keeping him motivated at 35, and why the World Championships remains the one jersey that's slipped through his fingers — with Canada, a course that's been kind to him before, right around the corner.

Dr. David Spindler is a neuroscientist, cognitive performance strategist, and elite athlete wellbeing expert who's spent his career helping athletes and teams understand that brain chemicals matter. He's worked with some of the biggest names in professional sport, most famously alongside Mark Cavendish through the darkest years of his career, chronicled in Netflix's "Never Enough." Three big segments in this one. Team culture. David breaks down the actual neurochemistry behind why old-school GreenEDGE had that "I'd do anything for my mate next to me" quality — it comes down to oxytocin, the same bonding chemical released when a parent holds their newborn, and why some teams manufacture it constantly while others can't buy it no matter how much they spend. He and Alex build an entire hypothetical Australian WorldTour team from a blank sheet of paper — values, non-negotiables, culture — and get into why "old school Green Edge" gets thrown around constantly but almost nobody can actually define what it means. Concussion. A proper breakdown of concussion protocols in the peloton and why cycling is dangerously behind rugby and the NFL on brain safety — including the messy legal reason nobody wants to call an impact sensor a "concussion sensor," and who actually carries liability when a rider gets hurt. Training the brain. David explains the real neuroscience of reactionary decision-making, why riders like Tadej Pogačar seem to have supernatural crash radar, and the actual mechanics of how he trains neural efficiency in elite endurance athletes to extend time to exhaustion — plus how his own PhD on decision-making under physiological load in professional cyclists led him down this path in the first place.

The boys have a plan to get Tadej Pogačar down under. Meanwhile the Vuelta has completely flipped on its head, someone's playing it ice cold in the red jersey, and the mountain bike world championships produced one of the most ridiculous rides of the year from a guy who basically chose to start from the back. Max's new top five ranks the teams he'd actually send a rider to and there's a brand new segment debuting this week that involves some very confident guesswork about riders' salaries.

We're (Alex is) sorry — Monday's show fell apart in a car park in Stage 3, so here's the make-up episode. Max's 9th All Australian jacket, plus Ed hard-launches the next cycling project: an Everesting attempt in October with zero training.:Max's Top 5 on fixing cycling coverage and a full Vuelta recap.

Alex sits down with Matthew Richardson at his home in Manchester for his most open interview yet. The world's fastest man over 200m takes us inside the Japanese Keirin World Series — the deliberate hit that broke his scapula and put him in a Tokyo hospital, body armour, betting culture, and three days locked away with no phone and a stack of second-hand DVDs. Then, the full story of the switch: deciding on Christmas Day to leave Australia for Great Britain, telling AusCycling after winning silver in Paris, the equipment saga, the two-year ban threat that became a lifetime ban, and why he'd do it all again. Plus 240kg squats, why he never trains his upper body, creatine, LA 2028, and a golf handicap that shouldn't be ten.

Keeno's back from 44 days in France. Matthew Keenan, Max and Alex wrap the Tour and TDFF. We preview the Vuelta a España — UAE's three-headed monster, Gall, Onley, Landa's last World Tour Grand Tour, Tuckwell's GT debut — and run through Hamburg, Czech Tour, Norway (Uno-X, obviously), Del Toro's deal to 2031 and the transfer whirl. Max's Top 5 commentators, with Keeno sitting right there. We also pay tribute to Finlay Tarling. Wednesday: Team GB sprinter Matthew Richardson.

James Moran is Head of Nutrition at Uno-X Mobility, joining the team in December 2019 as a consultant when they were still a Conti squad, before building the entire nutrition program from the ground up as they turned WorldTour. What began with just a list of riders and no instructions beyond "teach them about nutrition," has grown into three full-time chefs and nutritionists across the men's and women's programs. He works closely with nutrition partner Mauten on carbohydrate absorption research and oral microbiome testing, and was central to Jonas Abrahamsen's transformation from 68kg to 78kg - one of the team's biggest nutrition success stories. Before cycling, James worked in track cycling with British Cycling, and has also consulted across boxing, tennis, and rugby.

Plappy's back from San Sebastián. Max's off-season plans hinge on one thing: Melbourne's finals run. Either he's playing in a grand final, or he's Everesting a climb in South Australia with Ed Langdon — completely untrained, in the hunt to be the heaviest person to ever do it. Also floated: getting Plappy to hand down one of his old sports cars as the podcast's official team car. On the bike: Wout van Aert's Denmark treble, Jensen's cruel near-miss ("biggest blue balls of my life" per his own Instagram), Marco Brenner's Poland win, Remco's record San Sebastián, and Felix Gall's Burgos victory — with Oscar Onley's return to form the one Plappy was happiest to see. Gianni Moscon adds another line to the rap sheet with a fresh DQ. Max builds out his All-Australian squad (37 riders deep and counting, no room for Uno-X yet despite their stacked year) and floats basing a second Aussie team in Asia. Plus Max's Pillar Performance Top 5 out-of-contract riders — Danny van Poppel, Habats, Christophe Laporte, Toms Skujiņš and Laurens De Plus — a Comm Games track wrap, and the reveal of the TDF Femmes Zwift prize winner, a 26-year-old triathlete lawyer from Adelaide who couldn't have written a better use for it himself. Plus your voicenotes. 🎧 Subscribe for daily cycling news & interviews💬 Got a question or comment? Leave us a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/stanleystsocial

The final episode of an incredible nine days — Max makes his case for "Team FDJ," a 2024 grudge resurfaces, and one mid-race turn from an unlikely rider blows the whole GC group apart before the decisive finale. In this episode: Demi's callback to 2024 and the full context behind it — was Kasha really in the wrong? Max declares himself "Team Demi" while defending FDJ's road captain instincts Zoe Baxter's monster turn splits the group and takes down a podium contender The "Longini" nickname is born, and UAE's surprising third-fifth-seventh haul Breaking down the polka dot jersey points system — and why it clearly wasn't designed for the GC leader to win it Full prize wrap-up: Oakley Metas, TDU hamper, and the Zwift setup winner still to come A genuine debate on race length — should TDFF ever go beyond nine days? What's next on the calendar for the whole peloton before Worlds Amy signs off — for now — with a standing invite back for Social Club 🚴‍♀️ Tour de France Femmes 2026 coverage with Max Gawn & Amy Jones — thanks for following along all nine days 🎧 Zwift smart trainer winner announced on tomorrow's Social Club episode 🎙️ Send us your voice notes — link in bio, speakpipe.com/stanleystsocial #TourDeFranceFemmes #TDFF2026 #StanleyStSocial #CyclingPodcast

Will Max's solo laptop-battery monologue finally sees the light of day? Alex rides Ventoux himself, and a genuinely controversial corner sparks the most heated debate of the whole Tour — was it a block, or just racing? In this episode: Alex's own Ventoux ascent, and a Strava time nobody's allowed to see yet Ventoux recap: Niewiadoma's decisive attack, and how badly the favourites underestimated her Longo Borghini's quiet, selfless ride that may have saved someone's GC entirely The corner that's split the podcast down the middle — Amy makes her case, with "extensive video evidence" Vollering takes yellow for the fourth time in eight stages — genuinely one of the tightest GCs in years What Canyon-SRAM should do with the white jersey heading into the final day Prize money reality check — why the white jersey might be worth less than a sausage roll and a Coke Final stage preview: four ascents of the Col d'Èze, GC still wide open, huge prizes on the line Tips locked in — including one accusation of bias that doesn't go unnoticed 🚴‍♀️ Daily Tour de France Femmes coverage with Max Gawn & Amy Jones🎧 New episode every stage — follow so you don't miss one🎙️ Send us your voice notes — link in bio, speakpipe.com/stanleystsocial🕶️ Final stage prizes: Oakley Metas, a TDU hamper, and the GC comp winner revealed #TourDeFranceFemmes #TDFF2026 #StanleyStSocial #CyclingPodcast

A stacked breakaway, a young French rider given the hometown blessing to attack, a runaway neutral service motorbike causing chaos, and a proper GC scare for one of the favourites heading straight into the Queen Stage. In this episode: FDJ's hometown gift to their young French talent, and EF's near-miss with their own descending specialist Puck living her absolute best life — press conferences, breakaway points, GC top-15, all at once A genuinely bizarre day for Visma — best 10-minute power ever, still gets dropped from the group The neutral service motorbike incident that nearly took out the breakaway multiple times Canyon-SRAM's tactical dilemma — using the white jersey to chase when GC is what matters most Longo Borghini's one-woman chase effort, and what it says about her priorities A tight, well-earned bunch sprint finish and what it means for the GC top five Mont Ventoux preview: the Queen Stage, three GC contenders, and a genuine head-to-head shaping up Another broadcast coverage miss — right before the biggest stage of the race 🚴‍♀️ Daily Tour de France Femmes coverage with Amy Jones🎧 New episode every stage — follow so you don't miss one🎙️ Send us your voice notes — link in bio, speakpipe.com/stanleystsocial🔦 Comment your Stage 7 tip for a shot at Nog Lights💻 Tip the most stage winners across the Tour for a chance to win a Zwift smart trainer setup #TourDeFranceFemmes #TDFF2026 #StanleyStSocial #CyclingPodcast Description

Amy makes her BBC radio debut talking bra-gate, and back on the bike a genuinely brutal stage separates the real GC contenders from the pretenders — including one honest, disarming post-race quote that stuck with everyone. In this episode: Amy's whirlwind BBC appearance, and whether any press is good press The UAE leadership saga gets an unexpectedly clear answer straight from the rider herself Puck's KOM mission continues largely unopposed — why isn't anyone else fighting for polka dots? The GC group splinters on the hardest climbing of the race so far — who survived, who didn't A genuinely gracious post-race quote that says more about where the gap really is Breaking down prize money across the men's and women's races — and why it matters more than you'd think A Polaroid project update and the ongoing Zwift leaderboard chaos Stage 6 preview: does the breakaway finally get its shot, or is everyone saving it for what comes next? 🚴‍♀️ Daily Tour de France Femmes coverage with Max Gawn & Amy Jones 🎧 New episode every stage — follow so you don't miss one 🎙️ Send us your voice notes — link in bio, speakpipe.com/stanleystsocial 👟 Comment your Stage 7 tip for a shot at Giant shoes (Australia only) 💻 Tip the most stage winners across the Tour for a chance to win a Zwift smart trainer setup #TourDeFranceFemmes #TDFF2026 #StanleyStSocial #CyclingPodcast

Max is back from a Gold Coast win and straight into it — Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's baffling time trial position gets torn apart, a fresh UAE leadership headache deepens, and a UCI aerodynamics scandal that's somehow gone properly mainstream. In this episode: Pauline's TT position — "overrated helmets," and why it might be the most telling sign yet of where her focus has been A surprise TT winner puts down the ride of the day, ahead of every big name The UAE leadership saga deepens — a near-photo-finish result that somehow makes things messier, not clearer Kasia Niewiadoma's quietly brilliant ride against the clock Building out a full mock Australian and New Zealand women's team, Uno-X style Puck's mysterious tactics — going for KOM points then insisting it wasn't the plan "Bra-gate" — the UCI aero padding controversy that's made UK mainstream press Max's Everesting plans, a mountain bike horror story, and Patagonia gravel vs MTB debate Stage 5 preview: eight climbs, a genuine GC showdown, or does everyone save it for Ventoux? 🚴‍♀️ Daily Tour de France Femmes coverage with Amy Jones 🎧 New episode every stage — follow so you don't miss one 🎙️ Send us your voice notes — link in bio, speakpipe.com/stanleystsocial 👟 Comment your Stage 5 tip for a shot at Giant shoes (Australia only) 💻 Tip the most stage winners across the Tour for a chance to win a Zwift smart trainer setup #TourDeFranceFemmes #TDFF2026 #StanleyStSocial #CyclingPodcast

Amy's Women's Cycling Weekly origin story, another round of the broadcast coverage debate, and a proper "why wasn't anyone else in the move" session for the teams who missed their shot on a day that opened right up. In this episode: Amy explains how Women's Cycling Weekly started, and why she built it The broadcast coverage debate continues — comparing SBS's full free-to-air stream to the UK's patchier options, and whether it really comes down to ASO's economics Breaking down which teams had a real chance today and simply didn't show up The GC group action on the final climb — who got caught out, and why it wasn't (technically) anyone's fault Marlen Reusser's imposing time trial résumé ahead of tomorrow, and who might actually trouble her Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's mysterious time trial form — has she even raced one since returning to the road? Zwift home setup competition update — still nobody two-from-two, let alone three Stage 4 preview: the individual time trial that could blow the GC picture wide open 🚴‍♀️ Daily Tour de France Femmes coverage with Amy Jones 🎧 New episode every stage — follow so you don't miss one 🎙️ Send us your voice notes — link in bio, speakpipe.com/stanleystsocial 👟 Comment your Stage 4 tip for a shot at Giant shoes (Australia only) 💻 Tip the most stage winners across the Tour for a chance to win a Zwift smart trainer setup Amy's substack: https://mamilrepeller.substack.com/ #TourDeFranceFemmes #TDFF2026 #StanleyStSocial #CyclingPodcast

The Blasi contract drama just got a lot juicier — a 100K buyout clause, a "stupid mistake" quote, and a team principal stepping down mid-Tour. Plus a genuinely brutal blow for the Australian contingent, and a deep dive into why some stages get full broadcast coverage and others don't. In this episode: Rihanna Marcus's brave long-range move — how close did she come to holding on? SD Works' dominant sprint continues, and why nobody's doing their chasing for them anymore Brodie Chapman forced out ill — a huge loss for both the team and the broadcast The UAE saga deepens: a 100K buyout clause, a "divergence in strategic visions," and a team principal on the way out Old guard vs new guard — unpacking whether this is really about age, or about who's earned their stripes Where does Dominika Włodarczyk fit into UAE's three-way leadership question? The broadcast coverage debate — why aren't all stages shown start to finish, and what does that say about the sport's economics? A genuine discussion on race calendars, stage counts, and building a proper season-long package for women's cycling Stage 3 preview: could this finally be the day a breakaway wins, or does Wiebes make it three from three? 🚴‍♀️ Daily Tour de France Femmes coverage with Amy Jones 🎧 New episode every stage — follow so you don't miss one 🎙️ Send us your voice notes — link in bio, speakpipe.com/stanleystsocial 🕶️ Comment your Stage 3 tip for a shot at our last pair of Tour de France edition Oakleys 💻 Tip the most stage winners across the Tour for a chance to win a Zwift smart trainer setup #TourDeFranceFemmes #TDFF2026 #StanleyStSocial #CyclingPodcast

Title Options — no spoilers Primary (recommended): Six Minutes, No Panic | Tour de France Femmes Stage 1 Recap Alternates: The Blasi Question & a Savage Post-Crash Quote | TDFF Stage 1 Our Biggest Prize Yet, Thanks to Zwift | TDFF Stage 1 Recap Spratt's Last Tour, Raced Like Her First | TDFF Stage 1 Recap Amy Jones joins Alex for the Tour de France Femmes Stage 1 debrief — a stacked GC group, a genuinely savage post-crash quote, and real intrigue brewing over Paula Blasi's future at UAE. In this episode: A breakaway given six minutes with under 100km to go — panic, or smart management? Why nobody wanted to chase, and what it says about the gap between WorldTour and ProConti level The Blasi contract mystery — is UAE's press messaging hinting at a departure? Balsamo's blunt post-crash quote about repeat offenders, and whether it's fair Spratt's last-ever Tour de France ride, still attacking like it's her first FDJ's Red Bull hard launch, and the DJ/car/helmet full rollout at the start line A closer look at Kim Le Court, the Mauritian former mountain biker turning heads Our biggest prize giveaway yet — a full Zwift home trainer setup, thanks to our new partners Stage 2 preview: another testing profile, and whether anyone dares race differently this time 🚴‍♀️ Daily Tour de France Femmes coverage with Amy Jones🎧 New episode every stage — follow so you don't miss one🎙️ Send us your voice notes — link in bio, speakpipe.com/stanleystsocial💻 Tip the most stage winners across the Tour for a chance to win a Zwift smart trainer setup, thanks to our friends at Zwift🎽 Comment your Stage 2 tip for a shot at a Café du Cycliste kit #TourDeFranceFemmes #TDFF2026 #StanleyStSocial #CyclingPodcast

We're joined by a brand-new voice on the podcast — cycling journalist Amy Gaze, who's covered the Tour de France Femmes since its inaugural edition in 2022 (ex-Cyclingtips, Rouleur, and her own Substack), to break down everything you need to know before the race hits the road. Alex and Max sit down with Amy for a full Tour de France Femmes preview: a history lesson on every edition so far (Annemiek van Vleuten's dominant 2022, Vollering's 2023 win, Niewiadoma's four-second 2024 thriller, and Ferrand-Prévot's statement 2025), a deep dive into this year's GC favourites (Demi Vollering, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Kasia Niewiadoma, Marlen Reusser, Elisa Longo Borghini and Paula Blasi), the first-ever ascent of Mont Ventoux on Stage 7, sprinter and breakaway watch, the Aussie and Kiwi riders to follow, and each host's stage one and GC podium picks.

Luke Plapp is back on the pod straight off the back of the Tour de France, and we're running through everything from the final week. Plappy takes us inside Stage 21's new Montmartre circuit (better than Alpe d'Huez?), what it's actually like riding through the crowds at Alpe d'Huez when you're not racing for GC, and why this year's race stayed relatively crash-free. We break down Max's Legs Not Names and Names Not Legs rider ratings, build our Tour de France dream teams, and rank every team's tour from top tier to bottom of the class. Plus: how prize money actually gets split between riders and staff, why an Aussie WorldTour team needs to happen, a preview of the Tour de Femmes kicking off Saturday, and the usual chaos in between. Send us a voicenote: https://www.speakpipe.com/stanleystsocial 🚴 Listener voice notes🏆 Rider & team power rankings💰 Inside the numbers on Tour prize money🇦🇺 The case for an Australian WorldTour team Follow Stanley St. Social for daily coverage through the Tour de Femmes.

That's a wrap on the 2026 Tour de France! Max Gawn and Alex close out three weeks of daily coverage with the final stage into Paris — Mathieu van der Poel's incredible late attack on Montmartre, Jasper Philipsen's runner-up salute, and Tadej Pogačar sealing his dominant overall win. They reflect on the best Tour in years, run through the tip competition winners, and look ahead to the Tour de France Femmes starting next weekend. Massive thanks to everyone who tuned in daily — you guys are the best. This community made three weeks of racing even better. In this episode: Van der Poel's Montmartre masterclass and the sprint for the line Pogačar's dominant GC win and the GOAT conversation Reflecting on the best Tour de France in years Tip competition winners and prize giveaways What's next: Tour de France Femmes with Amy Gaze and Brodie Chapman Thanks to our partners: Giant, Pillar Performance, Café du Cycliste, Knog, Oakley, Quad Lock, and TDU.