Beyond the Slipstream
Your weekly breakaway for fun conversations on pro cycling and so much more.
Beyond the Slipstream
Mr. Inevitable S2E26
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
This week we’ll be discussing the debut of Tadej Pogacar to Stage racing in 2026 at the Men’s Tour of Romandie. We’ll also review the sprinting action at the Men’s Eschborn-Frankfurt race, and we’ll preview the Women’s Vuelta a Espana Feminina after reviewing the action on Stage 1. And as always, we’ll finish with a fantasy league update, a few news items, and a ride in the Broom Wagon.
Visma Lease-a-Bike's New Tour de France Jerseys
Contact Beyond the Slipstream:
- Slide into our DMs: @BeyondTheSlipstream
- Email us at beyondtheslipstream@gmail.com
Follow Justin's gaming life on Instagram
Thanks for listening... Allez!
It's your weekly breakaway for fun conversations on pro cycling. Come join us for another ride Beyond the Slipstream. I'm Matt Harper, and together with my brother Justin, we'll do deep-ish dives on professional bike races, teams riders, and all sorts of cycling-related stories. Jump in the saddle and tighten up those shoes, the road awaits. Hello and welcome to Beyond the Slipstream. I'm Matt, and this is my brother Justin. And today on the show, we're talking about the dominance of Tade Pagachar. No, wait, that was last week's show. No, no, wait. It was the week before? No, wait. I think that was last month. Oh boy, this is starting to get old. Actually, uh, yeah, really, really old. On the heels of one of the greatest single seasons of professional cycling ever, where Pog won three monuments, the World Championship, and the Tour de France, the superstar Slovenian is set to have an even bigger 2026 exhibit six. His comfortable, laid back, not stressful at all performance this week at the Tour of Romandie. Exhibits one through five, by the way, are the four firsts and one second he's gotten at the five huge one-day races he's raced so far this season. There is no stopping this man, or is there? Probably not. Uh, on the women's side of the Pro Peloton, Grand Tour season has started in Spain. And while the 2026 Tade Pagachar of the women's side, aka Demi Vollering, is not here, a number of other huge names are. One of those huge names got off to a huge start with a textbook win on stage one to grab the first Grand Tour Leader's jersey of the year and issue a huge challenge to her competitors who are going to have to work very hard to take La Roja off of her back. We'll get into all that today, plus a fantasy league update, a news roundup, and as always, we'll finish it out with a gorgeous ride through the French speaking mountains of Switzerland in the broomwagon. Alex. It's absolutely gorgeous. Just right off the bat.
SPEAKER_02Thank you.
SPEAKER_01Yes, it's like fairy tale gorgeous. The mountains are just like looming in the back of every single shot. It's unreal.
SPEAKER_00It's like every single town is like some picturesque village. Yes, there's like cows roaming around. Amazing architecture, great colors. Like, yes, and the in the alpine backdrop is just absolutely ridiculous on on every around every turn, it seems like.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it just catches me by surprise every year. So freaking like it's like equal parts awe-inspiring and quaint as hell. Um yes, I totally agree.
SPEAKER_00Um just also really good drone shots. Man, oh man. Really stepped it up as far as like the quality of how they used the drones, which I I really, really enjoyed.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I could couldn't agree more. There was there was one on a later stage, I think it was on yesterday's stage, possibly, that just uh my mouth was just a gape. It went directly onto my uh best of the year uh holding placeholder list. So um, but yeah, so as we said in the intro, another just absolutely dominant performance by Tade Pagacar, where it really kind of seemed like he was he was literally doing just enough to win and not one drop more. Totally not showing his hand, you know. The guy is just so dominant that he can he can go out and win four stages of a seven-day race and still like barely even look like he is making an effort. It's ridiculous.
SPEAKER_00Like every post-race interview, he seemed to be the most non-plussed rider that there was. It was just like, oh yeah, go over here. It's beautiful, I guess. It's great.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's like uh what what I oh right, thanks to my team. Um yeah, yeah, very happy. Uh, what's my other thing? Looking forward tomorrow, still could be tough. Uh yeah, it's just we're just on repeat here. I mean, it's just ridiculous. Thank God I picked them on my fantasy team. Yeah, no kidding. Thank God for the coins that right there, it's a that's that's that's the difference that one coin toss can make. So I think the way we need to do it next year, too, is like you you automatically get first pick next year. You know what I mean? Well, I mean, I can't leave it up.
SPEAKER_00And if I don't lose, like there's a travesty of justice in this world because holy shit, it's crazy.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, well, anything could happen. I mean, Pod could go out with an injury in his next race, you know. Like that, that is kind of I mean, you would never want to see that, but it is that is kind of the beauty of this thing. Like, things can happen for sure. Um, but yeah, it's a good thing.
SPEAKER_00I feel like he literally could have gone to this race by himself with no help and still won. Like, that's how that's how that's how easy it looked, in my opinion.
SPEAKER_01He did not have the strongest of UAE teams, that is for sure, but you are correct. He did not need not need them at all. So I don't know. Perhaps we should tailor our conversation more into the uh little Leapowitz and Godon parts of the world because like we've already said all this crap about Tade Pagacar about a hundred times this season alone.
SPEAKER_00I mean, it just goes to show that you know the monuments have not taken any toll on him. Um I I personally feel like he's on the I think he's in the probably the best form that we've ever seen him.
SPEAKER_01It seems impossible after last year. It seems absolutely impossible. Like last his season last year seemed should in any other career would be the crowning achievement of any career. And yet we're just kind of like, I don't know if I don't know if he's if that was the best one.
SPEAKER_00Well, hold on. And so I saw a thing yesterday that said that he's like 12 to 16 kilos heavier than he was last year because he's been like crazy hitting the gym.
SPEAKER_01I saw that. I saw that. Yeah, he said he went a little too he's gone a little too hard in the gym.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, obviously it it's but his his words were but I still feel great on the bike. And and ultimately at the end of the day, that is what he judges everything by is I is by feel, which is absolutely insane, but you know, the he's like, I feel good.
SPEAKER_01He's like I think uh you know I mean that's that is the greatest measure of all, really. It's it's I don't think there's anything insane about it. It's just like he is so in tune with his body, and he just he know he knows what good feels like and what not good feels like, and fortunately for him, he almost always feels good.
SPEAKER_00Well, I mean it and obviously the the extra mind blowing the extra weight is not bothering him in the hills, you know what I mean. I guess the biggest question would be how would he do on you know big ridiculous climbs? And oh wait, he won all four of them this week, so it didn't it didn't matter. He almost he he almost won the time trial, he was just outside the podium on the time trial or the prologue.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean with all that, which was very, very six seconds or something like that.
SPEAKER_00Prologue. Yeah. Well, no, I mean, and he was absolutely in contention for the win when he was coming to the line. I mean, it was it was a mere few seconds, and I mean I think he ended up in like maybe fifth or sixth, but I mean it was yeah, it was he could have won that as well, which is absolutely ridiculous. And he's like he's like sprinting, like he's he's out there like doing bunch sprints, like just for the shits and giggles, like right.
SPEAKER_01Well, he's he didn't he he pissed off Godin on stage three by winning that bunch sprint, and uh Godan was you could see it on his face on stage four when he beat Pogachar in it, and it was just like redemption. Like he was Godin was not happy about being beaten by Tade Pagacar in a sprint in stage three, and he's the fine young cannibal. I mean, at the same time, you know, like Godan, why don't you chill, bro? You you took a prologue, TT, off of Tade Pagacar, okay? So, like who's getting payback to who? You know what I mean? You beat him in his discipline, so he's gonna beat you in yours. That is the magic of Tade Pagacar. What you think you're gonna stack up a bunch of wins in this race? I'll stack up a bunch of wins in this race, thanks. You can put your put your little tricolore back on. Yeah. Actually, that's uh speaking of uh which um it's so strange to see Pog in anything other than the world champions jersey after fire spring. Yeah, it's like huh.
SPEAKER_00You see him in the yellow jersey, it's like, oh, there are other things that he can wear.
SPEAKER_01And the the tint of yellow of that jersey was like a little muted off of the Tour de France jersey, and it just was like, huh, okay. He looks like he's like uh going out for a training ride or something.
SPEAKER_00It's like one of those, one of those uh the the fake jersey you'd wear in practice when you were a kid.
SPEAKER_01Right, right. Or well, well, I'll I'll give a little I'll give a little prelude to something I'll be talking about later. It's like it's like the it's like the official uh uh non-race day jersey for the Tour de France race leaders jersey holder. It's that that's the jersey that you wear on the Monday uh when you go out for your for your like warm-up ride when you're when you're leading the Tour de France. Well, muted yellow jersey. I don't know where I'm going with this. Uh yeah, so so we saw basically Florian Leapy Leipowitz at the head of essentially a three-man, a three-man, a three-on-one for throughout the entirety of the race between Red Bull and Tati Pogachar. They had Primos, Leipowitz, and Finn Fisher Black, and Pog Pogachar had Pogachar. You know, which is really all he needed.
SPEAKER_00Um well when it got really tough, the only one that was that was even remotely close to hanging with him was Leepowitz. Correct. This this kid is he's special. I mean, there's no doubt about it. Like, I I really, you know, I mean, I don't think I don't think that third in the tour last year was was a fluke. I think that this kid is very, very strong in the high mountains. And uh I think it bodes very, very well for him. I think it's cool. I think it'll be really cool to see because I I don't know if you saw that this morning say uh Paul Sexos is confirmed for the Tour de France.
SPEAKER_01Bam! I believed in it the whole time.
SPEAKER_00That is so that is happening 100%. So we're gonna see Pog and Jonas, Leipowitz, uh possibly Remco. Uh I mean Remco you know will probably be there, but I'm I'm still assuming that it's gonna be Leipowitz. Uh and uh and Saturday. Just those four. All all all all four of them heating against each other. That is a killer lineup, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Iuso, Iuso should be there in the mix as well.
SPEAKER_00I would think. I would think. I mean, I don't see how he could possibly I mean, unless for some reason his like form is off.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, but he's got to be the leader leader for Trek. I'm trying to think of of who else. But just those four. I'm I think what it's interesting to watch emerging in a way is like we're getting this, we're getting, I feel like we're getting a glimpse of the next generation of stage racing dominance with Seychos in the Tade Pogachar spot spot, Lipowitz in the Jonas Vingegaard spot, and uh we'll say Pelazzari kind of in the Remco Evanopol spot, although he's not a Remco Evanopol type rider. Um but he's kind of an Almeida or an Iuso. Yeah, yeah. But it's like I kind of see like I see like a triangle where like Seychos is kind of up here, and then those two are kind of at this point, even though I would say, you know, Lipowitz, he podium the Tour de France already, so in my my estimation, he's a step higher than Palazzari. But he's proven but we haven't got to see the two of them like race against each other, right? No, and I are the they're on the same team, right? They're both on Red Bull.
SPEAKER_00Again, this this goes into what I said last week that I think the smartest thing that they could do is is to use the three of them in pre-bus roguelik to try to bury that team. I mean, that is all they really can do. I mean, the only thing that they can do is just they have to put they have to put Paganchar under so much pressure that his teammates can't help him. That he's forced to do the work on his own. And that is not going to be done by doing the same shit that everybody's been doing for the last four weeks, which is letting Pagatar take take the word take their wheel. All right. These guys have to force him to be on the front, all right, and they have to force him to push himself harder and harder and harder. And and those guys, Pelazari, Primos, Remco, need to be the ones that try to bury him so that so that Leepowitz can then try to get. I mean, if any team, in my opinion, other than Visima, has a shot at being able to do this, it's them. They've got the numbers.
SPEAKER_01You know, we know what Pelazari will not be there. Um but they will still have they will still have the trio of of Remco, uh Leepowitz, and Primo's.
SPEAKER_00Well, it doesn't matter. Throw in throw in Jai Henley. Yeah, fine, but but I feel like Pelazzari is kind of the people that can that can do the work.
SPEAKER_01Yes, agree. Agreed. I I'm I'm 100% with you. It's just you were you you you had said Pelazzari when you were saying that's what they need to throw at him in the tour. Um but yeah, you're definitely right. I mean, I the Red Bull, it's we could have called this a year ago that this year it would be those would be the big three teams.
SPEAKER_00Um and um Yeah don't don't discount don't discount Vesma because it looks like at least you know to the Jiro, it's it's Vingigo, Kuss, uh Kelderman, Killich, Campan Arts, Rex, and I'm forgetting somebody. It's in this week on Instagram that'll be in the show notes. Um but you know Joe, you know, Jonas and Sepp have won two torta frontas together. All right. If all goes to plan and they're looking good coming out of the Jiro, I don't see much of a big difference in that team as far as who goes. And that will make a big, big difference. You know what I mean? Those two guys have experience racing against him, and I do think that Jonas's form is better this year than it's been, you know, in subsequent years. And I think that they know that they need super form to be able to be Pagajar.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00The question really is though, is is can anybody beat Pagajar when he's when he's really, really on?
SPEAKER_01I feel like it's his it's his to lose. Yes, all of it. It's his to lose, but Yonas uh Yonas should not feel and I don't think he would feel like intimidated. I mean, he's got his work cut out for him, but from what we've seen of Jonas this year, I feel like he can arrive at that race, relax, knowing like, yeah, I'm I'm gonna have to, you know, maybe, maybe do my best my best tour ever to win this thing. But I can do that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, 100%. I think his headspace is way better. So now, so you know what where do you so where do you think this leaves the Sprinters? Because like obviously Dorian Godon has has really been on fire this year. I mean, he's been like uh I mean I I don't know how many wins he's got on the year, but I mean it seems like a whole shitload at this point because I feel like we have mentioned him many, many times on the show.
SPEAKER_01It feels like ages since we've talked about sprinters, to be honest, because like the last couple of weeks have been like, you know, Liege with monument climbers, GC typewriters, say shots, pogach or you know, before that it was Roubaix, not really like a sprinters type thing, you know, like it's just been a while.
SPEAKER_00Um even the the excuse me, the classics, you know, sprint monuments have been dominated by other people that aren't sprinters. So we are finally, as the Giro looms, you know, ever present in the forefront, we are finally to some sprints. All right, we're gonna see some sprinting. Um I don't I don't you know I haven't gone through to see what sprinters are gonna be in the Giro, but do you do you put you know Goodun up with there with um you know with Phillipson and Merlier and like I mean or is he on a you know a level below? Where where do you where do how do you feel about that?
SPEAKER_01Well I would say I would say at the very top level is Tim Merlier and you you gotta put Phillipson in there, I guess. Although he I mean, I don't know. I yeah, they're they're about the same. I don't know.
SPEAKER_00I feel like we say this all the time, and then Phillipson comes out and wins three stages of Tour de France.
SPEAKER_01So right, right, yeah. So they're they're they're they're up there. They're they're both still up there. They are they are the you know, page one. You got Peterson and Milan. Yeah, and then Peterson and Milan, I think, are definitely down on the on the next level, maybe all of coi sliding in there.
SPEAKER_00We still haven't seen anything from him in a year, so it's really tough to say where he's uh yeah.
SPEAKER_01Binium maybe in there, but not quite. I don't know. He's his his he's having an up and down year. Um and then there's like a bunch of bunch of guys on the net. Well, and then Matty Brennan would be on that that second tier as well. I put I put him up, I I put him, I put him up there with Mad and and uh Milan on the second tier. For sure. On the second tier. And then yeah, down below that is like a whole host of guys, not least of which the winner of an Eshborne Frankfurt, Georg Zimmerman. Um did you do you did you watch the helicopter of that dude's sprint?
SPEAKER_00Yes. I watched I watched the I watched almost the entire race. I just didn't wasn't able to take notes.
SPEAKER_01I I thought it was uh a great race, um, first of all.
SPEAKER_00Also very beautiful, by the way.
SPEAKER_01Yes, I had made a note of the stunning shot of like the train station when they were coming into the absolutely gorgeous uh city of Frankfurt. Um just incredible hell helicopter work throughout that entire race. It was awesome.
SPEAKER_00Stationary cameras on top of the buildings. Did you notice that in the beginning?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um but the sprint that Georg Zimmerman put up in this race was just incredible. He was he was back in like 11th position going into the final, like 11th. Man, he is way back there and just kind of gets towards the right and just takes his time slowly but surely, just works his way up, works his way up, works his way up. There's one moment where he has to kind of thread the needle. It's like he's got a he's got a wide opening, and then at one point the road bends just a little bit, and the the the group sort of sort of curves to hit that apex, and he's squeezed on the edge for one second, and then it opens up again, and he's like afterburners, good night. Um notable also because it was the big German one-day race, and he's the German champion winning on home soil in the champions jersey. Like, to me, that's like a career maker. Like it doesn't get better than that.
SPEAKER_00I mean, like, I mean he was like his coming, his his come across the line was just like you could just see it on his face, like how absolutely and utterly like happy he was to win that race.
SPEAKER_01Yes, I feel like you know, for a Georg Zimmerman level level rider who is, you know, never gonna be remembered, I would say, as like one of the all-time greats of history or anything like that. For for for a guy like that to get a generation for sure, yeah. No, for but for a guy like that to get a win like that, the the biggest race in your in your homeland, and you're wearing the national you're the national champion and you win with that jersey on, it's like Yeah, it doesn't get much better than that. It really doesn't, man. It really doesn't. That was amazing. And uh more on that sprint later. Um so uh but yeah, uh back to Godon. Um I don't know that I'm ready to put him in the same category as as Milan and uh Pederson and Maddie Brennan. Um but he might be there very soon, and he is clearly on an absolute heater right now when it comes to his form. I mean, winning a a prologue. Now it's it was nearly flat, it's only 3.2 kilometers. When that's the only effort you have to make the entire day, yeah, it it starts to make a lot more sense, but still, like that is impressive. That guy's a sprinter.
SPEAKER_00What's on his schedule upcoming?
SPEAKER_01Uh that's a good question.
SPEAKER_00Is he gonna be at either the Tour de France or um?
SPEAKER_01He he has yeah, Tour de France. Of course he's going to the Tour de France, he's in the French, he's in the Trico Lore. He's gotta go.
SPEAKER_00Um And that that's gonna be that's the big debut of the new uh I believe the new the whole new um Kennyos net company.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, net company.
SPEAKER_00They're gonna get rid of those awful orange jerseys, I think. Fucking god.
SPEAKER_01I don't have a problem with the orange jerseys.
SPEAKER_00Um easy to pick up, but god that orange is ugly.
SPEAKER_01Dorian Godon is 29 years old. Did not realize that. Um so yeah, he's gone to the tour. Uh before that, the the Tor Auverne.
SPEAKER_00So that's the uh I'm pretty sure that that's the um the new name of the Criterion de Dauphinet.
SPEAKER_01You are correct. Yeah. Dauphiné Tour de France, yeah, that is right. I gotta I gotta get used to that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's super weird. I it's it screwed me up. I was like, what is this race?
SPEAKER_01I was looking at the some people flat out refuse to acknowledge it.
SPEAKER_00Um I'm sure one of them will be Lantern Rouge.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think he's already that he's already still calling calling it the internet. Everybody is gonna be at the Tour de France. Merlier, Phillipson, Godon, what about Coy?
SPEAKER_00Coy and Brennan. Well we know Brennan won't be there, I'm assuming.
SPEAKER_01Coy, Tour de France.
SPEAKER_00That only makes sense.
SPEAKER_01Brennan probably not toward not toward he's going to uh La Huelta. That makes sense. That's perfect for him. He he can go to La Welta, mop up a couple of grand tour stage wins. That's perfect. Um hold on. And then Binium.
SPEAKER_00There's someone's yellow jersey, dude. They ain't fucking around with sprints.
SPEAKER_01Of course. Binion will be there as well. Um, um what about uh what about my man Caden Groves will be there.
SPEAKER_00How about Little Trek? What about the two writers from Little Trek? Which one of them is going? I think it's the opposite of who was there last year, so it's probably Milan.
SPEAKER_01Milan's going to the Giro and the Copenhagen sprint as it's fans right now.
SPEAKER_00So it'll be Petterson will be there.
SPEAKER_01Yep, Petterson's Tour de France.
SPEAKER_00Uh and what about this is this is gonna be interesting. It's a sprinter's tour de France, baby.
SPEAKER_01Vanderpole will be there.
SPEAKER_00Yep.
SPEAKER_01Wout Van Art will be there. Holy cow. Tour de France this year is gonna be so good. Plus the Seycha, Leepowicz, Yonah, like everything. It's gonna be so good, like right across the board. Um, wait, and we'll even get, let's see, let's let's every single day is gonna be exciting. And and and and even on the sprints, we're gonna get we're gonna get Remco versus Philippo Ghana. Plushar and Jonas all in there. Oh my god.
SPEAKER_00Every day is gonna be a it's just gonna be a smash.
SPEAKER_01Wow, fingers crossed, these guys all stay healthy and yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely. Um what what what more to say?
SPEAKER_00Um I don't have anything else to say about about the the tour of Romy, but I have to mark it on my calendar as the prettiest race of the year. Because God, it's it's so beautiful to watch.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Well, speaking of beautiful, let's put a pen in this. Check out our other show, Inglorious Brothers, a pop culture show with Cult Classics Swagger. Search and subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube, or click the link in the show notes, and turn our attention to the women's vuelta Espana, uh, where we got to see some some a whole lot of beauty in my estimation. Uh, poor Joe Rousel out there handling commentary alone. Once again, the women getting short shrift. You can't even come up with two commentators. I mean, she is on site at the Welta, you know, right at the finish line, so there's that. But I mean, come on, really, like why Macross and why it's only it's a it's only a week, for God's sakes. Like, what are we doing? All right, what are we doing here? It's just it's just unacceptable, and yet here we are.
SPEAKER_00Um ASO again, strikes again.
SPEAKER_01Mm-hmm. It's uh a real a real shame. Some um, but some great great camera work. They did a little, they they did a little reel of like some just amazing helicopter shots, like right at the beginning, like at the intro to the broadcast or whatever. Um, so with just like some quick like three-second heli shots of last year, and there were some beautiful, beautiful stuff. Last year we had Dami Wollering winning with Marlon Roysa in second and Anna Von de Bregen in third. I'd forgotten about that. Um Von de Bregen Von der Bregen uh got a stage win here last year, if you'll recall. Pretty, pretty insane. We were kind of like, oh my god, is she back? Is this is this really happening? Um so uh and she so she was here. Uh we had Kristen Faulkner back in action. Yes. Uh at this race, we had Mave a Squeebond grabbing QOM points in the early early stages, early parts of the stage.
SPEAKER_00Um I think she's in the jersey today. Squi-bon. I think she's not in the jersey today.
SPEAKER_01She is, in fact, in the jersey. Uh Franzi Koch, you know, who talked about on a heater. She's on a heater like Dorian Godon is on a heater right now. She just can do no wrong. Yeah, she got she got the bonies um ahead of uh Potter Nasser and Ad Heast. Uh Kristen Faulkner aforementioned was falling off the back with like 20 kilometers to go. She was not a factor in this race, by my estimation. Uh, and as we saw after the finish, it took her an awful long time to meet up with her team afterwards.
SPEAKER_00But uh well, and it was like a wild final six kilometers because they had this like crazy hairpin, like right in like the five, two, five, three part of the sense when they were about five kilometers out. They had this really, really sharp right hairpin turn where it like narrowed going into the turn, completely spreads out the Peloton. Roads are a little greasy. You have a a wreck that takes Voss out, a couple other riders, and like completely changed the face of the end of that race.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, one of those FDJ riders like flipped over that guardrail. It got me think it got me thinking of the the the thing in MSR and the women's MSR, um you know, where the woman went flying over the guardrail. Now, in this one, she was in far better shape. She wasn't laying in a lifeless heap 12 feet down on asset.
SPEAKER_00She landed on grass.
SPEAKER_01Right. Well, she didn't even land, actually. I I went back and kind of looked at it, and just because of the way, you know, the height of a guardrail and the way a bike and a rider are attached to each other, she like went into the rail. Immediately the momentum of her body carried forward and the bike flips up. And then so now as she's as she's upside down and the bike is directly above her, it like launches, like she releases, and she just ends up right there next to the guardrail as the bike flies like eight feet past her down the down the hill. But she was clearly not phased, went ran down, grabbed it, got it back up on the road and everything. However, there was some auxiliary crashing behind, and uh, I just absolutely hated to see poor Sarah Martin in her gorgeous Mobi Star uh Spanish National Champions jersey that we love so much. That jersey was charred. Um, I did not catch whether or not she was she was okay, but she was back on her bike and riding. Um yeah, crazy crash and and ends up uh causing a split. And there was like a group of like five off the front for a while there. Um Pauline for for Onpervo, and then Franzi Koch had two teammates with her, uh Van Ott and J Juliet Bertet, who featured heavily last week in Liage.
SPEAKER_00Um, and then you had the uh I can't get around calling her that versus Juliet LeBu.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you got two Juliet's. That's her that's the same. That's right, yeah.
SPEAKER_00That is Juliet LeBu.
SPEAKER_01Um at least they're both French names. You can you can hook in on that. Uh and the La Lessie of Virgilia, the complete like 26 assassin this year from Uno X, um, they were chasing, and uh they uh, if memory serves, got her back, right? Or got that they they pulled that group. That's right. Yeah, the the that group got pulled back. Like it they they looked everybody. Speaking of which, that that that's almost the ride of the day, Marianna Voss, because Mariana Voss was off the the when after they caught right after they caught the chase, um, during all that crashing and stuff, the Peloton, because it was this whole race was just like one giant group of riders almost the entire time until that crash. And then when we when that when they came out of that crash, there was Lee Group of Five that we just discussed, but the Peloton had broken into two big groups, and Voss was off the back of the back group.
SPEAKER_00Yes, uh about 25 seconds behind the the chase group.
SPEAKER_01She was way down. She had one teammate as she worked her way through the cars. Vismalab like put on a master class on how to get your your rider back into the game on this. I don't know how closely you were watching that, but she she basically gets she has one teammate that pulls her up through the cars and they hook on to the back of the of the second Peloton.
SPEAKER_00And they slingshot around that group around the left.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_00And just as three different times.
SPEAKER_01Yes, just as they're clearing, just as they are getting clear of the second Peloton, they've got another rider dropping back from the first group, drops right back, and just picks her up the moment they they get clear of the of the back Peloton. And now she's got two riders pulling her straight up to the front. She hooks on, she's got like a a kilometer and a half to get herself to the front. And I believe she took like third on the stage, third or fourth. She was she she was in she was in the top five for sure. Um, and to come to come back from that far, and it's an uphill finish uh for the last kilometer. I mean, kudos to her. The woman can do no wrong. Like, that is so impressive. I mean, you have to wonder if she had that kind of shape to to get that close. I I feel like she would have smoked everybody in the finish if she had just like had a comfortable leadout into the bottom of that climb.
SPEAKER_00I mean, I just I think that it, I just think that the that coming out of that turn, the way that it stretched everything out, and the fact that the roads were a little greasy, her going down just completely rocked the momentum out of their run.
SPEAKER_01I'm saying, like when when when they went through when they went through one kilometer to go. Yeah, when they went through one kilometer to go, she was still she was still 20 riders back. Um, you know, and basically one the the the the red kite was the beginning of the uphill climb, basically. It was like uphill from there. She's 20 riders back and comes fourth, let's say, or fifth. So impressive. Um, but she was not impressive enough to get past uh Noemi Arrueg, who takes the stage and uh just made me so four bike lengths on Capeka.
SPEAKER_00So happy she just crushed that ending.
SPEAKER_01She's fantastic and she started the year off really good. She got a win at the tour down under. Um did she did she def she defended her didn't she defend her her title at Tor Down Under?
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah, but it was what didn't Wollaston win? Uh I thought Why am I thinking Wollaston and it was Wollaston the year before?
SPEAKER_01No. Naomi Rook definitely won it last year. Uh yes, she defended it this year. She defended it this year. That's what I thought. Um Yeah, she she in her post-race interview, she sort of described, you know, what the what the method was, and I mean sh she she said it it was absolutely it's it's her her textbook finish. Like if she she could pick any stage to go for, it would be exactly this, you know, draggy uphill finish, just like that. Um and basically executed the plan perfectly. Um she said, I love what she said in her thing. She she she's like, we had the race under control from the beginning. We owned the race, we were always together. And you could see that even as like the they were trying to get that group of five off the front back, it was like three EF riders in the front, just like powering home. Um, so uh loved loved the celebration afterwards. I like I I gotta give the the broadcast credit for just like lingering on those women celebrating afterwards and and Joe Roussel not saying too much. You know, it's always one of those things where they talk about like, you know, a great commentator knows when to kind of like shut up and like let you just drink in the moment.
unknownThe moment happen.
SPEAKER_01And uh yeah, it was so great. And then you see the aforementioned Kristen Faulkner rock up like way late in the game after they've all been celebrating for two and a half minutes. Here comes Faulkner in her USA National Champions jersey. But she enlivened the group. If you were watching that, like she she she was like, Hey, let's do this picture, let's do that picture. And they were like having a good time. Rug did some kind of like some kind of like thing like this when she came across the line, and none of the camera shots really got it because she did it like well after the finish line, because she still had to kind of sprint to get across the line, and she did some kind of thing, and then you saw them as a group of uh so now I want to I want to dig into EF's Instagram or maybe you could do that for us, figure out what their what their what their like gorilla pose is or whatever that is, because I thought it was kind of that's the like you know, that's one of the the you know bodybuilder poses. Like it's just strong I am. But but I guess what I'm saying is like I is it their thing? Yes, I gathered that it was like a thing amongst the team. Um so and there was another uh really beautiful moment when after that right after that, uh uh Ruog was was uh working her way over to where the podium was. She's kind of walking over there and she comes past Rihanna Marcus, and you like the the shots on Roug, and you kind of see her and you see that she's noticed somebody and she gets a smile on her face, you know, and she's kind of shaking her head. The reason she's shaking her head is because Marcus is looking at her quizzically like, why are you being why are you being escorted over to the podium area with these official looking people? And you know, you just see the smile break across Ruke's face as like she realizes that Marcus did not know who won the race. She came in way after and hadn't heard it on the radio or whatever. And it's dawning on her, and you hear me you hear Marcus say, Nay, really? And she's like, Yeah, and they give each other a big hug. It was just like such a heartwarming thing. You know, they're they're not on the same team or anything, but they got respect for each other, and she's just like she's just like genuinely happy for that other woman. It was great, great moment.
SPEAKER_00That is great. That is great. It was a huge win. That's a great win for EF, man. Opening stage, red jersey, you know, huge, huge win. Yeah, well that I would, I would, I would nare to say maybe the biggest win her career at this point, too.
SPEAKER_01I meant to, I feel like she got a grand tour stage win last year. And I'm gonna look real quick. She went to the tour last year, and her best one was ninth. Uh yeah, that was the only one. Let me see about the year before. Let's see the year before. I I feel like she's gotten a grand tour stage win. Tour de France um two years ago, no. Swiss. Well, uh. Maybe not. Well then, yes, I would I would agree with you that that is certainly the biggest win of her career. Is that bigger than a GC win at Santos Tour Down Under?
SPEAKER_00Um, I would say yeah. A Volt a stage win? Absolutely. Red jersey, a grand tour jersey, like leaders jersey, definitely bigger than the tour down under. 100%.
SPEAKER_01Well, is it uh bigger than stage one of La Vuelta Feminina from 2023, in which she was part of the winning team crime trial opening prologue? Yeah, absolutely. You're right. Um well played. Here's a question. Uh, it's a pretty strong uh she she she's a strong rider. She is coming, you know. She we haven't mentioned yet, she she's been on great form all year long. It's just that she has not found a way to get to the top step of the podium until yesterday. Um, she's had seconds and thirds and fifths and top tens and been in the mix in many, many, many races, uh, but just hasn't gotten it all back together since her win and tore down under. That's months ago now. Um, but that said, with without Damie Vollering here, um she she has a I don't know if comfortable is the word lead, but she the the race is hers to lose, I feel like given her form and the remainder of the stages. Why don't you run us through that? Because I know you said you had some notes on how the rest of the the race is gonna play out.
SPEAKER_00All right. So we have uh seven stages, and we've got uh stage two is a hill hilly day. No, I don't think there's any categorized climbs. If there are, there's like a a stage three or maybe a stage two. Uh stage three is pan flat, uh Padron to Karuna, one big climb and a descent and a sprint finish. Maybe a breakaway day. Maybe um stage four, Hilly, uh Montfort de Le Mont to Antas Daoula with two cat three climbs, stage five, Leon to Astoria, um sprint stage for sure, pan flat, and then you got uh two killer days, all right. And this is where I I don't know. I I feel like this is where pull uh PFP is gonna come come forward. Yeah, so you have uh Gijon to uh Lepra Nava, all right, it's a rump rough and bumpy day that ends with a cat one climb, 3.7k at 13.4%.
SPEAKER_01All right, yeah, and then they're doing the uh oh yeah, go ahead.
SPEAKER_00And then stage seven is uh the Anglaroo.
SPEAKER_01The the women the women's pro Pelotons first trip to the Angleroo.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Um five five point two kilometers, five point nine percent average, but five hundred and twenty meters of that climb are at fifteen point two percent.
SPEAKER_01Brutal, brutal, yeah.
SPEAKER_00That's going to be a completely crushing day on the last day.
SPEAKER_01And that's absolute supper fest.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and I I just I don't know that she's gonna be able to to to pull off the angle roo. I I think she I think she could hold her own through, but I just I'm not sure. I I don't know, man.
SPEAKER_01Well, it's certainly it's certainly gonna be fun to watch. Um, you're right. I mean, if if you examine Pauline Ferron Provost Tour de France last year, it all happened on the last two days uh where she was just like utterly dominant. So um who knows? It's it almost feels like I well, I guess after this week we'll know which one, if either are the are the one off Ferron Provost Perry Roubaix win or her Tour de France win. Because like I Just don't even feel like she really challenged all that much in the throughout the uh you know spring classics monuments season. You know, she was never really uh a factor for the podium um in the races that she did. Uh but seems like last year Tour de France was was the big goal.
SPEAKER_00Other than what did she she won Perry Rebay last year, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Other than prior to the tour, she really didn't have much of a year. So it's like if if that's what we're looking at, you know, she could be trying to peak for these big races.
SPEAKER_01For sure, for sure. I guess I just I guess my my point is that like coming out of last year, she had these like two insanely notable wins. One in the early part of the season, she wins Perry Roubaix and makes the announcement I'm back, I'm serious, and I'm gonna be winning some major shit here. And then she follows that up with the Tour de France win. And we learn in the aftermath and everything that the Tour de France was her big goal. She had a very specific plan as executed over the course of nearly a year to be able to peak for that race. Um, so at this point this year, I would kind of be inclined to say, uh, maybe the Perry Roubaix writ win was a one-off fluke because truly she's like a grand tour writer. But who knows? If she can't really make anything happen in the Vuelta here with this reduced field, aka no Dami Ballering, um, then you might be inclined to say, uh, maybe the maybe maybe 2025 was just a one-off. Who knows? But I have my fingers crossed.
SPEAKER_00Um and do you want to go you want to go through the the the l like who's here and who could condemn for it?
SPEAKER_01Well, yeah, I think we've covered Paul Pauline for Ampra though. I think the next one would be uh Cassia, I think would be the next the next big challenger.
SPEAKER_00That's your other big big big hitter is is Casia. Uh I think that she absolutely has been on great form. She just hasn't been able to get over the over the top. And this is a race where you know her nemesis is is not gonna be here, and I think she stands a good chance in those, especially in the last two days, of at a minimum coming out with a stage win and possibly taking the whole damn thing. Because I mean if she comes out as strong on the last two days as she's been, you know, throughout the early part of the year, like there's not a lot of people here that can stay that can hang with her right now.
SPEAKER_01Agreed. And the only other stage race she's done this year was the UAE tour. She came fifth in that one. But that was her first race of the season. Certainly, she is a writer who knows how to peak come grand tour time. So I would I would put her on equal footing with Faron Provot in terms of uh being able to challenge Rogue here. Um who else is is Marlon Roysa here? I did not I feel like I did not see her.
SPEAKER_00No Marlon Roysa. The only so here are your here are your big names that are in the race. So you have um Casia, Julia, Bertha, you have Franzi Koch, Lotta Class, Lois Adagast, Guy Rialini, Monica Trinkolonel. This is your other big probably your your third place is Ana Von de Bregan. All right, this is a good spot for her. Like you know, if she if there was ever a spot where she had a solid chance to podium a grand tour, it's this one right here.
SPEAKER_01Because well, unless she's working unless she's working for uh Mavis Squeebon. No, they're not on the same team. Squibon Squibon's on UA UAE.
SPEAKER_00Should be working for Kapeki.
SPEAKER_01All right. Interesting. I wonder who they have as the leader. It's kind of I don't know.
SPEAKER_00And then you've got you've got Paula Blasi, Leika Noyan, na Noami Rouge, and Kristen Faulkner, your big big names. Um also in the fantasy side, we have Kapecki, Pauline Ferrand Pervo, Mavisquippin, as you as you uh had mentioned earlier, Marianne Voss, uh, Misha Bredebold, and Liana Lipper. Liana Lipper could contend too.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah. Lipper Lipper Kapecki. I don't know. We talked for a year and a half about a lot of Kapecki and her transition into a grand tour writer. Is this the beginning of that? I mean, the other way around, though.
SPEAKER_00I don't know, man.
SPEAKER_01Why? This is the first grand tour of the season. She and she was third, right? Didn't she get third?
SPEAKER_00Second? Second? Or yeah, she got yesterday.
SPEAKER_01She got second. I mean, she's she's sitting second in the first grand tour of the year. That jury's still out. Who knows?
SPEAKER_00I yeah, dude, like I don't know, the anglaroo. You see a lot of Kebecki winning the Angularoo. Not necessarily, but I mean anything can happen. You're right. You're right.
SPEAKER_01Strange things could happen. It's only a week-long race or a a a nine-day race or whatever, so perhaps she will be able to maintain some kind of freshness. Hard to say. Uh what I do know is it's gonna be an awesome race. If uh stage one has any indicator, I'm super, super stoked. I'm sure you would be happier if Dami Ballering was here, but you'll be very happy. Come tour de France time.
SPEAKER_00I just I just a couple of stage like a Misha Bradebolt stage win would be great. Like, like, come on, give me something. Give me something.
SPEAKER_01Maybe Quebecy will be working for Bradebold in the end.
SPEAKER_00Maybe. I don't know.
SPEAKER_01We'll see. We'll see.
SPEAKER_00We'll see.
SPEAKER_01All right. Well, um I think that's enough on that. Let us roll into uh speaking of which our fantasy team update. Run us through where are we at?
SPEAKER_00Um another another bloodbath of a week for your old boy. Uh, because you definitely dominated Paga obviously with Pagachar winning um another world tour race. You had a uh 78-point week, all right. 74 of those points came from one uh Tade Pagachar. Um good lord. Yeah. So I mean he had he had he had uh two jerseys, four stage wins for 74 points. I mean, it's it's pretty unbelievable. Wow. Um that brought your April total to 398 to my meager 107. Oof, what a drubbing. Yeah, you had you did score four, you did score four additional points in the May column uh with Lotta Kapeki yesterday.
SPEAKER_01So insult to insult to injury right there.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so that that brings the the total as of today, May the 5th, to uh Matt at a absolutely dominant 738 and me with just a mere 416 points. I'm nearing it you I mean, nearing a doubling of your points. So like 300 plus points on me right now.
SPEAKER_01It's brutal. It's brutal. Well, hang in there.
unknownVery brutal.
SPEAKER_01Keep your head up. Anything can happen as as we've already discussed. Um I got a couple of news roundup items that I would love to get into. Uh do you have anything uh on uh you know outside of what we've talked about already?
SPEAKER_00Um I'd like to shout out uh one Tom Kraba.
SPEAKER_01Uh yeah, you just you just you looked at my list and stole my first one.
SPEAKER_00No, I did not, dude. I've been on Tom Kraba all the time.
SPEAKER_01Just kidding.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01Just kidding.
unknownAll right.
SPEAKER_00Um, one Tom Kraba from the uh what do they call that team? The f the Malwa's Belgium team, which I believe is not going to be a team next year where they're losing their main sponsorship. So five podiums, four four stage wins and a third place this week in Turkey for him. And and and the points jersey. Um this guy has is on a heater this year for wins. Um he has wins all over the spring. And if uh if this guy doesn't get signed by some bigger team, they are like it is an absolute tragedy. So he is he has had a tremendous year and deserves a shot on a on a on a better team than than the the the Balois Belgium, you know, tourist board tour.
SPEAKER_01Flanders Balois is actually the name of the team. Um he he's in a contract year, so I'm quite sure we will be seeing more out of this 20-year-old uh in the coming coming years. Yeah, he's gonna he's gonna get picked up. Um yeah, good on him. Uh, do you know what? Good on good on uh Caja Rual, the Aussie uh Caja Ruau rider Sebastian Berwick for winning that, for winning that race.
SPEAKER_00Huge race for them to win.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, Caja Rual. Um okay. Uh yeah, that was my first one. What else you got?
SPEAKER_00Uh I don't think I hold on, let me scroll down in my notes. I don't I don't think I have anything else. That was my big one, was Tom Kraba, because I watched a lot of that race.
SPEAKER_01Okay, um, I just have two here real quick and then we'll get to the broomwagon. First, uh, have you seen Visma Labs new Tour de France jersey, The Architect?
SPEAKER_00Did they make a choice, but because they like threw it up to the fans that there was like a dark version and a light version. Which version did the did they finally decide on one?
SPEAKER_01Oh, uh I I went to that page. I know that I know that they put it up like a while ago. So what they it seemed to me, if you go to the page and I'll link it on the show notes, um, I think the decision has been made. Um it's the dark one called the architect, and then their and then their official rest day jersey is that light colored one. Um, you know, Visman Lisa Bike always on top of it when it comes to the graphic design. Now, this jersey, the architect, is inspired by Anthony Gowdy because they're starting off in Barcelona. Um, and he was, you know, the big notable architect from Barcelona, the designer of Sagrada Familla, which is nearing completion, which we got to see at the beginning of uh the beginning of uh the women's um Welta, by the way. They were they were circling Barcelona. And I mean that that spire, that that middle spire is just getting closer and closer and closer to completion. I like how these bike races just keep dipping into Barcelona and we can keep up with the progress of that mag magnificent edifice. Um but uh yeah, so it's got the it's got the gouty like parabolic arches, but then it's also got the the architectural structure of a honeycomb because we are and we are in fact the killer bees. So got um very very cool looking jersey.
SPEAKER_00Um do a really good job with their Tour de France jerseys. The only one that I really didn't like was um was the masterpiece that was the one that was like blue and green and yeah, that was bizarre. Yeah, I wasn't like I really wasn't crazy into that one. And that was the year that that the Jonas had had the big wreck and and really wasn't in competitive form. Yeah, that was the only one I really didn't like. And then the year before, was it the year before that or year after that, the one I got you?
SPEAKER_01I think before.
SPEAKER_00I really liked that one with the with the stars on it. Oh, that thing was friggin' awesome.
SPEAKER_01I thought um I was a little disappointed that um as you scroll down the page that shows the jerseys, um the architect at the top, you you've got Wout Van Art and Jonas Vingegaard. Then you scroll down a little further um to show the back and the in the close-up front views, you've got Christoph Laporte and uh Matteo Jorgensen. But no, Maddie Brennan. I thought Maddie Brennan should have been included as you know.
SPEAKER_00You probably they're only probably putting riders that are gonna be at the tour in that.
SPEAKER_01Uh, you're right. You're right. You're absolutely right. So I stand corrected. Um last uh last but not least, um, I think we mentioned this on the show last week, but uh Nairo Quintana had two wins recently. Uh he was in the he was in the Vuelta Astorias, uh Julio Alvarez Mento is his full name. Um and on stage two, he got away with this guy, Adria Pericas of UAE, um, and dropped uh Pericas with 7.7 kilometers ago, sold it away to the finish, uh, gets a winning margin of 26 seconds, which allows him to retain the leader's jersey to the end. So he got a he got a stage win and a GC win. Uh he hung with the with the G2 group in the on the fourth and final stage. The the win was by by some some no-name dude uh who got the biggest win of his career, obviously. Um, but he was not a factor in the GC. Nairo wins. Um, first stage stage race win since uh back in 2022. Uh and this was famously the year where he was disqualified from the Tour de France for uh two two positive tramadol uh tests. But at the beginning of that season, he won Provence and Route Acetani, like back to back, um, and then went to the tour and did pretty well in that tour and then got DQ'd. I guess one wonders uh what he was if he was tramitalling it up for those two uh stages, but then he didn't race at all in 2023. He was back last year not doing much of anything. I think there was like uh one moment in what on one stage of one race where he like got up to the front. We were like, wow, it's Nairo. Um but uh yeah, the guy uh the guy the guy won a stage race, and uh I gotta say, I love hearing this this man's haunting voice, even if I can't even understand what he's saying. He's got he's got such an interesting voice. 36 years old. What else will we see from Nairo Quintana?
SPEAKER_00I don't know, man. I don't know. Um the it's nice to see him back in the mix, man. Like, you know.
SPEAKER_01He used to do battle with Chris Room, for God's sake. Like Nairo Quintana, that guy's been around. That guy's been around.
SPEAKER_00So did he win a grand tour? Did he win a Girl?
SPEAKER_01Yes, I think he won two grand tours actually. Um I think he I think he won the Vuelta and the Giro. I know he never won the tour, but I think he may have won both the Vuelta and the Giro. Uh GC Giro, yeah. He won the GC of the Giro in 2014, and he won the Vuelta in 2016. So Terenia, god dang, this guy's won a lot of stage races. Two times Torreno, uh Catalunya, he's won. Uh País Vasco, Romandy, uh two times Torre de la Provence, um, two times second at the Tour de France, uh, won Burgos twice, won Astorius twice. Good lord. I didn't realize how good he was earlier in his career. He just came up, he was like, he was like the young guy when he first started his career. Um so yeah, Nairo.
SPEAKER_00I I do I wanted to point out when I was when I was editing last week, and I I guess I you just it's so funny how you forget these things that I pulled a picture of Jonas on the top of the podium at the Tour de France. And the year, the first year that he won the Tour de France, that that G was on the podium with them. Do you remember that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I totally forgot that. And then he was on the podium when when uh Primus won, too.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_00At the Giro.
SPEAKER_01Very cool. Um, all right, let's uh let's uh take the old uh old ride in the broomwagon. Kick us off.
SPEAKER_00All right, we are uh we are headed to Indiana University for the little 500 that happened last weekend.
SPEAKER_01Nice.
SPEAKER_00All right, well, nice and not so nice. Tragedy did strike afterwards, but let's talk about the race real quick. Um, first off, if you go down, if you scroll down to my broomwagon, all the way at the bottom of the notes, um, there is a Instagram post if you want to see the end uh of the race. There was a gnarly crash and um the uh it helped propel the Black Key Bulls to their third consecutive victory. They were not in the mix, and there's this crazy wreck at the end, and uh the Black Key Bulls end up uh taking their third consecutive uh little 500. And for those of you who don't know what the little five hundred is, it is a uh it's a it's a one-day race around a track at the Indiana at Indiana University that that's been going on for 50 plus years. And um they uh the you field teams and you you you know go around essentially just around a uh a track.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, like a track and field track on this.
SPEAKER_00They all use the same type of bike and it's all very it's all very old school, but um it has become very, very popular and very, very competitive. Um we should go to it some year over the years, yeah. Um but sadly on Saturday night, the weekend ended in tragedy as at least nine people were injured in a mass shooting after the race during the post-race festivities. Um the shooting occurred at 12 30 local time after a fight broke out between two women. The shooter, uh, as of when I did this research was still at large.
SPEAKER_01Oh my god, really?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01That is wild.
SPEAKER_00Yep.
SPEAKER_01We really uh do owe it to ourselves to go to that race sometime.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think it would be worthwhile. All right, what do you so what do you got?
SPEAKER_01All right. Um, so uh I uh took in another um race around a track of sorts, a nice symmetry for our uh broomwagons this week. Uh I would like to talk a little bit about not not iron horse racing like we always talk about, real horse racing, the 150 152nd edition of the Kentucky Derby, which took place uh on Saturday.
SPEAKER_00And uh who could I watch not one second of it? It was an absolutely I wish I had though. I thought it was.
SPEAKER_01It's on Peacock. If you want to, if you want to go back, you can watch it on Peacock. It's a phenomenal production, I really, really have to say. And I was kind of dialed into it because um I was listening to some podcast earlier this week that was not sports related at all, but at the very end, the um the person who was being interviewed, who was like this Lebanese woman, um started going off about the Kentucky Derby and how into it she was and how she had picked a winner four years in a row, and she was super she was super stoked for it and kind of caught the host of the show by surprise. He was just like, oh wow, horse racing. Yeah, she said she caught it four years in a row. So she she and she said on that show um that uh she was picking the number 18 horse further ado to win. Um I was talking about it at work with one of my regulars who I I learned I just happened to mention the Derby or something. And uh he all right, I always ask people like right before they leave. I'm always like, Hey, you got any interesting plans for the weekend? Because it's just like a good way to get people like in a good mood, you know, talking about what they got going on. Um and uh he's like, Heck yeah, Kentucky Derby, you know, and I'm like, Oh, you've been a you're into that, and he's like, Yeah. And I said, I said, I like further ado. I thought so, and he's like, Oh, really? The 18 horse. I was like, Okay, you are into it, man. Like I knew exactly what number further ado was. So I come to realize this dude is like way, way into the Kentucky Derby. Um, but uh anyway, so I had in my head, okay, I'm rooting for further ado ado because now I got a stake in it, you know, like a little emotional stake into it. And uh I just managed to get all my stuff that I was working on Saturday done in time to crash out in my brand new mattress. Shout out Sean Ahern. Uh, we just got our new mattresses installed and ready to go. And holy cow! So I worked all day long, laid down on my mattress, on my new mattress, and uh turned on uh the race, and I picked it up like right at the perfect moment. And they were, I mean, they were just getting ready to like start the the main stuff for the main race because they they broadcast for like five hours that day. You can watch all of the undercard races like all day long.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and it's like a 6 30-ish post time for that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, it doesn't post until like six, six, six thirty around there. So um it's just incredible production values for this thing. Of course, it's NBC. They're it's it's it's it's American, you know, they're gonna give it like the the full nine, you know, it's stands in stark contrast to some of the bike races we watch. But um I just want to kind of walk you through just some of the highlights. So they're they've built a new paddock area that creates just like amazing stage to intro all the horses. And so, you know, I'm sure that I'm sure the horses have, you know, more private paddocks, but this is kind of like where they move them just before the race is about to get started. And they've got like a man on the street commentator that's called total Robin Leach vibes, and he's down there, he's jumping, he's jumping and he's grabbing these like impromptu interviews with the jockeys, the trainers. Uh he flips out over the size of this one horse called Great White, and they just show this because at this point the ri the jockeys are not on the horses, they're kind of hanging around, but the the horses are in these like enormous, huge, like glorious paddocks, and they're the guys like walking around getting all this coverage. And that well, the the thing that they built for it is new, so it's like it it it's really well laid out. Um, and then next like the and what's cool is like every one of these steps is so steeped in tradition after 152 years that it's like each one feels special. So the next thing they get to is the legendary ex-jockey Pat Day who gets to who gets to do the calling of the riders up and that that's that's the moment when like the riders are called to get on their horse. And then the traditional thing is that the trainer is the person that gives the rider the leg up. And so they have this like little procession where they come right up to each horse. You see the rider standing next to it you see their trainer with them. And it's kind of interesting to look at like the different outfits that the trainers use to wear on Derby day or whatever. As we saw the the the the winner the winning uh trainer was in very fancy dress but I'll get to that later. And then they give the classic leg up you know where you you lift your you lift your your calf up and the the trainer basically just holds it and pushes you, gives you a little push up. So they're all on the horses now. And uh the next thing is we get the call to post and that's the uh this was done by trumpeter Steve Buttleman 31st year in a row that this guy has done it he's got the crazy long trumpet that's like you know got that super long horns at the front right uh boom the horses start emerging out from underneath where the where they walk through from the paddock area they go under the grandstand and out onto the track and what happens the Louisville chorus starts singing my old Kentucky home and it's like a religious experience. I mean it's absolutely outrageous um so then uh from there they start doing the official like intros of each of the horses like for the for the viewers at home like the graphic comes up you see all the stuff the announcers talk about them um and uh you know you get the you get the full intro um they give you some great close ups of like the notable jockeys that are gonna you know figuring in the race and like what their little palmar is um then it goes to this pre-recorded piece narrated by Thomas Hayden Church about some guy named Don Clier that brought an amateur movie camera into the race every year for like decades and decades and they show some like cool footage that this guy shot back in the day of like Kentucky derbies of of ages past right um super cool yeah it was really cool and then as they start nearing the gate um the announcers start hitting you with like all the odds like here's what's happening with the odds because like um you know things can change from minute to minute right up to post time and then we get some drama um all of a sudden they're like whoa they like whoa something has happened off camera and they pan over and you see great white the most enormous horse that anyone has ever seen without a rider on its back and you're like oh my god and the commentator is like great white just reared up and fell over immediately as soon as they say that you're like oh my god they cut to the replay and you see this enormous horse like rear up and the he's he's like almost vertical and then he just like boom flops back and the rider was so the jockey was so lucky to not have that horse land on him kind of was thrown to the side the horse lands he gets right up that the vets are immediately like by his side checking him out and he seems okay and everything but the jockeys just sort of stand there like what's gonna happen what's gonna happen and the uh the horse is still pretty agitated and then he's kind of starts trying to get away from his trainer a little bit and you my first thought is no way this horse is racing this race and like two seconds later they're like yep they're scratching that horse he's scratched so now they gotta start to be I mean with such a big horse there's got to be a wrist to the other horses the other the other riders like yeah the yeah I mean there's there's there's so many intangibles that you can't predict with uh with a giant beast of an animal right right and I mean they're all big beasts of animals but I do you know what kind of horse it was just out of here I I do not remember it was big and gray though but um the the uh it's it seemed to me that like that there is a scenario in which that happens but then the horse gets back up he's like oh whoa I'm I'm good all right and then they put him back on and they go but if that happens if there's a discernment like that they got to pull all the horses out of the out of the starting gate. So they pull all the horses out of the gate and it's like a full reset they get the the you see the poor jockey walking off you feel so bad for the guy. You see them taking the horse down to to get him out of the way and everything. And so it's now it's like it's a it's the reset but then boom blue factory and I'm sorry. But but now but it's but everything's heightened now you know what I mean like it's like all right here we go again and they always give you that great shot I feel like the minute that last horse gets loaded in the gate closes behind him and the shot immediately switches to the to the front on shot of the whole gate and there's always like that sort of like you know what I'm talking about like sometimes when you see a shot of the road where it's real low and you get that like that like that hazy that little shimmer kind of thing you get that little shimmer on the gate and then in an instant boom all those gates pop open and it's race on. So um I mentioned that uh I mentioned that um I would get back to uh what's this what's Georg Zimmerman's sprint win at Ashbourne Frankfurt the way that this horse won this race and the race I should say it was it was uh won by um mum mum mum mum mum what was the name of that Golden Tempo right it was almost identical to the way Georg Zimmerman won that sprint if you watch if you watch the the the helicopter shot I think it was a drone there actually they had some really really good drone action uh leaving uh at least watch the the like the last 20 minutes of the race or yeah yeah and I know I've spoiled the entire thing but it's worth it's worth watching but Golden Tempo is way way back he was I counted it he was in 18th position heading into the final turn and he just steadily came up the outside just like Zimmerman just coming up the outside and as soon as he gets his nose to the very front he puts on the afterburners to win a couple of other really cool details of this whole thing the trainer is Cherie DeVoe and she is a it's an historic win first female trainer to ever win the Kentucky Derby. Super cool um she's the second to ever win a triple crown race. The jockey Jose Ortiz won side by side with his brother his brother he beat his brother by a nose um Iraq Ortiz um and then my favorite thing I don't know if you've seen it in years past they've got this woman Donna Donna somebody who's like one of their one of their like experts or whatever she interviews the rider on horseback. Like she's riding the horse along and she's interviewing him like right out there on the track. I love it. And at one point her her uh horse started acting up um and uh she like handled it like a pro she's like hey hey and then like pulls him right back over like okay let's keep this interview going Ortiz had tears streaming down his face talking about his grandfather who had just passed away that he wished he could have seen him he uh became the ninth jockey in history to win the Kentucky Oaks uh which is the big race that's always right before the Kentucky Derby on the Friday. Um so really really cool incredible production values always exciting they call it the most exciting two minutes in sports or whatever and it's very exciting it's a fun it's a fun thing to watch and it's they do an incredible job with the production. If you're into that kind of stuff I mean watch watch five hours of it they're gonna you're gonna see all the hats and all the pomp and circumstance. I mean I'm I'm really only getting into a part of it. So um anyways that's uh gonna be all for this week join us next week for a double dose of grand tour action with coverage of the conclusion of the women's welta and the start of the first grand tour of the year for the men the Giro d'Italia until then for my brother Justin I'm Matt Harper. Thanks for listening we hope you'll join us again soon for another ride Beyond the Slipstream Ale. Beyond the Slipstream is a part of the Harperama family of podcasts. Find us on Apple Podcasts Spotify and YouTube. Please like and subscribe smash that button leave a five star review and most importantly tell all your friends about us thanks for listening talk to you next time
