Episodes
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Bjoern Koerdt is the latest rider supported by The Rayner Foundation to graduate to the UCI WorldTour. The charity, which funds young British riders to pursue their dreams of a professional career by racing abroad, is one of the most cherished in British cycle sport. In 2018, Phil Jones MBE, Brother UK’s Managing Director and this podcast's co-host, rode the entire length of the Tour of Britain with endurance rider James Golding, raising around £20,000 for the foundation.
Koerdt, a 20-year-old from Leeds, will start a three-year contract with DSM-Firmenich-PostNL in January. There, he’ll join Rayner alumni Oscar Onley and Sean Flynn. The Dutch squad’s development team is home to Rayner riders Jacob Bush, Oliver Peace and Benjamin Peatfield. Max Poole, a former British junior champion and our guest in episode 49, is among the team’s most valued riders.
In this interview with co-host Timothy John, Koerdt describes the early days in his cycling career as a member of Yorkshire’s White Rose Youth League, his Rayner-supported move to France with CC Étupes, the alma mater of Tour de France stage winner Adam Yates, and a relentless but rewarding finish to the season as a stagiaire with DSM-Firmenich-PostNL that included a rare outing on home roads at the Tour of Britain.
From early showings in domestic races like the junior CiCLE Classic to competing in professional races in countries as far flung as Norway and Malaysia, Koerdt offers insights into the life a young rider learning his trade and determined to reach to the top. Broken bones, foreign languages, golden opportunities and the sweet taste of success are among his formative experiences.
A winter in Girona followed by a move to his new team’s Keep Challenging Centre in The Netherlands will continue the international flavour of Koerdt’s burgeoning career. Enjoy this interview with the latest young British rider to reach the professional ranks in an era that has witnessed a generational shift in the peloton’s demographic. -
DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK’s overall victory in the National Road Series and the team’s domination of the Ras na mBan are just two topics discussed by co-hosts Timothy John and Phil Jones, Brother UK’s Managing Director, in this packed episode.
The World Championships in Zurich, an exhilarating edition of the Tour of Britain Men, and British Cycling’s progress report on recommendations made by the Elite Road Racing Task Force are also analysed in detail.
Expert witnesses include Ras na mBan winner Mia Griffin, whose triumph on home roads followed her Olympic debut in Paris, and Irish U23 road champion Caoimhe O’Brien, who rolled out for her country against the world’s best female riders on a rain-soaked course in Zurich.
Ian Watson, the co-manager of DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK, and rising star Louis Sutton, whose hugely impressive debut at the Tour of Britain Men won him a combativity award and the plaudits of seasoned observers, also share insights.
From the pressure faced by young riders in an era of accelerated career development to the commercial and budgetary context shaping British Cycling’s implementation of the Task Force recommendations, Phil and Tim apply the expert insights of a business leader and an experienced journalist to the biggest stories in domestic and professional cycling. -
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Rising star Louis Sutton revealed his talent to a television audience of millions with a series of exciting performances at the recent Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men. The 22-year-old from St Albans played a pivotal role in the breakaways that shaped stages two and three, finding himself in wheel-to-wheel combat with Soudal Quick-Step’s superstars, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe.
While Sutton’s career has developed rapidly, he is no overnight sensation. Close observers of the sport will note his Rayner Foundation-funded pathway through AVC Aix-en-Provence: a route to the top followed by the Cofidis duo of Harrison Wood and Oliver Knight. Like his compatriots, Sutton has found the Provençal lifestyle and a blend of French and Spanish racing highly conducive to his development.
Now in his second year with the team, Sutton has continued to deliver results. After winning three times in Spain for AVC-Aix in his debut campaign, this year he added a GC victory at the Bidasoa Itzulia and a second stage win at the Volta a Castelló. He has proved himself a valuable team-mate too, playing a pivotal role for Clément Izquierdo, who next year will follow Wood and Knight to Cofidis.
Additionally, Sutton has impressed in Team GB colours, finishing second on his Nations Cup debut at the Course de la Paix and providing invaluable service to team-mate Joe Blackmore in the latter’s historic victory at the Tour de l’Avenir, cycling’s most prestigious U23 race. Great Britain team manager Matt Brammeier was sufficiently impressed to grant Sutton’s request for a reserve slot for the Tour of Britain. The rest is history.
In this warm and candid interview with co-host Timothy John, formerly the editor of RoadCyclingUK.com and Rouleur.cc, Sutton describes his rapid ascent through the sport. A weekend mountain biker with only a handful of junior road races to his credit, his acceptance of an offer to spend a year in Spain racing for the team now known as Brocar-Rali-Alé proved life-changing.
Sutton takes us inside Brammeier’s mix-and-match selection for the Tour of Britain, a squad of old hands, rising stars, mountain bikers and more, and reveals the additional willingness to ‘go deep’ that comes from racing against a double Olympic champion and a double world champion. From combativity awards to crashes and concussion, Sutton offers a detailed description of his first professional race: one very unlikely to be the last.
Now preparing for his final engagement of the season, an assignment with Great Britain’s U23 squad at the forthcoming world road race championships in Switzerland, Sutton can already reflect on a pivotal campaign. With his U23 career now nearly complete, his next goal is to join the professional ranks. Any of the heavyweight squads who competed against him at the Tour of Britain will surely require no further evidence of his abilities. -
Marc Etches, a race organiser, commissaire and a member of the panel charged by British Cycling with implementing the recommendations of the Elite Road Racing Task Force, exemplifies the can-do attitude of a small coterie of volunteers who sacrifice time and effort to ensure elite domestic road racing continues.
In this detailed interview with co-host Timothy John, Marc discusses this year's edition of his Sheffield Grand Prix, the wider health of the National Circuit Series and his determination to ensure that the efforts of Task Force members, including Phil Jones MBE, Brother UK’s Managing Director, are not “swept under the carpet”.
Marc reveals the detailed planning behind the Sheffield Grand Prix, the distinct goals backers like McLaren and Cocker and Carr, a local estate agent, seek to fulfil in sponsoring the race, and its role in Sheffield City Council’s strategic ambition to rebrand an area famed for its industrial heritage as “The Outdoor City”.
From parking permits to crossing points, commissaire reports to UCI protocols, medical support to crowd control, Marc describes the myriad details that lie behind the biggest event on the National Road Series calendar.
With the Tour of Britain set to visit Sheffield in September, Marc describes his vision for a joined-up approach in which the councils who host Britain’s biggest bike race look further down the pyramid to national events. He describes the fundamental importance of volunteers to the success of his events and the rewards he is able to provide with support from local businesses like Browns restaurant.
Enjoy this open and engaging interview with one of British cycle sport’s unsung heroes. A passionate cyclist and a committed supporter of his city and region, Marc embodies the volunteer spirit on which the domestic scene depends. -
The National Circuit Series is a key component of the British domestic road scene. Its impact extends beyond racing, however. As road racing’s most immediate and accessible format, crits bring bike racing into town and city centres, serving a range of purposes for councils, communities, sponsors, local businesses and more.
In this new episode of the Brother UK Cycling Podcast, Marc Etches, organiser of the Sheffield Grand Prix, arguably the jewel in the crown of the National Circuit Series, offers valuable insights into the winning patterns behind his successful event. From prioritising rider safety to securing sponsors, Marc takes us inside the race.
Drawing on his experience as a business leader, co-host Phil Jones, Brother UK’s Managing Director, provides an expert commentary on issues ranging from crisis management to commercial sustainability and from chains of command to the changing face of city centres shaped by forces as diverse as pedestrianisation and hybrid working.
Phil’s unique perspective is informed by his membership of British Cycling’s Elite Road Racing Task Force, which recommended a complete review of the National Circuit Series, including the establishment of a ‘winning patterns’ playbook and a standardised economic model. Phil offers insights from inside this independent and influential panel.
In a packed episode, co-host Timothy John introduces further topics and interviews. From the recent Olympic Games to the forthcoming Tour of Britain, Tim and Phil discuss the biggest events in cycle sport, with insights from DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK’s newly-minted Olympians, Tiffany Keep and Alice Sharpe, on their once in a lifetime experiences at Paris 2024. -
Tiffany Keep (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK) will realise a dream when she rolls out for the women’s road race at the Olympic Games in Paris on August 4, 2024.
In this engaging interview, Tiffany describes her lifelong passion for cycling, her formative experiences as a mountain biker in Stellenbosch and her determination to develop her road racing skills in Europe from the moment she finished her degree studies.
Brother UK has been at Tiffany’s side for the last two seasons, as co-title sponsor of Hutchinson-Brother UK last year and now as one of three companies supporting DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK, a UCI Continental women’s team that has provided Tiffany with racing opportunities in territories as distinct as East Cleveland and Portugal, Ilkley and Luxembourg.
In this engaging interview with co-host Timothy John, Tiffany describes the value of DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK’s diverse programme and the progress she’s made as a rider since joining the squad. She pays tribute to the UK’s thriving domestic scene and reveals how riding alongside world-class rivals in events like the Tour of Britain Women and the Volta a Portugal Feminina has helped her to overcome “imposter syndrome”.
Sporting events do not come bigger than the Olympics, and Tiffany relives the joyful moment in which she received the email confirming her participation. She shares her thoughts on the 158km course, describes her final pre-race preparations in Tours, just south of Paris, and expresses her determination to give her best for her country, riding in the service of Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio.
From South Africa’s gruelling Cape Epic mountain bike stage race to the Ride London Classique, Tiffany’s varied and challenging route to the top will reach its climax, if not its culmination, in Paris. Discover her post-Games ambitions, her supportive relationships with friends, family and teammates, and learn how experience gained on the streets of Glasgow at last year’s world championships might pay dividends in the City of Light when gold medals, rather than rainbow jerseys are at stake. -
Frankie Hall (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK) is enjoying the best season of her cycling career. A comparative latecomer to the sport, she has overcome significant hurdles, including crashes, injuries, road accidents and the ongoing challenge of balancing work and sport to compete against the very best in road, track and circuit races.
In this wide-ranging interview, Hall describes how her passion for hockey, her first sporting love, was derailed by an eating disorder. Training with the Great Britain team at Loughborough University, however, ultimately led to an academic career there and membership of the university cycling club. The rest is history.
Tenth place in the elite women’s road race at the 2024 National Road Championships in Saltburn represented a significant step towards fulfilling her potential. Hall offers detailed insights into her physical and mental preparation and the tactical awareness that placed her at the sharp end as the race approached its climax.
In February, Hall won two medals at the 2024 National Track Championships in Manchester: an achievement made more impressive by the financial constraints that limited her preparation. She talks frankly about the prohibitive costs of indoor racing and the wider financial pressures faced by an elite athlete seeking to turn professional.
Her effervescent style in circuit races had earned her a reputation as a specialist in the discipline, but in this interview, Hall argues that these short, sharp, technical events simply accounted for the bulk of her early opportunities (with welcome irony, she won the opening round of the 2024 National Circuit Series in Otley two days after recording this interview).
Enjoy this revealing conversation with co-host Timothy John, in which Hall offers an inspiring insight into the drive and dedication demanded of an amateur athlete to compete against professional riders. From postponing PhD studies to balancing hospitality work with an international race programme, Hall offers an honest account of her sacrifices in pursuit of sporting success. -
Andy Hawes is the Route Director of the Tours of Britain. In just ten weeks, he has designed and driven the four stages of the 2024 Tour of Britain Women, working alongside Race Director Rod Ellingworth, local authorities and an experienced team of administrators and safety experts.
In this in-depth interview with co-host Timothy John, Andy provides a sporting perspective on each of the four stages, explains the importance of long-standing relationships with councils and offers insights into the logistical complexity of closing major roads, including those around Manchester, to allow the safe passage of the race.
He reveals his uncompromising stance on rider safety and a business-as-usual approach that has seen him drive the entire route on three occasions, despite the tight timescale. His companions on the route recces have included Sergeant Duncan Street of the Central Escort Group.
Andy describes his positive working relationship with Ellingworth, for whom the Tour of Britain Women will be the latest chapter in a decorated career that includes founding British Cycling’s Olympic Academy road programme and leading the UCI WorldTour team INEOS Grenadiers, formerly Team Sky.
Touching on the transfer of the race’s ownership to British Cycling Events, Andy describes his determination to uphold the reputation it enjoyed under previous owners Sweetspot; a motivation increased by the federation’s new partnership with Lloyds Bank.
Enjoy this open and engaging conversation with a key member of the team tasked with saving Britain’s leading professional bike races. From detailed descriptions of the route’s defining features to insights into working relationships, safety considerations, ambitions to expand the race and more, this is an interview not to be missed. -
The Lincoln Grand Prix is the most prestigious race in British cycle sport. Its cobbled Michaelgate climb has become a symbol for the domestic road scene. This year’s race will be the 68th edition in 69 years. High-quality fields in the men’s and women’s races promise an exhilarating day of racing on Sunday May 12.
Timothy John and Phil Jones, the Managing Director of Brother UK, host this detailed preview of a cherished race, with insights from a panel of expert witnesses, including two former winners, the race organiser, a sports director, and a veteran journalist who has reported from countless editions of the Lincoln Grand Prix in his 25 years covering the scene.
Dean Downing’s victory in 2007 has come to symbolise the race. The frame-by-frame sequence of his exhausted victory celebrations and the sudden rush of emotion that followed capture the drama of bike racing in a manner few others have matched. Dean shares his memories of an unforgettable day in the saddle and a victory that, while not his most prestigious, has greater personal significance than any other on a palmares crowded with race wins.
Becky Storrie’s triumph in the women’s race in 2022 could scarcely have been more different. Riding under clear blue skies, she executed a perfect race, soloing away from her competitors with one lap remaining and enjoying the rare pleasure of riding alone up Michaelgate to victory. Enjoy Becky’s memories of a performance that helped propel her to the UCI Women’s WorldTour.
Race organiser Gary Coltman compares his responsibilities in ensuring the continued success of British road racing’s blue riband race to being given a gold-plated trophy to polish and protect. He describes the commercial and organisational challenges encountered when organising such a high-profile event and describes the emotional connection between the race and its title sponsor Rapha.
Larry Hickmott, the founder and editor of Brother UK-sponsored VeloUK, has witnessed more editions of the Lincoln Grand Prix than most. The images of Dean Downing’s celebrated victory described above are among thousands he has taken of an event he describes as a photographer’s dream. Larry shares his memories of the race, his plans for this year’s edition, which coincides with his birthday, and identifies the leading contenders in the men’s and women’s fields.
Hear too from riders and staff from Brother UK’s sponsored teams, including recent race winner Charlotte Hodgkins-Byrne (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK), a former Olympic rower, from her team-mate Alice Sharpe, who will represent Ireland in the women’s team pursuit at the Olympic Games in Paris, and from Paul Smith, assistant manager of Brother UK-OnForm, on the team’s successful outing in Belgium’s prestigious junior Gent-Wevelgem road race. -
The 2024 Women’s CiCLE Classic, Rod Ellingworth’s appointment as Race Director of the Tours of Britain and Cold Dark North’s Proper Northern Road Race Series are just some of the topics covered in this new episode, presented by co-hosts Timothy John and Phil Jones, the Managing Director of Brother UK.
Phil shares insights from inside the race convoy of the Women’s CiCLE Classic: a gruelling, mixed surface event in Rutland. From tyre choice to rider safety, mechanical issues to roadside crowds, Phil gives an eyewitness account of the race gained from inside the DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK team car.
Rod Ellingworth’s achievements as a coach and manager are well known, but his appointment as race director for the Tours of Britain represents a new challenge. Will his previous experience be sufficient in the face of innumerable operational challenges and hugely demanding timescales? Peter Harrison, race director of the Beaumont Trophy and Curlew Cup, gives his assessment.
Toby Cummins and Deb John, co-founders of Cold Dark North, are the architects of the Proper Northern Road Race Series, which Brother UK will serve as prize fund sponsor. We hear from Tobes on the value of prize money to attracting entrants and from Deb on the regulatory and administrative hurdles that are adding to the already difficult task of organising bike races in Britain.
Team Brother UK-OnForm, an Elite Development Team with a cohort of junior and U23 riders, as well as seniors, exemplifies our sponsorship of grassroots road racing. We hear from rider Hope Inglis, her mother Claire, and team manager Mark Botteley on how practical support from parents and financial support from a major business combines to develop resilient and resourceful young people.
Enjoy this episode, which also contains a summary of the recent Peaks 2 Day race, a look ahead to National A and B events to come, and insights from DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK’s Morven Yeoman on her impressive start to the season, overseas and on British roads. -
Race organiser Chris Lawrence is the man behind the Newark Town Centre Races and Dudley Grand Prix, both National Circuit Series events. As a member of British Cycling’s Elite Road Racing Task Force, his insights into the mechanics of race organisation proved invaluable to a panel chaired by triple Olympic champion Ed Clancy OBE and which included Phil Jones, Brother UK’s Managing Director.
A lack of races is the principal challenge affecting elite domestic road racing, and several of the 16 recommendations made by the Task Force to British Cycling, including succession planning for race organisers and the creation of ‘winning pattern playbooks’, inspired by successful events, are focussed on addressing this issue.
In this detailed conversation with co-host Timothy John, Chris describes the practical and logistical requirements for staging a race in the UK, from winning the support of local authorities to engaging communities. Sponsorship, networking, and the role of British Cycling’s Sport Developers are among several other topics discussed.
Chris describes his ‘light bulb moment’, walking across Newark’s Royal Market Square, having recently moved to the town. He shares his hopes for the Task Force’s recommendations and the broader pyramid of British road racing. He offers insights into the challenges and rewards of race organisation, from managing people to celebrating a job well done.
Enjoy this in-depth interview and gain a deeper insight into the mechanics of race organisation, arguably the most important piece in elite road racing’s puzzle. From reverse engineering entry fees from event costs to engendering a carnival atmosphere, Chris reveals the practical and social requirements for a successful bike race.
Budding race organisers can watch Chris' invaluable YouTube workshop here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O42K33tfYiU -
Co-hosts Timothy John and Phil Jones, the Managing Director of Brother UK, are joined by special guest Ed Clancy OBE, a triple Olympic champion, to discuss the recommendations of the Elite Road Racing Task Force and British Cycling’s new vision for major cycling events, including the tours of Britain for men and women.
No one is more qualified than Ed and Phil to discuss the Task Force’s sixteen recommendations and 40 supporting action points. Ed chaired the panel, and both sacrificed their time over a period of several months to contribute their expertise to a project intended to re-energise elite British road racing.
From succession planning for race organisers to commercial concerns, Ed and Phil lift the lid on months of meetings with their colleagues on an eight-strong panel of handpicked experts. Specifically, they discuss the five-step problem-solving mechanism proposed by Phil and adopted by Ed as the panel’s principal mode of operation.
After more than an hour’s detailed discussion, co-host Timothy John directs the focus of the episode to British Cycling’s ambition to host major cycling events in Britain, including the Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour of Britain, following the collapse of race organiser the SweetSpot Group.
The trio discuss the commercial challenges and opportunities the federation might encounter as it attempts to host races that Phil estimates will each require sponsorship of £1m. With the British economy in recession, British Cycling has its work cut out, but Ed reports that commercial endeavours have begun in earnest.
Enjoy this fifty-first episode of the Brother UK Cycling Podcast: a special edition that showcases our influence in the domestic sport. With the Elite Road Racing Task Force and the future of Britain’s national tours dominating headlines in the closed season, enjoy insights from experts aable to offer privileged insights. -
Josie Nelson might be the archetypal Rayner Foundation rider: resourceful, resilient and now a fully-fledged professional with WorldTour heavyweights Team DSM-Firmenich-PostNL. With the support of the Foundation and her family, the 21-year-old from Lichfield has progressed from British Cycling’s mountain bike academy to road racing’s top tier in only a handful of years.
The youngest of four siblings, Josie is the inheritor of sporting genes that propelled sister Emily to world and European team pursuit titles, yet nothing has been presented to her on a plate. Her determination to shape her own destiny is perhaps exemplified by her move to Belgium during the 2020 Covid pandemic to advance her cyclo-cross career as a teenager.
Her palmares might inspire envy among far more experienced riders. She has already ridden – and finished - the Tour de France Femmes and the women’s Paris-Roubaix, and won two of the biggest prizes in domestic cycling: the British circuit race championships and the women’s CiCLE Classic.
An all-rounder with a skillset ranging from track racing to Belgian kermesses, Josie has not ruled out becoming a GC rider, but in 2024 is keen to learn and develop with the support of a professional team. Having previously been part of a UCI Continental squad and raced for a Belgian club team before that, her ascent to the Women’s WorldTour has been both rapid and methodical.
The new season will bring new opportunities for Josie, whose programme includes the Spring Classics and early-season climbing races. The revered Strade Bianche, held on the white roads of Tuscany and concluding with a punchy uphill finish into Sienna, will surely play to the strengths of this former mountain biker with eyes now focussed on the glittering prizes of European road racing. -
Max Poole is among the most exciting new talents in the UCI WorldTour, even in a golden era for young riders. The 20-year-old has already ridden his first Grand Tour, winning the opening stage time-trial with his Team DSM-Firmenich-PostNL colleagues at last year’s Vuelta a España, before lighting up three stages with daring rides in the breakaway.
From learning his trade with Giles Pidcock’s Fensham Howes–MAS Design junior team and British Cycling’s Olympic Academy to a valuable year spent with DSM’s vaunted U23 ‘devo’ team, Poole describes the separate stages that have underpinned his meteoric rise from British junior road race champion to Grand Tour stage winner.
He shares his desire for continued and sustainable development, describes his team's valued mix of youth and experience, embodied by the Vuelta squad led by Romain Bardet, and celebrates the commitment shown by his Dutch team in agreeing a long-term contract.
On a quiet Thursday afternoon in January, co-host Timothy John sat down with Poole on the sun-soaked terrace of his team’s hotel on the Spanish Costa Blanca to discuss pre-season training camps, life as a professional, the ‘devo team’ revolution, the continuing challenges faced by Britain's domestic road scene and much more. -
Becky Storrie’s rise from the Brother UK-OnForm development team to the professional ranks with Team DSM-Firmenich-PostNL provides positive proof for the health of British women’s road racing and the continuing value of Brother UK’s sponsorships.
Five years ago, Becky was a psychology student at Stirling University and an amateur triathlete with no knowledge of professional cycling. Her meteoric rise, begun in the colours of Brother UK-OnForm and continued with sister squad CAMS-Basso (now DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK), provides a fascinating context to our latest episode.
We caught up with Becky at Team DSM-Firmenich-PostNL’s January training camp in Calpe to discuss a range of issues, from her formative seasons with Brother UK-OnForm to the life-changing opportunity presented by the Dutch WorldTour team.
In a wide-ranging conversation, Becky describes the “pinch me” moments of her first season as a professional, as well as its challenges: notably competing at the highest level of a sport with a team steeped in its heritage, despite having no history in cycling beyond the handful of years she had spent as a competitor.
From advanced training methods to the threat posed to the Women’s Tour - the platform for her breakthrough in 2022 - Becky and co-host Timothy John leave no stone unturned in this detailed discussion of a career set to fast-forward. -
Pfeiffer Georgi (Team DSM-Firmenich-PostNL) is the two-time and reigning British women’s road race champion and the leading rider in a young and talented generation of female cyclists from the UK. Still only 23, Pfeiffer is about to begin her sixth season as a professional. Some of the biggest prizes in the sport are now within her grasp.
In the relaxed and informal setting of Calpe’s Hotel Diamante, co-host Timothy John sat down with Pfeiffer at her team’s second training camp of the off-season to discuss her route to the top, a transformational period in women’s cycling and her hopes for 2024 as she attempts to build on the three professional victories gained last year.
Pfeiffer describes her earliest days as a cyclist, racing at Herne Hill Velodrome, her impressive rise through the junior ranks, winning some of the most prestigious races in Europe, and the long-term plan for success conceived by her team: one that has allowed her to develop free from pressure, even after she assumed the role of Classics leader.
From the “deep and burning desire” to regain the stripes of British road race champion that saw her crowned national champion for a second time, to guiding Charlotte Kool, arguably the fastest rider in the women’s peloton, through the melee of a bunch sprint, Pfeiffer offers open and honest answers to questions on a raft of topics, including her competitive desires and time management skills.
With a varied programme ahead, rich in opportunities, from the cobbled Classics to an experimental run at the Amstel Gold Race and, perhaps, even selection for the Olympic Games in Paris, this episode captures Pfeiffer’s thoughts at the beginning of what might be a pivotal season in her career. -
Lizzie Deignan is among Britain’s most successful cyclists. A world champion on track and road, an Olympic silver medalist and winner of the most prestigious races in professional cycling, she has consistently been among the peloton’s strongest riders in a period of exponential growth and transformational change in women’s cycling.
In a wide-ranging interview, Lizzie describes pivotal moments in her career, from being recruited as a teenager to British Cycling’s Talent Team to winning the inaugural women’s Paris-Roubaix with an extraordinary solo victory equal in significance to such a monumental occasion.
Speaking in the week before Christmas from Lidl-Trek’s pre-season training camp in Spain, Lizzie provides fascinating insights into some of the biggest victories of her career and offers an insightful commentary on the female sport’s continuing battle for parity.
From her earliest days as a professional cyclist in Belgium to the 2023 World Championships in Glasgow, Lizzie describes her continuing motivation, her legacy as an inspiration to a new generation of British female cyclists and her return to Yorkshire, where she combines family life with the demands of international sport.
Co-host Timothy John, formerly the editor of RoadCyclingUK.com and Rouleur.cc, discusses a host of topics with Lizzie in a broad and open conversation that offers a revealing portrait of a rider who continues to lead her sport by example in a period of expansion and evolution. -
Co-hosts Timothy John and Phil Jones, the Managing Director of Brother UK, attended the 2023 Rayner Foundation dinner and charity auction. The pair shared a table with former world champion Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek) and her husband Phil, a Grand Tour stage winner, and key members of the Foundation’s organising committee.
Despite enjoying the awards ceremony, charity auction and key note speeches, Phil and Tim found time to gather insights from this unique event: one that unites many of the decision makers in domestic and professional cycling with the stars of tomorrow. The Rayner dinner is at once glamorous and authentic.
Committee members Serena Meakin, Tim Harris and Josh Cutler describe their practical and emotional investment in the Foundation and the importance of the dinner to its excellent work. This year’s event attracted 301 guests: a higher turnout than last year, but still below pre-Covid levels. It must continue to grow.
Listen out for insights and observations from Giles Pidcock, Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ), and Oliver Knight (Team Cofidis), the Foundation’s Rider of the Year. Charlie Paige (TDT-Unibet) and Tom Portsmouth (Bingoal WB), other graduates to the professional ranks from the class of 2023, describe their experiences of living and racing abroad.
Hear too from the talented juniors joining prestigious development teams and the young female riders excelling in a new landscape for women’s cycling shaped to a large degree by Lizzie Deignan. And enjoy Tim and Phil’s extended discussion on the Foundation’s work and its intersection with the domestic road scene.
The pair consider the seemingly insatiable appetite of WorldTour development teams for young British riders. They discuss the explosion in British women’s racing too, with as many as seven UCI Continental women’s teams mooted for next season. And they reflect on the purpose of the elite men’s National Road Series.
Hear from those at the heart of the most respected charity in British cycle sport: its tireless volunteers, influential supporters and shooting stars. The Foundation has helped more than 90 British riders turn professional. Phil and Tim, experienced guides in the labyrinthine world of domestic racing, provide an informed commentary. -
Lukas Nerurkar is one of a handful of young British riders who will graduate to the UCI WorldTour in 2024. The Brighton teenager is the son of the British Olympian Richard Nerurkar and spent the first seven years of his life in Ethiopia. Mount Entoto hosted his formative cycling experiences.
In June, Lukas won a stage of the Baby Giro, a prestigious U23 race featuring some of the mountain passes used by the Giro d’Italia. He also won the white jersey competition at the professional Gran Camino race, an event won by two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).
Trinity Racing has aided Lukas’ path to the top as an under-23. The British-registered UCI Continental team offers its riders an early immersion into the lifestyle of a professional cyclist. Lukas shares a house in Girona with Trinity graduate and soon-to-be team-mate at EF Education-EasyPost, Ben Healey, the Irish champion.
In a revealing interview, Lukas describes his childhood in Ethiopia, growing up in a household accustomed to elite sporting success, his journey into cycling via the Preston Park club and VC Londres, and his decision to pursue a pathway to the top from overseas, rather than from the UK’s struggling domestic scene.
He offers insights into the value of a cycling education delivered by former British champions Pete Kennaugh and Ian Stannard, explains how he bounced back to win at the Baby Giro a day after his race derailed on the mighty Stelvio Pass, and discusses his continued evolution as a rider.
Timothy John, co-host of the Brother UK Cycling Podcast and the former editor of RoadCyclingUK.com and Rouleur.cc, leads an engaging conversation with Nerukrar, a talented and engaging young rider on the cusp of a bright future in road cycling’s top tier. -
From wise heads to rising stars, this episode of the Brother UK Cycling Podcast includes reflections from inside British Cycling’s domestic road racing Task Force and insights from Lukas Nerurkar, the 19-year-old from Brighton who next year will race in the UCI WorldTour with EF Education-EasyPost.
In a packed episode, co-hosts Timothy John and Phil Jones MBE, the Managing Director of Brother UK, hear too from the managers of Brother UK’s sponsored teams, and from Jos Ryan, mover-and-shaker in chief at The Rayner Foundation, as the rider charity moves closer to its annual dinner and auction in Leeds.
Additionally, Tiffany Keep, the 22-year-old South African whose career is developing at pace with Hutchinson-Brother UK, explains why Britain’s National Road Series is the perfect environment for a young female rider to develop, despite the structural and commercial challenges affecting the men’s scene.
Featuring a round-up of the 2023 National Road Series, a recap of the Brother UK-sponsored Tour of Britain, and a vital update from inside the Task Force, courtesy of Phil, this essential episode brings you up to speed with the latest developments in elite British road racing. - Show more
