Velo Podcast

The Velo Podcast brings you inside the world of gravel and road racing with Velo's team of reporters and commentators.

Velo Podcast is a sports podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 665 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Velo Podcast, a sports show with 665 episodes published.

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  Velo Podcast

  220 Miles on an Aero Race Bike, Seven Straight Centuries, and the 14-Pound Trek Domane 5

  Aug 14, 202653 min

  Featuring: Mike Levy, Josh Ross, Lisa Charlebois, and Logan Jones-Wilkins The Velo tech team breaks down a week of massive summer rides, including fueling disasters on a 1x Factor One and why Trek’s endurance labeling might be entirely wrong. It is the height of summer, and right now, we are doing some massive rides. We are all here this week—including Lisa Charlebois, Logan Jones-Wilkins, Mike Levy, and Josh Ross. This week we talk about how Logan just did a century on a new bike, but before we get to that, it was Josh's turn to discuss a “big dumb ride.” The 220-Mile Aero Experiment: Last weekend, Josh took the Factor One to the beach and back from Portland. It’s a 220-mile ride with 14,000 feet of elevation, and the base build of the One wasn’t extreme enough. To set things right in the aero world, he swapped the wheels for a staggered Zipp 858 NSW / 454 NSW setup and paired that with a SRAM 1x XPLR groupset. We start by talking about how that 13-hour ride went, including the fueling mistakes that led to violently retching on the side of the road. Seven Centuries in Seven Days: Last week, Lisa declared she’d be doing a century a day for seven days. She crushed it and recorded the numbers. She rode for 52 hours, but how many pounds of sugar did she consume during that time? We discuss the fueling, and Levy reveals why the number of people she rode with is actually the most surprising part of the whole thing. Testing the Trek Domane 5: We bring home the discussion with Logan and the century that was just a small part of the 650 miles he spent on the Trek Domane 5. Trek calls it an endurance bike, but is that what it actually is? It weighs only 14 lbs and will take up to a 40mm tire. Is there a better name for it? Logan walks us through his thoughts on the bike, including why he loves it so much. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:35 - 220 mile ride on a 1x aero race bike 18:52 - A century a week results and figures 28:27 - Trek Madone review Articles covered in this episode: The New Trek Domane is Too Good to Call an Endurance Bike

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  Velo Podcast

  The Aero Math Behind "Bra Maxxing" and the Reality of 32-Inch Wheels

  Aug 7, 202638 min

  Featuring: Mike Levy and Lisa Charlebois How much time does "bra maxing" actually save in a pro peloton? This week, we dive into the Tour de France Femmes tech controversy that could alter podiums, look at the brutal reality of 32-inch gravel bikes, and check in on a 700-mile Century Week. With Josh and Logan out this week, Lisa Charlebois and Mike Levy hold down the studio to discuss the big, dumb rides they are both doing and the biggest aero news of the week. First up: Mike’s ongoing saga with 32-inch wheels. He tackled a 160km Fraser Valley “gravel” epic in continuous rain on his Salsa Fargo 32. He breaks down why the massive wheels continue to impress him, where a rigid fork falls short, and how a stranger's campfire saved his ride. Then, a welfare check on Lisa. She is in the middle of a self-imposed "Century Week"—riding 100 miles a day for seven days straight. She gets into the reality of surviving a 700-mile week while trying to maintain basic human functions off the bike, plus the unexpected rig she chose for this crazy challenge. Finally, the pair tackle the "bra maxxing" (or bra doping) controversy. They run the math on exactly how much time a rider stands to gain with a chest fairing and debate whether the UCI should step in or consider it fair game. Chapter Markers: 00:00 - Intro 02:13 - Mike Levy does a huge ride on a 32-inch bike 11:22 - Lisa and the daily century week 28:37 - Bra doping at the TDFF

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  Velo Podcast

  Marketing vs. Engineering and the 32-Inch Bike Debate

  Jul 31, 20261h 19m

  Featuring: Mike Levy, Josh Ross, Lisa Charlebois, and Logan Jones-Wilkins Episode Description: We rank the fastest aero road bikes, discuss Lisa’s plan to ride 700 miles in a week, and unpack how the giant Salsa Fargo actually handles in the woods of BC. We missed last week because we were all deep in the woods in British Columbia testing, among other things, a 32-inch bike. We actually recorded a podcast while together but you will have to wait for that one. For now, the team is back in our home studios to discuss some of what we found in the forest. We get rolling with news that Charlebois is riding seven centuries next week. That’s right, she had a surplus of fitness after a planned event fell through, so… why not? Think you could do seven centuries in seven days? We talk to her about how she plans to motivate for it and we all go around the room to share our much lower highest-mileage weeks. Next we answer listener questions but it’s primarily about the big three aero bikes. I’ve ridden the Factor One, the Cervelo S5, and the Colnago Y1RS, plus we throw the Specialized Tarmac SL9 into the mix. One of you out there wanted to know what I would choose to ride and why given those choices. The team graciously gave me a chance to sit in my happy place and discuss those aero bikes. Not for too long though. Pretty soon we rolled into questioning marketing vs. engineering in terms of bike design. We all have pretty strong feelings about who drives the conversation and why. Which is, of course, a perfect segue into discussing the 32-inch Salsa Fargo that we rode in Squamish. Timestamps: 00:00:00 – Intro & Introductions 00:00:50 - Lisa and 7 centuries 00:13:30 - Riding in British Columbia 00:29:55 - Listener questions and aero bikes 00:41:20 - More listener questions and marketing vs. engineering 01:00:00 - Riding the Salsa Fargo 32

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  Velo Podcast

  Velo Podcast: The Tour Circus, 200 Miles on an Aero Bike, and the Bike Luggage Debate

  Jul 17, 20261h 8m

  Is the Tour de France actually a circus, and how do riders survive the extreme heat? Plus, why you shouldn't put luggage on a race bike. This week, the whole gang is in the virtual studio to talk about everything happening in the cycling world right now. Logan Jones-Wilkins kicks things off with his firsthand account of the Tour de France and shares a radical take on why moving race start times to beat the heat is harder than it sounds. Then, Mike Levy pulls a listener question that sparks a debate on why we push gear testing past the 1,000-mile mark. That leads perfectly into a recap of the 200-mile Seattle to Portland (STP) event, where Lisa Charlebois pedaled a traditional round-tube metal bike while I coasted past on a fully-kitted aero Factor One. Finally, we break down my review of the Pinarello Dogma X and explain why its "endurance" label masks a bike that still fundamentally wants to race. In This Episode We Cover: The Tour de France: The reality of the circus and how the peloton handles scorching temperatures. Extreme Heat Strategies: Why starting races earlier isn't an easy fix, plus tips for surviving hot weather rides. Gear Testing: Why a saddle that feels great at 100 miles might fail at 1,000. The STP Ride: Aero bikes vs. round-tube metal frames over 200 miles. The Luggage Debate: Why race bikes and frame storage (or saddlebags) don't mix. Pinarello Dogma X: A deep dive into the quirks of Italian bike reviews and racing heritage. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro & Guest Introductions 01:35 – Survival Tips for Riding in Extreme Heat 06:47 – Heat Training & Hydration Strategies 12:15 – How the Tour de France Peloton Handles the Heat 16:26 – Should the Cycling Calendar Change Due to Climate? 24:00 – Listener Question: Finding the Perfect Long-Distance Saddle 30:05 – Recapping the Seattle to Portland (STP) 200-Mile Ride 40:05 – On-Bike Nutrition: The Magic of Tums for Cramps 45:40 – Pinarello Dogma X Review: Race Performance vs. Endurance 55:00 – The Great Debate: Frame Storage vs. Bike Luggage

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  Velo Podcast

  Every bike isn't the Factor One and why Mike Levy broke on the Tour Divide

  Jul 10, 20261h 14m

  And we’re back, everyone. Mike Levy returns from the wilderness, and Lisa Charlebois and I join him to unpack exactly where he’s been. But before we get to the heartbreak of ultra-endurance racing, the Tour de France is in full swing, and we’ve got a wild first week to discuss. Tour de France Carnage & UCI Rulings We kick things off with the absolute chaos of the opening team time trial. Two crashes in the exact same spot on a manhole cover beg the question: is this the UCI's fault for not securing the course, or the teams' fault for not scouting a public road? Plus, we break down the Wile E. Coyote-style crash from the XDS-Astana rider, and the UCI's controversial decision to ban ice socks in the middle of a historic heatwave. Defending the Tarmac SL9 We also dive back into the Specialized Tarmac SL9 discourse. I respond to a listener who compared the SL9’s iterative updates to the Porsche 911. I’m defending the bike against the "boring" allegations—everyone says they want a refined, incredible-riding bike, so why complain when a brand delivers exactly that? Not every bike needs to be the Factor One. Mike Levy's Tour Divide Reality Check The real heart of the show is Levy detailing his abbreviated Tour Divide attempt. He walks us through the sleep deprivation, the cement mud, the brutal realities of pushing a 55-pound bike for hours, and the catastrophic rock strike that ultimately ended his ride. It’s a raw look at what happens when the physical matches the mental breaking point, the absolute relief of finally stopping, and why he’s already thinking about trying it again next year. Episode Timestamps: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:04 Tour de France discussion 00:12:04 Listener questions including about the Tarmac SL9 00:32:53 Mike Levy attempts the Tour Divide

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