S12 Ep15: Last Woman Back

Our mini-feature this month focuses on the final riders to complete Paris-Roubaix. Riders who have had to overcome difficult circumstances to reach the end of one of the most formidable races in cycling, even when they finished way outside of the time limit. We speak to Ilaria Sanguineti, Eluned King and Senne Knaven about what motivated them to push past crashes, injuries and calamitous conditions to reach the famed velodrome and what it is like to ride the famous cobbles once the race is already long gone. We also have plenty of race analysis from the first few Classics of the season. Rose Manley is joined by Denny Gray and Rebecca Charlton to pick apart what could be a changing of the guard at the top of the women’s peloton. Elisa Balsamo outsprinted rider-of-the-moment Lotte Kopecky to take the spoils at Trofeo Binda after a huge effort from her team. With Lidl-Trek finally taking the top spot after improving results and rising confidence, we ask: what gave Lidl-Trek the winning edge and could it finally end SD Worx’s winning dominance? We also discuss Ellen Van Dijk’s victorious return from maternity leave, pick out rising stars Mareille Meijering and Puck Pieterse, and make a rare detour on to the track to reflect on Laura Kenny’s golden career following her retirement. This episode is sponsored by AG1 If you want to take ownership of your health, try AG1 and get a FREE one-year supply of Vitamin D AND five free AG1 travel packs with your first purchase. Go to drinkAG1.com/cycling Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe  here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 100 exclusive episodes. Our latest, four-part KM0 special, ‘Classicissima: Springtime in Sanremo’ is available on the Kilometre 0 for Friends of The Cycling Podcast feed now. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.