Luke Durbridge: This Is Your Life… in the Peloton

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I can’t believe the time has come, but Luke Durbridge has reached the end of his career as a professional cyclist. After 15 years riding for Greenedge, becoming one of the most respected riders in the bunch, and picking up a few wins of his own along the way, Durbo’s entered the endless off season of retirement.

To mark the occasion, I surprised Luke with this special episode: “This Is Your Life…in the Peloton”. I lured Luke onto a call to record a Tour de France route review pod, and instead sprung a two hour yarn looking back through his highs, lows, and everything in between with the help of some very special guests.

I called up some of Luke’s team mates from his years as a rider, his closest friends, and his family to piece together a picture of the man, the myth, the total bloody legend that is Luke Durbridge to guide us through this mega look back at Durbo’s life.

We start way back at the beginning with his mum, Helen, and hear what Luke was like as a youngster. Michael ‘Heppy’ Hepburn was right there alongside Luke for almost his entire career, and he shares the story of the day they both signed their first pro contracts and “made it” as professionals.

Old mates Sveino, Matt White, Zak Dempster, and Chris Juul Jensen paint the picture of what Luke was like as an athlete and how he carved out a career that saw him win six national titles, race the Tour de France 12 times, and become known as one of the real engine rooms of the peloton.

To round it off, I called Lara Durbridge - Luke’s childhood sweetheart, his wife, and the mother of his son Henry. Lara lifted the lid on how Luke and her met, where he’s found his motivation to keep riding for so long, and what he’s looking forward to most about retiring.

Guys, I’m not gonna lie, this was an emotional one for me. Durbo’s a special rider, one of my best mates, and - above all - a bloody great bloke.

This is a long one, so you’re gonna need a few beers to keep you company as you listen to Luke and I yarn away. Please join me in congratulating Luke on an absolutely stellar career, and wish him all the best as he cracks open the first of many cold ones as an ex-professional cyclist.

Durbs, mate, what a ride.

Cheers,

Mitch

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