Beyond the Peloton Podcast

Spencer Martin and co-host Andrew Vontz break down early-season racing, as well as discussing how early crashes to top stars like Mads Pedersen have already shaped the 2026 season, and if Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel are taking unnecessary risks with their off-season alpine ski trips. They also debate whether SoCal’s CBR race series is truly the heart of American bike racing, why the Unibet Rockets were left out of the 2026 Tour de France, and discuss a few standout comments from Quinn Simmons’ recent interview, as well as whether XDS-Astana needs to refresh its team rap video format.
BTP’s State of the 2026 USA Cycling Union
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Andrew’s Choose the Hard Way Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Spencer Martin and co-host Andrew Vontz, just back from their annual team-building retreat at Pace Ranch in Tucson, Arizona, discuss the 2026 season’s kickoff races, what has stood out to them, and if Remco Evenepoel’s strong start at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe means the Belgian is on track to meet the lofty goals set by the team. They also go through the news that Picnic-PostNL is in deep financial trouble, and attempt to decipher EF’s public call for further funding.
2026 BTP NET Ratings: Projecting How Each Team Will Stack up by the End of the Season
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Andrew’s Choose the Hard Way Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Follow Spencer & Andrew on Strava


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondthepeloton.substack.com/subscribe

Spencer Martin and co-host Andrew Vontz kick off the New Year by discussing Wout van Aert’s extremely unfortunate broken ankle and how it will affect his upcoming season, as well as what his Visma–Lease a Bike team can do to plug the hole left by Simon Yates’ shocking and sudden retirement, before discussing whether there is WorldTour talent hiding in plain sight on Strava leaderboards.
2026 Rider Tiers Part 1: Ranking the Top 20 Grand Tour Contenders Heading into the New Season
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Andrew’s Choose the Hard Way Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Follow Spencer & Andrew on Strava (and comment on a recent ride) to join the challenge


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondthepeloton.substack.com/subscribe

Spencer Martin and co-host Andrew Vontz are joined by Riding With’s Jonathan Kaplan to break down their annual end-of-year challenge, the Abandon Your Family 500, where they ride 500 kilometers before Christmas Day.
BTP Newsletter: UAE’s Performance Duo Jeroen Swart & Javier Sola on the Training Philosophy Behind Their Team’s Success
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Andrew’s Choose the Hard Way Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Follow Spencer & Andrew on Strava (and comment on a recent ride) to join the challenge


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondthepeloton.substack.com/subscribe

In this bonus minisode, Tadej Pogačar speaks in front of the gathered press at UAE Team Emirates' media day in Benidorm, Spain, during his UAE team’s training camp. The featured audio includes Pogačar’s press conference, where he outlines his early-season plans and reveals key details of his upcoming schedule, his priorities for the year ahead, what’s motivating him right now, and how he’s approaching the next phase of his career.
*This audio was captured in live press conference, so please excuse the lower quality relative to other episodes


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondthepeloton.substack.com/subscribe