A special extended episode of RadioCycling comes live from Paris, as we attend the prestigious Vélo d'Or awards and the 2024 route announcements of the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes.
Our 24-hour Parisian special begins at the Pavilion Gabriel, just off the Champs-Élysées, where the great (most notably Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault) and good gathered for the first formal presentation of the prestigious Vélo d'Or awards by French magazine Vélo. We hear from the winners – or at least those that attended rather than opting for a short break at EuroDisney – including Demi Vollering, who swept up many of the major events on the women's calendar during a season when her SD Worx team were all-conquering.
Our special continues at the Tour de France presentations at Paris's Palais de Congrès. We hear from Mark Cavendish, Jonas Vingegaard, Jasper Philipsen, Demi Vollering once again, Audrey Cordon-Ragot, Patrick Lefevere and Richard Plugge, who give their thoughts on what lies ahead at next season's two biggest races.
The episode ends with our analysis of the two routes, including the significance of the Tour de France Femmes' first visit to Alpe d'Huez, the fuss generated by the Tour de France's inclusion of 32km of racing on gravel, and an examination of the key stages in both events.
This podcast is brought to you with the support of our sponsor, Saddle Skedaddle.