The Forward Line

TFL Media

The Forward Line is a female-led, Sports Law Podcast, born and bred out of Melbourne Law School. We discuss the latest news and conduct guest interviews with Athletes, Sports Administrators & Academics.

  1. 25/07/2022

    36 | Tour de France Femmes | An Australian Preview with Bridie O’Donnell

    Folks, in 2019 when we first launched The Forward Line, we sat down in a room at Melbourne Law School and wrote a “dream list” of guests we hoped to one day interview on the podcast.   Bridie O'Donnell was the first name on our list & it will be easy for you to see from this conversation, why that was.    Bridie started her career in medicine! She is trained practitioner and worked as an Orthopaedic Surgical Assistant for 8 years before taking up cycling. Bridie then rode competitively from 2006 – 2017, with multiple pro-teams and carved our her speciality in the individual time trial.   She has represented Australia 3x at the UCI Road World Championships and in 2016, she broke the Women’s Hour World Record in Adelaide, riding an astonishing 46.882 kilometres   Since retiring from cycling, Bridie has excelled in all that she does – whether it is presenting on Radio or TV, working in Medicine or writing a Memoir. She has also held very senior positions in the Victorian State Government, both in the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation, and in the Department of Health.   But you'll probably know Bridie best for her work on SBS as a Lead in the Tour de France Commentary Team and this was the hat she was wearing when we spoke to her on Friday night   Our interview took place at midnight on Bridie’s time, and she had a HUGE day inclusive of 6 hours of commentary and long drives. Despite these demands, Bridie looked fresh as a daisy and was ever-the professional   This was such a special interview to have been a part of – Bride speaks so well. Her remarks on professional women’s sport & the need for equal opportunity are insightful, and internally challenged me to think about my own biases and the way I use language.     We talk about the supportive workplace culture at the SBS Commentary Team, surprise run ins with President Emmanuel Macron, the history of women’s the pro-peloton, the course and sportswomanship.    To follow Bridie's TDFF journey, you can find her here on Instagram or here, on Twitter.  We hope you enjoy the show!

    22 min
  2. 24/07/2022

    35 | Tour de France Femmes | An Australian Preview with Grace Brown

    It's here! Instalment #3 of Tour De France Femmes: An Australian Preview with Grace Brown.   To the Cycling World, Grace needs know introduction. After starting cycling in 2015, Grace has achieved some remarkable results. Carving out her speciality in the Individual Time Trial, Grace is a 2x and the current Australian National Time Trial Champion, and she placed came 4th at the Tokyo Olympics last year in this discipline.   But she’s also an all-rounder! With Stage wins, podiums at One Day Classics and a heart-breaking close second-place with her new Team FDJ at this year’s Women’s Tour of Britain, it’s easy to see why Gracie Elvin has named Grace as one of the best Women’s Cyclists in the World.   But above all else, Grace is an excellent person. We spoke to her less than 24 hours before she left for Paris, and she was relaxed in her home-base in Italy. There was smoothie making in the background, not a hint of nerves and she was one of the humblest people that I have met in sports.   You’ll see throughout this interview that Grace has a cracking sense of humour, a calm energy but behind all that, there’s also a fierce competitor. We talk FDJ, COVID, the Course and videography! Watch out for Grace on stages 3, 4 and 6 of this Bike Race – I heard she’s looking for a Race Win!   To follow Grace's TDFF Journey, you can find her on Instagram and Twitter. Enjoy the show & here’s Grace...

    11 min
5
out of 5
16 Ratings

About

The Forward Line is a female-led, Sports Law Podcast, born and bred out of Melbourne Law School. We discuss the latest news and conduct guest interviews with Athletes, Sports Administrators & Academics.