Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP

Mitch Docker
  • 4.8 (267)
  • WILDERNESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP

Ever wondered what life is like as a professional cyclist? Australian ex-professional cyclist Mitch Docker takes you inside the world of Professional Cycling. Bringing you the stories behind the individuals in the sport - from the pros in the peloton to staff behind the teams, to commentators & legends, plus training insights & debriefs on major races throughout the year. It’s all here! Newly retired from the professional peloton, Mitch is exploring his new pelotons - all the pelotons that exist outside of the world tour - bringing you fresh new stories from within the cycling community. His spin off series, Talking Luft - a bit like the DVD Extras - is where cycling style & culture takes centre stage. Talking cycling caps, bikes, kit, coffee stops, training loops and all the best things about riding a bike. Listen to all episodes here weekly! Find all our episodes, merch and more at lifeinthepeloton.com

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    BONUS: Life in the Peloton Chronicles: New Season, New Challenges

    This is a cheeky bonus excerpt from the longer episode. To listen to the whole thing and future episodes become a member of The Pelo. You won't want to miss these exclusive chats dropping throughout the 2025 season! It’s been a long, cold winter, but Svein and I are back for the 2025 season with a fresh ep of Life In The Peloton: Chronicles for you - the Pelo members.  Just like when we were pro cyclists, which feels like a long time ago now, we had ourselves a little off season to reset, freshen up, and make plans for the next year. It was great to catch up with Sveino for the first time since October, and this month we’re talking all about kicking off a new season as a rider. That mental reset is just as important as the physical one, and after a little break, Sveino and I are itching to get going! Things have changed a lot since we were riders. Back in our day, we had a relaxed start to the racing season; plenty of base miles over the winter, then rock up to Tour Down Under ready to get some intensity in the legs and build towards the first “real” races in the Spring. Sveino even rode 2000km from Canada to California for an early season team camp in 2003 to build some fitness after a winter relaxing out in the snow and skiing rather than riding! I love hearing Sveino’s wild, adventurous stories - he’s like the original Lachy Morton. Nowadays, early season races like the Tour Down Under are real targets for a lot of riders. Whether it’s a team hunting UCI points to avoid relegation, neo pros that need to start getting experience in the bunch with the big boys, or legendary riders targeting San Remo in March that want some race KMs in their legs before their competitors back in Europe. We’ve just had the 25th edition of the race, and I was down in Adelaide getting stuck into the action in the commentary booth, at the roadside, and - of course - behind the pod mic, catching up with some old mates. Svein and I listened back to some great chats with our old mates Michael Hepburn, Luke Durbridge, Sam Bewley, and Aaron Gate about the Tour Down Under and how it can set a rider up for the season ahead.  I also caught up with a guy I used to love spinning a yarn with in the bunch; the president of the CPA, Adam Hansen. We spoke about the new UCI rules that will impact the races this season. New feedzone regulations, changes to time gaps if you crash in the final, and the introduction of yellow cards for multiple infractions - it’s going to keep the riders on their toes this year, that’s for sure.   As always, Svein and I chat about a heap of other topics - with plenty of anecdotes from our time in the bunch and the years since we both hung up the race wheels. I love telling these stories, and I hope you love hearing them. Cheers! Mitch

    16 min
  2. Life in the Peloton's Race Radio - Episode 1

    3 DAYS AGO

    Life in the Peloton's Race Radio - Episode 1

    Well, it’s finally here. I’m really excited to share with you the first episode of a BRAND NEW Podcast series here on Life In The Peloton. This is Life In The Peloton’s Race Radio and, for the first time in 10 years, this pod isn’t hosted by me!  That’s right, this is two best friends - Harry Dowdney and Stu Downie - taking a look at the sport we love from the perspective of the fans. These funny British lads started producing this podcast themselves a year ago, and I’ve been a fan since day one, so I’m so pleased to bring them in under the Life In The Peloton umbrella and share their chemistry, banter, and opinions with you. These guys have captured those cycling chats you have in the pub and turned them into a great podcast, and I really hope you love it as much as I do.  I asked Stu to give me a bit of a blurb for you all so you know exactly what you’re getting into, and this is what he said:  “Harry and I are unashamed adult besties that started out seeking fun at the fringes of the WorldTour. Since then, we’ve made films and written stories for the biggest teams, athletes, and brands – from a clapped-out campervan tour through cycling’s history to the heady heights of the WorldTour – and we’ve never lost their fascination with the sport and its characters along the way. Race Radio is a fan’s eye viewthat celebrates the spirit of the sport and doesn’t hold back, telling stories from the serious or strange to the sublime.” In this first episode of Life In The Peloton’s Race Radio, the boys turn the mic on me! We talk about how our paths first crossed and some of the adventures along the way. Then, they wrap up the Tour Down Under, and talk about what makes the race so great - and my old mate Mike Woods drops in for a bit, too.  It’s a great ep and a perfect introduction to Harry & Stu all in their unique style that’ll leave you laughing just as much as I did. I really hope you enjoy this new addition to the Podcast family.  Cheers, Mitch

    57 min
  3. The Race Communiqué - Season 2 Episode 1

    22 JAN

    The Race Communiqué - Season 2 Episode 1

    Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP The 2025 road racing season has kicked off down here in Adelaide at the Tour Down Under, and that can only mean one thing; it’s time for The Race Communiqué! It’s been a long off season, but Southam, Durbo, and I are back on the mics having a yarn about bike racing, and boy is it good to be back. TDU is a special race. Not only is it my “home” race, but it’s also one of the only times of the year that EF Education Easypost DS Tom Southam, newly crowned Aussie natty champ Luke Durbridge, and I are all in the same place. So, for the first episode of 2025, we decided to kick the pod up a gear and record it LIVE! We’ve also recorded a video podcast which you can find over on Life In The Peloton’s Youtube channel - so make sure you go and give that a watch! Durbo, still riding high from his epic victory in Perth a few weeks back, kicks off the pod by talking us through his incredible ride that secured him the green and gold bands. It was a show of amazing team tactics, a little bit of luck, and a hell of a lot of hard work from Turbo Durbo - and it’s awesome to get his insight on how the race played out. Obviously with the launch of MAAPs awesome collaboration with Jayco Alula, we discuss the new team kits in the peloton in ‘Pelo Chat’. We talk about how the style of the peloton has changed over the years, and how a good team kit can totally redefine a team’s identity.  Tom’s ‘Talking Tactics’ segment dives into the new UCI rules that have changed the way riders will feed in the bunch this season. Trust me, it’s way more interesting than it sounds, and will make a huge difference to team strategy this season.  Of course, it wouldn’t be The Race Communiqué without the Communi-Quiz - a TDU special hosted by Southam.  I’m also stoked to announce that for the 2025 season, The Race Communiqué will be presented by TrainingPeaks. TrainingPeaks is a great piece of software for coaches, professional athletes, and amateurs alike that Tom, Luke, and I have all used religiously throughout our respective careers. It’s great to have them on board helping bring The Race Communiqué to you guys this year.  Sit down, grab yourself a brew, and give this a listen; it’s a great start to 2025.  Cheers! Mitch   Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:09:49 - Part 1: Mitch's Race Recap 00:25:19 - Part 2: Luke's Pelo Chat 00:33:59 - Part 3: Tom's Talking Tactics 00:53:21 - Part 4: Communi-quiz ----more---- The Life in the Peloton book is OUT NOW! Get your copy now exclusively at maap.cc! Can’t wait for you to read it. Watch Life in the Peloton's FIRST EVER video podcast here. Each episode of Race Communique this season will be coming to you in both audio and video. Stay tuned to our YouTube Channel for more episodes and clips throughout the season. This episode is supported by our friends at Training Peaks.

    1h 3m
  4. Talking Luft! With Lucy Bartholomew

    18 JAN

    Talking Luft! With Lucy Bartholomew

    Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP For 2025, I’m bringing back a fan favourite. That’s right, Talking Luft is BACK! When the mood is right, I’ll be dropping a classic Talking Luft episode a few days after the main Life In The Peloton pod drops, just to give you guys an extra bite of the cherry. This is where we try to find a bit more out about special guests though some short rapid fire questions. I’m kicking off with my first guest of the season; Lucy Bartholomew. We had a great day out going for a ride, a cheeky brew, and a bit of a run - just to really get to know more about her and what makes her tick.  Obviously Lucy’s best known for her running exploits, so this Talking Luft is going to have a bit of a trail running twist, but the old classic Talking Luft questions are in there too. Talking Luft is always great fun to record, and this ep with Lucy is no different. She won’t mind me saying, I had to explain what Luft even is, so if you’re new around here this is a great place to start. Have a listen to me and Lucy chatting all things Luft to kick off the 2025 season. Cheers! Mitch Chapters 00:01:17 - Introduction 00:02:40 - What is a luft? 00:04:46 - Cafe and coffee stop preferences 00:06:08 - Bunch direction dialect 00:06:57 - Running fashion 00:11:39 - Favourite training loop 00:12:37 - Mitch’s running scenario 00:15:25 - War story 00:16:52 - Why do you do it? ----more---- The Life in the Peloton book is OUT NOW! Get your copy now exclusively at maap.cc! Can’t wait for you to read it.

    19 min
  5. Lucy Bartholomew

    15 JAN

    Lucy Bartholomew

    Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP Happy New Year! Life In The Peloton is back, and I’m really excited to kick off 2025 with one of the brightest stars in the Ultrarunning world; Lucy Bartholomew. A Melbourne native, Lucy’s been competitively trail running since she was 16, when she lined up at a 100km race along the South Coast of Victoria with her old man. Since then, she’s gone on to win Ultra Trail Race Australia in 2022, set the FKT on the truly epic 231km Larapinta Trail up in Northern Territory, and competed over in Europe at Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. As if she wasn’t already hardcore enough, in 2024 just a few weeks after finishing UTMB, she jetted off to Nice to tackle IronMan World Champs…just for fun!  Ultrarunners are known for their resilience and determination, and Lucy completely epitomises that. I loved chatting to her about how she trains for 100km+ races, what it takes to make it in the ultrarunning world, some of her wild experiences out on the trail, how her parents - her dad, Ash, in particular - have helped drive her ultrarunning journey, and how she finds the mental strength to push through the tough moments. It was a really inspiring conversation that I think you’re going to love. I was super excited to record with Lucy in person back home around my old area. We actually kicked off the pod by heading for a bike ride up Kinglake, before ripping back down for a quick brew. Then, we laced up the runners and headed out for a little 10ker, and chatted along the way. Needless to say, I kept the questions short to save my breath for running next to one of the most experienced ultrarunners in the world. I want to continue to explore even more new Pelotons in 2025, and the Trail Running space feels like the perfect place to start. It’s a sport that’s fascinated me for a while, having dabbled in a few ultra runs myself, so I wanted to bring you all inside a discipline that may not be so familiar to the cycling fans amongst you but shares a deep sense of challenge, performance, and adventure. I was fascinated to learn more about the psychology of ultrarunning and find out how similar it is to cycling. Lucy’s been at the top of her game in the running space for the best part of a decade now, and it’s so cool that she’s now crossing over into our world and giving cycling a go. I hope you love listening to Lucy as much as I loved chatting with her. She’s an all round legend, and might just inspire you to give trail running, or even an ultrarun, a go if you haven’t before. We even recorded a cheeky ep of Talking Luft, so keep your ears peeled for that later this week! Chapters 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:08:08 - Part 1: Ride up Kinglake 00:34:15 - Part 2: Coffee shop chat 00:57:27 - Part 3: Running the trails 01:10:23 - Outro ----more---- This episode is also supported by our friends at JOIN. JOIN Cycling is the #1 cycling tool that sets you up with dynamic and flexible training plans based on your goal, availability and training history. Head over to join.cc/litp to get your 30-day free trial now! The Life in the Peloton book is OUT NOW! Get your copy now exclusively at maap.cc! Can’t wait for you to read it.

    1h 12m
  6. Grace Brown - From World Champion to Bowing Out in Style

    23/10/2024

    Grace Brown - From World Champion to Bowing Out in Style

    Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP Well, this is it, guys. It's the end of the road season, and if you're a long-time listener, you'll know it's the end of the season for us here at Life on the Peloton. For the pro peloton, it's time to take a break from cycling. Just thinking of it takes me back to my racing days, as the 'offy' was always a bit of a special time, especially when you first arrive back in Australia. You’ve got time to rest, have a bit of a party, and reconnect with home before it's time to get back into training for the new season. Before we shut down for a little break, we've got a really special guest to close out not only our season but her career too. None other than the current Olympic and World T.T. Champion, Grace Brown! I've been holding off on chatting with Grace online this year because I wanted to have this conversation in person. Little did I know Grace was going to have the epic season she's had, capping it all off with the ultimate mic drop: calling it a day on professional racing while winning at the highest level. After all that amazing success through a season that saw her become Australia’s first female monument winner, I managed to catch up with her, still a little jet-lagged from the flight—or her career (we weren’t sure which was catching up with her!). Grace was kind enough to meet me for an afternoon coffee in her adopted hometown of Melbourne to have a good old-fashioned yarn for this pod. We talked about her career, the Olympic Games, her experiences there, retirement, relationships, and of course, how to bow out in style. For the final time this season, it’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy. Cheers! Mitch ----more---- The Life in the Peloton book is OUT NOW! Get your copy now exclusively at maap.cc! Can’t wait for you to read it.

    1h 2m
  7. The Race Communiqué - Episode 10

    16/10/2024

    The Race Communiqué - Episode 10

    Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP The Race Communique is exclusively brought to you by The Escape Collective. Check out the new and improved BikeGrid which now goes all the way back to riders from 2001! Go and check it out and let me know how you get on. Hey everyone, just like that, the 2024 World Tour season has nearly wrapped up. Even though there's still racing happening in China, here at Life in the Peloton, we're calling it and diving straight into the final Race Communiqué of the season. I'm joined by Luke and Tom, just days into their offseasons, to unpack what has been one of the best seasons of racing I’ve ever seen. Not every year you get to witness a Grand Slam or experience the kind of non-stop action and long-range attacks we had in 2024. In this Race Communiqué, we’ve got much more than just a seasonal wrap-up. Tom jumps in early with his Talking Tactics segment, and then we settle into Luke's Pelo Chat, where he shares insights on the future of the U23 category and how the UCI might look to enhance youth racing moving forward. We’ve also highlighted some of our favourite rides, riders, races, and memorable moments from the year. With our different opinions, you'll hear some fantastic stories that emerged during our conversation. To top it all off, we have the end-of-season Communi-quiz, which is crucial for determining who will be shouting the beers during the offy! I really enjoy putting these Communiqués together, and this one was a blast to make. It’s a shame we can’t do more for now, but for 2024, this is your final episode of The Communiqué. We hope you've enjoyed listening along. We'll be back after a well-deserved break (with a few cold ones) for an even better 2025. So stay tuned, and for now, sit back, relax, and enjoy. Cheers, Mitch

    52 min
  8. The story behind the Dirty Docker

    09/10/2024

    The story behind the Dirty Docker

    It might only be Wednesday, but this week is absolutely massive for us at Life in the Peloton. It’s the week of the Dirty Docker—our inaugural cycling and running festival happening up in my hometown of Lancefield this weekend! With such an exciting event on the horizon, I thought, why not dedicate this entire podcast to the Dirty Docker? This event has been over a year in the making, and I can’t wait to share all the details with all of our listeners. Even if you can’t make it to Lancefield, whether you’re overseas or just tied up, I want you to feel like you’re part of the action. We’ll be diving deep into what the Dirty Docker is all about. From cross-country running to cyclocross, and of course, our premier event—the Cobawsome Gravel Ride—there’s something for everyone. But that’s not all. We’ll also be exploring each of these disciplines with the experts who helped bring them to life. You’ll get to understand the roots of cross-country running, the history of cyclocross, and the unique aspects of our Dirty Docker cyclocross course, including a nod to the iconic Cross Vegas course. Plus, my good mate and the voice of the Dirty Docker, Paul Van Der Ploeg, will join us for a deep dive into the gravel phenomenon—where it’s been, where it’s going, and what makes it so special. So, whether you’re gearing up to join us this weekend or just tuning in from afar, this episode is packed with insights and excitement to get you pumped. I’m really excited for this one, guys.  Give it a listen and get ready for an epic weekend! Cheers, Mitch

    57 min
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4.8
out of 5
267 Ratings

About

Ever wondered what life is like as a professional cyclist? Australian ex-professional cyclist Mitch Docker takes you inside the world of Professional Cycling. Bringing you the stories behind the individuals in the sport - from the pros in the peloton to staff behind the teams, to commentators & legends, plus training insights & debriefs on major races throughout the year. It’s all here! Newly retired from the professional peloton, Mitch is exploring his new pelotons - all the pelotons that exist outside of the world tour - bringing you fresh new stories from within the cycling community. His spin off series, Talking Luft - a bit like the DVD Extras - is where cycling style & culture takes centre stage. Talking cycling caps, bikes, kit, coffee stops, training loops and all the best things about riding a bike. Listen to all episodes here weekly! Find all our episodes, merch and more at lifeinthepeloton.com

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