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In 1985 and 1986, mercurial climber Philippa York twice came one step away from becoming Britain’s first Grand Tour winner – only for a combination of bad luck, mismanagement, Machiavellian machinations and team alliances to thwart her. We remember how the Scot fell short of glory in controversial circumstances. Re-Cycle is written by Felix Lowe, n…

In this episode of Re-Cycle, we re-count when Federico Bahamontes blew a 16-minute lead to hand his big rival Jesús Loroño the yellow jersey on a plate It was one of cycling's bitterest rivalries and that fateful Vuelta 1957 took things to a new level. But there’s much more than there seems to a story that blends social, political, economic, sporti…

In this episode of Re-Cycle, we re-count the time Rudi Altig defied teammate Jacques Anquetil to win the 1962 Vuelta. Frenchman Jacques Anquetil entered the 1962 Vuelta a España aiming to become the first rider in history to win all three of cycling’s Grand Tours. But the time trial specialist was beaten at his own game by his young teammate, who b…

In this episode of Re-Cycle, we look back on a ride that really was too good to be true. A day after handing the initiative to Oscar Pereiro for a second time following an implosion at La Toussuire, Floyd Landis turned the 2006 Tour upside down. Going clear on the first of five climbs 120km from Stage 17’s finish, Landis blew his rivals away with a…

In this episode of Re-Cycle, we’re riding with Eros Poli, a man famous for being the tallest rider in the peloton as well as finishing last in the Giro d’Italia, while also piloting Mario Cipollini to multiple stage wins. Then, on a sweltering day in the Tour de France, Poli went on the attack en route to Mont Ventoux. Here’s the story of how some …

Sunstroke and a bottle of wine made Abdel-Kader Zaaf a household name at the 1950 Tour after he passed out on his bike then, in a daze, rode back towards the peloton. A year later, the Algerian trailblazer finished last after launching the move that ended the grieving Fausto Coppi’s bid for yellow. Felix Lowe remembers a man who blurred the lines b…

In the first of our 4-stage Tour run of Re-Cycle, Felix Lowe tells the story of the accidental yellow jersey. Eddy Merckx’s bid to wear the Yellow Jersey from start to finish at the 1971 Tour de France was scuppered when his Molteni teammate Rini Wagtmans took the race lead by mistake on a crazy triple-split stage. Felix Lowe remembers a chaotic ra…

In this episode of Re-Cycle, Felix Lowe turns back the clock to June 1946, just a few months after the end of World War II. A reduced field took to the start of the Giro d’Italia in Milan, with Italy divided and in turmoil. His career derailed by the War, Gino Bartali’s third victory in the Giro came 10 years after his first. But he had to battle h…

It’s rightly gone down as one of the most legendary stages in the Giro d’Italia: when the race hit Tuscany’s Strade Bianche amid a deluge of rain turning the usually dusty affair into a mud slick. Stage 7 of the 2010 Corsa Rosa, saw world champion, Cadel Evans prove too powerful for Alexandre Vinokourov, as the Australian called on all his strength…

Luxembourg climber Charly Gaul braved blizzards and frozen temperatures on Monte Bondone to win Stage 20 of the 1956 Giro. By doing so, the ‘Angel of the Mountains’ overturned a seemingly impossible deficit to take a heavenly overall victory as his rivals gave up or hitched a lift to the summit. In the latest episode of Re-Cycle, we recall one of t…

Part Two of a Cipollini two-parter. As Mario Cipollini moved towards retirement, his flaws were amplified, his words were heard differently and his true nature became clear. "In the pantheon of Giro greats – the names that have really shaped the history of the event – he wasn’t fit to shine their shoes". Re-Cycle is narrated by Graham Willgoss and …

Part One of a Cipollini two-parter. Alfredo Binda’s record of 41 stage wins in the Giro d’Italia stood for 70 years, until Mario Cipollini went one better. With his wavy blonde locks, bulging biceps, and a penchant for an eye-catching skinsuit, Super Mario was as ruthless as he was fast. Cipo made headlines and Giro history – but few friends during…

For 10 days in the spring of 2011, Philippe Gilbert was invincible. Having won Brabantse Pijl, the Amstel Gold Race and La Fleche Wallone, he held his arms aloft in Liege at the race most dear to his heart. A decade on, Felix Lowe recalls a mesmerising run on home roads with the brilliant Belgian. Re-Cycle is narrated by Graham Willgoss and produce…

Swedish powerhouse Magnus Backstedt felt so strong going toe-to-toe with Johan Museeuw in 2004’s Hell of the North, he even questioned whether there was a chain on his bike. Felix Lowe recalls the Lion of Flanders’ last major race, when a flat tyre stopped him sprinting for a record-equalling victory. Re-Cycle is narrated by Graham Willgoss and pro…

Thirty-four years before Mathieu van der Poel won the Tour of Flanders, his father pipped Sean Kelly to the line. Felix Lowe turns back the clock to 1986, and the race in which the Irishman would come closest to glory in the only Monument that would forever elude him. Re-Cycle is narrated by Graham Willgoss and produced by Pete Burton. Sponsored by…

We’re winding the clock back a bit further this week to 1910 and a spectacle we will never again see in cycling. Before he became the first man in history to wear the Tour's Yellow Jersey, Eugène Christophe battled mountains of snow, freezing temperatures and even wore the wrong trousers to take victory after more than 12 chilling hours at La Class…

No one has shone brighter in the Race to the Sun than Sean Kelly, who won seven straight editions after Stephen Roche’s GC victory got the wheels turning for Ireland in 1981. Felix Lowe recalls Kelly’s formidable streak, after speaking to the man who dominated the likes of Bernard Hinault and Laurent Fignon during a golden age for French cycling. R…

Re-Cycle is back for a third season - and we kick off with the day Team Sky's Ian Stannard pulled off one of the surprises of the century at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in 2015. Outnumbered three to one, Britain's Stannard outfoxed a stellar Etixx–Quick-Step trio of Tom Boonen, Niki Terpstra and Stijn Vandenbergh to defend his Omloop Het Nieuwsblad crown…

The fearsome Angliru immediately became a Vuelta a España legend on its introduction to the race in 1999, when Spanish climber José María Jiménez was first to conquer the mountain. We remember a mythical win shrouded in fog and controversy. Re-Cycle is written by Felix Lowe, narrated by Graham Willgoss and produced by Pete Burton. That's it for our…

Just when you thought Tao Geoghegan Hart’s Giro d’Italia victory over Jai Hindley was a close-run thing, we rewind to the 80’s and the closest a GC battle has ever been In 1984, French rookie Éric Caritoux was called up at the 11th hour to replace the legendary Sean Kelly and make his Vuelta a España debut. He would defy a hostile home crowd, take …

On the 50th anniversary of Luis Ocaña's breakthrough 1970 Vuelta a España title, we recall the first Grand Tour of the volatile Spaniard’s colourful career – and ask why it did not lead to more triumphs for the nearly-man Eddy Merckx thought of as his biggest threat... Re-Cycle is written by Felix Lowe, narrated by Graham Willgoss and produced by P…

Nerves of steel from the Irish underdogs saw Stephen Roche ride to the Rainbow Jersey at the 1987 World Championships, becoming only the second man in history after Eddy Merckx to wear it after winning the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France. But he got a big helping hand from Sean Kelly. Re-Cycle is written by Felix Lowe, narrated by Graham Willgoss …

A mix of leg power, cunning and killer instinct from charismatic Yorkshireman Tom Simpson saw him outkick Rudi Altig to take the Rainbow Jersey in San Sebastian. Felix Lowe winds back the clock to 1965, when Major Tom banished British cycling's inferiority complex. Re-Cycle is written by Felix Lowe, narrated by Graham Willgoss and produced by Pete …

An artist and adventurer who flew planes and crossed oceans; an intrepid reporter who rubbed shoulders with presidents, kings, popes and dictators; a pioneering broadcaster who brought the Tour to life, and in doing so, paid with his own. In this week's Re-Cycle, we remember the remarkable figure of Alex Virot... Re-Cycle is written by Felix Lowe, …

As Re-Cycle returns, we look back at the 1956 edition of Il Lombardia, when Fiorenzo Magni – incensed by some goading from the so-called Woman in White – denied Fausto Coppi a sensational sixth win in the autumn Classic as the leaves were falling on the poster boy of Italian cycling’s career. Remember to review and rate us on your podcast platform …