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'Cross may not be coming - for a while yet, at least - but that doesn't mean we can't daydream about days spent mucking around in the mud. For our latest Longreads Podcast we've turned back the clock to November to tell the story of when, for the Belgian special of Rouleur magazine, we sent our hedonism correspondents, The Deserter, to Koksijde. There they were not only witness, for the first time in their lives, to the thrills and spills of cycling on sand, but were flung face-first into the full-on Flandrian fan experience.

Fortunately for us - or perhaps thanks to chaperone Ian Cleverly - Dirty South and The Dulwich Raider lived to tell the tale.

The Rouleur Longreads Podcast brings you selected long form articles from the magazine, especially recorded for Rouleur. Don't stop what you're doing - do it while listening to the world's best cycling writing.

The sixth in this series is ‘Deserter's Dirty Weekend’ by Andrew Grumbridge for Deserter, from Rouleur 20.2. Read by Andrew Grumbridge.

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The Ineos rider’s been getting battered by team-mate Rohan Dennis on Zwift, misses racing the Spring Classics but is keeping a calm perspective on the current situation.

The Bigla-Katusha team, meanwhile, were rocked by the news that their sponsors would be withdrawing funding for the remainder of the season – surely a situation that will be repeated in both men’s and women’s cycling as the crisis continues. Lizzy Banks joins us to explain what the riders are doing now, and what comes next. 

World Bicycle Relief CEO Dave Neiswander and country director for Zambia, Brian Moonga, tell us how the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting the charity’s income and their campaign to supply 25,000 of their sturdy Buffalo bikes going to aid health care in Africa. 

And our very own Miles Baker-Clarke is king of the Rouleur Emporium. Host Ian Parkinson asks him what’s hot and what’s not right now, while the Desirable Stuart Clapp chips in with his pick of the goodies. A turbo trainer? You’ve changed, Stu… 

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When we are inside his suite, I tell him what I think. ‘Honestly? You walk like a drunk, Chris.’

‘I do, he says, ‘yeah.'”

Following his horrendous crash prior to last year’s Dauphiné, many doubted we’d see Froome back on a bike, let alone planning his eighth Grand Tour victory.

Ned Boulting finds Froome in characteristic fighting form, training hard in Gran Canaria prior to lockdown, preparing for the Tour de France – if and when it happens.

He’ll be ready, no doubt about it.

The Rouleur Longreads Podcast brings you selected long form articles from the magazine, especially recorded for Rouleur. Don’t stop what you’re doing – do it while listening to the world’s best cycling writing.

The fifth in this series is ‘Chris Froome and the Seventh Seal’ by Ned Boulting, from Rouleur 20.3. Subscribe today from just £7 to receive it.

Read by George Oliver.

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Turbo trainers are selling out faster than toilet rolls and training app subscriber numbers have gone though the roof.

We spend the day in a London studio with Mathieu van der Poel and the copious film crew to find out why Zwift is leading the way in the market.

The Rouleur Longreads Podcast brings you selected long form articles from the magazine, especially recorded for Rouleur. Don’t stop what you’re doing – do it while listening to the world’s best cycling writing.

The fourth in this series is ‘Watopian Ideals’ by Ian Cleverly, from Rouleur 20.2. Read by George Oliver.

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We're proud be to be able to support our friends at Cycling in Flanders by syndicating this podcast, which will transport cycling fans to an era of unwritten, thrilling cycling history - just as if you were listening to the commentary to a genuine, live cycling race.

Get ready for a story with some incredible plot twists, featuring cameo appearances by heroes from one hundred years of cycling history. It is a race into which a full century of anecdotes having to do with the Tour of Flanders have been incorporated.

Rob Hatch and Matt Stephens will take you along on this fantasy Tour of Flanders with exceptional live commentary. Ruben Van Gucht and Renaat Schotte will be your reporters in the Dutch version of this Unbelievable Tour.

All the top favourites from 100 years of the Tour of Flanders have a role to play in this auditive story.

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Nathan Haas, meanwhile, is in lockdown in Girona. The Cofidis rider, who was caught up in the UAE Tour quarantine, is working out indoors despite not knowing when racing might resume. Keeping the drive alive is the big test for all professional cyclists right now, he tells Ian Parkinson. But thankfully, he’s making silly videos to keep us entertained in the meantime. Zumba on bikes, anyone?

Leopard print bibshorts and rock’n’roll form the theme for the latest Desire shoot. Stuart Clapp explains why we set fire to a helmet. POC, if you’re listening, sorry. It won’t happen again.

And Stu’s mate Dan does turbo training in his pants. Use your imagination. Actually, don’t. 

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A professional cyclist’s heart is trained to be as big and strong as possible, allowing it to pump massive amounts of blood and oxygen around the body. Most cyclists have a ticker 50 per cent bigger than that of a regular person. Miguel Indurain possessed a superhuman resting heart rate of around 30 beats per minute; a normal, well-trained adult heart has one of 72.

But, in pushing themselves to the extreme, they are in danger of developing arrhythmia.

Two months prior to the 2016 Tour of Oman, doctors had found a life-threatening arrhythmia in Johan Vansummeren’s heart. He had been through dozens of checks and was equipped with a heart monitor during the Middle Eastern race.

Vansummeren’s legs felt worse than ever, and momentarily cramped while going up a steep climb.

His cardiologists back in Belgium had seen the exact moment his legs cramped, and it correlated with a spike in his heartbeat. They called him.

Aware of the initial tests, the AG2R doctors banned Vansummeren from finishing the race. Hours later, Vansummeren was on his way back to Lommel, where he was born and still lives, transformed from a healthy elite athlete to a man with a life-threatening heart arrhythmia. The Tour of Oman would be his last race as a professional cyclist.

The Rouleur Longreads Podcast brings you selected long form articles from the magazine, especially recorded for Rouleur. Don’t stop what you’re doing – do it while listening to the world’s best cycling writing.

The second in this series is ‘Heartbroken’ by Emil Helweg Foget and Ole Obitsø, from Rouleur 20.2. Read by George Oliver.

More from the Rouleur Longreads Podcast:

The Rise of Gravel by Hugo Gladstone

Notes on Belgium by Morten Okbo

SPONSORED BY LAKA

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Laka is an innovative bicycle insurance company powered by the community. Cyclists join Laka to protect their bikes and gear without paying upfront premiums.

Instead, Laka settles claims in their community first and shares the cost fairly with everyone at the end of the month. No claims mean you don’t pay.

If you are new to Laka, you can get a £10 credit by signing up today with the discount code rouleur

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Tekkerz founder Alec Briggs joins Ian Parkinson at the Levi’s HQ in London before the team launch to discuss how he is making waves and bringing a fresh perspective to bike racing in these confusing times. Plus he beat Fabian Cancellara the other week. How many of us can say that?

Desire editor Stuart Clapp, meanwhile, is considering how to stay reasonably fit whilst self-isolating. Turns out, his mate (who shall remain nameless) is eminently capable of breaking bones even on a turbo trainer. Let’s be careful out there, folks, even in our own sheds…

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But Belgium also does chocolate and beer (see Rouleur 20.2), mussels and fries, and some of the most visually welcoming city centres in the world.

More importantly than any of those pros and cons, however, is that Belgium is where the sport of cycling comes alive. Every spring, even as our attention is briefly stolen by exotic, southern locations, our affections are reserved for the racing that dominates March and April. The Monuments may provide the loudest fireworks but even the minor races go off with a bang. Morten Okbo waits by the side of the road.

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We begin with ‘The Rise of Gravel’ by Hugo Gladstone, from Rouleur 20.1. Read by George Oliver.

Once the scourge of cyclists, today we glorify in gravel sectors. Strade Bianche, one of the most looked-forward-to races of the spring, owes its success in no small part to the penchant of audiences for the untarmaced white roads and clouds of dust kicked up in the riders’ wake, all framed by “the lyrical Tuscan landscape.”

Perhaps it speaks to a certain yearning for authenticity, and back-to-basics bike riding that the Tour de France cannot cater to. It can’t be a coincidence that bike-packing’s popularity has risen at the same time. Whether or not the road scene’s dominance is actually under threat remains to be seen, but we’ve already seen a few roadies abandon the WorldTour for the off-road circuit.

How we learned to take the rough with the smooth.

For more of the world's finest cycling writing, subscribe to the magazine or purchase individual issues, head over to Rouleur.cc

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Plus, Rouleur’s Desire Editor Stuart Clapp goes starry-eyed over Colnago’s new gravel bike and explains why Adam Blythe has been helping him recover from pneumonia.

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Andy discusses Kittel’s decision with host Ian Parkinson. It’s not a cut and dry ‘mental health’ issue, he concludes, but more a matter of job satisfaction, as Marcel goes back to studying once more and leaves the pro peloton behind. 

Author Matt Rendell is a renowned authority on South American cyclists and, in particular, the Colombians. His upcoming book Colombia Es Pasion! promises to be the definitive tome on the subject. Hear who Matt thinks will have a cracking season in 2020 – including a reinvigorated Nairo Quintana with Arkea Samsic. 

Our new columnist Orla Chennaoui is a great signing for Rouleur. She tells Ian what she’ll be covering in the coming year, and updates us on her superb Cycling’s #MeToo investigation from issue 19.6.

The Desirable Stuart Clapp, meanwhile, is on a photo shoot in glorious south London, near to his spiritual home of Millwall. Will he get the end of his match report on the Leeds game before we lose the signal? Need you ask?

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Adam joins our own Stuart Clapp and host Ian Parkinson on the sofa at the Rouleur Classic to talk through past, present and future, the troubled state of domestic UK racing, being a TV pundit, and racing with a hangover. His advice? Don’t do it, kids.

Desire editor Stu, meanwhile, has been razzing around the Peckham BMX track on his Brompton, has a new bike to wax lyrical about (it’s a gravel bike, don’t @ him), and does an impression of Mark Cavendish that is actually better than Mark Cavendish. Hearing is believing.

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The Dave Rayner Foundation recently acquired charitable status, a big advantage for the fund that aids young riders racing abroad. Former friend and team-mate Tim Harris and his partner Joscelin Ryan tell us about Dave and where the money raised goes, with a long list of household names who have benefitted from Rayner support, and we are joined by two young Rayner-funded riders. 

Our Desire editor Stuart Clapp knows a fine looking bike when he sees one. Wandering the bling-filled aisles of the Rouleur Classic, his attention is drawn to a brand formerly known for being cheap and cheerful – Ribble. They have upped their game considerably of late, with some smashing machines coming out of the north of England, but still excellent value. Stu gets the lowdown on the e-bike used by Sean Yates and a stunning 24 carat goldleaf build making its debut at the show.  

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Lachlan Morton of EF Education First joins us to explain his thinking behind tackling some unusual and challenging events this season, a million miles away from the standard pro road racers’ fare. 

From the GB Duro – Land’s End to John O’Groats mostly on bridleways and country lanes – which Morton won, through to the legendary Three Peaks cyclo-cross in Yorkshire, the Australian has been riding with a big grin on his face having previously considered packing in road racing for a career. 

We also speak to another lover of ultra-distance racing, Emily Chappell, former bicycle courier and women’s winner of the Transcontinental Race in 2016. Emily has an excellent new book out, Where There’s a Will, detailing her trials and tribulations on the road and in life, which we highly recommend. 

Also, Desire editor Stuart Clapp gets the backstory and hears about the latest tweaks to the famous Castelli Gabba, the poor weather jacket of choice for the pro peloton. Ian Parkinson even lets him finish his interview without fading out…

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We were honoured and delighted to have Greg and Kathy LeMond as our special guests for the entirety of the Rouleur Classic. They were both on absolutely sparkling form throughout the three days of the show, and we are truly indebted.

Hear from the LeMonds on coming to Europe as young Americans and shaking up the traditions of a staid sport, steeped in tradition and superstition. From eating pizza to playing golf to million-dollar contracts to what went on – or not – in the bedroom, Greg and Kathy questioned every silly rule in the book and won.

Greg also tells us how he hid the severity of his near-death hunting accident in 1987 to protect his job and family – remarkably coming back to win two more Tours de France to add to his 1986 title.

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“I love being around bike riders. That’s the amazing thing.” Allan Peiper, one of Australia’s pioneers in the pro peloton, is a hugely respected directeur sportif in the sport whose prostate cancer has returned this year. In an emotional interview with Rouleur editor Andy McGrath, Peiper tells us how the cycling family has closed around him and how riders – some well-known to him, some not so much – have been in touch to offer support. 

Ian Parkinson visits Santini in Italy to get up to speed with their latest developments. Hairy vests, anyone? Think punk-era mohair jumpers, but for cycling. Stuart Clapp tells us what he’ll be up to at the upcoming Rouleur Classic, plus Kenny van Vlaminck, another special guest at the Classic, has some mixed news, mostly involving peas.

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How does Cav make sense of the Madison? Can Caleb find his track legs in his first ever Six? And can Owain and the vastly experienced Cavendish topple the talented Italian duo of Viviani and Consonni?

Ian Parkinson visits Christian Dagnoni in Milan to marvel over his family’s stunning collection of pacing - or ‘stayer’ - motorbikes and Dernys, featured in issue 18.8. It’s an exhilarating discipline, with 78kph covered in one hour at the Vigorelli stadium back in the day…

Plus, Stuart Clapp is back from the Worlds in Yorkshire with a dose of ‘Harrogate fever’ and is still marvelling over Annemiek van Vleuten’s stunning solo win. He has a survival guide for the upcoming Rouleur Classic and a fun anecdote featuring an autograph hunter. Wlll he get to the end? Probably not…

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Our man Stu Clapp is back from his travels and full of beans, just for a change. Apart from holidaying in Japan, he’s been getting up close and personal with some classic supercars for the next Desire shoot. Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches abound, but the Fiat 500 and the Vespa are more Stu’s bag.

And Cycling Mole, who you probably know from our daily Top Mañana punditry for La Vuelta, tells us how he analyses every stage in great detail before deciding who is the likely winner. Unsurprisingly, there’s far more to it than meets the eye. And the Vuelta is extremely hard to predict...

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Café du Cycliste make some of the loveliest garments in cycling. Morgane Bigault from the quality French kit makers discusses the brand’s inspirations - from Morocco to the avant-garde.

Your host is Ian Parkinson, and Executive Editor Ian Cleverly chips in with news of the Rouleur Classic.

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"I realised what my performance could be with EPO and I realised what it could be without it. Once you realise that, any time you're racing without it....you kind of give up."

Jonathan Vaughters has always been one of the most outspoken voices in pro-cycling and, in his new book One Way Ticket, he talks frankly about doping - past and present, depression and the "five percent of joy" that keeps him in love with the sport. He stopped off on his way to Brussels to talk about the book and his career with Ian Parkinson.

Meanwhile, Rouleur Editor Andy McGrath reflects on one of the sport's greatest ever teams - the multi-coloured classic champions of Mapei. How did an Italian bathroom grout manufacturer end up creating a team that's still remembered with affection by fans and riders nearly two decades after their last race?

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Matt Stephens recalls the feeling of being British national champion, a title he took in 1998. He was then promptly fined £500, and spilt tea down his gleaming white jersey, the stain stubbornly visible to this day. Ned Boulting and Ian Cleverly share the anecdotes and a few laughs along the way.

Lisa Brambani knows all about national champion’s jerseys - she claimed a remarkable four in a row in the 1980s. Now with her daughter Abby-Mae Parkinson making a name for herself on the road racing scene, Lisa is now more likely to be referred to as “Abby’s mum”. But that’s how she likes it: “I’m not one for blowing my own trumpet.”

And how do you top being national champion? The 20-year-old Mandy Jones from Rochdale caused a major upset winning the 1982 World Championships at Goodwood. How was that, asks Ian Parkinson?

"Absolutely fantastic, euphoric, and the best moment of my life.”

Plus Desire Editor Start Clapp is reading a fine book by Paul Fournel. Will he finish telling Ian about it before we lose the signal from deepest Essex? Probably not...

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A Flanders themed edition to mark the climax of the Spring classics season. 

Ian Parkinson talks with legendary hard-man Roger “Mr Paris Roubaix” De Vlaeminck – always good value for an inflammatory soundbite, as seen in the latest edition of Rouleur. Freddy Maertens recalls the triumphs and disasters from a career which saw him win World Championships, Grand Tours and Classics – and reflects on his sometimes stormy relationship with Eddy Merckx. Harry Pearson – author of The Emperor, The Beast and The Milkman, analyses cycling fans love of all things Flemish – chips, beer, cobbles and the sheer grittiness of the riders. Our Desire Editor Stuart Clapp would never make it as a Flanders hardman – he remembers the time he burst into tears at the top of the Muur. It’s a long story…

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And talking of legends, Desire editor Stuart Clapp waxes lyrical about the Colnago Concept with (shock, horror) rim brakes. Don’t @ him.

He also goes off on a flight of fantasy about Rouleur’s new columnist Romain Bardet – man crush and then some.

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 Seb Piquet is the voice of Radio Tour – keeping teams, journalists and officials abreast of developments on the road during the Tour de France and other ASO races. It’s a gripping job and he’s a fascinating chap. Plus Rouleur’s Desire editor Stuart Clapp, another fascinating chap (well, he has his moments), visits the British national cyclo-cross championships and thoroughly enjoys the racing – and warm cider. And is the bucket hat, de rigueur for ‘90s ravers and Gallagher brothers alike, coming back courtesy of EF Education First and Rapha? Get one on, matey.

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Quick Step Floors tally of 73 wins for the 2018 season was a remarkable total and testament to the work of Patrick Lefevere and the entire team. Rouleur podcast regular Brian Holm tells us what makes the team tick from top to bottom, while photographer Sigfrid Eggers spent the whole year embedded with the Quick Step squad to produce his new book, The Wolfpack: 365 days on the Road. Plus Olympic and double world champion Paolo Bettini, Denise Burton-Cole on her mother – inaugural Rouleur Classic Hall of Fame inductee Beryl Burton – and our own Stuart Clapp gets up close and personal with the stars at our three-day show in London.

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As the backer of a former British pro road team, Whittingham also explains the difficulties facing the domestic racing scene currently as teams fold during what seems a boom time for British cycling.

 Architect and designer Max Broby teamed up with collector and occasional Rouleur contributor Kadir Guirey to produce their Explorateur bikes - beautiful machines that will pack into a suitcase for those who travel the world and want to ride the world too.

 Plus Desire editor Stuart Clapp looks forward to the Rouleur Classic, and Top Bonk boss Kenny van Vlaminck has a solution to his team's long-running bicycle problems: folding is the way forward...

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Authors William Fotheringham and Isabel Best join Ian Parkinson to discuss why these two greats are worthy recipients for the new award.

Fotheringham, author of Half Man, Half Bike: The Life of Eddy Merckx, tells us about the Cannibal and how he amassed hundreds of victories during an unparalleled career on the road. But would Coppi or Hinault be worthy of consideration?

Isabel Best’s soon to be released book Queens of Pain, published by Rapha Editions, celebrates a century of women’s great achievements on bikes – none more so than Beryl Burton, possibly the greatest cyclist Britain has ever produced. She regales us with tales of Beryl’s remarkable achievements.

Also, our Desire editor Stuart Clapp runs his discerning eye over the greatest jersey designs in history, and some modern instant classics. Hot or not? Stu knows…

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Rouleur's Desire Editor Stuart Clapp, repeats his view that he'd struggle to be friends with anyone who didn't like the ending of Time Trial, and remembers a drunken evening at the top of Alpe D'Huez with one of Lance Armstrong's domestiques.

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