Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

The Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is back with two feature interviews. At the start of 2025, both Derek Gee-West and Michael Woods were teammates on Israel-Premier Tech. But by the end of August, Gee-West wasn’t riding because of a contract dispute with the team. Woods, who was suffering from illness and a serious hernia, announced his retirement.

Now, at the start of the 2026, both riders have big ambitions for the season ahead. Gee-West spoke from the recent Lidl-Trek team camp. He chatted about coming on the new team and the plans for the first part of the season, which will culminate in his return to the Giro d’Italia, where he finished in fourth-place overall this past year.

Woods is back on the bike, and skis, and is in the pool, all in pursuit of a year filled with a variety of endurance challenges. It’s part research project, part midlife crisis. Find out more about Woods’s plans that could even include the Winter Olympics (in 2030).

In this in-depth interview, world champion Magdeleine Vallières Mill not only looks back at the 2025 season and the lead-up to her historic win in Kigali, Rwanda, but also ahead to next year, and the events she’s targeting and how she plans to race them. The rider from Sherbrooke, Que., has seen a lot of change since September, and there’s more to come. Vallières Mill talks about the mad dash to get her rainbow bike, kit and helmet soon after Kigali. She also touches on a strange nickname created by one of her EF Education-Oatly teammates. Although Vallières Mill still seems to have trouble believing she’s won the world championships, she’s moving forward with the opportunities that such a success can offer.

Sprinting against Jasper Philipsen, navigating a slippery go-kart track, powering up a climb in Spain trying to put out more watts than three other finalists—those were some of the challenges Noah Ramsay faced this past December as he competed in Zwift Academy for its prize of a spot on the Alpecin-Deceuninck development team. In the end, Ramsay won.

The pro road contract marks a big switch in Ramsay’s cycling career. For the past few years, cross country has been the focus of the 22-year-old rider. This past fall, he was 11th at the Lake Placid World Cup XCO race and fifth in the short track event at the Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup. Despite Ramsay’s promise on the singletrack, he didn’t have a team that could help him further his racing career. In August, a friend of Ramsay’s recommended he try out for the Zwift Academy, a talent-identification competition supported by the virtual training platform. Ramsay made it to the finals, which were held in Spain this past December.

In this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, Ramsay tells the behind-the-scenes story of his Zwift Academy win. Also, Ramsay’s coach Peter Glassford of The Consummate Athlete gives an account of the rider’s talents that have gotten him to the Alpecin-Deceuninck development team. Ramsay looks ahead to his upcoming road season, discusses his hopes for the next few years and muses about where mountain biking might fit in with his new road career.

Also in this episode, editors Matthew Pioro and Matt Hansen, as well as feature writer Jake Williams, discuss the men’s and women’s Strade Bianche, and look to Trofeo Alfredo Binda and Milan-San Remo. For the Classicissima, the focus is more on the women’s race, which is back after a 20-year hiatus. What’s the right length for a race called “Milan-San Remo?”

Recently, on the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, another rider making a cycling-discipline switch was featured. This season, Mathias Guillemette is making the switch from track to the road. Give that episode a listen, too.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by MS Bike. Its first rides are in June. There are two in Alberta, Airdrie to Olds and another from Leduc to Camrose. The latest ride of the season is in Waskesiu, Sask., in September. And there are eight more—in B.C., another Alberta one, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. Whichever one you choose, you have plenty of time to check out our training and preparation advice for MS Bike events.

Every MS Bike ride is a professional event. It's fully supported with fuel, roadside assistance and first aid. These events are very welcoming. You only really need a bike, a helmet and the desire to keep pedalling.

Of course, this is all for an important cause, that is raising money to help those with MS. Did you know that on average, 12 Canadians are diagnosed with MS each day. You can help. Register now and start your fundraising journey at msbike.ca.

In March, Buck Miller, Eric Batty and Ryan Atkins covered all 721 km of the Wapusk trail by fat bike. The trail is the world’s longest winter road, which runs between Peawanuck, Ont., and Gillam, Man. Sections of the trail are close to Hudson Bay.

Last year, they rode along James Bay, a trip they called the James Bay Descent. The Wapusk trail trip was longer and more remote.

RELATED Lessons from the James Bay Descent

This year’s trip is not only a fascinating adventure but it speaks to the challenges we are facing today. It’s also about challenges—both environmental and societal—that we'll face in the near future. When Miller, Batty and Atkins went into the woods, the world was one way. When they got out, it was completely different.

To learn more about the expedition’s charitable component at True North Aid.

RELATED Waiting for it to get cold enough for a fat-bike expedition in Ontario and Manitoba’s Far North

RELATED Listen: Stories from a 600-km winter fat bike ride in Northern Ontario, Svein Tuft: from bike bum to the WorldTour

The Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast thanks Ontario Creates for its support.

Please rate and review the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast wherever you get your episodes.

Do remember what race was supposed to run this Sunday? It was supposed to be Paris-Roubaix. But more important, do you remember who won Paris-Roubaix on April 8, 1990? Well, when Belgian Eddy Planckaert and Canadian Steve Bauer crossed the line on the Roubaix velodrome 30 years ago, neither of them was sure. After a lot of deliberation by race officials, the win went to Plankaert. After 265.5 km of hard racing, Planckaert beat Bauer by millimetres.

In March, Canadian Cycling Magazine editor Matthew Pioro spoke with Bauer. The CCC Pro Team sports director had recently returned home to St. Catharines, Ont., from Europe and was in self-isolation. We discussed the Monument that almost, almost went to a Canadian.

This Sunday, as you face absence of Spring Classics in 2020, do re-watch A Sunday in Hell, Jorgen Leth’s documentary of the 1976 Paris-Roubaix. Also, highly recommended is William Fotheringham’s book about the making of the documentary called Sunday in Hell. Wouldn’t that be just hellacious? In the good way. Enjoy both Hells!

Thanks to Ontario Creates for its support.

Two weeks after Michael Woods crashed out of Paris-Nice, he was in Girona, Spain, his broken right femur on the mend. “I’ve been crutching outside to get my blood checked,” he said. The EF Pro Cycling rider was taking blood thinners following his surgery. “I go about 1.5 km from my place. It’s a good workout.” Because of the COVID-19 outbreak in Spain, the country had been on lockdown since March 14. Woods found the empty streets of Girona eerie.

After the crash, Woods was taken to a hospital in Lyon, France. He didn’t remember much from his time there as he was on strong painkillers. He figured he came in just ahead of any coronavirus-related surge in that area of France as the building seemed quiet. Woods didn’t stay in the hospital for long. His parents came to hurry him to Spain – where he trains in the colder months – before the border was to close.

After the stress of the crash and the hasty departure from France, Woods could relax. In late March, he was avoiding the Internet, reading and enjoying time with his daughter who wasn’t yet two months old. His snuggle buddy Max, short for Maxine, was a perfect lockdown partner as she was too young to walk and was just starting to smile.

“In the leadup to Paris-Nice, I’d been putting in big training hours and I was not as present at home as I would have liked to have been,” Woods said. “So, this has been a nice opportunity to hit the reset button. From a health perspective, that means gaining a bit of weight, just kind of fattening up a bit. I want to get a big recovery block in, and then be mentally fresh for whatever is left in the season and for 2021.”

The Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast thanks Ontario Creates for its support.

Please rate and review the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast wherever you get your episodes.

From drunk fans to a course that's muddy even when it’s dry, listen to tales of the Hoogerheide cyclocross course and its atmosphere during the World Cup. This Sunday, Canadian champions Maghalie Rochette and Michael van den Ham will compete in the final event of the CX World Cup series. Ruby West, the under-23 Pan Am champ, will also be there. Hear what they have to say about the Dutch race. Also, CX veteran Aaron Schooler has a story about how hard it can be simply getting from the team tent to the course.

The Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast thanks Ontario Creates for its support.

Please rate and review the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast wherever you get your episodes.

Top riders from the Canadian cyclocross championships speak about what some of their wins and disappointments mean, and about the event itself and some things we can look forward to next year. If you missed our coverage of CX nats, check out our reports and galleries.

Jake Williams, from frenemy podcast The Lantern Rouge, checks in from the Pan Am championships. You can see all the muddy action in our galleries from the event.

Podcast art by Maxine Gravina

Photo by Nick Iwanyshyn

The Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast thanks Ontario Creates for its support.

Please rate and review the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast wherever you get your episodes.

Canadian star ’crossers Maghalie Rochette, Michael van den Ham, Jenn Jackson and Ruby West look ahead to two of the most important cyclocross races in Canada: the national championships and the Pan Am championships.

Coach Peter Glassford has advice for transitioning to trainer season. He shares great tips for riding on the spot throughout the winter.

Hamilton rider Ed Veal recently spent 24 hours riding on a trainer. He was chasing a distance record within the Zwfit platform. Listen to the ups and downs of riding for a day, set up on a stage in a Las Vegas hotel.

Send in your ideas for Ask a Coach to podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

Podcast art by Maxine Gravina

Photo by Bruce Buckley

The Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast thanks Ontario Creates for its support.

Please rate and review the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast wherever you get your episodes.

During the cross country mountain bike season, Sandra Walter can rip up the course. For late October cyclocross races, she dresses up. Her costumes have included a cave woman, a monster, Pippi Longstocking, Minnie Mouse, a cow and some sort of sea creature. Walter offers tips on how you can get in costume and race this Halloween.

This past Thanksgiving weekend, editor Matthew Pioro and producer Adam Killick raced an Eastern Ontario Cyclocross Series event in Ottawa. Pioro spoke with organizer Vince Caceres about the significance of the race held within the national capital’s city limits.

Coach Peter Glassford discusses the post-ride beer. Is it really the thing you should be drinking after a big effort on the bike?

Send in your ideas for Ask a Coach to podcast@cyclingmagazine.ca

Podcast art by Maxine Gravina

Photo: Peter Whalen

The Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast thanks Ontario Creates for its support.

Please rate and review the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast wherever you get your episodes.