Sigma Sports Podcast

Episode thirty five

Matt Stephens and Nic Dlamini chat goals, hunger and the future of racing for young South Africans.

Nic Dlamini tells Matt Stephens all about growing up in hunger and how that has shaped him as a person and an athlete now. The Qhubeka Assos rider started riding a bike for a very cool reason, and now races to change people’s lives, with his team’s primary sponsor doing such great work in providing bicycles to people who need them in Africa. In the Cape Town quiz, Matt stumps Nic with a question about his hometown’s penguins.

To learn more about Qhubeka and perhaps make a donation, visit their website.

Listen to episode thirty five below.

Episode thirty four

Matt Stephens and Rebecca Charlton chat gender judgement, adrenaline and Disney soundtracks.

Rebecca Charlton tells Matt Stephens how she wanted to be a broadcaster from a very young age, and how the role of cycling in the pursuit of her dreams was somewhat coincidental. The pressures to adapt to a male-dominated industry in order to thrive encouraged her to do just the opposite, carving her own path in her own personal way. Rebecca has her work cut out in the hometown quiz, as Matt’s done some diligent research on Shoreham-by-Sea - plus the Random Question Generator serves up an existential head-scratcher!

Listen to episode thirty four below.

Episode thirty three

Matt Stephens and Michael Matthews talk about finding the right path and taking your chances whenever you can.

Michael Matthews explains to Matt Stephens just how professional bike racing has changed since he turned pro 10 years ago. How he owes his hugely successful racing career to an unlikely source of inspiration, and how he fell back in love with the sport of cycling. There’s a world-first in the hometown quiz, and Michael is asked to sum up his experience with all of his former teams in just one word.

Listen to episode thirty three below.

Episode thirty two

Matt Stephens and Lauren Steadman chat about keeping sight of your goals and never giving up.

Matt Stephens chats to British Paralympic athlete Lauren Steadman about her impressive career so far and how moving from swimming to triathlon unlocked her potential as an Olympian. It’s no surprise that the psychology graduate backs up her sporting talents with immense mental strength, but how well does she know her hometown of Peterborough, and how will she react to the interruptions of the uncontrollable Random Question Generator? - There’s only one way to find out!

Listen to episode thirty two below.

Episode thirty one

Matt Stephens and Richard Hughes discuss playing the biggest venues in the world and riding the biggest rides.

Matt Stephens chats to Richard Hughes about his impressive musical career and his undying love for cycling. Having grown up using his bike for fun and to get to band practice, the Keane drummer has gone on to complete some of the toughest rides in Europe. He talks candidly with Matt about how the bike really helped him cope with a hiatus from gigging, and the merits of planning your next challenge before you complete the current one. Having shared the same stage as his musical heroes, and the same roads as his cycling heroes - the parallels between the two are plentiful.

Listen to episode thirty one below.

Episode thirty

Matt Stephens and Adam Blythe talk about hanging on in races, getting out of the game and the merits of corned beef.

Adam Blythe and Matt Stephens discuss the modern era of road racing, and how competing against the likes of van der Poel and van Aert is a whole different ball game. There are two tenuously linked stories about the Junior Axel Tour, and Adam gives us an insight into how it feels to ride pillion on an in-race moto at the Tour de France. The pair imagine a bike race without bikes, talk at length about Bubble and Squeak and Adam tries to phone a friend to gain a competitive edge in the Sheffield Quiz.

Listen to episode thirty below.

Episode twenty nine

Matt Stephens and George Bennett talk honesty, cultural differences and the importance of a good team setup.

George Bennett and Matt Stephens discuss how fine margins win races, but fine margins are easy to close. From his apartment in Andorra, overlooking the empty pistes, the New Zealand native looks back at his career to date and explains how he’s grown as a rider. Now with Jumbo Visma, the Kiwi national road champion is flourishing at a team that really knows how to mine his talent. The Random Question Generator serves up a doozie, and Matt gets out his notebook to swat up on George’s hometown for the Nelson quiz.

Listen to episode twenty nine below.

Episode twenty eight

Matt Stephens and Lizzie Deignan talk about her perfect World Road Race Championship victory and how she’ll keep racing for as long as possible.

Lizzie Deignan is enjoying life as a pro cyclist more than ever, and in this exclusive interview she tells Matt Stephens all about her preference to train outdoors, whatever the weather. They look back at her confident victory at the 2015 World Road Championships in Richmond, and discuss the future while touching on their shared addiction to property listing websites. Matt’s done his research in the Otley quiz, and Lizzie doesn’t disappoint with her local knowledge.

Listen to episode twenty eight below.

Episode twenty seven

Matt Stephens and Steve Cummings talk about motivation, cycling culture and how tactics can beat power.

Steve Cummings tells Matt Stephens how his working class background makes him uncomfortable with doing nothing. Now busy with a postgrad course and his new position at Ineos Grenadiers, Steve recognises how privileged he is to have lived a dream, and now to be in a position to start all over again. The random question generator is back, and Matt struggles to find questions about Steve’s hometown, in the Pensby quiz.

Listen to episode twenty seven below.

Episode twenty six

Matt Stephens and Karl Kopinski chat brushstrokes and pedal strokes, and how you can always spot a bluffer on the bike or in the art gallery.

Karl Kopinski steps back from the easel to spend an hour with Matt Stephens and chat about their shared loves of art and cycling. Famed for his breathtaking illustrations and captivating portraits, Karl enjoys nothing more than unwinding with a hard session in the saddle. On his way to becoming the celebrated artist he is today, the Nottingham native worked as a pool attendant, did a shift in a pie factory, and spent a day as a refuse worker. But, it was an in-house stint at Games Workshop followed by a chance meeting with designer Paul Smith that really changed his life...

Listen to episode twenty six below.

Episode twenty five

Matt Stephens and Matt Holmes talk about the doggedness required to compete at your first Grand Tour.

Matt Holmes takes a break from training on his snowy local roads to chat to Matt Stephens about his first Giro d’Italia and admits that while he’s not the best climber or sprinter out there, working hard can get you far. The Lotto–Soudal rider lays out his goals for the coming season, tackles the Wigan quiz, and explains how his newfound fame has changed the way he waves.

Listen to episode twenty five below.

Episode twenty four

Matt Stephens and Kasia Niewiadoma chat about escaping small towns in Poland to take on the world stage.

Kasia Niewiadoma tells Matt Stephens how she first took up cycling to prove herself to her father, and ended up making him incredibly proud and excited by winning the Amstel Gold Race in 2019. Tune in to find out how the Canyon-SRAM climber prepares for a big race, what drew her to cycling as a youth, and exactly how Matt managed to lose a quiz he wrote himself.

Listen to episode twenty four below.

Episode twenty three

Matt Stephens and Jonathan Vaughters discuss winning creatively, upsetting the apple cart, and how the whole team matters.

Jonathan Vaughters explains to Matt Stephens how his EF Education-Nippo cycling team is the natural home of intellectual misfits, and how no rider is greater than the team itself. With a personal love for individual expression, JV practices what he preaches and is known for standing his ground and swimming against the tide. But just how will he fare in the world’s first cycling-podcast-based Denver quiz?

Listen to episode twenty three below.

Episode twenty two

Matt Stephens and Alec Briggs discuss cycling heroes, being an alternative cyclist, and how the bike represents another level of freedom.

Alec Briggs chats to Matt Stephens about the importance of developing bike handling skills above power and aerodynamics. With his Tekkerz cycling team poised to tackle 2021 head-on, the Lewisham native is determined to add to the cycling world; not replace anything. But just how did this self-professed snack expert manage to cause Matt to suffer ‘snack confusion’ in a first for the podcast?

Listen to episode twenty two below.

Episode twenty one

Matt Stephens and Hugh Carthy chat about always having a positive career path in mind, and the potential benefits of cross training on a snooker table.

Hugh Carthy tells Matt all about his recent success at Vuelta a España, and how it all came down to a massive team effort from EF Education First Pro Cycling. From his residence in Andorra, he’s been training in sub zero conditions, but can he keep his cool when faced with Matt’s custom-made hometown centric Preston quiz?

Listen to episode twenty one below.

Episode twenty

Matt Stephens chats to Cherie Pridham about getting knocked down, getting back up again, and sending the right email at the right time!

Cherie Pridham tells Matt Stephens all about her excitement at becoming the first woman to manage a cycling team at WorldTour level, inspiring the next generation, and how hard work always pays off... eventually. But where will she place on the Guess That Snack leaderboard?

Listen to episode twenty below.

Episode nineteen

Matt Stephens chats to Sepp Kuss about his meteoric rise to becoming one of the best climbers in the peloton.

Sepp Kuss explains to Matt Stephens how growing up at altitude has helped him race in the mountains, and how his tongue usually only falls out of his mouth when faced with crosswinded flat sections. But can he use his famous poker face to cause an upset in the Guess That Snack leaderboard?

Listen to episode nineteen below.

Episode Eighteen

Matt Stephens and Austin Healey share their experiences of growing up with freedom, overcoming injury, and the joy of a really good cardigan.

Autsin Healey and Matt Stephens have plenty in common; both are former professional sportspersons of the highest level, both are now successful commentators, and of course, both love a good cardigan. From an international rugby player to a competitive amateur cyclist, Austin’s journey has seen him take the reins of ITV game show ‘The Fuse’ and almost podium as a contestant on BBC’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’. But, looking back, is there anything he’d do differently? Tune in to find out

Listen to episode eighteen below.

Episode Seventeen

Matt Stephens learns how Justin Williams created a new home for cyclists who want to do things differently.

Justin Williams tells Matt Stephens all about growing up in LA to a family of black cyclists, how his dad left him at the roadside for wearing boxers under his bibs, and how his L39ion of Los Angeles Team aims to spark curiosity and hope. But perhaps even more importantly than that, Matt’s keen to find out if Justin wears his socks over or under his leg warmers?

Listen to episode seventeen below.

Episode Sixteen

Matt Stephens chats to Cal Crutchlow about finding his competitive edge through road cycling.

Cal Crutchlow tells Matt Stephens all about exceeding the limits of adhesion, running out of talent and taking a gravel bath. The MotoGP legend has some shocking average heart rate figures. We also find out when it comes to getting race fit, Cal does it on two wheels of another variety. At a pivotal moment in his career, Cal talks candidly about what matters most in life, his heroes, and feeling like a Gladiator in the paddock.

Listen to episode sixteen below.

Episode Fifteen

Matt Stephens chats to top broadcaster and cycling journalist Orla Chennaoui about finding her voice and using it to fight.

Orla Chennaoui describes her version of heaven to Matt Stephens, which involves an elevator, reliable wifi and the freedom to chat ad nauseam. She shares her inspiring attitude to the difficulties of life and explains how hope trumps despair. But can she deliver a shockwave to the Guess That Snack leaderboard?

Listen to episode fifteen below.

Episode Fourteen

Matt Stephens gets the hairdryer treatment from one of the best goalkeepers in the game when Ben Foster releases his passion for cycling.

Ben Foster explains to Matt Stephens how bike riding always brings a smile to his face, and there’s nothing quite like the buzz of winning a Zwift race. In a first for the pod, Matt’s up against a total expert in Guess That Snack; a man who rides his bike hard so he can grow his snack knowledge, guilt-free!

Listen to episode fourteen below.

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