The Tour de France is almost here, and the final exams have been handed in. This week on The Domestiques, Tils returns from a wrong turn at Devil’s Cardigan, Marko is back from Thailand with tendonitis and a double IPA, and Hollywood delivers one of his firmest fashion rulings yet: socks over leg warmers. No debate.

The crew break down Tadej Pogacar’s ominous Tour de Suisse performance, where he didn’t just win, he looked like he was running testing protocols on the rest of the peloton. They also dive into a brilliant women’s Tour de Suisse, Marlen Reusser’s return to form, Elise Chabbey’s aggression, Tali Appleton’s WorldTour stage race result, and the terrifying crash that left Eriska Zigart with a broken jaw.

Closer to home, there’s Devil’s Cardigan, gravel racing, Tils’ elite-category farewell, and the sudden arrival of Harry Leesk as a legitimate wattage monster after going toe-to-toe with Brendan “Trekky” Johnston. Plus, Marko explains whether gravel training is really different to road training, Lorenzo Finn announces himself again at the Baby Giro, and the boys hand out their Best Rider on Ground.

Luke Tuckwell joins us after a life-changing weekend. After an incredible week at the Critérium du Dauphiné, the young Australian stunned the cycling world with a breakthrough GC performance, spending time in yellow and finishing second overall against some of the sport's brightest young stars.

This week, Tils, Hollywood and Marko break down Tuckwell's ride, what it means for Australian cycling, and whether he's done enough to force his way into a Tour de France selection.

We also preview the Tour de Suisse, discuss Isaac Del Toro's frightening form, debate Remco Evenepoel's reported 425-watt FTP, and look at the latest action from the women's peloton and Copenhagen Sprint. And yes, we spend far too much time talking about yellow bibs.

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This week on The Domestiques, we’re joined by Australian WorldTour rider Josie Talbot for a chaotic, insightful and occasionally internet-challenged conversation from Girona.

We break down a wild Giro d’Italia Women, from Lorena Wiebes’ bike-weight disqualification to Demi Vollering’s final-stage heist, Anna van der Breggen’s heartbreak, Elisa Longo Borghini’s home victory, and the continued rise of Antonia Niedermaier, Celia Gery and Lauren Dickson.

Josie gives us a rare look inside the women’s peloton, including her shift from sprint-focused rider to climbing domestique, life at Jayco AlUla, the rising level of women’s racing, safety in the bunch, Tour de France selection, Worlds ambitions, time trialling, altitude camps, and why doing a job for someone else is still an art form.

Plus, Hollywood reviews Sydney, Marco wins Bendigo, Luke Tuckwell gets a shoutout, Talia Appleton takes a win, and we ask the big questions: is erg mode good, is Melbourne better than Sydney, and can we crowdfund Josie better internet?

The Giro wraps, the Giro Women kicks off in chaos, and somehow a gel wrapper becomes the biggest villain in cycling. Tils, Hollywood and Marko unpack Jonas Vingegaard’s dominant three weeks, Jai Hindley’s huge podium, Aussie climbing depth, Lorena Wiebes’ brutal 20-gram disqualification, Elisa Balsamo in pink, and the gravel carnage from Australian Nationals and Unbound. Marko pleads his “could’ve, should’ve, would’ve” case after a mechanical nightmare, Trekkie goes massive at Unbound, and the crew launch a new coaching segment on surviving winter training without becoming a full-time Zwift gremlin. Also, Tils learns the hard way that “are you single?” can mean something very different in a bunch ride.

The crew is back together and, somehow, still talking about gravel. This week on The Domestiques, Tils, Marko and Hollywood unpack the latest Giro drama, from breakaway chaos and motorbike controversy to Jai Hindley’s podium chances, Jonas Vingegaard’s control, and whether the final week can save the race.

They also dive into the huge Tour Down Under announcement, with the men’s and women’s races set to share the same course, same distance and same day in 2027, asking whether it is genuine progress, logistical madness, or a bit of both.

Plus, Marko previews his Gravel Nationals title defence, the Women’s Giro gets a proper look-in, Connor Wright keeps cooking in Europe, the Enhanced Games gets exactly the respect it deserves, and Hollywood continues his crusade against gravel, subtlety, and basic podcast structure.

Two pods. One gravel circus. A whole lot of pea gravel carnage. This week, The Domestiques joins forces with Roadside Podcast and host Jethro Gammie-Nagle to unpack everything from Seven Gravel Race in Nannup, Western Australia. With the event acting as a full-blown dress rehearsal for the UCI Gravel World Championships in October, Matilda Reynolds and Mark O’Brien take us inside their elite races, from Tils chopping off with Tiffany Cromwell and Maria Laurie, to Marko trying to crush souls one climb at a time. There’s race breakdowns, tyre chat, collarbone counts, Netflix-level course coverage, kangaroo dodging, questionable podium-kit rules, and a look ahead to what the Europeans are really in for when Worlds hits proper Australian gravel. Plus, the crew dives into the Giro, Jai Hindley, Ben O’Connor, Luke Plapp causing absolute chaos in Hungary, and the upcoming women’s racing calendar.

A collaboration pod. A gravel therapy session. A warning shot for October.

Give the boys a follow at Roadside Cycling Podcast on Apple (https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/roadside-cycling-podcast/id1592269751), Spotify, (https://open.spotify.com/show/4Tx2Rm4TrY09wNVzGdxem3), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@Roadsidecycling), and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/roadsidecyclingpodcast/)

A special thank you to Patrick Boere Photography (https://www.instagram.com/patrickboerephoto/) and Daniela Tommasi Photography (https://www.instagram.com/daniela_tommasi_photography/) for supplying the amazing imagery from Seven for this week's Podcast and YouTube artwork

This week on The Domestiques, Matilda Reynolds and Hollywood are joined by one of Australia’s most exciting young cycling prospects, Luke Tuckwell. From growing up in Orange, New South Wales, to wearing pink at the Baby Giro, signing with Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, and finishing sixth at the Tour de Romandie just one second behind Luke Plapp, Luke’s rise has been ridiculous in the best possible way. The crew dives into his rapid progression, life inside one of the biggest teams in world cycling, racing alongside the likes of Roglič, Hindley and Evenepoel, and what it feels like when Pogačar attacks and you realise you are, in fact, very human.

There’s also Giro chaos, Vuelta Femenina brilliance, Tour Down Under rumours, Andorra versus Girona, cycling caps, white bibs, The Wiggles, and the Simon Clarke DM that changed Luke’s life.

This week on The Domestiques, we take it off Beach Road and into the dirt with Brendan “Trekky” Johnston, one of Australia’s leading gravel riders and a regular at the pointy end of the Lifetime Grand Prix in the US.

Trekky talks through the brutal mix of racing that defines modern gravel, from Sea Otter and Levi’s GranFondo to the madness of Unbound, where equipment, fuelling, tactics and luck all seem to matter at the same time. He also shares the story behind his ride across Australia for Tour de Cure, his own experience with cancer, and why that challenge became bigger than the record attempt itself.

With Seven Gravel and the UCI Gravel World Championships coming to Nannup, the team dive into tyre choice, race prep, nutrition, aid stations, and why WA gravel might finally give Worlds a proper gravel test.