Vuelta leader Sepp Kuss, Vuelta discovery Cian Uijtdebroeks, racing legend Annemiek van Vleuten & Tour of Britain boss Mick Bennett

As the Vuelta a España pauses for its second rest day, these are RadioCycling's latest headlines...Cruise control for Sepp Kuss: With just six days of racing between the American and one of the unlikeliest but also most popular Grand Tour wins of recent times, we hear from the Vuelta race leader. Kuss explains why the steepness and quantity of the climbing that lies ahead holds no fears for him, his good memories of the fearsome Angliru and confirms that there are, as yet, no team orders being applied to Jumbo-Visma's three leaders who fill the top three positions on GC.Cian Uijtdebroeks, the smiling assassin: Few would have expected the 20-year-old Bora-Hansgrohe rider to be the rider spearheading Belgium's challenge this far into the Vuelta. The apparently always buoyant Belgian tells us why his instinct is to attack and why the last week should suit him, while Bora team director Rolf Aldag highlights the qualities that look likely to lift Uijtdebroeks into the ranks of the Grand Tour contenders.What's the future like for Britain's biggest races? A day on from the conclusion of the Tour of Britain, race director Mick Bennett makes a guest appearance on the podcast. He responds to the criticism of his race's route selection, suggests that the government needs to bring its influence to bear in order for elite level bike racing to survive in the UK, and suggests there are ways for racing fans to safeguard the future of the sport by making their voices heard. Annemiek van Vleuten, racing legend: Last weekend the Dutch rider who's won almost every major title in the sport – and in most cases won them again and again – raced for the final time. We get an insider's perspective on Van Vleuten's qualities from Martin Vestby, her team director at Mitchelton-Scott in 2018 to 2020, a period when she made extraordinary strides forward, pulling the women's peloton along in her slipstream, and assess her place in the sport's pantheon of racers.   
Support the show
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices