Hello everybody, welcome to NeverStrae's Far. My name is Ned Bolting. I thought I'd introduce the podcast in a more conventional way by actually saying what the name of the podcast is that you're listening to and who the podcast presenter is. It's how things are done and I am in a bid these days to try and professionalise NeverStrae's far. It's going to be a hell of a task,

but I think that's one of my New Year's resolutions for 2026. Be a proper podcast host and try

and say the word proper, properly, without having to edit it, which I obviously won't do. There we go.

My New Year's resolutions have already been abandoned.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, don't just flick on past this.

It's not an advert. It's more important than that. The response to our appeal for support

as we build towards next summer's launch of NSF Live in France has far exceeded our expectations, but we want to go further.

Listen, tens of thousands of you have already shown your support by signing up entirely for free, simply to receive news of the NSF team, Lizzie included, as we put our plans in place.

But we think, in fact we know that there

are many, many more of you out there. So please, if you haven't already done so, just pop your

email address into the homepage of the NeverStra's Files Files website. And if you're on Facebook,

spread the message or on any other social media, spread the message, post the link. Post it

in your cycling friends and family WhatsApp groups.

You do that, and we promise we'll be there to bring you the words entirely for free next summer. and dedicate an island to me.

I'm standing by the side of a street in a suburb of a big Indian city called Puna, where I'm here for a bike race.

A very important bike race, a really historic bike race,

where I've been asked to come and assist with a broadcast as a commentator.

And there's an additional role that I'll have to fulfil as well, and I'll tell you all about that

a little bit later in this podcast, because it took me slightly by surprise.

But it's my first visit to India, and I've been here for a few days

just sort of bedding in and getting used to a place that is quite far removed both

geographically, culturally and in every possible imaginable way from the frigid cold Lewisham

...