S13 Ep154: Bulgar Treat?
The Cycling Podcast
The Cycling Podcast
4.7 • 3K Ratings
🗓️ 2 December 2025
⏱️ 81 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The ‘Corsa Rosa’ will start from Eastern Europe for the second year in a row. After Albania this year, next May it’ll be Bulgaria’s turn to host Italy’s national tour - at a hefty price. In part three of the episode, we hear from Eurosport’s Bulgarian reporter Simeon Kichukov about what the Giro should expect from Bulgaria and his homeland from the race. We then ‘revisit’ Albania - checking in with their national coach, Mejdin Malhani - to find out what legacy, if any, the Giro has left there.
There’s also discussion about which GC contenders might actually be tempted to throw their hat into the ring. Should Jonas Vingegaard seize this chance to complete a Grand Slam of Grand Tours? One of our hosts this week certainly believes so…
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You are listening to the cycling podcast. |
| 0:26.2 | Hello and joining you on the second day of Advent, the morning after a Giro di Italia presentation so lengthy that at one point we worried about missing the first two stages of the tour down under. |
| 0:30.8 | My name is Daniel Freiber. I am the host of this episode of the cycling podcast in which we'll be |
| 0:34.4 | discussing and critiquing the 21 stages of the 2026. |
| 0:39.3 | Corsaraza unveiled yesterday and wondering which longevity hacks can restore to our lifetimes |
| 0:46.0 | the two and a half hours we spent mainly waiting and waiting for the wrapping to come |
| 0:51.7 | off those stages. |
| 0:53.4 | Yesterday evening, when I say we, I am referring to a large contingent of our 20th for the wrapping to come off those stages yesterday evening. |
| 1:00.8 | When I say we, I am referring to a large contingent of our 2025 Giro di Italia lineup, |
| 1:06.1 | which I've reassembled today, slightly nervously for this episode. |
| 1:08.6 | No doubts, of course, about the relatively safe experience, |
| 1:10.9 | some winemaking hands of Brian Nygaard. |
| 1:12.4 | Brian, hello. |
| 1:13.7 | Hello, Daniel. |
| 1:17.8 | But Brian, I, we no doubt have a few more concerns. |
| 1:20.1 | Needless to say, about the return of Michele Pellachi, |
| 1:22.8 | who is taking a break from his main gig, |
| 1:24.2 | which seems to be making memes, |
| 1:29.7 | to return to the podcast for the first time since the Weta in Spain. |
| 1:31.4 | Pelachi, how are you doing? |
| 1:33.4 | Ciao, all, everyone. |
| 1:34.4 | Ciao, Daniel. |
... |
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