Spokes

Articles

‘Sideways and buckled’: Matthew Lloyd reflects on year in rehab

4 days ago | spokessports.substack.com | Sophie Smith

The Giro d’Italia is playing out when Matthew Lloyd sends Spokes a private message on social media. The retired Australian cyclist was a regular feature at the three-week race during his eight-year pro career, notably winning a stage and the mountains classification with OmegaPharma-Lotto in 2010. It’s been seven years between catch-ups with the now 42-year-old, who spent 2024 in rehab for what he describes as drug, alcohol and behavioural change.
'Physically she's world-class': Gigante readies for Giro after long injury lay-off

5 days ago | spokessports.substack.com | Sophie Smith

Sarah Gigante’s drive to get back into racing at the highest level of competition is tangible. The 24-year-old could be forgiven for wanting to ease into a delayed 2025 campaign after undergoing surgery to correct iliac artery endofibrosis, which sidelined her for some seven months.
The forgotten leader: Yates enjoys different spotlight

2 weeks ago | spokessports.substack.com | Sophie Smith

Simon Yates had separated himself from the rest of the peloton assembling behind the start line. Perched on a high ramp overlooking the bunch filling out across a sandy road that ran through an ancient desert village, the British climber appeared very pensive for an early season race. Yates was lining up at the 2024 Alula Tour in what would prove to be his final year with the Australian-registered Jayco-Alula team he had turned pro with a decade before.
‘I’ve never seen a final week as hard as this one’: Hamilton readies for Giro showdown

1 month ago | spokessports.substack.com | Sophie Smith

Chris Hamilton has a race face that any battle-hardened warrior would be envious of. The Australian super domestique is a constant in the highest mountains of cycling’s three Grand Tours, concentrated, eyes fearlessly focused forward, mouth open, teeth gritted, elbows light but locked. It’s a pain game that Hamilton loves, even though he personally gets no glory, with his time, and effort devoted to the success of Picnic-PostNL teammates.
‘He can hurt like no one else’: Plapp commits to calculated risks in GT project

1 month ago | spokessports.substack.com | Sophie Smith

Luke Plapp was so excited and wired after his career-first Grand Tour stage win at the Giro d’Italia earlier this month that he couldn’t sleep. “I stayed up until 3am,” he tells Spokes on the phone from Italy.
Facing fear: Nurse turned bike-packer cycles from Ireland to Australia

1 month ago | spokessports.substack.com | Sophie Smith

When Fergal Guihen started telling people that he was going to cycle from his farming town in Ireland all the way to Australia, locals gave the 26-year-old money because they thought he was going to die.
Olympic champions back call for calm on Australian roads

1 month ago | spokessports.substack.com | Sophie Smith

Duncan Murray loves riding his bike but believes that every time he ventures outside on Australian roads, he is risking his life. The outlook is not one universally shared amongst cyclists – professional, amateur or recreational - though is understandable. Nineteen years ago, Murray was badly injured after being hit by a car on a ride in Melbourne.
'I'm home': Cadel Evans' vision to reinvigorate nation as racing destination

1 month ago | spokessports.substack.com | Sophie Smith

When Cadel Evans was young, he dreamed of leaving Australia to move abroad and forge a career competing against the best cyclists across the sport’s traditional homelands. He did that for decades, becoming Australia’s first – and still only – Tour de France champion, basing himself in Europe. But now, 10 years after retiring from competition, Evans, his wife, Stefania, and their two children have relocated.
Tadej Pogacar peerless, Kim Le Court breathless after surprise win

2 months ago | spokessports.substack.com | Sophie Smith

Tadej Pogacar’s dominance throughout the European spring has been such that the Spokes homepageis starting to look more like a homage to the reigning Tour de France and world champion. Not intentionally, there is no fandom in this hood unless your name is Ben Affleck or Matt Damon.
A dive city and damp wilderness: How Brown overcame doubt to win Liege-Bastogne-Liege

2 months ago | spokessports.substack.com | Sophie Smith

Almost a year on from becoming the first Australian woman to win one of cycling’s Monuments – a handful of one-day races considered the oldest, hardest, longest and most prestigious on the calendar – Grace Brown is adjusting to retirement. “It was actually nice to have an Easter compared to pretty much always being at a race,” she tells Spokes.