#51 - JOXEAN FERNÁNDEZ MATXIN: "The great revolution and Ayuso's Giro" | Under the Jersey Podcast
Just days before the start of the Giro d'Italia, we sat down with Joxean Fernández Matxín, manager of the UAE Emirates XRG team, to talk about Juan Ayuso's highly anticipated Giro d'Italia debut as co-leader alongside Adam Yates, and about Tadej Pogacar's spectacular season on the cobblestones.
I also chatted with Xabier Artetxe, who was Performance Manager for Team Sky and Ineos Grenadiers for a decade, about the great performance revolution, the scientific team behind Team Sky's successes, and the misconceptions surrounding it.
🚴🏽♂️🚴🏽♀️ I'm thrilled to have the support of @Siroko on this episode, an Asturian company specializing in sportswear and accessories with a focus on cycling for several years. He sponsors the Burgos Burpellet BH team and, since last year, the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. They've given us a 10% discount code, also applicable to any offers they may have on their website: bajoelmaillot. You can add it at checkout. I recommend you take a look at their Gravel collection. The jersey I'm wearing is the Altiplano model. srko.co/bajoelmaillot
In this episode:
00:00 - 03:13 Surprise.
05:39 - 10:32 Conversation with Matxín: Tadej Pogacar's Tour of Flanders. Studying rivals and the ever-necessary evolution.
10:33 - 15:25 How much of Pogacar's movements is instinct and how much is strategy? The development of the plan. 15:25 - 26:25 The inside story behind Pogacar's Roubaix debut, the resilience of Milan-San Remo, and the caution shown towards Jonas Vingegaard.
26:25 - 29:46 Juan Ayuso's Giro debut ahead of his promising start to 2025. The beginning of the road to excellence. The replacement of experience with information.
29:46 - 33:25 Conclusions from the Ayuso-Roglic duel at the Volta a Catalunya. The role of Adam Yates.
33:30 - 38:27 On the 2024 Tour de France team and the team's growth.
38:30 - 43:20 Conversation with Xabier Artetxe. His story.
43:21 - 48:27 The evolution of the amateur field. Professionalization, access to information, and talent identification.
48:28 - 57:47 Joining Team Sky. Five consecutive Tour de France victories. The team's mantra: "Performance first." Myths and misconceptions surrounding Team Sky's performance.
57:47 - 01:07 The key: "Train well, rest well, and eat well." The team's strength: the best cyclists of the moment. The great performance revolution.
01:07:32 - 01:16:20 Educating athletes to avoid becoming slaves to their tools.
01:16:23 - 01:25:15 Team cycles. Why did Ineos Grenadiers win before and not now?
01:15:20 - 1:38:50 On his work with Carlos Sainz in Formula 1 and his desire to return to cycling in the future. Final message: We're witnessing clean and spectacular cycling.
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