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The Cycling Podcast has enjoyed significant growth in 2017, with a 50 percent increase in audience, co-host Richard Moore has told BikeBiz. The podcast has retained Rapha as headline sponsor and has added Science in Sport, Allpress Espresso and Maserati ahead of the Giro d’Italia, which starts in Sardinia on Friday and from which The Cycling Podcast will broadcast nightly episodes. Moore said there will also be nine morning episodes of the magazine-style programme Kilometre 0.
“We hope people get as much out of listening to The Cycling Podcast as we get out of making it," said Moore. His co-hosts are fellow cycling journalists Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe.
"In a media industry dominated by a sense of doom and gloom, it has given each of us a sense of renewed enthusiasm and optimism," Moore added.
“The best thing about podcasting is that it can be a platform for serious journalism and also, even in the next breath, humour. It is rewarding to be able to cover stories in the kind of depth, and with the appropriate nuance and tone, that is possible with audio. In this sense it is a refreshing antidote to social media, where so many get their news in bite-sized chunks, shorn of context.
“We are very grateful to our sponsors, without whom we wouldn’t be able to produce our free-to-air shows. We are especially grateful for the fact that they understand and appreciate what it is that we try to do on the podcast – in return, we are transparent in acknowledging their support to our audience.”
The Cycling Podcast – which, like other podcasts is available on iTunes – first aired in 2013. Last year it narrowcasted daily shows from the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España, with an average of 51,000 downloads per show. Fifty per cent of the audience is based in the UK with listeners spread throughout the USA, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East. As well as free, sponsor-supported content, a subscription scheme provides Friends of the Podcast with exclusive shows accessible behind a paywall.
Rapha CEO and founder Simon Mottram said:
“Everything at Rapha is driven by a total passion for the sport, and we are committed to bringing it to more people around the world. The Cycling Podcast is a key partner in making this happen. Extended coverage of the Giro d’Italia fits perfectly with that goal, and we are working with the team on forthcoming special episodes and an exciting product collaboration.”
The Cycling Podcast’s media partners are The Telegraph and Eurosport.
