Kate Bates, Henk Vogels and Merckxy are back in The Bunker with hot takes and a few laughs on the week that was in cycling. From pro-peloton drama to silly season antics, nothing is off limits.

In this episode:

• Sarah Gigante’s broken femur and what it means for her comeback
• Vuelta battle: Visma Lease a Bike vs UAE Emirates
• Transfer shuffle at Jayco AlUla: Harper, Dunbar and Groenewegen’s exit
• Disqualifications galore after a GPS tracking saga – and Henk’s conspiracy theories
• What to do with mountains of old kit - Henk has a dirty story!
• Triathletes and MotoGP riders – scouting cycling talent from other sports
• Bike Week dress-ups: if Book Week has costumes, why not bikes?

Kate Bates, Henk Vogels and Merckxy are in the studio for a jam-packed Wheelhouse Cycling Podcast.

Fresh off his French adventure, Henk shares stories from the road, the atmosphere on the ground, and what caught his eye during cycling’s biggest fortnight.

Here’s what the team unpacked:

• Remco Evenepoel’s blockbuster move to Red Bull–BORA–Hansgrohe and what it means for the WorldTour pecking order.
• Tadej Pogačar’s domination and how Visma–Lease a Bike still kept the race gripping.
• Aussie pride as Kaden Groves makes Gympie proud and Ben O’Connor beats his demons.
• Tour de France Femmes emotion – Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s historic win and Sarah Gigante’s GC heartbreak.
• Remco Evenepoel’s big move to Red Bull–BORA–Hansgrohe and what it means for the peloton.
• Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s historic home victory.
• Sarah Gigante’s emotional GC battle and heartbreak on the final stage.
• AG Insurance-Soudal’s team heroics with Justine Ghekiere and Kimberley Le Court.
• Mavi Garcia breaks all the rules
• Maeva Squiban make France proud
• The Big Talking Point: The race-weight and health conversation at TDFF – including insights from Ferrand-Prévot, Demi Vollering, and other riders.
• Rwanda on the horizon – Is a World Championships with so much climbing fair game?

Keywords: Remco Evenepoel transfer, Red Bull BORA Hansgrohe, Tour de France 2025, Pogacar 4th Tour win, Kaden Groves Stage 20, Ben O’Connor Stage 18, Tour de France Femmes 2025, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, Sarah Gigante, AG Insurance Soudal, women’s cycling health debate, Wheelhouse Cycling Podcast, Kate Bates, Henk Vogels, Merckxy.

• Stage 1 of the Tour de France delivered complete chaos, with crosswinds, crashes and a textbook lead-out from Alpecin Decuninck.
• Jasper Philipsen takes the yellow jersey after a dominant finish.
• We call out a few big names who got caught napping when the splits came.
• Looking ahead, we preview the early key stages, including the all-important time trial and the showdown at Mûr-de-Bretagne.
• Plus, a quick-fire preview of the Giro Donne: • Who’s lining up • Who’s missing (no Neve Bradbury!) • And what to watch as the women’s Grand Tour gets underway