Daniel is really cycling passion personified!
Not only does he, with Niklas, have the biggest cycling podcast in Sweden, but he is also a gravel racer and race bike connoisseur.
This was an interview that I highly enjoyed and definitely gave me inspiration and motivation to continue on my journey,
You can find Daniel and his podcast here:
https://www.instagram.com/drytz/
https://www.instagram.com/cykelwebben/
Please let me know your thoughts on this interview in the comments below.
And if you like it, hit like and subscribe for more content like this.
Hi and welcome to learner with gra holic today I’m talking to podcast host donitz here are some of the things that we going to talk about today problem with being an early adopter is that you feel like oh it’s too late like I felt that
It was too late in 2017 I was stressed out by the fact that you know I’m I’m too late into to this game no but I think that that was I think that the one with with Cavendish from from the tour that was probably the the the most
Awkward one because like I kind of knew that he didn’t want to do it but I did it anyway because I thought like the opportunity was there how does it feel to be the biggest cying podcast in Sweden I don’t do you reflect on that no finding dream bikes from when I started
To race and ride and you know getting those secondhand if you’re really lucky you can pick them up pretty cheap and kind of restore them and use them every once in a great while Daniel and Nicholas at cular Pon are two of the guys that I’ve been listening to the
Longest when it comes to podcasts they have been a true inspiration for me and I’m super happy to have Donnie Lombard to be interviewed for me so without further Ado here is D well hello good morning Daniel how are you today morning uh I’m good started the day with
A uh long a long an hour walk in uh in beautiful Stockholm uh the weather is chilly but yeah we’re oh the morning was better than than now but yeah so far so good do you still have any snow up there no everything melted away the last week
We do have some some like rock hard ice in some places I I discovered on my walk but uh now the it’s uh kind of dry by now so yeah looking forward to a few rides this weekend maybe not on snow but on on tarmac lovely lovely so let’s start from
The beginning I’m so super curious I mean I I’ve been listening and I’m a big fan of of the podcast that you guys have uh since since I started cycling like three four years ago now um but how how did you come about starting cycling and
And and why oh uh so going way back I mean i’ I’ve always cycled always biked uh growing up on the sort of the countryside it was a means of getting to to friends and then using the the bike as a toy basically with your friends
Uh and then I yeah I moved to to Stockholm where I still live uh to to work and study in my like late teens early 20s I guess um and by then the bike had sort of disappeared from my from my life but I still had some kind
Of connection to to biking I guess um and I don’t really know why but I had this is a weird story I had shoulder surgery um in now it’s more than 20 years ago but during my my rehab of the soldier shoulder surgery I started like reading Bike Magazine and looking at
Bikes and I actually bought a bike while I was still like incapacitated from the surgery and like vowed to use the the bike as as rehab when I was able to so then I started riding like mountain bikes again after that um and then it just sort of SP
From from there uh so started with some like mountain bike free riding stuff uh and instead of turning towards like more extreme free riding or downhilling as as many of the guys that I was riding with went for I went more the sort of cross country Marathon route
And from there on to Road cycling and that’s uh that’s basically it and yeah been doing that ever since started racing on the road I think in 2002 I think and yeah here we are 20 that’s crazy years I mean I can also I mean cycling it is like a virus it is
Something like people almost call it like a drag right it’s just so liberating so such gives such a freedom from movement to but also the exercise perspective of things and and the community I guess as well you’ve also experienced coming to a new city a big city of Stockholm and just getting to
Know people yeah for sure but I I have a question I mean you touch upon it sometimes in the podcast as well but I’m curious can we get a rundown of how many bikes you actually own uh it’s in the 30s wow yeah um is that like a hobby of its own kind
Of almost but that’s the thing and you touched on it because like cycling is it’s the writing it’s the training that’s one aspect of it and then it’s the racing that’s one aspect of it it’s the the tech like like the bikes that’s another one following the the pro scene
That’s another one Community that’s like so yes it’s definitely part of it and for for me it’s like a it’s kind of like a cycle in in in the meaning that you know sometimes you’re not super excited about the the training okay but then you can focus on the the social aspect or
The cultural aspect of cycling and then you get tired of that and then you can focus on your on your bikes or whatever um yeah so that’s that’s kind of it but the thing is the the bikes that I that I have well some of them and and
Definitely the the ones that I’m riding and racing now are really really nice bikes um but some of them and right now my my what I’ve been doing is basically finding dream bikes from when I started to race and ride and you know getting those secondhand if you’re
Really lucky you can pick pick them up pretty cheap and kind of restore them and use them every once in a great while um and the rest of the time you can just enjoy owning them I guess which is not a really good way of motivating having
Them but yeah I have lots of bikes that’s super cool yeah I it’s always so funny when you start talking about that on the podcast and that that kind of stes away seem to to to the next question and one of the big why I wanted
To have you on on the podcast and potentially also Nicholas but I know that just like him my his life is complicated with work and kids and everything so I fig it was just easier to to get hold of you to some extent but but nonetheless um how you I
Want to talk about the partnership that you have with Nicholas as well right because you seem to be super good friends and maybe that’s the question itself actually was that how it started where did the idea come from I know that how did it all come to be yeah um
So yeah besides just writing a lot I’ve I’ve also worked as a cycling journalist for for quite a long time um I used to have a like way way back I used to have a Blog for for bicycling magazine the Swedish edition of that um and I was
Also the sort of Road editor at large for for the magazine um for I think almost 10 years um and then I stopped doing that around 2016 I think something like that um but then it sort of grew that I was missing doing that as well so we started the the website
Suan um publishing you know whatever we felt like basically without any real Direction on it um but I think you say we already that was yeah I was well I started it and then I brought in Nicholas and a few other friends who who also did some writing in the on the
Website uh but I think the problem was that without a deadline and without any any kind of pressure we struggled to get content out there uh okay I think maybe you can relate uh yeah well you you you push out a lot of content which is super
Impressive um but we we were sort of struggling in in getting it really off the ground and getting it running we had a few things that really you know gained traction uh back in those days but um uh what I realized was that you know
Nicholas and me we had a similar view on maybe the the pro scene and and racing and stuff like that and we kept talking about it and I kept sort of nagging him to try and do a podcast because I was listening to like a lot of podcasts back
Then yeah and finally I just went and bought a recorder um sort of you know told nichas that I’ll be at your place you know this evening let’s just try it um because yeah we needed to get something done and that was in 2017 and since then we’ve put out the
New episode every second week um plus bonus episodes to our patrons who we love um also every second week so now we do a we do a podcast basically every week yeah so that basically I mean I just looked now before I think it was 164th you just
Released this week was it yeah 163 or 164 yeah yeah one one of the other and then bonuses on top of that so that’s a lot since yeah that’s a lot I mean I’m I’m super impressed by you guys it’s it’s really really awesome um one thing I
Mean 2017 still that was I also started listening to podcast quite early but that was still it’s still sort of very early to start a podcast 2017 and I just listened to the news I listen to another podcast that’s called break it maybe you know it Swedish one about the startup
Scenes and they were also talking about how how podcast really there was one company whatever long story short the the essence is that they consider podcasting still sort of in an early stage of evolution that hasn’t really settled um so but it’s for me that has
Listen to podcast and you guys that has been established for such a long time it it is quite remarkable that that is still the case for sure for sure and I think for for me like starting it back then I was already okay I’m I’m I’m an
Early adopter to to basically Tech and media uh in general I think I’ve always been and the problem with being an early adopter is that you feel like oh it’s too late like I felt that it was too late in 2017 I was stressed by the fact
That you know I’m I’m too late into to this game uh and looking at it now I’m like like oh my God we had there was such an opportunity to do something more you know whatever exactly yeah yeah but how um um how how does it feel to be the
Biggest cycling podcast in Sweden no I don’t do you reflect on that no you have like a I just checked Apple now you have a rating on 4 or 4.6 or 4.8 which is really really good and like 3 400 comments that really positive comments
About it yeah no it’s kind of it’s It’s kind of surreal um like we made t-shirts like a while back and and sold to to listeners and like the first time I saw one in the in the wild like seeing someone wear it it was like really
Surreal um and it’s really like we met in in h at gravel grit grind two years ago right you came up get a fanboy moment those interactions are are amazing um and I I get like I get surprised every time and I think it’s it’s fantastic having that connection to
To our listeners um in the 10 years that I wrote my my the stuff for the the column or the blog for for the magazine like seriously I have I have as many interactions in a week with our listeners as I did over those 10 years which is the the Fantastic thing about
The New Media landscape that we’re living in but no I I like I don’t reflect on on on being the the biggest Swedish cycling podcast and I don’t really I don’t think about it that much uh no uh but it’s it’s it’s it’s nice did you ever
Consider to do it in English because I mean the quality that you guys produce of the content your knowledge and everything and I want to get into some of those bits and pieces a bit a little bit later but did did you ever consider doing it in English so that you would
Get a broader audience potentially uh first of all thank you so much uh second our USP like our unique selling point is the I think the Swedish language which then also is our limiting factor so but I think we’ll stick to the Swedish Market there are so many there
Are so many really good English podcasts out there I think you do have a point in in I think there would be there is enough space for for another one and I think there is space for something that that we do but I think we
Um we sort of decided that the um we want to reach the Swedish audience there isn’t really that much like there is no Swedish cycling media at the moment really apart apart from us so someone needs to to cover that wheel there there are a few other outlets that’s trying
Right but but you are by far the best my my point of view sorry sorry but not sorry so I mean the magazine that we that I used to write for that doesn’t exist anymore um there is there are a few like I mean of course there are some like like yourself some
Some Instagram uh personalities and influencers there there is uh like a new startup that’s trying the YouTube format but that’s irregular um so I think I mean there needs to be someone covering this Swedish scene as well and I think doing that in in English sort of defeats the
Purpose uh and I think the the Swedish cycling crowd uh deserves something in their native language yeah no that’s that’s true so I I I fully totally respect that choice uh and it it gives you guys also of course the dynamic in being able to speak your native language
And everything as well is just different as well yeah and and speaking about the dynamic you and Nicholas I need to dig a little bit deeper into this you you guys seem to have such a amazing relationship and you sort of you’re you’re similar but still different so you compliment
Each other in a way how how how do you feel about the relationship with Nicholas Nicholas is a I mean Nicholas is a fantastic guy uh I think I mean I think it comes through we we or at is I like him a lot I think he likes me as
Well um but like you say we compliment each other um of course there are but I think I think that’s it we respect each other we know who’s good at what uh and over these now almost yeah five six years of doing the podcast we’ve really found a balance where we we complement
Each other in the sort of the tempo that the podcast is is is going and I think one of the the big attractions of the podcast itself is that and I hope this is how it’s being perceived from the from the outside as well it’s like I think it’s our ambition is basically
That you as a listener feel like you’re part of our conversation like it’s it’s we try and be inclusive we try to be um yeah open open to that and we try to keep it on a a pretty uh like decent level in terms of knowledge and in terms
Of facts and stuff but also very light-hearted uh all the time I think something that both me and Nicholas have is that we do know of each others and our own weaknesses mhm and sort of own up to them um which means that it’s okay for the other one to criticize the other
One uh I think it’s on on that note I think it’s so funny how you’re doing sort of the tech segment and Nicholas is kind of sort of being completely you a little bit of a hard time about it and that’s just such a funny dynamic in
Between uh yeah no but I mean I don’t think we I don’t think we realized or knew in the beginning that that’s how it would turn out but I think it’s like just a lucky circumstance but do you guys I mean obviously you talk after after your recording but do you guys try
To analyze and think about what what how it was and how you could do it better and stuff do you do those kind of Reflections we do um yeah we definitely do and I think I’ve done it a little bit more than than nichlas because I also
Edit the the podcast so I hear everything uh oh okay yeah of course yeah and I listen to it more uh maybe more intentionally than than he does so so the production flow is basically you know we meet up um we’ve finalized the the script together over
Like an hour a couple of hours depending on how focused we are and how uh un focused we are um then we press record nowadays we we really try and record as it is live yeah with as as little interruptions as possible um then I edit
The the uh the episode send it to Nicholas to listen through to make sure there’s nothing uh like wrong that I missed or whatever and then we publish it so he B like he basically only listens to a an really almost finished uh product got you got you uh but I’ve
Listened to you know our whole learning process but I can see that the years we’ve become so much more like efficient and professional in in doing what we’re doing so uh yeah yeah how so in in addition to you and Nicholas you also sometimes you bring on guests um the
Most frequent guest lately has been man who who who is amazing he’s actually been on this show too and then but you also tap into to the pro scene right and you have especially we will talk I going to ask you about this experien as well but you
Have some of the the women pros that’s been on on the show I find that so sort of liberating as well that you guys you’re so tapped into to that scene of of the Swedish pros and you you you um give them space as well and all how how
How do you feel about and when how how is that going yeah that was actually it was a conscious decision from us uh from the beginning uh to to make as much space and now you know thinking of it we we probably don’t but like our ambition
Is to give as much space to uh the female Pros as the male Pros um do that awesomely I would say you’re like the the most um what’s the word in English like the most sort of you have a equilibrium between talking about the men pros and
And the the women proos both in Sweden and and and um also in the international scene as well I would say yeah I mean we’re trying and and we can see that from from when we started until now and I think maybe the few years before we even started women’s racing has really
Taken off in a in a big way um but looking at it from Swedish persp perspective like our our female writers the women pros in Sweden are so much better than the men um and there there’s more of them and and from a very practical perspective there are more of
Them in our area near s which you know it’s easier for us to to grab them and have them on the show um so I think that’s that’s one of the reasons why we’ve I mean practicalities uh that’s one of the reasons and I think uh
I mean of course we’d like to have um all of the Swedish male Pros on as well but they are harder to sort of uh get hold of uh but but definitely it’s it’s been a um a conscious decision for us to to have to give space to to the women
Yeah I I I really like that part that you find that balance and that you don’t prioritize just just the men scene uh but I want to ask you about that what’s your point of view what’s your opinion about sort of why is the Swedish women so much more successful than the men
Right now and I mean it’s just completely incredible and and on top of that we have the difference in between this extreme success of Norway and Denmark right and then Sweden it’s not that we are sort of physically different it’s just that I mean there are so many aspects of it what’s what’s
Your opinion and how do you see that it’s but I I think it’s like kind of a culture of of winning or participating like when the the women see that you know oh she can she can go pro then I can probably do it too like I can hang
With her on on racing and training so that means that you know I can do it too um and probably the same thing with with with with the guys but I think also in also kind of practicality wise there’s been very little Swedish representation in sponsorship and in team management
And in all these things that make it easier for Swedish guys to get on teams like there’s there’s no one that can bring in a friend or can recommend you know another Rider that they Ed to race with so that’s that’s one thing from the from
The top down so to speak yeah from the bottom up we are clearly lacking uh we’re clearly lacking like enough infrastructure in swed to support someone rising to the pro ranks there’s no there’s basically no Swedish Continental teams uh there’s definitely no Pro Cony teams in Sweden um which
Means that there’s no real uh pathway for young Swedish Riders to get visibility in in big races in Europe and taking those steps all the way up to to World Tour racing but where does that come from is it the the lack of of will
Is it the the Federation is it the local clubs where do you see I mean we don’t need to point fingers in in one special Direction but do you what’s what’s your take I think it’s it’s a combination of of a lot of things but I think I mean
The main thing is that cycling isn’t considered a a mainstream or interesting sport to sport to to sponsors and so on so um yeah there’s so much like last year there was this new legislation that made it harder to to arrange basis on on open true um the national championships
Was almost cancelled because of a formality in in terms of the applications or and whatever so they have to move it to a Raceway um really like this the status of the sport is so low that it’s hard to to get something going and I mean that responsibility
Lies on the Federation that is their that is their job to to sort of um make sure that the status of the sport is on a high enough level to make it interesting for different types of stakeholders and like clearly they’re not doing a great job
Sorry okay got you but you you touched upon one thing and it’s sort of the the culture of cycling as well in society in general and I mean Denmark is pretty obvious they they just they have a complete different but in Norway I wouldn’t say it’s it’s not the same way
So it would be more similar to Sweden but still they’re successful but here’s here now I’m coming to my question yeah and and I mean and and culture is built upon many different aspects and and and things right so one of them is how we are influencing or let’s use that
Word influencing within quotes people to also start riding bicycles in different manners right and you are part of that so do you see yourself as an INF influencer of some sorts and and do you do that then consciously towards maybe also building that community and and the
The culture in Sweden uh reluctantly yes uh I think um I I think we do I mean we we do get we do get messages which is amazing like we get messages saying you know oh it’s I don’t I don’t I don’t think we reach people who aren’t
Interested like we reach people who are interested and maybe we can deepen their interest so we do we do get messages and we’ve had a few of these like oh I used to ride mountain bikes a lot uh you guys made me buy my first road
Bike stuff like that and that is that is of course very cool um regarding like influencing and and stuff like that my having done this for for such a long time having and also being curious and being very sort of you know wanting to know more I’ve picked up
A few things over the years and I do enjoy sharing that with with our audience and kind of helping out and kind of teaching people new things or things that I I take for granted that is really not something that you you would know starting out or stuff like that so yeah
Um maybe more of a I don’t know teacher than an influencer not sure I mean many people have a negative connotation to to influencer right and I’ve talked to many people on this show about it as well and I that it’s it’s a fact people don’t want to be
Sort of associated with an influencer because you when you say influencer you think about sort of yeah now I’m now maybe saying this stupidly as well but girls doing like makeup commercials or whatever I mean those kind of things H but I think we’re all influencing in
Some sort so it’s not it’s more the verb than maybe the the title that I’m I mean everything everything that gets more people on bikes is a great thing yeah I mean at least from our perspective is yes don’t get me started on that debate that’s
A um yeah okay so I taking it back a little bit more to towards the podcast again you spoke about it earlier uh the the separation in between sort of the regular episodes and the bonus episodes and that you went sort of on this path to put it behind a pay wall basically
What’s tell me what’s your and I’m I’m sorry to say that I’m still not a member of of your community being a patron so I’ll have to I’ll have to do better um but how where where did that come from and how do you how what’s sort of the
Thinking around that I mean it’s it’s kind of it’s it’s it’s sort of um we threw it out there we we started with the patreon so so patreon is a platform basically you can go in and use use sign up and you put in your your credit card details and then it
Automatically uh draws an an amount every time we release an episode um so you support the podcast with a small amount every uh for every episode and we just threw that up without sort of adding any value the only value we we added was that okay now you’re like
Officially a friend of the podcast um we mention your name and and that’s it and you know a few people signed up and we were like wow this is this is amazing people are signing up and and sort of helping us out supporting the podcast um
And then we had um our friend Matias reck who is a a coach in the um uh Le Tre team um for both the the men and the women and he’s he’s a fantastic guest to have he’s an super interesting speaker always some interesting anecdotes and of course the latest and greatest stuff
About training we had him on always really long episodes and you know we came up with the idea that maybe we should you know cut him off after about an hour and a half or whatever and and and and take the last 30 minutes exclusively for for the patrons to give them
Something for you know as a reward for them actually already supporting the the podcast we did that we mentioned that in the podcast we put it up behind a pay wall um and the numbers just went through the roof wow cool so so you know
We had so many people signing up to get access to that yeah like in our minds it was you know giving the people who had already supported us something and so many new people signed up and we were like okay might be on to something here
Um and yeah so we we continue doing that and um yeah it works nice it works nicely um we do the bonus episode episodes they are maybe so our regular episodes aren’t super structured either uh but they have at least some type of structure to them the bonus episodes
Are less formal I would say yeah even even more conversation type where we you know sort of um reach out to the community or or uh yeah maybe enhance the the I don’t know lighter parts of uh of podcasting but you also as I understood it one of the reasons why you
Do it and maybe you need to confirm this but you kind of reinvest that money that you get somehow into also be able to provide more sort of content and you you said mentioned I think it was now last episode as well something about going to
To France to see the T France and so forth yeah um is that kind of one of the reasons as well or yeah yeah we have set up uh I mean the the the podcast is an AOG as we say in Sweden like LC I would guess that
Is in English uh but we are the worst people to run a business like ever uh nothing well we we there’s very little personal gain uh in terms of financials for us and basically all the money stays stays in the podcast and like you say reinvesting so we went to the to the
Start of the tour to France in Denmark two years ago we went to bilau together with Magnus and Yan from from uh this this summer which is amazing and that is paid for by basically the the money that we get from our patrons um and in turn we put out like one episode
Every day we were there uh back towards our our patrons uh so yeah it’s uh kind of reinvesting into the into the super cool speaking about going to the big races and and talking to some of these the the bigger names of of cycling you
Just had one of them on your show you had an interview with Lan Morton how was that oh yeah yeah that was really nice and and thanks to our friends at Pok uh who helps that that up um llan and his brother Gus they were in Stockholm
Promoting their new uh film about The Great Divide and um yeah we were we were invited to the to the film and then the day after we we got the opportunity to talk to uh Lo and and Gus which was super super interesting they are like really
Chill guys uh super friendly super easy to speak to uh it was you know just like opening a opening the the Canon letting them just run with it um were you nervous no not really uh like okay a little bit Star Struck maybe because you’ve seen so much of them right yeah
But honestly like I’ve I’ve run into llan a couple of times that the the gravel races that I’ve I’ve done yeah um and then it’s it’s it’s kind of funny seeing him in that element because in that element everyone’s like watching him and being you know very much like a
He’s a star in that in that environment um but it was I mean it was really chill they had been for mountain bike ride out in in helas here in in Stockholm uh we had lunch with them out in out there you know just chatting with them during
Lunch which meant that we sort of you know we’d already established a something with them before sting down to do the the interview which was was nice but how how is it like walking around in the pits uh tour the farms for example like and how do you do that like
Just ask someone to ask them for an interview and put the mic in their face basically I mean you I try you I I think you tried to do it with the was it uh with the Mar kavish right as well I mean how how do you feel about that you need
To be super Brave doing it right yeah it is it is actually it’s quite we’re doing that in in that setting uh like I’ve done media camps before uh and then you’re sort of expected to to do it you have time slots and you know they come
To you they know what’s expected from them and so on but like at the tour we we sort of took a chance with with with Mark Mark Cavendish sorry I’m not not Mark with him uh because we we were at the the the hotel where aana was was staying
Um by by chance basically and we saw him like walk onto the bus and I was like let’s just wait outside until he comes out and try and grab him and yes for sure that is because you know that he’s a little bit on the defensive towards
Media in general and you know we’re we’re two guys with with a microphone and you know he doesn’t know us um but but um like you say you know again like you have to get into character like this is not this is not me the person this is me the the
Podcaster uh you know and you yeah you basically just do it but yes it’s it’s quite daunting actually doing it the the first time has there been any awkward moments any sort of sort things that you could share any things that sort of went wrong or I mean in any kind of character
That would be no but I think that that was I think that the one with with Cavendish from from the tour that was probably the the the most awkward One MH because like I kind of knew that he didn’t want to do it but I did it anyway because I thought
Like the opportunity was there uh and you know he cut it a little bit short or he cut it very short and I think we could have because we were also speaking to to his now Sprint coach and friend Mark Renshaw his previous uh lead out
Man and of course I mean we could have had 10 10 minute interview with with Rena if we would have wanted to because he was very friendly and and stuff but you know Mark came out and when Mark when Cavendish cut it short Reno also
Was like I need to you know he didn’t want to be nicer than C I guess I don’t know well you you weave in uh of course from your own experience as well and you’re building that experience even more now when you are sort of I don’t
Know what to call it like semi semi gravel Pro of or gravel Pro with with no borders what’s what’s that like and and uh grael gravel Pro is is kind of a joke but but for sure I mean we are yeah I’m part of the the noborders gravel team uh
We are generously supported by oh I had to be like BMC and of course and velio uh clothing uh which has been like a fantastic experience uh they support us with with everything from from you know everything you need to basically run a a gravel season um and I mean I’m far from
Pro in terms of of performance for sure um but just being able to you know be part of that gravel racing scene that is now emerging and sort of taking shape and still kind of early u in the development of that has been yeah very
Cool so I’ve done that for for two years did a few races around Europe did both uh UCI World Championships both um yeah both times in Italy um 23 22 and 23 uh yeah it’s it’s pretty cool experience so but you’re continuing this year as well right 24 yes y cool and and
So what’s what’s your plan now for 24 I guess I mean I just saw now that the the world championship is going to be in Belgium instead so a very different course most likely and I really want to go myself even though that I might not
Be able to make it myself to qualify I I really hope that I can make it just to be there in person I would love to see that um this year let’s see if I can make it but what’s what’s your plan for 24 um I really don’t know uh to be
Honest uh okay the the only thing I actually know is that I’ll be going to the traa in in Jona early early May I’ll do that I’ve done that the two last years as well um and then I kind of will take it from there I will probably ride a few events
Here in in Sweden because it’s close by and there are some new events popping up um hopefully qualify for for worlds this year as well but a part from that I’ll try and take it um as it as it comes the the season um probably a little bit less
Travel uh I just started because I do have a day job on this on the side of everything else uh and I just switched rols um which means that I will yeah probably won’t have as much time basically to to travel and to race but for sure starting out with tracka and
We’ll take it from there cool one but sort of Beyond this year do you have any sort of still bucket list things to do on the bike or with the bike or and or with the podcast to be honest as well oh that’s a really good question I think I
Would like to do some more like I’ve done gravel racing and riding a lot over the last few years but I mean to be completely honest my heart is still closest to road racing damn yeah um I think I think you know maybe want to do some some uh some you know
Amateur stage racing in different parts of the world uh would like to do some more or like Italian Grand fondos which are like nice maybe do like it up to two it up to two and stuff like that I think that is mostly what I’m
Sort of uh wanting to to do um otherwise I’m I feel I’m pretty set I think I found a good level for my for my writing right now oh that’s fantastic for the podcast it would be amazing to be able to you know travel more and spend more
Time at the tour for example or follow the jro around or going to the the spring Classics would be would be amazing but again uh traveling and combining everything nichas has a has you know a bigger family than I do I’m more flexible um and you know it’s so much like you want
To do your own writing you want to follow the the pros you want to it’s a lot of stuff yeah I can imagine so many things to do so little time exactly I I I hear you I know what So speaking about the tour and there’s more and more names announcing
Their schedules for this year and I know that you guys talk about this a lot on the podcast as well and and you you have a huge interest in this so do I but maybe not as much as you guys and I’m not as sort of into it even though that
I follow it as closely as I can but what’s what’s your hot takes on the winners this year for the tours I want to hear you’re sort of three winners now yeah no no h i don’t think I have any hot takes I mean it’s it’s uh it’s
It’s I think let’s leave the hot takes then let’s do just us it’s Jonas or or Tad uh basically and if if they mess it up you know Garen Thomas might have a have a shot both Tad and and garant are doing the the jro toward double which is
Which is cool but yeah let’s see how that works out um I don’t yeah Thomas hasn’t done that before uh he’s I think he’s tried once but he crashed out of both the tour and the jro that year I think the same year ah never mind I
Think it’s it’s between Jonas and and Tad and since T is doing the jro I would hold Jonas as as the favorite um and then we’ll see I mean rco is g to be up there um yeah we’ll see I I mean some there might be some some new young guys uh
Showing their their skills but for now I think you know the the guys that we’ve seen over the last few years will still hold the top positions yeah yeah it’s interesting I think I’m honestly super excited this year about the the tours because they they as you say the mix of
Now um just having Jonas and rogish split it up in two different teams as well that’s going to just make a different dynamic as well so I think sure yeah I like you say the the move uh to to to Bora for for Rish I think is
Going to be beneficial to everyone not least the fans I think Bora has shown themselves in terms of racing actively and really really like putting their stamp on on racing and I think now with the leader that has the potential to win ground tours I mean it’s not going to be
Worse it’s going to be uh yeah so it could be it really could be best case scenario like fireworks all the teams going at it to against each other and so on worst case is that you know everyone looks at everyone else and think thinks that everyone else is super strong and
It’s going to be kind of locked in and locked down um but uh let’s hope for fireworks yeah me too um so speaking about um content but also the podcast what what really motivates you what keeps you going I mean you’ve been going now since 2017 and that’s now seven
Years uh what’s how how do you how are you able to continue like I have no idea honestly I have no idea uh the deadline is there like we need to release an episode every Tuesday um but still I mean we we still follow cycling as intensively or intensely as we we always
Have super like something is always happening which is you know it’s it’s of course we’re we’re as surprised as everyone else that you can actually sit down and talk about cycling for well a good hour at least uh every two weeks and there’s always something to talk about
Um I think now it’s I mean of course some some some weeks are tougher than others to to actually you know pull yourself together and and do it uh but most of the time it sort of just it just happens because it’s and we I think we’ve mentioned it on the podcast like
You can because we record on Sunday evenings and like you can go r on on the Sunday and have a little bit of maybe not anxiety but you know oh oh we have to do the podcast this evening ah like like that and then as soon as like
Nicholas shows up you know it’s the mood is is Switched we’re on we sort of uh yeah uh we fire each other up I guess and the the dynamic comes into play and you know we sit down we look through what’s happened over the last two weeks
And it’s just yeah it’s on it’s always it’s always fun like when we hit record we always have fun that’s amazing so it’s something to look forward to also yeah yeah I that’s that sounds great so my last question Daniel we I usually ask this to to everyone that comes um if
They can share any tips and tricks for other aspiring um now in your case like podcasters my my my sister is just about to start one so I’m going to meet her on Monday and uh so what what what advice can can you tell me that I can bring to
Her or that she can listen to this and maybe listen to you uh my maybe you’ve heard this somewhere else but like just do it uh which is I mean yeah it’s super cliche but you know anything is better than nothing and just like don’t be so don’t be
Don’t yeah don’t make it too too hard for yourself and don’t be too hard on yourself like just just put something out there and see if it works like the First episodes we recorded with one handheld very simple recorder that we sort of both leaned into after a while
We realized that you know we had it was two it’s One mic but it’s two channels right so Nicholas was on the on the right side and I was on the left side and I didn’t even know how to mix them into the same track which meant that it
Was really like one was on this side and one um and then over time you learn like you learn and you refine and you uh yeah so I mean just start by putting something out there see where it takes you and you know if it doesn’t work start over do
Something else yeah yeah that’s great advice thank you thank you very much Daniel for taking your time and sharing all this your insights your learnings and and your your experience with us um I really appreciate appreciate uh appreciate the invitation always nice to to uh speak to someone with similar interest and
Passion I appreciate that yes thank you very much have a nice weekend I really hope that you get a nice couple of Miles as we say in Swedish yeah you metric miles metric miles yeah and the same to you thank you very much right see you see
You C what a guy he has so much passion so much energy energy and a lot of bikes so the passion really shines through I wish all the best to Nicholas and Daniel and their their podcast I hope they continue for another seven years or so at least love to listen to
Their content I know is in Swedish as as he spoke about but if you are Swedish and if you enjoy my my content you will definitely enjoy their content they are great and even better than me so yeah enjoy but no this is what the show was
All about today next week I’ll bring you someone else really interesting to listen to so don’t miss a beat and see you in a week take care until then bye-bye