The Brutal Road to a Tour de France Top 10 | Andrew Talansky

Andrew Talansky didn’t get on a road bike until he was 17. Seven years later, he finished 10th overall in the Tour de France. Andrew joins Ken Rideout to tell the story of his unlikely rise from getting dropped on Miami group rides to competing against the best cyclists in the world. He shares how a running injury led him to cycling, why he left college to chase the sport, and how a brutal experience living and racing in Italy nearly ended his career before it truly began. Andrew also takes Ken inside the realities of professional cycling: training with Levi Leipheimer, exchanging words with Lance Armstrong during his breakout ride at the Tour of the Gila, receiving offers from the world’s top teams, and entering the sport as it tried to rebuild trust after the doping era. He explains why even elite amateur cyclists cannot comprehend the level of the Tour de France, what it feels like to descend at highway speeds in a crowded peloton, how riders recover and survive for three straight weeks, and why Alpe d’Huez became his favorite climb while Mont Ventoux became his hardest. Andrew also reflects on winning the Critérium du Dauphiné, walking away from professional cycling while still in his prime, the burnout and missing support that influenced his retirement, and how those experiences now shape his work helping athletes and organizations build healthier high-performance environments. Thank you to our sponsors Our Title Sponsor ROKA: www.roka.com/ Code “RIDEOUT” Timeline: timeline.com/rideout Code “RIDEOUT” Ken’s book now available here: https://www.theothersideofhard.com/ Chapters (00:00) Meet Andrew Talansky (00:13) Miami Cycling Roots (02:01) From Running To Bikes (03:45) Gear And Community Support (06:29) Tour Dreams And Fast Progress (08:57) The Real Pro Gap (13:38) Tour Chaos And Crashes (15:52) Risky Descents And Training (20:26) Winning Juniors And Nationals (23:35) Europe Reality Check (26:34) Cal Giant Breakthrough (33:37) Lance Moment At Gila (36:16) WorldTour Offers Roll In (36:32) National Champ Group Ride (37:41) Body Types and Weight (38:08) Doping and Eating Culture (39:47) Blood Doping Reality (41:10) Why Doping Felt Normal (42:52) Racing Clean After Lance (45:10) Joining Slipstream in Italy (46:52) Neo Pro Lessons and TT Talent (48:11) First Pro Race Breakthrough (49:40) First Grand Tour Vuelta (50:35) Olympic Deal Rumors (53:09) First WorldTour Win (56:27) First Tour de France Spotlight (59:55) Equipment and Team Specs (01:02:38) Tour Results and Final Day Rules (01:04:39) Peloton Sportsmanship and Cars (01:08:03) Alpe d’Huez Memories (01:09:06) Crowds Gone Too Far (01:12:43) Team Radio Tactics (01:14:26) Domestiques And Bottles (01:15:14) Hardest Climb Ventoux (01:16:01) Post Stage Recovery Routine (01:19:01) Tour Hotels And Logistics (01:22:10) Malibu Riding Stories (01:27:22) Burnout And Retirement (01:29:46) Dauphine Win Chaos (01:32:04) Cobbles And Roubaix Fear (01:34:40) Triathlon Reality Check (01:37:46) Performance Coaching Today (01:39:40) Wrap Up And Subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices