When is Course Cutting Actually Cheating? | Velo Podcast

This week I missed the pod but Mike Levy, Lisa Charleboise, and Logan Jones-Wilkins held down the fort talking about pee and ultra-racing. It didn’t start that way though. First Levy tried to pry embargoed information out of Jones-Wilkins. No go there but Charleboise was, of course, doing another massive ride last weekend. From there it was on to the main topics.

Urine Intel from the Giro d’Italia

In perhaps the most graphic segment of the week, the trio tackles the recent UCI warnings at the Giro d’Italia. Racers have been put on notice for urinating into their water bottles and tossing them to the roadside. Levy attempts to defend the logistical efficiency of the “bottle pee” , while Logan and Lisa are utterly horrified by the practice. If you’ve ever been a roadside fan hoping to snag a souvenir bidon, Levy points out the absolute horror of picking up a bottle that feels suspiciously warm.

Strava Feuds and Indoor Aerobars

Moving on to reader questions, the team addresses the mental health aspects of chasing Strava KOMs in highly saturated areas like Boulder. Logan shares his philosophy on finding your own niche segments to contest, recounting his battles defending his self-created “Dick Punch” KOM against World Tour riders, and how he had to let go of segments once Phil Gaimon showed up to drop 520 watts on a local climb.

The crew also discusses the biomechanics of high aerobar positions. A listener points out that opening the hip angle can improve blood flow and reduce iliac artery injury risk. Levy confesses that he runs a high aerobar setup on his indoor Zwift bike strictly for the massive comfort benefits during three-hour sessions, while Lisa explains why they will never replace her trusty handlebar bag on long rides.

The Traka 560 Controversy & Ultra-Racing Ethics

Today’s episode sees the crew diving deep into the messy, rapidly maturing world of ultra-distance racing. Logan Jones-Wilkins breaks down why Victor Bosoni’s victory at the Traka 560km Adventure event has sparked intense debate across the cycling community. The controversy centers on Bosoni cutting approximately 400 meters off the official GPS track.

This leads to a fiery debate between the hosts: Lisa Charleboise firmly believes that missing that much of the course is grounds for immediate disqualification, stating she would “give him the boot”. Meanwhile, Levy and Logan argue for a bit more nuance. They point out that Traka explicitly billed the 560 as an “adventure” rather than a strict race, leaving the rules murky and shifting the focus to how we define competition.

The conversation inevitably turns to the broader regulation of ultra-events. The crew discusses the presence of riders like second-place finisher Max Agathe, who recently served a four-year suspension for EPO , and how un-governed races handle such histories. They also highlight the Atlas Mountain Race’s forensic GPS verification process as a potential model for the future. Plus, a massive shoutout to Maddie Nutt for taking the women’s win with absolutely zero controversy!

Timestamps

00:00:00 – Intro
00:08:52 – Peeing in water bottles
00:14:14 – Reader Questions
00:23:37 – The Traka 560 Controversy & Ultra-Racing Ethics