Pestering PR people at the Dauphine, the new Trek Madone + Hugh Carthy talks bike tech on the road.cc Podcast

For this episode of the road.cc Podcast, Mat, Liam and Andrew are coming at you from a French departure lounge as they discuss their experience at the Criterium du Dauphine. Liam and Dan also catch up with Hugh Carthy, the EF Education–EasyPost rider from Preston who loves to dig deep, about all things bike. 

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That curious-looking new Trek Madone certainly got people talking when we broke the story earlier this month, and it's heavily on the agenda in our airport chat. Liam, Mat and Andrew talk about what it's like to be at a World Tour race, what happens when PR people don't want you taking pictures of their new bikes, and thrown in plenty of comedy mispronunciations of Toms Skujiņš for good measure... 

For our second segment, Hugh Carthy reveals himself to be quite the bike nerd, telling us about his favourite vintage bikes back home and his equipment preferences for big races.

> Review: Vittoria Air-Liner Road Tubeless Insert Kit

He also tells us that he's a fan of his team's use of Vittoria tyres and inserts, appearing to confirm that the mechanics have continued with the trick of brushing the inside of the tyres with sealant and letting it dry, so extra liquid sealant isn't needed: 

"I punctured on one a couple of years ago and they were fine, I didn't notice I'd punctured for a while. 

"For the gravel stages, Strade Bianche type races and the gravel stages of the Giro last year... I had as low [PSI] as the team would allow me to run, and it was low, really soft. There were no issues with the liner in there and some sealant. 

"The TT tyres I don't think we use any sealant, they're that good I think you can manage without sealant. 

"Because they've got the tape right... they don't have the foam liner on anything, just the tyre and the tape."

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