Don't buy me this! Crap cycling Christmas gifts + working for Team Sky on episode 13 of the road.cc Podcast

It's time for episode 13 of the road.cc Podcast in association with Altura, and this time we’re bringing VecchioJo’s annual what not to buy for cyclists guide to you in podcast form! We also talk to Team Sky's former press officer and digital manager about what it was like to work for them on the road during the height of the team's dominance, and we've got our first road.cc Podcast giveaway. 

What do us cyclists really want for Christmas? Definitely not another bike-shaped pizza cutter, comedy jersey or, erm, a cushion, according to VecchioJo. Yep, it’s that time of year where Jo compiles his very own Christmas list of what not to buy for cyclists this Nöel, and for the 13th episode of the road.cc Podcast we’ve brought it to life as he discusses the road.cc Christmas no-no list with George and Jack. WARNING: Contains brief digressions about fixies and rim brakes that could massively trigger fans of either of these things…

> None of these please! 11 gifts not to buy for cyclists this Christmas

Liam and Jack also chat to Nick Howes, who was the press officer and then digital manager for Team Sky while they were at their absolute peak. What was it like working for them while one of the biggest stories in British sport unfolded before us, with Bradley Wiggins’ Tour de France victory in 2012 inspiring a generation of Team Sky-wearing MAMILs? Find out what Cav, Froome and co are really like, and how well it goes down when you have to tell a rider having a relaxing massage that he’s supposed to be doing an interview for TV right at that very moment... 

Finally... we surpassed 10,000 downloads last episode, and to celebrate we're giving away a few goodies just in time for Christmas! If you want to win a cosy Altura Merino Blend Neck Warmer, a road.cc t-shirt and some famous road.cc socks, simply press play on the episode and answer the question that George asks a few seconds into the video, sending your answer to podcast [at] road.cc. If you can't get it, perhaps check out episode 8 of the road.cc Podcast... good luck! 

The road.cc Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music, and if you have an Alexa you can just tell it to play the road.cc Podcast. It's also embedded further up the page, so you can just press play.

What do you think of the road.cc Podcast so far, and what would you like us to discuss in future episodes? Comment below and/or drop us a line at podcast [at] road.cc