Bobby Julich and Jens Voigt answer your questions about weather, Queen stages and who really makes the Tour de France run!

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Hello

everyone, and welcome to the Odd Tandem

2

special bonus features

that we're including now.

3

We took on board a lot of your feedback

after our old podcast,

4

and you guys wanted to hear us

answer some questions, some questions,

5

and talk a little bit

more between ourselves.

6

So Jensie, we got the mailbag feature.

7

You ready for it?

8

I am can't wait to actually see

what you know, our listeners

9

and our fans and folks out there

presenting us for questions.

10

So for the first time ever on camera,

we have our producer, Mark Payne,

11

who is going to do the honors

of reading the questions

12

and then maybe drift

a little bit into the background and let,

13

Jens and I answer them as best we can.

14

So hopefully these are good questions.

15

We have not pre-read them.

16

Mark has, put them on some little note

cards and hasn't shared them with us.

17

So it'll be open and honest

and totally fun, right?

18

Jensie absolutely. I'm ready.

19

Okay, so yep.

20

remember this will be a regular feature.

21

So if you want to get a message,

22

just drop us a message on

any of the Odd Tandem social media pages.

23

which is something that John Richers did.

24

he asks,

Mads Pedersen doesn't do altitude camp,

25

but he kicks ass in sprints

and is solid in the mountains.

26

Is his approach

viable for other top riders?

27

Oh, I'll take that one.

28

I mean, altitude training is not for

for everyone, no doubt.

29

And I would say for sprinters,

even less so.

30

But you know, Mads is just

a freak of nature, to tell you the truth.

31

You know, I mean, you know, he trains well

and then he can get into the mountains

32

and he does his work,

and then he pulls the pin and tries

33

to recover

as much as is possible for the next stage.

34

But I've read where he doesn't like doing

altitude training.

35

Altitude training

is kind of a lonely existence.

36

you're up on top of a mountain.

37

You know,

38

you're spending 2 or 3 weeks up there,

which is the equivalent of a grand tour.

39

And it's tough to focus.

40

And for a guy that doesn't really feel

that that's been benefiting him,

41

he's going to have a hard time mentally.

42

Yancey, I know that you came up with me

and stayed with me in Lake Tahoe.

43

a couple times for altitude training.

44

what's your take on on altitude training?

45

Did you feel a benefit from it?

46

We did

47

a series of altitude training camps

with, German national team

48

back in the days as an amateur, actually,

one we stayed in Colorado Springs

49

and we had breakfast and lunch at the OTC

at Olympic Training Center.

50

We had a Holiday Inn hotel,

I believe, and we.

51

But we had, dinner and breakfast

at the OTC.

52

It I didn't feel

it had the biggest benefit on me,

53

but we had other gym riders like, Michael

Reich and Uwe Peschel both, I think

54

at least one once a silver or bronze medal

in the individual time trial.

55

And they won the Olympics

in the hudred kilometer team

56

time trial in Barcelona

57

they loved it

they felt the benefit from it.

58

For me, not so much.

59

And from my non-science

amateur on understanding

60

the air is thinner in altitude.

61

That's why you rolling faster

with the same power output

62

and you lose muscle mass

because your body goes,

63

I don't need all his muscles anymore.

64

Because I move faster,

because the air thinner and muscle

65

mass loss is the last thing you want.

66

If you are a sprinter.

67

So I maybe that might be a reason

why he doesn't like or he doesn't feel

68

they help him so much

because he's he might losing muscle mass

69

and therefore losing the explosive power

for the sprint.

70

Yeah there's there's no doubt

I think altitude training has become

71

a little bit more scientific

where you sleep high, train low

72

so you can still sleep at high altitudes

73

and then go down and train

basically at sea level, like in Tenerife.

74

Sierra Nevada is at like 2000m

because yes, you're right.

75

I'm not going to get into the total weeds

here,

76

but it's actually the partial pressure

in your lungs that change.

77

So you're actually,

you know, you are losing muscle mass

78

and you are more dependent

79

on carbohydrates when you're living

and training hard at altitude.

80

So, yeah,

81

staying at Colorado Springs,

that's one set of,

82

you know, one type of altitude training,

but, you know, staying on the top

83

of a volcano or a mountain

or one of those hyperbaric,

84

hotel rooms gives you a little bit

different, more specific.

85

training adaptations

where you can still work

86

those different altitude bands up high,

but then you can get your really hard

87

work, your your, your FRC work,

your VO2 work down at, at, at sea level

88

where you have more oxygen

and then just ride back up

89

and recover at altitude

to get that overall adaptation.

90

But, I loved altitude.

91

I was from altitude.

92

I, I've done a lot of camps,

and really felt, a benefit,

93

but it was always hard

once you came down from altitude,

94

you needed, you know, 3 to 5 days

to really feel like you weren't

95

stuck in the proverbial mud

96

because you did lose some muscle mass.

97

And then when you got down to, to sea

level, was pushing more, more resistance,

98

it definitely felt like, you know,

you needed to build that muscle back up.

99

And it it comes back

pretty quickly, actually.

100

Okay.

101

So next question.

This is sort of something

102

that came up briefly in our conversation

with Sean Quinn.

103

what are the top three things that can be

done to improve safety in the peloton?

104

That's from Ken Stein.

105

Oh, I'll let you take this one

here, Jensie.

106

Alrighty.

107

less vehicles on the road,

108

more technology, more roads,

109

you know, have have a drone instead of,

like, motorbikes.

110

so there's more space for the riders.

111

it might be unpopular,

112

but I think circuit racers would be safer.

113

It is easier and cheaper to remove

114

every traffic island on that circuit.

115

It's cheaper for TV to produce pictures

from a closed circuit.

116

You could even have a double fence

117

and charge a little bit of an entrance

fee on a closed circuit,

118

and the riders would know the road

because you do it several times.

119

So that would be another way

to improve, security.

120

But cycling in our tradition is from point

A or city to city B,

121

so I'm not sure if as an option, but in

122

theory it could work.

123

maybe

124

tell the riders has to show more respect

for each other,

125

you know, give a little bit of space

and don't have this attitude.

126

Hey, either we both crash or you going

to break because I'm not going to break.

127

So change that, attitude for the right s

128

maybe sometimes, have

129

let's see, have the peloton do

130

an useless extra little lap

131

like a circle.

132

And when they are out on a little circle,

the entire caravan can pass

133

so they don't have to pass the peloton.

134

They pass the empty road

because the peloton is on a little extra

135

loop next to the road,

so then they don't get on the same road,

136

and that makes it easier and safer

for to police motorbikes.

137

for the to cars of the teams

138

soigneurs they pass after the feed zone

for example, mechanics

139

they might want to pass, a VIP guest

they want to pass.

140

So that's 50 cars can pass through

without even seeing or touching a rider.

141

That would be another way.

142

apart from that,

it is a very difficult question to answer.

143

Yeah, let's face it.

144

You know, cycling is is a dangerous sport.

145

road furniture is popping up more

and more

146

for for traffic control

because we are on, on open roads.

147

I know

148

that the sport is doing

as much as they can, but the one thing

149

that I would really like to see change

150

is the run ins to to the finish line

151

and especially the final,

at least the final 500m.

152

You know, we're seeing some sprints,

like around a corner

153

and then, you know,

you can't even see the finish line.

154

And then right after the finish line,

155

you know, it's a t a t intersection

and riders have to go left and right.

156

And then there's, you know, photographers

and so on.

157

You're standing there,

you know, it's been like this for forever.

158

And I think the attitude of the rider.

159

Yeah,

I have to totally agree with what you said

160

is, you know, the respecting

the peloton has to come back.

161

you know, it's it's

162

it's not all or nothing

to, to get to that turn first.

163

But you know, it's it's some of the,

you know, it's the social media,

164

it's the streaming, you know,

everybody's sees what that rider did

165

or did not do much more

than when you and I were racing.

166

So they feel obligated, like,

167

I don't want this video to show

that I didn't do my job.

168

So I'm going to do

whatever it takes to get there.

169

And, you know, like Sean said,

you have 25 teams

170

listening to the same instructions

and it's just not safe.

171

I definitely agree.

172

We need to limit the amount of,

motorcycles

173

and, and cars in the peloton.

174

I don't know if you ever had to do it,

you know, but when when I retired

175

and became a race coach in kind of seconds

176

passing, that peloton was terrible.

177

I don't think, you know, we go to the UCI,

178

we take the UCI course,

we learn how to pass the peloton.

179

But these days,

180

I mean, with the roads so narrow,

so many people on the side of the road,

181

you know, the riders five, six, ten

abreast, sometimes it's super dangerous.

182

So if we can limit the amount of traffic

183

of, of excess vehicles,

I think that would help.

184

But, overall, we just have to realize

that, you know, the road infrastructure

185

is probably going to get more

and more rather than less and less.

186

And yes, our,

our sport is from point A to point

187

B, that's why they call it

the tour de France, the Giro d'Italia, the

188

the Vuelta a Espana is

you want to see the whole country.

189

The country wants to show off,

190

you know, all, all of its little different

provinces and stuff like that,

191

you know, doing, doing circuit races

all the time or criterium or laps,

192

I think is great for TV, but

it takes a little bit away from the sport.

193

So unfortunately I don't think there's

any really easy answer out there.

194

And if there was,

I think we would have found it already.

195

Well, here's

196

one easy one, which it's

going to make you smile.

197

The race should only happen

if the race organizer,

198

the UCI comes here and the main sponsor

would send their own child down that road.

199

If you go.

200

Yeah, I would send my daughter,

my son down there in the peloton,

201

then we can do it if they would go,

no, I don't want my child

202

to race on this road,

then we shouldn't race on it.

203

Pretty simple.

204

I know it's been never happened,

but I like to separate solutions.

205

But, you know,

we want to see shorter races.

206

We want to see more action.

207

You know, those days of,

you know, 5 or 6 days a row in a row

208

in the tour de France, ending in

209

bunch sprints, you know, riding at 30

K an hour into the last hour.

210

that's over.

211

so I think

the riders need to be able to adapt and,

212

and give a little bit

more space to each other,

213

you know, not so cutthroat and,

and have these finishes,

214

especially the finishes be a little bit

more straightforward.

215

But, you know, they always want to finish

in the middle of the town or,

216

you know, in front of,

a sponsor building.

217

And that's difficult.

218

But, you know, taking out

some of that road furniture,

219

you know, for the Grand Tours,

they they do a pretty good job of that.

220

But for the smaller tours,

you see guys, you know,

221

having to dodge, you know, road

furniture in the last kilometer.

222

And that's just, unfortunately,

I don't see that that changing.

223

It has to come from from the riders

and the respect they have for each other.

224

Okay.

225

another question here.

226

sort of following on again from Sean,

Elly Avila on Facebook said,

227

there seems to be

228

a lot more American pros,

at the moment more than in recent memory.

229

Is there any specific reason for this?

230

I love the international aspect

of the sport, but it's also nice to see

231

more talented American riders as well.

232

Yeah, I mean, it's true,

233

we're seeing a real,

234

a real rejuvenation of American riders

in the pro peloton,

235

and they all have their different way

of getting there.

236

I think one of the common denominators

are these development teams,

237

like, action, like the old Lux team.

238

It's giving riders a little bit

more of a practice couple of years,

239

you know, in that under 23 category

so that they can go over there.

240

You know, they've been in Europe.

241

They maybe learn the language already.

242

it's unfortunately not coming

243

from the race calendar

over here in America.

244

you know, we have a lot of gravel events,

245

quite a few criterium and very,

very few stage races.

246

So I think the riders

in the American riders

247

in the peloton right now are, are,

248

are spoiling

249

us with the amazing results

that they're having.

250

But when you look

251

at the population of our country,

we should actually have even, even more.

252

I know that USA cycling is doing

253

as good as they can, but, you know,

254

the budget just isn't there

to get these kids over to Europe.

255

school comes into, count these

256

a lot of these riders are being forced

to go online to, to finish their schooling

257

so that they can get over

and exposed to, to European racing.

258

But we are definitely in a purple

patch with, so many Americans,

259

you know, fighting for, for wins,

not only in Grand Tours

260

but classics and, and,

you know, one week stage races.

261

So for me as a fan, especially of American

262

cycling, it's been it's been fun to watch.

263

It I believe it comes and goes in waves.

264

For a while.

265

It felt like

half of the peloton are Australians.

266

They still there?

267

They still good.

268

But we have,

not only quite a few Americans,

269

but also really good ones like Bobby

talked about it already, really good ones.

270

So they make it easy to see them,

to notice them.

271

And we had times where it felt like

telling

272

for us to only left over American cyclist

for 1 or 2 years.

273

There were not so many

for certain periods of time.

274

But now, yeah, it is good and we hope

it keeps going like that for a while.

275

But yeah, it just comes and goes in waves.

276

Okay.

277

here's one that you might have answered

in the past, but it's an interesting one.

278

James Holloway asks

what was the hardest day

279

on the bike in your professional career

related to the weather?

280

Hot or cold? Rain, sleet or snow?

281

for me, that's easy.

282

You can you can think about it

for a minute, Bobby.

283

For me, it's easy.

284

It's got to be Tour of California.

285

But it was still in February,

and we had a 220 kilometer stage

286

that is 160 miles, maybe on a 665

287

miles, down the Pacific Coast Highway.

288

it finished in San Luis Obispo, I believe

289

220 comes straight down

south, straight, full on headwind.

290

My team back in the days, team CSC,

we were chasing the front group

291

in the small chain ring 16-17.

292

So we were doing basically 23

293

miles an hour

chasing full gas to breakaway.

294

That much headwind.

295

And it was raining all the time,

about four degrees, whatever that is.

296

In the funny

Fahrenheit, sinks you do over there.

297

it took me 2 or 3 days to actually feel

298

my fingertips again, duper numb

for at least two days.

299

And funny enough,

300

I know for a fact that Cadel Evans

was there.

301

He would mention that day as well.

302

There's a few of us.

303

He would mention

exactly this day two of California.

304

that long

stage in the hat went in the rain.

305

It was just horrible.

306

I was there with you as well.

307

I remember that stage very well.

308

So I'm not going to say the same,

even though.

309

Yes, that's one of them.

310

one of the most miserable stages for me

that I remember

311

was, in the tour de France,

312

it was the day that it was very,

very cold.

313

That was the day the breakaway with Kiwi

left went up the road

314

and got like 20 minutes or so

and we were freezing

315

and I had a battle kit bag,

316

you know, in my rain bag

I had like this Pearl Izumi rain jacket,

317

which I only pulled out

if I absolutely needed it to survive.

318

And remember, we're in the tour de France,

319

and this Pearl Izumi

rain jacket was yellow.

320

So I went back and put it on and I'm like,

okay, this is this is good.

321

I'm going to be able to survive.

I'm going to be able to get through this.

322

And then I got pulled back by our team

car saying,

323

you cannot wear that color rain jacket

because it's yellow.

324

And I told him,

I said, I am not taking this thing off.

325

And we were on credit Agricole

at that time.

326

So we had green.

327

So I took a green vest

and put it over that yellow rain jacket

328

and actually made it worse

329

because when,

when you're, when you're cold

330

and then you put too many layers

on, you get frozen

331

from the inside out,

not only the outside in.

332

And I remember trying to finish that stage

and it seemed like we had

333

50 K to go, and everyone is freezing.

334

And the break away was yet

didn't they finish 20

335

or 25 minutes ahead of us that year?

336

It was it was it was insane.

337

So there was no impetus.

338

There was no mental motivation.

339

On top of that, all you could think about

was how cold you were.

340

So yeah, it

341

definitely number right up there

with one of the worst days on the bike,

342

not only physically

but but but mentally having to struggle,

343

struggle through the cold.

344

I have a little short add on

345

what state in a Basque country,

and it was so cold

346

that I stopped in defeat zone

and my one year I came running.

347

And what happened? You want to beat them?

348

Like like like, you know, my teeth are,

like, shaking, like, no, I can't move.

349

You got to put that rain jacket,

my gloves on me, I can't move.

350

So I had two people putting a rain jacket

on me and my gloves over my fingers.

351

And then I kept writing.

352

They said, hey, you want to bet?

353

And I'm like, no, but I cannot move.

354

Help me get my clothes. It was just awful.

355

Next question please.

356

This is a message from Jay Kinsman.

357

He says,

I would love to hear some specifics

358

about how a stage is prepared

for a Grand Tour race,

359

how many people are involved

in going over the lengthy course.

360

So for a given day,

who decides what barriers are put up?

361

Is there a vehicle that goes out an hour

in advance to look for new safety issues

362

that might have arisen,

such as debris on the road, etc.? A

363

street sweeping

machines used to clear a good

364

path of the stage.

365

I have no idea.

366

we kind of take that for granted,

don't we?

367

Jensie you don't think about,

368

you know, all the work that goes into

setting up the stage of the Grand Tour.

369

We just complain when when one barrier is

at a place or one, one turn isn't marked.

370

I can't imagine the armada of people

that it would take

371

not only to design the course,

but then go out and preview the course.

372

Sign the course, barricade the course.

373

Then you have to put in, take into account

the com banners,

374

the sprint banners, the finish banners.

375

I think it's a small city that

376

that it would take to prepare

a stage of the Grand Tour.

377

But as far as the specifics,

that's way out of my wheelhouse.

378

I, I believe, the tour de France

being the biggest race.

379

They ask for 3500 beds per night,

380

so they move about 3500 people each day.

381

Only 1500 roughly of them are journalist.

382

From the little blogger to whatever,

383

you know, GCN, NBC or Eurosport.

384

So 1500 journalist, print media, radio,

385

and I believe there's got to be

386

an easy 200 people in the public caravan,

you know, start an hour before the bike

387

race to try out little cookies

and little Haribos to the fans,

388

sometimes to put up barriers

on a last climb, like five kilometers.

389

The last five kilometers on each side.

390

That's ten climbers of barriers.

391

There's a special troop of that.

392

They have these, I wouldn't

call them busses, kind of like trucks

393

and they have in three layers

aboce each other.

394

Little sleeping.

395

basically it's it's like,

the size of a refrigerator

396

where they sleep in,

and then you have two little small,

397

tiny window, three on top of each other

and like ten lines deep.

398

So it's like whatever, some 30 people

sleeping in that truck all day long,

399

like vampires to come out in the afternoon

to break down the barriers,

400

drive over night to the next finish,

and start at midnight at 2 a.m.

401

at 1 a.m.

402

to rebuild the city,

the finish structure.

403

And then about six, seven,

eight and finish.

404

They go to sleep in their little truck,

sleep all day again,

405

and do that for three weeks.

406

These guys are heroes.

407

So there's a lot of people,

a lot of different jobs.

408

I believe as the big boss in the morning,

you just call your little lieutenants

409

Did you do your job?

410

Did you do your job? Did you do your job?

411

And they call their little sergeants

and the sergeants call the soldiers.

412

If they did the job.

413

So I think it's like a pyramid,

but it's impossible for one person

414

to control all of it.

415

I guess you got to have a bunch

of competent people around you

416

to make everything happen.

417

But yeah, it is the biggest circus

in the world, in other words.

418

And one group of people

that we almost forgot about

419

were all the gendarmes,

you know, the guys on the motorcycles,

420

I mean, the fleet of gendarmes

that protect the riders.

421

I mean, those guys travel for

for most of the tour as well.

422

I mean, it, it

it is an absolute logistical nightmare.

423

And, yeah, we should probably

take this time to thank those people

424

for doing all that because they probably

never get thanked or rewarded.

425

They only get yelled at

when when something goes wrong.

426

Yeah.

427

Following on from that, you said

the gendarmes, the tour de France,

428

for example,

there are 28,000, gendarmes at that race.

429

Just that race to follow it

all the way through.

430

and you didn't mention

431

my favorite group of people,

which are the people who, go along

432

and make sure that the graffiti

on the road is, TV safe.

433

So there are literally a team of people

that go along with a little graffiti gun,

434

and they alter all the cocks

that they people draw on the road

435

and turn them into flowers

and butterflies. It's amazing.

436

Yeah.

437

Anyway, they do have a team that controls

what is written on the roads.

438

If it's too rough,

just painted over or changed the words

439

a little bit so it wouldn't be that harsh.

440

See, I've never I've never heard of that.

441

So, how far ahead of the race are they?

442

Because you can imagine, you know, if

if it's if the race caravan goes through

443

and somebody sees it,

they can paint over it.

444

But like, what's to keep them

from painting over it like ten minutes?

445

You know, painting something,

446

you know, defamatory five minutes

before the peloton gets there, like,

447

where are these masked,

graffiti specialists?

448

Whereabouts are they?

449

I believe they are, as close

as they can to the head of the race,

450

because what they want

is to hear the helicopter.

451

do you know if the helicopter comes?

452

The TV helicopter with the camera.

453

They need to have everything repainted

before the helicopters there.

454

So he just.

455

Do you never go further then

he probably could hear the helicopter.

456

So then there's very little time

between them safely over

457

painting and the helicopter,

showing the perfect view

458

of whatever's written on the streets.

459

I learned something every day.

460

I had no idea that there was

somebody whose job that was,

461

amazing.

462

This will be the last question, I think,

today, is from David Burkett via Twitter.

463

And he said, I'd love to know

464

what Bobby and Jens felt like

after riding a tour de France Queen stage.

465

I've done long rides in the mountains

that leave with a headache.

466

being so tired I can't sleep.

467

Is it like that?

How do they ride the next day?

468

Do you guys still feel the,

feelings and sensations of the same?

469

in these days of shorter races?

470

Oh, I mean, that's

two different scenarios.

471

You know, when you're at the pointy end

of the race, you get done with the race

472

and you're just rip roaring, ready to go

the next day.

473

There's other days

that you finish in the grupetto ,

474

and you hobble back to your room and,

475

you know, just fall into your bed and and,

you know,

476

hope that you don't have to wake up, but,

that that's,

477

you know,

the sensations of finishing a queen stage,

478

depend totally on your results,

on your team's results.

479

You know,

if you did your job and your leader

480

did well, the morale is great.

481

But if everybody if your leader failed

482

or if your whole team finished in the

483

in the in the group with yourself,

484

it's a pretty dreary moment.

485

I remember one year,

specifically finishing,

486

when I was racing for Team Telecom.

487

I think we finished up in

Courchevel, and I was just,

488

you know,

489

finishing the group to,

get to the finish line.

490

There's not much.

491

I think there was one soigneur there,

and he's just like,

492

yeah, you go down the road a little bit

and you'll see our hotel, which is,

493

as you know, Jensie and you remember,

those were the worst directions ever.

494

Like, you can't miss it.

495

Like, yes,

I'm totally hypoglycemic right now.

496

I cannot wait to get off this bicycle.

497

You know, I'm gonna miss it.

498

And of course I did.

499

But, he gave me a hat and a water bottle.

500

And when I got to the turn of the

what I thought was my hotel,

501

I saw one of those, sausage stands,

502

sausage and frit, vendor.

503

And I stopped there, and I said, man,

504

I just need to move down

one of these greasy sausages.

505

Something for my morale,

because I'm so just over this

506

race, and, I asked him for a sausage and,

507

couldn't really communicate with him

very well at that time.

508

So I took off my cap and my water bottle

509

and kind of signed him,

you know, two sausages for this.

510

And he said one, and that was fine.

511

And I tell you, that was the best

sausage I ever ate in my life.

512

like you

513

just said, Bobby,

experiences are so different, right?

514

If that us where, you know,

whatever it takes to take the jersey off

515

stage when you're happy

and things seem to be easier.

516

I remember one day I was on a break.

517

I had to work so hard.

518

And then, on the last climb

up to the, plateau to be,

519

my team boss youngest came up, said,

hey, look, he isn't feeling well.

520

He crashed.

521

He is out.

522

You're our third guy for the team. GC.

523

You got to go full gas.

524

But I had nothing left, so I worked

as hard as I could to get up there.

525

And I remember

I just collapsed into the team car

526

and said, okay, make it happen,

but I'm not moving from here.

527

I sit here until I see the hotel.

528

Whatever you need to do, do it.

529

But I'm not moving any

where at all out of this car anymore.

530

And I had my recovery drink

and I said, there's a

531

whatever,

you know, sell my bike or whatever,

532

but I'm not getting out of his car

533

and, well, yet he drove me to the hotel

because I was so empty.

534

But there's always light

at the end of the tunnel, right?

535

And that's something you have to remember

when you're in a race.

536

In the big race,

everybody hits the wall at least once.

537

In a grand tour, you got to have teammates

to help you out of that hole.

538

And there's always tomorrow.

539

You somehow always can go again

the next day.

540

Never lose face. It's never over.

541

but yeah,

we had some hot moments as well.

542

Right.

543

Yeah.

544

And I don't, I, you know,

we were teammates for a long time.

545

I had a lot of other teammates

over my career, but

546

man, I never saw anyone

that would be glued to their bed.

547

Absolutely.

548

Just shattered

because I would wake up and go down

549

and have breakfast

550

a little bit earlier, and I'd look over

and you would just be a mess,

551

and I would be coming up from breakfast

and you'd just be going down

552

kind of in a panic,

you know, the last person to eat.

553

And then somehow

you went from being that comatose

554

cadaver

on the bed to becoming all of a sudden,

555

you know, when the bell rang,

you were just right back on it.

556

It blew me away.

557

There was so many times where I was like,

guys, Jens, Jens is dead.

558

Like he's done.

559

And then you were

560

the first one in the breakaway every day

that you used to use to crack me.

561

How could somebody be that tired?

562

And that just bloodshot

eyes, sweaty, puffy face

563

and then get getting into the race

and be the first in the breakaway.

564

So, I do not miss those days.

565

Jensie.

566

Not one more one.

567

No. Yep.

568

Not at all. Hahahahaha.

569

All right, my folks.

570

That's it for our first episode.

571

Mailbag episode. Right?

572

Yeah. Keep them coming.

573

We're going to try this out.

574

You know, we're, we're a new, podcast

575

funded by our listeners and sponsors.

576

So, you know, we're going to roll

with this and see how it goes.

577

And I hope you guys enjoy it.

578

And, please don't hesitate

to subscribe to our Patreon page.

579

And if you do have any sponsorship

ideas out there, please send them our way.

580

And thank you for

listening to the Odd tandem.