Fresh off her Tour Down Under triumph, Noemi Rüegg joins Domestique Hotseat to break down a week that tested her limits. From brutal heat adaptation, tactical gambles on Corkscrew Road to how to beat 3 UAE riders, the Swiss rider reflects on pressure, teamwork and taking the next step as a leader.

Also in this episode:

• Defending a GC title and dealing with expectation from day one
• Training through winter in Switzerland and preparing for 37 degree heat
• The decisive role of the reigning world champion as a teammate
• Turning consistency into victories and targeting the next step forward

The Swiss rider also opens up about life inside the team, the importance of trust over hierarchy, and why sometimes winning comes down to leaving doubt behind and committing fully to the gamble.

World Tour racing is back! Bram Wulteputte and Ethan Lessiter break down the 2026 men's Santos Tour Down Under, which organisers are calling the toughest route they've ever put together.

In this episode, we preview all six stages of the race, from the unique 3.6km prologue in Adelaide through to the decisive battles on Willunga Hill and the challenging Norton Summit finale. We discuss the logistical challenges teams face bringing equipment to Australia, the innovative aero setups mechanics create for the prologue, and which riders are best positioned to take the overall victory.

KEY TOPICS:
• Stage-by-stage breakdown of the 2026 route
• Why this is the most attritional Tour Down Under in years
• Defending champion Jhonatan Narváez's chances
• The battle between Lennert Van Eetvelt, Jay Vine, Santiago Buitrago and Ben O'Connor
• How the prologue and Willunga Hill will shape the GC
• Sprint opportunities for Sam Welsford and the lead-out trains
• The Norton Summit finale and what it means for the overall classification

OUR PODIUM PREDICTIONS:
Bram: 1. Van Eetvelt, 2. Narváez, 3. Fischer-Black
Ethan: 1. Narváez, 2. Van Eetvelt, 3. Buitrago

Plus: A quick look ahead to the European racing calendar, including Valenciana, Mallorca, and the upcoming Vuelta a la Comunitat Valenciana.

Former sprint king Alexander Kristoff joins us for The Hotseat to talk about life after retirement, his unforgettable memories racing alongside Tadej Pogačar, and why he would swap one of his Tour stage wins for rainbow stripes.

Also in this episode:

- Why he's only touched his bike three times since retiring in October
- His honest take on Pogačar's evolution from 2020 Tour winner to today's dominant force
- The brutal reality of racing against Sagan, Cavendish and Kittel in their primes
- Losing the 2017 World Championships by just 3-5 centimetres on home soil in Norway
- Whether Van der Poel at peak form could beat Boonen, Cancellara and Van Aert at Paris-Roubaix
- His new life painting apartments and picking up his kids from kindergarten

The Norwegian also reveals which rider was crucial to his success at Katusha, shares stories from that incredible 2020 Tour de France with UAE Team Emirates, and explains why watching the classics on TV beats suffering in the back of the peloton.