In the first 2021 episode of the Cyclingnews podcast we look back at the first major news story of the year involving the sudden contract termination of Marc Hirschi at Team DSM and his move to UAE Team Emirates. We analyse why the move may have come about and what this says about Team DSM and their decision to release one of the revelations of last year’s season mid-way through his contract.

We look back at some of the other riders who have left the team during existing deals, from Warren Barguil to Michael Matthews, Marcel Kittel and Tom Dumoulin and describe out the departure of Hirschi is somewhat different. The Swiss rider’s departure certainly leaves a void in the team but we look at who can step up to fill the gap and whether Romain Bardet is the perfect fit as their new team leader.

Along with that, Daniel Benson and Ed Pickering from Procycling make some bold predictions for the season in both the men’s and women’s WorldTour, and we also play some of the possible new Cyclingnews theme tunes that our trusted listeners have sent in over recent weeks. 

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https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-cycling-news-podcast/id1012929015