The Cafe Ride (2019 - 2025)

Joining some of cycling's most interesting characters for a chat and ride on the cyclist's favourite roads. For this episode of the Cafe Ride Series Matt joined Katusha Alpecin pro and former Hour Record holder, Alex Dowsett, for a ride around Essex, a cafe stop at the famous Blue Egg and to learn more about how he grew up around racing.

Two former national road race champions, Matt Stephens and Lotto Soudal professional cyclist Adam Blythe clipped in and went for a ride around Adam's local Cheshire lanes. The weather may have been questionable but the cafe and conversation made up for it. Sit back and enjoy the episode.

For this episode in the Sigma Sports Cafe Ride series, Matt Stephens headed out to Switzerland to meet the former Olympic and World Champion, Fabian Cancellara. Exploring some of Spartacus' local roads, sampling Bern's cafe scene and taking a ride over the aptly named Fabian Cancellara bridge, this is a unique insight into one of the sport's most iconic individuals.

Matt Stephens takes Daniel Oss on a Cafe Ride through London with a rock 'n' roll twist, and there are plenty of surprises along the way. Featuring a chat lap of Regent's Park, bass guitar ogling on Denmark Street, a visit to the birthplace of the modern 'Fuzz' guitar sound and an impromptu gig at London's oldest music venue. This is one Cafe Ride not to be missed.

For this episode of The Cafe Ride, Matt Stephens is joined by Simon Gerrans; a remarkable rider with stage wins at all three Grand Tours, two Monument victories and a podium at the World Road Championships under his belt. In the next chapter of his career, the former Australian national champion is hoping to continue his impressive success rate in his new role with Goldman Sachs in the City of London.

A breathtaking Italian backdrop, a relaxed Grand Tour winner, and not a flat road in sight. For this episode in our Cafe Ride series, Matt Stephens heads out to the Mitchelton-Scott Cycling Team's end of season training camp to ride with Simon Yates and to learn more about what makes the British cyclist tick.

Matt Stephens joins Mark Cavendish on the Isle of Man for a cycling tour of the Manx Missile's playground. Having grown up in a tightly knit community and becoming one of the most successful sprinters in the world, Cav always loves coming back to the island he calls home. Stretching the boundaries of what might be considered a Cafe Ride, the guys take in the sights and enjoy a truly unique dining experience.

Heading to Copenhagen for The Cafe Ride series, Matt Stephens joins one of the most loved riders in the UCI Women's WorldTour, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig. The duo explore some of Cecilie's favourite roads and sights, including a visit to The Little Mermaid Statue. An episode you do not want to miss, featuring a game of Supermarket Sweep and an exclusive insight into Cecilie's thoughts on being a professional cyclist, sit back and enjoy.

A former professional cyclist, one of the sport's most distinguished director sportives and a style icon, Matt Stephens headed to Denmark for a ride and chat with Brian Holm. Talking about everything from the current crop of Danish cycling talent to marrying people in his spare time, this episode of The Cafe Ride is not one you want to miss.

A neo pro with a serious palmares to her name. For this episode of The Cafe Ride series with Matt Stephens we headed out to the Liege region of Belgium to meet Elynor Backstedt. Learning more about the Gent Wevelgem winner, the step up from the junior category and her favourite place to ride in Wales, we had a blast getting to know the Trek Segafredo rider and we are sure you will too.

Matt Stephens joins Sir Bradley Wiggins to revisit the Time Trial route where he won gold at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Just ten days after being crowned Tour de France champion in Paris, Brad put in a phenomenal performance that went down in history as one of the most perfectly executed races of all time, resulting in a gold medal on home roads. Ten years later, Wiggo's memory of his race execution is impeccably sharp - almost as sharp as his impressions of Matt Stephens.

Broadcaster and cyclist Rebecca Charlton fully embraced the active pregnancy lifestyle, and in her third trimester, she welcomed Matt Stephens to the South Downs Link for a Sigma Sports Cafe Ride like no other. The two pals had lots to chat about while riding along Rebecca's favourite gravel path, including the history of Bramber Castle, pronunciation faux pas, cycling during pregnancy and the challenges facing women in a male-dominated sporting environment.

Former England goalkeeper Ben Foster takes Matt Stephens on a Cafe Ride down his favourite Warwickshire lanes, where the pair can’t help getting competitive by sprinting for town sign glory. There are plenty of similarities between these two top athletes, despite their different sporting backgrounds and footballing abilities. Chatting at length about Ben’s impressive footballing career, we learn how it felt to make your England debut, play under Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, and why footballers take dessert to their hotel room. And the competition continues at Ben’s first football club, where he and Matt partake in a one-on-one penalty shoot-out to determine the champion of the day.

Former Team Pursuit World Champion Ethan Hayter takes Matt Stephens on a Cafe Ride to the place where it all began for him; Herne Hill Velodrome. The team Ineos Grenadiers rider meets Matt at his family home in South London on one of the wettest days of the year. Given the weather warning, it was a wise decision to cut the route short and head straight to the cafe. The pair enjoy chatting about Ethan's early career successes, what he has learnt from recent criticisms, and how he's enjoying living with fellow pros Fred Wright and Rhys Britton. Later, they reflect on the memorabilia adorning the velodrome's club room, including Ethan's rainbow-striped jersey, before the fast-man lets rip to teach Matt a lesson in sprinting.

Perhaps the most exciting cyclist of the past decade, Tadej Pogačar joins presenter and former national champion Matt Stephens for the latest episode of the Sigma Sports Café Ride. Tadej and his partner Urška Žigart welcomed Matt to their apartment in Monaco before setting off on a short training ride over the beautiful Col d’Eze. As they finish their ride in Nice, Tadej hints at his hopes for next season with a backdrop of Promenade des Anglais, where the Tour de France will finish in 2024.

Regarded as Britain's most versatile bike rider, Tom Pidcock joins presenter and former national road champion Matt Stephens for the Sigma Sports Cafe Ride. Setting off on a drizzly morning in late November, Matt and Tom rode an easy route to a local cafe near his winter residence in Belgium. There, they discussed Tom’s goals for a jam-packed racing season in 2024, with plenty of laughs about aerodynamic vegetables and the hierarchy of biscuits along the way. The ride concluded with a trip to the town of Boom to visit a cycling museum and to tackle a lap of the cyclocross circuit, where Tom won a World Cup race in 2022.

A legend and a gentleman, Greg Lemond joins Matt Stephens in the Champagne region of Northern France for the latest episode of the Sigma Sports Café Ride. He may have won the Tour de France three times, but poor Greg never got the opportunity to spray a bottle of Champagne from the podium. Given the backdrop, surely Matt will take this opportunity to put it right today... won't he?!

An award winning comedian and cycling fanatic, David O’Doherty is the perfect guest to show Matt Stephens around his hometown of Dublin for this charming episode of the Sigma Sports Café Ride. David admits his obsession with classic racing bicycles is somewhat problematic as he struggles for storage space, but he puts them to great use by regularly riding to the Phoenix Park. No trip to the biggest city centre park in Europe is complete without a sighting of the famous herd of deer that reside there, but will Matt and David find them, or crash out along the way?

WHAM! popstar turned cyclist Andrew Ridgeley takes Matt Stephens on a stunning tour of Cornwall in this delightful episode of the Sigma Sports Café Ride. Both men have a love of music stretching back to the heyday of vinyl, and after a quick stop at a record shop, it was time to embark on Andrew’s gruelling route with plenty of hills to test the legs. But when the sun shines on a summer’s day, the rewards are certainly worth it. With stops for selfies along the beautiful Cornish coastline, a beachside coffee stop and fish and chips by the harbour wall, this could well be the perfect summer training ride.

Join us as Michael Matthews takes Matt Stephens on a recce of the final 30 kilometres of Milan Sanremo in this fascinating episode of the Sigma Sports Café Ride. After a hot lap of Monaco, at the legal speed limit, Michael takes Matt to the foot of the Cipressa where the duo climb two of the most iconic hills in cycling, giving us an insight to how the gradient feels on race day. The Team Jayco–AlUla rider might be one of the fastest men in the pro peloton (Michael, not Matt), with multiple wins at all three grand tours in his palmares (again Michael, not Matt). But today he’s tackling the Via Roma at rush hour… could this be the slowest finish Sanremo we’ll ever see?

Broadcaster and Journalist Orla Chennaoui takes Matt Stephens on a tour of Amsterdam in this heart-warming episode of the Sigma Sports Café Ride. By joining Orla on the school run, Matt instantly understands how integral bike culture is to the city of Amsterdam, as well as the positive influence a cycling city can have on community spirit. What follows is a day to remember for the pair, who have been friends and colleagues for over ten years. There are plenty of laughs along the way, as well as some really poignant moments as they visit the Anne Frank museum, the Homomonument, and no trip to Amsterdam is complete without witnessing the red light district. But will there be anything left of Amsterdam for Matt to explore after their big day out?

Matt Stephens joins former European Road Champion Matteo Trentin in Monaco for an episode of the Sigma Sports Café Ride with a difference. A total washout with unseasonably cold temperatures were not in the running order, and with a packed racing calendar on the horizon (for Matteo) the pair thought it best to defer their ride, and head straight to the café for an in depth chat about the culture at Tudor Pro Cycling Team, rider safety, and the merits of bikes made out of cheese. The next day brought sunshine, and Matteo invited Matt to join him on his training ride. But can the former three times Merseyside divs champion keep up with one of the fastest men in the pro peloton? And if so, will he even be able to hold a conversation?

A long distance record breaker and the pioneer of many modern cycling challenges, Lachlan Morton joins Matt Stephens for this inspirational episode of the Sigma Sports Café Ride. The prospecting hills of northern California set the perfect backdrop for a mixed surface bike ride with the destination set to an idyllic riverside camping spot. The gold rush might be over, but the warm glow of an open fire sets the tone for a twenty-four carat chat between two of the most likeable characters in the cycling world.

One of the most successful cyclists of the modern era, Demi Vollering joins Matt Stephens for a recovery ride in the picturesque setting of Lake Lucerne in this stunning episode of the Sigma Sports Café Ride. Taking a break from her busy racing schedule, and fresh from her GC victory at Volta Catalunya, Demi treated Matt to perhaps the most beautiful route we’ve ever seen on a Café Ride.

Perhaps the nicest guy in the pro peloton, Sepp Kuss welcomes Matt Stephens to his home in Andorra for a Sigma Sports Café Ride with enough high altitude climbing to really test Matt’s legs and lungs. Known for his poker face in a race situation, the Team Visma Lease a Bike rider was all smiles on his home roads, even when the gradient kicked into double figures. The domestique turned Grand Tour winner is a bonafide people’s champion, always willing to help teammates and in this case; fix Matt’s puncture at the roadside.

Fresh from his recent retirement party, Geraint Thomas welcomes Matt Stephens to ‘Cardiff’ for perhaps the most laid back Sigma Sports Café Ride yet! After a blistering multi-disciplinary career both road racing and on the track, G’s palmares places him as one of the greatest riders of all time - so it’s a wonder how Matt nearly misses his impressive trophy collection. Out on the road, it’s an easy short ride for two guys with their racing days behind them, as they discuss what the future holds without breaking a sweat. In fact, the very definition of a ‘café ride’ is truly tested when the pair order piña coladas and relax on sun loungers in what looks suspiciously like the Cote d’Azur sunshine.

A man who needs no introduction, Sir Chris Hoy invites Matt Stephens for a day on the trails in a Sigma Sports Café Ride episode like no other. A proud Scotsman and one of Britain’s most successful Olympic athletes of all time, Chris dominated the world of track cycling for 20 years. However his love for life on two wheels began off-road, and in recent years was firmly rekindled on the trails of Llandegla Forest. With an inspirational outlook on life following his prostate cancer diagnosis two years ago, this is a life affirming day out for two old friends, celebrating the joy of the outdoors and importance of making every second count. But then…we witness the upstaging of a living legend that only Matt Stephens could deliver, getting involved in a rather unfortunate and humorous incident.

Matt experiences a day in the life of Dame Laura Kenny and gets put straight to work in this edition of the Sigma Sports Café Ride. No stranger to the lanes of Cheshire, former police officer Matt Stephens returns to his old beat to spend a day with a local kingpin with a lot of gold around her neck. She might have five golds and one silver Olympic medal to her name, but you’d never know it. Matt learns that Laura is a down to earth busy mum, managing a farm, a family and a post-pro cyclist’s media career. That doesn’t leave much room for Café Ride, unless Matt is happy to muck out the chickens, take the alpacas for a walk and put the ducks to bed. It’s all in a day’s work, right?

Matt Stephens is guided through the lanes of Girona and Banyoles by former Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift champion Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney in this cracking episode of the Sigma Sports Café Ride. Kasia and her husband Taylor welcome Matt to their winter training base for what feels like an episode of their own cookery show. Omelettes, banana bread and “the best homemade coffee yet to feature on the series” later, and Matt’s ready for the lanes. Girona is a popular haunt for pro cyclists, privateers and keen amateurs alike, with smooth tarmac and friendly temperatures all year round. Not to mention the bakeries and café options - which saw the pair stop twice. Luckily for Matt, Kasia had enough time to squeeze in a casual cafe ride before her 3 hour threshold training session. With all this fuel on board, and no cause to pace himself, could Matt possibly beat the Polish champion in a town sign sprint?