Benji Naesen - From gamer to cycling expert - Domestique Hotseat Podcast

Benji Naesen joins Aidan Burgess for a wide-ranging chat that covers everything from how a Pro Cycling Manager disc taped to a magazine got a nine-year-old Belgian hooked on cycling, to weighing 130 kilos and being too ashamed to tell anyone he wanted to change it.
Benji opens up about his weight loss journey, the moment he first showed his face on camera and didn't sleep the night before, and how Zwift gave him a way into riding without having to give up his evenings. He also tells the story of how a random DM to Patrick about a Vincenzo Nibali video turned into the Lantern Rouge Cycling Podcast within days — and why neither of them were surprised when it took off.
From there it gets spicy. They break down the Pogačar problem, why Van der Poel's Ronde tactics and Wout's Roubaix approach can't be compared, and whether Paul Seixas can genuinely podium the Tour de France or if we've normalised expecting too much from teenagers. Benji also shares his Tour podium prediction and explains why he thinks Vingegaard's Giro-Tour double is more about insurance than improvement.
The episode wraps with a passionate segment on endometriosis awareness, the underfunding of women's health research, and why Benji thinks cycling needs a screening system for RED-S similar to what speed climbing already has. Also discussed: aerodynamic plastic surgery, koala skinsuits, and why removing a rib for time trial gains might not be as ridiculous as it sounds.