Remember when Juan Ayuso was the biggest story of the week?

Today on the show: Protests in the Basque Country bring the Vuelta to a halt, GC Pidcock has arrived, maybe? And we still haven’t talked about Juan Ayuso officially leaving UAE, so we’ll definitely talk about that.

In this first dispatch from the field, Josh Weinberg talks to Kurt Refsnider, who is attempting to ride the entire Orogenesis Trail from the Canadian border through Washington, Oregon, and California to Mexico via the Baja Divide.

On day 12 of his journey, Kurt shares his progress, which entails riding over 500 miles into Washington with nearly 85,000 feet of climbing, much of it on challenging single-track and moto trails.

Kurt also discusses the physical and mental demands of this particular trail thus far. He compares the experience to other long-distance trails, such as the Colorado Trail and the Tour Divide, with an emphasis on how rugged and demanding Orogenesis is. Reflecting on the balance between effort and reward, Kurt also touches on the performance of his equipment, camping conditions, and the encouragement he receives from local riders and towns.

Today on the show: Juan Solo looks to free himself from the new Death Star, rebel fighter Jonas Vingegaard quietly plots his route to destroying the UAE empire, High Prince Kulset is out of a job thanks to his father, and on the distant republic of Edinburgh, the Grand Départ isn’t looking as certain as it once was …

Today on the show: Vuelta drama fizzles before it starts and there's been another bike theft.

Today on the show: The Vuelta is underway, Vingegaard is back, and Danny van Poppel can’t stop collecting yellow cards.

Today on the show: Mads' middle finger, Pogačar doesn’t want you to take his picture, and the Secret Pro is back. And no, we will not be answering the question in the episode title. But you're welcome to guess!

Today on the show: A Vuelta preview from Dane, disqualifications at Romandie with Abby, and Mike Woods is retiring, which makes us sad. Plus, the big green egg Pogačar bought his teammates.

Head to Escapecollective.com/member to sign up today.

Today on the show: Arkea and maybe Jayco are in a little bit of trouble? Tom Pidcock is going for GC again, and Patrick Levefere is angrily posting photos of his sandwiches.