How FAST Do The SLOWEST Tour De France Riders Climb? Could You Beat Them?
Спорт
Is The Tour De France really the hardest race in the world? Or could our very own Hank make the time cut? In today’s video, we’ve come to Alpe d’Huez to attempt one of the most infamous climbs in Tour de France history!
0:00 - Intro
2:55 - Hanks attempt
11:43 - The finish line
Useful Links:
GCN+ | Every. Unmissable. Moment. 👉 gcn.eu/9jI
Ride with us at the Global Bike Festival 👉 gcn.eu/GBF2023
Download the GCN App for free 👉 gcn.eu/app
Visit the GCN Shop 👉 gcn.eu/french-casuals
Join the GCN Club 👉 gcnclub.com
GCN Training Plans 👉 gcn.eu/gcntp
How fast do you think you could get up Alpe d’Huez? 🤔 Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
Watch more on GCN...
📹 The Tour De France: 8 Unwritten Rules, Obscure Regulations & Weird Facts! 👉 • The Tour De France: 8 ...
📹 Watch our Editor’s Choice Playlist 👉 gcn.eu/editorschoice
📹 Or why not check out our Features Playlist 👉 gcn.eu/gcnfeatures
🎵 Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
Why Oh Why - Lofive
Resurgance - Deskant
San Pedro - Sugoi
Ocean Way - SOOP
Nanda Devi - Ooyy
In It (Instrumental Version) - Kadant
#gcn #cycling #roadcycling #roadbike #bike #bikes #bikelife #tourdefrance #timecut #challenge
📸 Photos - © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sprint Cycling Agency
The Global Cycling Network (GCN) is the largest online cycling channel in the world, bringing together a global community of road cyclists to celebrate everything that’s great about the world of cycling.
Our videos bring fans compelling daily content including expert tutorials, techniques, training, racing, cutting-edge bike tech, unparalleled behind the scenes event coverage, humour, entertainment, and more.
Presented by ex-pro riders, GCN offers a uniquely qualified insight into the world of cycling, and most importantly it’s fuelled by our passionate and enthusiastic fans - everyone who makes up the GCN community. We also bring the latest and greatest tech to your attention, showcase the best places in the world to ride and get exclusive access to events and races.
Welcome to the Global Cycling Network | Inside Cycling
Thanks to our sponsors:
Pinarello Bikes: gcn.eu/Pinarello
Zipp Wheels: gcn.eu/Zipp
Topeak Tools: gcn.eu/Topeak
Canyon Bikes: gcn.eu/-Canyon
Pirelli Tyres: gcn.eu/Pirelli
Orbea Bikes: gcn.eu/Orbea
Vision Wheels: gcn.eu/Vision
Wahoo Fitness: gcn.eu/Wahoo-Fitness
Park Tool: gcn.eu/-parktool
Elite Bottles: gcn.eu/EliteBottles
Whoop Fitness: gcn.eu/Whoop
Selle Italia: gcn.eu/SelleItalia
SiS: gcn.eu/ScienceInSport
Zwift: gcn.eu/Zwift
Shimano Wheels: gcn.eu/Shimano
Shadow Stand: gcn.eu/ShadowStand
DMT Shoes: gcn.eu/DMT
Silca: gcn.eu/Silca
MET Helmets: gcn.eu/methelmets
Strava: gcn.eu/strava
Watch our sister channels:
GCN Tech - / @gcntech
GCN Racing - / @gcnracing
Global Triathlon Network - / @gtn
GCN Italia - / @gcnitalia
GCN en Español - / @gcnenespanol
GCN auf Deutsch - / @gcnaufdeutsch
GCN en Français - / @gcnenfrancais
GCN Japan - / @gcnjapan
GCN Training - / @gcntraining
Global Mountain Bike Network - / @gmbn
GMBN Racing - / @gmbnracing
GMBN Tech - / @gmbntech
Electric Mountain Bike Network - / @embn
Пікірлер: 964
How fast do you think you could get up Alpe d’Huez? 🤔 Share your thoughts in the comment section below! 👇
@TyTexas125
10 ай бұрын
Barely? 🤔😕
@CarlForde
10 ай бұрын
I did it in 2 hrs 15min on FulGaz. It hurt
@AndreaHackl-Herrwerth
10 ай бұрын
Does Alp´d Zwift count?
@RaymondOlgado0
10 ай бұрын
10 hours.
@oscarcantu2642
10 ай бұрын
I don’t think I ever could considering where I live in South Texas, small to medium hills but the heat is almost unbearable. That would probably be my only advantage that I can ride in heat up to 108 degree heat for a little while BUT that wouldn’t help going up that infamous mountain 😅 lol
Hank you are a monster. Gasping for air while still narrating and commenting and climbing! Killer mate!
@NoahStephens
10 ай бұрын
And blowing past other cyclists
@empirelee7676
10 ай бұрын
If you writing in Zone 2/3 that should be possible. Crazy thing is that he is just flying up the mountain compared to the other normal people while doing it :D I honestly thing he could beaten the time, if he wouldnt have had to talk to the camera man while doing so
@TheBClark88
10 ай бұрын
Hank is a monster but this was likely filmed in a few different takes or at least with pick ups
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
Is there anything this can't do! 👀Think we need to make the challenges a bit harder!
@thecoffeeblog
10 ай бұрын
He did alpe d'huez in an hour in zone 2 😮
The fact that he is still talking while climbing shows just how "in shape" Hank actually is. I would need a team standing by with a defib at each switchback just to attempt this climb. Solid effort mate, amazing job!
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
His pro days aren't that far behind him 😉
@speedsociety9177
10 ай бұрын
well he might have been up quite a bit faster without the talking though, kinda shows we wasn't really going all out for that 1h as I can't believe his FTP would be only 265W
@robertneild3772
10 ай бұрын
Facts!
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
He's no slouch that's for sure! Have you got a favourite hank challenge? This one is a GCN staff favourite 👉kzread.info/dash/bejne/qqCWkqalnNapXcY.html
@johnmullineaux302
10 ай бұрын
Well done, Hank! I climbed the Alpe in ‘94 at age 44. It took me 1:39. We were riding it the same day as the tour, just in the morning. I made it to the top thanks to the 500,000 people on the road cheering me on. Like you that was the only bit of the tour we did that day but we did climb the Tourmalet the day before.
Was riding the Alpe D’Huez at the same time and you flew past me - took me twice as long - 40deg on my Garmin - what an epic day with spectacular views and sunshine! Loved it!
A brutally honest and entertaining perspective on how these TDF riders (even the sprinters) are on another level. Nice effort, Hank!
@_shreyash_anand
10 ай бұрын
Exactly. After yesterday's absolutely mad full gas stage, they were only 38 minutes slower than Carlos Rodriguez. And they can also do 75km/h in a flat sprint. Absolutely mental. They are much better climbers than 99% of all amateurs
@cyberfunk3793
10 ай бұрын
@@_shreyash_anand They also have Epo, Tramadol, Corticoids etc. 😁
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it
@SamGenazzini
10 ай бұрын
@@cyberfunk3793no they dont
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
The "slow" riders really aren't that slow 👀 Just puts into perspective how quick the big names are going 💨
I am glad you explained that you didn't do the full stage
@markbarter9717
10 ай бұрын
I did the climb in 2008 in 55 minutes, I didn't do the full stage, if I did try to, I would have not completed the stage, I wouldn't have eaten and drunk enough and the heat would have finished me off.
@daviddanser8011
10 ай бұрын
@@markbarter9717I was surprised as well as I did a sub hour as well. But seems like this was a longer segment, not the 12,09 segment as shown in the video. Otherwise with 13,6kmh he should have been easily within the hour.
@username8644
10 ай бұрын
Didn't do the full stage nor the 15 stages back to back before that either. The big factor is that they do this everyday without any breaks pretty much. Edit: and still couldn't beat the time of a sprinter, and a sprinter that is famous for climbing very slowly. Not bashing Hank of course, he still did an impressive ride, but just shows how insane these pro riders are.
@toccandocreacanaleulterior176
5 ай бұрын
@@username8644🤓 actually there are rest days, you never do 15 days back to back
@username8644
5 ай бұрын
@@toccandocreacanaleulterior176 Notice how I said, without any breaks "pretty much". They barely have any breaks.
A friend of min who is a professional sports coach and a gifted triathlete told me once that while riding in the Pyrenees he was overtaken in a climb by Cavendish. He tried hard to follow his pace for a while but couldn't. Although the Cav is far to be the best climber of the pack (to say it nicely) but it takes more than a very fit "normal" guy to compete with him in the moutain.
@stevemawer848
10 ай бұрын
Dr Hutch in a recent Cycling Weekly reported that a couple of his elite-cat friends rode against Cav in the National RR Champs a few years ago and thought they would drop him on the climb. First hill, he dropped them! As Hutch observed: it's all relative. The sprinters definitely have the hardest time at the Tour.
@TK-nc3ou
10 ай бұрын
So delusional. 😅 the weakest sprinter would drop them easily on any climb, let alone an elite one 😅
@spencerj6557
10 ай бұрын
When the worst climber in the tour would smoke some of the best amateur climbers
@paulrowan4421
10 ай бұрын
Cav often finished serious climb stages right at the time gap. Most likely, he and his team determined the pace needed up the various sections to keep him in the time window, and he (and others) kept just ahead of that time window. Why climb in 50 minutes when 57 minutes is OK? Nothing to be gained. It is like when you only need a 60 on a final exam to get a B in a class - go for a 65 or 70 and you are good. And, the next day brings a sprint stage, it is smart to save some effort. We often see comments assuming Cav was barely hanging on; most likely he was just conserving energy.
Best GCN in a while. No BS, awesome commentary, really brought the excitement of the race. I also laughed at the defeated look of the riders you passed. They looked gutted as you blasted by. I've not done the Alp, but have ridden Haleakala, which is also pretty cool.
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
Awesome, thanks a lot! Have you seen out 'Zero to hero' film on GCN+ where our own Cillian Kelly rides the Alpe at the end of his Etape du Tour? 👉 gcn.eu/z2hata
@mountainmoments
10 ай бұрын
to put it in perspective. A good MTB enduro rider climbs 1000m vert on an asphalt road like this in an hour. its tough, but with a road bike 1200m/h fairly doable for a fit mountain enthusiast. if you live in the mountains, you may understand that its well doable. also: it gets exponentially more difficult to get better.
Huge respect for you. 1.06 is huge. I climbed it this year 4 times in a day, 1.40, 1.41, 1.46 and 2.32. My goal is to climb it 6 times in a day next time.
@iskiiwizz536
8 ай бұрын
why tho
@AveryAbbott
8 ай бұрын
8 times will cover an Everesting challenge. You can do it!
@benedictearlson9044
8 ай бұрын
@@iskiiwizz536 He likes climbing?
@KevinHesp
7 ай бұрын
Alpe d'HuZes? See you there 👊🏻
@DanielH-ih3by
Ай бұрын
Must be a nice e-bike
Hank, you did what probably most of us would love to do, which is to simply finish such an iconic climb without stopping for a break. Well done! Although, I would likely have stopped many times on the way up just to take a few photos of the scenery. Lol.
@charles-ap1354
10 ай бұрын
the advantage of being filmed while climbing a lengendary mountain, someone else is taking the pictures (but you don't have the secret pauses "for the photos") !
@charles-ap1354
10 ай бұрын
@@irfuel oh no, you'd miss the fun of the descent !
@douglastong3208
10 ай бұрын
@@irfuel I would be enjoying going 70-100+ kph too much to want to stop. But having to slow down for the hairpins would give me a chance to stop.
@jonathanzappala
10 ай бұрын
It’s not much of a descent, you have to slow for the turns, that’s why it’s always a summit finish. It’s an incredible view though for a flatlander. Driving there and back out you get great views too. It was a bucket list trip on my only trip to Europe.
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
It's a tricky one isn't it! You wouldn't want to interrupt your climbing (or descending) flow but you need to take photos!
True bucket list! Prepared for it and did it a few years ago. Got chills when I entered the climb proper. The goal was do it without stopping…check! Time? There was a pack of ants that just nipped me on the line…but to be honest they drafted all the way up so I feel my climb was better! 🐜 😂
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
Hahah at least you made it without stopping! That's a great achievement on such an iconic climb
@secretagent86
10 ай бұрын
i hate it when ants nip me on the line or grandmothers in wheelchairs are faster uphill than i am....but at least i get there
I did this climb last Friday and will never look at the TdF the same... And in (even more) fairness to Fabio Jakobsen, the finish used for the the Tour lies past 'corner 0' which adds another 2 KMs to the climb. Absolutely brutal.
Me & my buddy climbed when I was 70, & he had just turned 60. He also rides much more regularly & serious, & is known in our circle as a pretty good climber. Nonetheless, it took him over 70 minutes, & myself over 90 (I took a couple of brief pauses, you see). Your time looks respectable to me, & you were up out of the saddle a lot, so good on ya.
@heatherbellbikes
10 ай бұрын
Wow, that’s seriously impressive for both of you. Extremely well done.
@appa609
10 ай бұрын
So a ~30 year old ex pro is less than 10 minutes faster than a 70 year old man? That is a remarkably small gap.
@bigslim0464
10 ай бұрын
@@appa609no, record is 34 minutes by Marco Pantani
@SuperAnatolli
10 ай бұрын
@@appa609 Yeah, but the 70 year old have have apr 40 years more of training!
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
That's a very respectable time!
I follow some of the Tour guys on Strava and holy hell I could never accomplish some of the athletic feats they do day in and day out
@jason200912
10 ай бұрын
Ebike to cheat
@jamesrobert4106
10 ай бұрын
The power of Chemistry.
@garyboyle695
10 ай бұрын
@@jamesrobert4106What a really sad comment, cyclists are the most tested athletes. If athletics and football tested to this level you'd see where the real cheats are.
@alaefarmestatesllc
10 ай бұрын
@@garyboyle695what’s really really sad is there are people like u out there still that believe cyclist are clean lol. 7w/kg for 20 minutes, right after that, doing 7.4 w/kg for another 15 minutes. All natty right? Lol. Climbing a 12% mountain at 16mph. Totally natty. Other commenter was t wrong at all. Don’t let this take away from their hard training and discipline and elite genetics. But no one is natty. Test mean zero. It’s just there for people like u. Who will believe anything. Where there’s massive money involved, there’s massive “cheating”
@empirelee7676
10 ай бұрын
Bad argument. Doping in football just isnt as effective as in endurance sports. You can run quicker and longer than Messi and be stronger than him. If you don't have the technique, you will never be as good.
I did the Alp Dhuez triathlon... 13 mile run after that climb was brutal but what an iconic climb ❤❤
@avisantube
10 ай бұрын
where was the swim?
@AndreWichert
10 ай бұрын
@@avisantube Lac du Verney
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
Wow, yeah we bet! 🥵
@chrisdawson955
10 ай бұрын
Wow look at you
That was so good!! Nice work!
Awesome content. It's really an interesting perspective. Thanks
Love this! It can be a misconception that sprinters are not good climbers but in reality they are still better climbers than most of us! Would love to have seen the time Hank could do after having rode the whole stage before Alpe d’Huez or even a best guess as to how much slower he would have been.
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
He might've been a bit more tired, yeah 😂
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
Great idea! Maybe we went too easy on hank... 👀 He had no time for that on this shoot, he had to rush off and film something pretty epic with GMBN 👉 kzread.info/dash/bejne/nq6ey6WBesq4iKSy.html 🤯
@TK-nc3ou
10 ай бұрын
Not "most of us", but all of us. There is NO comparison between ANY professional rider in the world and amateur ridera.
@le0fonzagoric164
10 ай бұрын
There is no mystery or conceptions, its all physics
@petyrkowalski9887
10 ай бұрын
@@le0fonzagoric164phyiology actually
Well done, mate! Definitely a bucket list climb for me. I've climbed the virtual Alpe d' Zwift many times and just barely make that virtual climb in under an hour - with no wind, no traffic or hazards, in an air conditioned pain cave. These cyclists in the pro peleton are just otherworldly!
Thanks for doing the video! I’ve often wondered about doing something similar, impressive.
Love it! Love Hank! Love GCN! Thanks for the great video, all! Well done Hank to commentate on so much of this while climbing, and I loved seeing him encouraging the other riders as he went by them.
love this format, brings back memories to Dan riding up the Tourmalet and Ventoux on gcn epic climbs :D and both of y’all passing other riders easily is the best bit
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
We're not all in that bad shape here at GCN 😉
Amazing commentary, 260watts and able to pull a coherent sentence together is massively impressive let alone narrate a hugely loved GCN film…whatever you pay Hank it’s not enough!
@jacquelinesim9578
6 ай бұрын
And encouraging others on the way past - classy!
Epic and humbling video! Amazing!
Really honest video. Good job❤
For all the Zwifters, I've done the Alpe de Zwift in 58 minutes but never the real thing. I have done the Ventoux however in 1:53 and Ven-Top in 1:35. I don't want to depress you, but there is a huge difference between the virtual and real thing. I was really surprised that Jakobsen went that fast.
Hank you had some really good numbers on that climb. Amazing effort and like you said those riders that do make it are really some outstanding athletes
Well done Hank! Great video which really puts things into perspective.
Outstanding. Fantastic ride by Hank - smoking everyone else on a bicycle in this video - but also an honest assessment of just how good the pro riders are. This was eye-opening. I’ve tried this ride on Zwift and, yeah, it ain’t easy (for me anyway) 😅
Really entertaining video. Hank you did a great job putting out 260 watts while narrating significant parts of the climb. Another fun aspect is modern gearing. You looked fabulous going up at 80+ rpm and getting out of the saddle multiple times to push the pace. I was fortunate enough to do the Alpe back in Sep 1989. Just managed to break 75 min. Gearing was 40x24 at 60-65 rpm.
Fantastic effort and nothing to be ashamed of...I'm even more in awe of the pros.
Love this type of video. Tor stages and iconic climbs 👌
Hank, I didn't think you'd make it by a long shot, and you were relatively close! I'm super impressed! Congrats on such a great ride and thanks for a great video!
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
Hank smashed it on this shoot! He's not too bad at going down hill either? GMBN took gave him the megavalanche treatment! 👉 kzread.info/dash/bejne/nq6ey6WBesq4iKQ.html
@Professor_sckinnctn
10 ай бұрын
@@gcn WOW!!!!!!! Excited to watch! You folks are, genuinely, amazing and inspiring.
I would have lost money on that bet. Great effort, James, and this was a strong lesson about the performance level of every TdF rider.
I was out of breath just watching you climb. Well done! Professional cycling is probably the most challenging sport on the planet. And the Tour de France is just the most brutal scenario for competition. Heat, distance, and the mammoth climbs. It's what makes cycling so appealing to many, including myself. Thanks for a very impressive video. All the best.
Love the fact you're thinking about the crowd and ambiance and make that a way to push yourself forward 💪
This was interesting and entertaining. Thanks, Hank...you are such a great presenter!
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
He's one of our finest! What's your favourite Hank moment?
@alicejwho
10 ай бұрын
@@gcn for a start, the bits where he's cracking up at Conor in the Deep Water video! The videos with his dad...everything really. But every single presenter you have is excellent.
Now I want to see Ollie and Si go up.
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
A GCN race perhaps?!
Wow! Amazing stuff hank!
Very interesting undertaking,kudos. Great work regardless.
Magnificent climb and great effort Hank!! Would love to see Fabio riding it whilst giving a running commentary; you should subtract a couple of mins! 😉Planning to climb it myself next year!
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
It's an awesome climb! Why not check out our 'KOM hunter's film on GCN+ 👉 gcn.eu/KOM
I am the proud Alpe d'Huez assent record holder of a "never stopped, never clipped out once," no assistance, only 2 water bottles, at FULL EFFORT in Four Hours 12 minutes. For that record to be broken a much better athlete than myself would have to ride so slowly he would probably fall asleep and fall off. But he will never feel the thrill I did at the top.
Incredible ride, dang man I was hoping you would have gotten closer. Good show.
Having, until this week, never tackled an Alpine climb, I wouldn't have believed you. 10km plus of 8% plus is unreal. It is relentless beyond comprehension of someone who cycles in the UK. The reward, though, far outweighs the effort required, especially on the decent. I would urge anyone to go and try them. In their own time. Because it takes you to places you didn't know you had, and gives one new found respect for the pros. Great video Hank.
Another great vlog, Hank is a great sport and personality, really enjoyed this, I’d be lucky if I did it in 2 hours.
I remember cycling the Surrey 100 in 2019. It took me 5 hours and 30 minutes. Then the professionals came out and did it in 3 hours 45 minutes. Just shows how talented these riders are.!
Hank, you are a beast and an inspiration! Just awesome!
Brilliant effort, Hank! Be good to see you back on Islay! 😁👍🥃🚴🏻♂️
Thanks for giving us the perspective how tough this climb is within the tif time cut despite the monstrous effort you put in and you're probably fitter than the average cyclist. Kudos!
@joeelliott2157
10 ай бұрын
Probably? All the riders he passed that day are probably fitter than the average cyclist. Just to be attempting that climb.
Did it twice last year, 1h03 on Day 1 and 1h00 on Day 8 after doing other climbs every other day. It was HARD ;-)
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
Nice work! 8 Days in the mountains sounds like great fun!
@ChrisP978
10 ай бұрын
How much harder than Alp du Zwift is it? I imagine that the elevation adds significantly to the challenge.
Excelente. Está en mi bucket list
You are a very fit and strong individual.....well done....and salute to Fabio...he was hurting.
My absolute best almost-dead-at-the-finish time was 1.05 on Alpe du Zwift. If I tried the real thing it'd be way longer because I would have to get off at corner 7 to look at the beautiful church.
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
Hahah why not! There's something to be said for taking your time and enjoying the view rather than speeding up!
Hank droping everyone on the road.😊 Hank still being dropped by tdf last rider😮
Amazing brother!
Wow! Great video.
Good effort!🎉
Thanks Hank and crew...Dooooooooooood. You did all that climbing while speaking !! Fabio didn't have to do commentary ! Chapeau , bud ! Have some Rosti and a beer .
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
I imagine he had quite a few beers after this 😅
I conquered it 3 weeks ago! It was brutal but so freaking beautiful!!! A dream come true. I did it an hour slower 😂 but that's a motivation to return and do it faster 💪🏽
Great Video Hank - DANKE, regards and appreciation from Germany
That puts it in perspective, the size of some of the sprinters and the speed they can move up the mountain just to make the cut, let alone those in contention for the win - amazing stuff!
Honestly dont know how these Tour de France cyclists can endure so much pain … Huge respect to those cyclists… and Thanks for trying
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
They're pretty incredible! Cycling is definitely the hardest sport!
Fabio being a sprinter is a awesome climber . Crazy at the level the pros are at. That View is crazy. Almost as good a Yosemite.
You did a great job. Well done mate!
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
Cheers!
A True Classic! Thanks Hank.
Impressive numbers from Hank, an untouchable goal on their own for most, 1hour climbing at 13km/h on 8% 265watts for more than an hour Can’t imagine that being the third hard climb of the day, in a three weeks stage race Echeloning down from slowest pro finishing the time cut of a full stage, to powerhouse gcn presenter on a one climb video, to most amateurs who’d find it hard in a 1:30 to 2 hours, helps understanding how the slowest pro in the mountain like Fabio is one epic great climber …
Great effort chapeaux. Be interesting to see what your Zwift “Alp D’Hue” time is.
@TheSteinbitt
10 ай бұрын
Zwift isn’t real though, so not really that interesting.
Brilliant 👌🏼
Amazing video, climbing Alpe d'Huez and Col du Tourmalet have always been a dream all since a kid. Still one of my Top 3 on bucket list!
@Greg.Sutton
10 ай бұрын
Get it done. Do not wait.......! It took me till i was drastically overweight and in my mid 40's before i realised i needed to change things around as i was going in the wrong direction. As a TDF fan since 1987 this was my inspiration. Took me nearly 2 years and losing 21kg but i then did ADH and Ventoux in one summer and the following one did Tourmalet. I have never looked back and have now done multiple TDF cols in both the Alps & Pyrenees on what has become an annual trip to France to ride mountains. Next up is Pic di Midi Bigorre - above and beyond Tourmalet.
Wow I was actually really surprised you didn’t break an hour you looked so smooth and fast - did notice you were in absolute granny gear a lot though!!! Epic ride would love to do it one day too. Such a logistical mission from NZ.
@empirelee7676
10 ай бұрын
I'm pretty sure you can rent a bike in this region so the issue would be just flying to Europe :)
@_shreyash_anand
10 ай бұрын
@@empirelee7676just make sure to flip the levers! Mainland Europe has the brakes reversed of course
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
Definitely worth the trip! Although I'd guess you'd probably say the same about New Zealand!
@DominiqueB
9 ай бұрын
As Empirelee noted, renting bikes is easy, there's probably 1/2 dozen bike shops in Bourg d'Oisans at the bottom of the climb, renting a full range of bikes from e-bike grocery-haulers to top of the line race bikes, for decent prices. One tip is to bring over your saddle and pedals (and shoes :-) so your body is familiar with some of the important bits. Oh -- and there is a LOT more than Alpe d'Huez to ride in that area, i'd say dozens of world-class passes within riding reach, most all a lot more quiet than Alpe d'Huez.
Kudos to Hank. I know he’s a competitive person and I think that if there teammates and competitors by his side he would have gone up that climb much faster. As I sit here on my sofa and watch.
Ah, great video guys! Hank, you are a beast!! Congrats on a great ride.
04:05 @wattsyourproblem and I getting passed like we're standing still. 😂
That's a brutal climb and that you spoke to us for so much of it says something about your reserves of power. 👍 To my mind, hills are one of the unnecessary elements of cycling. Others are heat, humidity, and head winds. 🙂
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
Only downhills with a tailwind in the winter for you then? 😉
I wonder if an amateur could make the time limit on one of those transition stages like we saw in the 2nd week where it was a bit hilly but a rapid pace, or even on one of those 200km, pretty flat sprint stages where the peloton had to chase a break. Those would also be some interesting experiments to continue this series
Hank Great insight into the TDF and Alpe d'Huez. You put up a great effort and solid time. The climb up up Alpe d'Huez would be a Bucket List accomplishment for me and I hope to complete it someday.
I have managed to conquer Alpe d'Huez in 2022. I am one of the lucky cycling enthusiasts who managed to finish L'Etape du tour de France in 2022. I was smashed at the top and cried like a baby. I was so happy on that day. Thanks for remembering me about the feelings I have lived back then.
I love this area of the Alps, spend a few weeks there each year, and have ridden Alpe d'Huez 40+ times. Hats off to Hank, my best time was 56 minutes, and my worst was 1 hour 40! The fastest guy in our club did it in 49 minutes!!!
Great sound track!
You are a beast Hank !!!!! Well done my man. Well done. 👍🏻🇨🇦
I would love to try this for myself at nearly 50 years of age. I'd do well to lose some extra pounds first.
One small thing, Fabio Jakobsen's goal when riding up the Alp is to get a close to the time cut as possible and no faster. He's deliberately riding as slowly up as he can without being disqualified because he wants his legs to be the best possible condition for next flat sprint stage. He could probably ride up faster if was a disadvantage to his race goals to do so. Sometimes the sprinters get that wrong and get eliminated but that's the chance they have to take if they want to win later on.
@michaelw7115
9 ай бұрын
That seems logical, however if you'd watched the Netflix episode on him on the climb, you' know that it was far from what he was doing, he was lucky to make it as he suffered really badly and had lost his teammate on the way that was supposed to help him stay inside the cut-off, don't remember if it was because he was needed elsewhere or because their manager didn't want to take the risk of him also getting disqualified and no longer being available to ride for their leader.
Brilliant!! ❤
Well done Hank. Respect to you for conquering the Alpe D'Huez. Would love to give it try myself one day, and just take my time ul the climb and "enjoy" the ride. Not fussed about the time, just more having the experience of doing it.
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
That's all part of the adventure. No need to speed up every climb, there's something to be said about taking your time and enjoying the view!
Just shows how good pros are As Hank looked like he was going really fast and the grupetto on climbs looks like they barely pedal yet Hank was slower
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
They're a step above the rest that's for sure!
Hank is saying “it is all about pacing yourself and staying within your limits” and I am thinking these are not Hank’s strong suits lol
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
😂😂
04:04 as you "overtake" those Men with that speed while talking to the camera is demolishing, Hank :D
Well done 🎉
If Hank had a wheel to hold he probably would have made it, let along an entire peloton breaking the wind for him. Even though its lower speed, drafting still has significant impact.
@gcn
9 ай бұрын
Who's Wheel Would You Hold? 💨
Well done, Hank. You just managed to beat my time of 2:33 😂
U just nailed it and yet talking along the way. 🎉
absolutely love climbing-my fav thing to do on a bike. one day I will go to france and climb alp d'huez :D
I'm doing all the Tours routes on Zwift and these are extremely tuff. I can't imagine having to do all these climbs every single day. My legs would fall off
@TChalla007
10 ай бұрын
I'm on Zwift. What's the program? Thanks.
@SuperOrcy
10 ай бұрын
@@TChalla007 the new climb portal currently has some of the iconic tour de france climbs. graphics are bare bones, but the routes are GPS accurate apparently.
@TChalla007
10 ай бұрын
@@SuperOrcy Ok, I did one of those the other day. Wish the graphics were better.
@SuperOrcy
10 ай бұрын
@@TChalla007 yeah, some people are hung up on the graphics. I run zwift on an ipad. i'm just there for the exercise and prefer more routes to higher pixel counts.
@TChalla007
10 ай бұрын
@@SuperOrcy I'm one of those guys that like graphics. I live in Marin County Ca that has beautiful scenery. Mt Tam, ocean riding, etc. I didn't see the point of riding inside until covid hit. Before until then I could care less about swift. I ended up buying a wahoo trainer for my BMC while my Dogma F10 got no use. Only then did I begin to appreciate swift, but I don't do any training programs. I need graphics. LOL. I've riden with Mari Holden, former Olympian silver medalist and her ex Barry bonds. As a former Pro Athlete, graphics unfortunately are important, or I get bored.
We’ve all watched and cheered Fabio during the series covering TDF 2022. This video really does it’s job of showing just how hard Le Tour really is. Wow.
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
No one know how hard it is more than our own Cillian Kelly, who rode the Alpe in his Etape du Tour. Check out the film we made on GCN+ 👉 gcn.eu/z2hata
Hank, you’re amazing…you talked the whole way up that crazy climb. Well done, you give us mere mortals hope 😁
Brava to you! It's an unbelievable feat to conquer the mountains. Hats off to you and hats off to the stellar athletes of the Tour de France!
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
Thanks! Our own Cillian Kelly conquered the Alpe in his Etape du Tour last year and we made a film about it on GCN+ 👉 gcn.eu/z2hata
Now see if you can match those slow climbers' sprint wattages :). Good excuse for a big GCN sprint-off I think!
Fabio Jakobsen rode as relaxed as possible within the time limit. Even sprinters can ride 5 watts/kg for an hour. That would be about 47 minutes. - Can you beat the slowest Tour de France riders at a relaxed pace ? - would be a more appropriate title.
Love it that you’re acknowledging us Dutchies ❤️
You may not have made the cut, but goodness! You sure passed an awful lot of other riders. Well done, mate!
@gcn
10 ай бұрын
He's still got it!