I Copied Wout Van Aert’s Training & This Is What Happened

[@gcn]

Have you been tempted to take on a pro's cycling regimen too? 🤔💪

[@SteveCyclistNo1]

I’ve managed the same consumption of calories as a pro, just the cycling bit to go 🤔

[@lothburke2243]

No chance.

[@Alex-gl2dw]

Looks crazy, do they really train like that every week during the season? Or is just before big races? Do they use periodised training with easy weeks? Anyway, I already have a full time job, I've no desire to add another that would eat away all my free time, especially without any monetary gain. But kudos to the pros, I guess, it's their main job, they earn money doing this and it's hard labor.

[@two-eyedRoy]

Tempted to do the hours of a Grand Tour. I got a hankering to try during the Giro and picked up a trainer... now to get conditioning up to spec. Would be happy to get half daily TdF stages next month.

[@lukewalker1051]

My plan is to match the same time on the planet as top pro's for the same time period but nothing to do with cycling.

[@topi3146]

Nobody knows that Van Aert was looking at Hanks Strava trying to beat him.

[@oumtaha3834]

Who was sitting next to Bestie?

[@Gixer750pilot]

He’s like “who’s Hank” ?

[@Dwarfboy666]

😂 very good

[@Ireliar2024]

I laughed so hard at this coment hahahahahaha

[@gcn]

Hahahah of course! Keep your friends close but your enemy closer 🤣

[@tonictones]

For those new to cycling here, doing anything over 3000m elevation gain for 160km is basically going up nothing but steep climbs all day at 10-20km an hour for most people.

[@andrecrispim3209]

True. Last 150km I did had 2700m and it was a nightmare. Barely managed to average 25km/h

[@DMurdock]

18m of elevation per km for 160km is a monstrous route.

[@grahamricketts-bq1ft]

exactly, so not even coming close to matching Wouts training !

[@Gws525]

Yah it's nuts. Did Mallorca 312 a few weeks ago and about 3200m of climbing in the first 180k, and it was grim. I think my average was like 21/22kmhs. Still had 140k to go too hahaha

[@agenthoini]

I mean you could do a 160km, 3000m ride and never go up anything steeper than 4% if you find the perfect road :D (that is with starting and finishing in the same place, otherwise even a constant 2% would do :D)

[@we1rd92]

Should have had a bar chart for comparing elevation too, that's where the real kicker is

[@iansingleton]

Regardless of Hank having a good crack at chasing Wout, what I really want to know is, where the hell does Hank live to manage a full week of sunshine? The UK weather has been atrocious for the past 10 months yet Hank seems to be riding in perfect conditions every day! I'm moving to the Cotswolds! I just need to find a really rich family there to adopt me! 54yr old knackered Yorkshireman looking for a good home! Cotswolds residents only need apply! 😂😂😂😂

[@LeoCadeau]

Also the house looks amazing!

[@gcn]

He doesn't live far from GCN HQ and we would like to ask the same questions 🤣 Life is always sunny with Hank 🤣

[@Benemax]

Back in 2020 I was living in Italy and decided to challenge myself by doing a 1/3rd of the Giro on the same days as the actual race. So I did a 1/3rd of the distance and a 1/3rd of the elevation each day. First week was a shock to the system and I almost gave up, 2nd week I started finding my legs and the 3rd week...well that was tough!! Being in Italy helped with the weather and the nearby mountains, don't know if it would be achievable back in the UK with the weather and trying to find the climbs.

[@craigmaberly8561]

Love how the future Mrs Hank thinks it takes Hank to do 100 Kms 🤣

[@sku0]

10 hours? ”No..” Okay fine, 12 hours

[@agenthoini]

Maybe she thought hanks a runner not a cyclist :D

[@leetaylor9368]

Add elevation, or more to the point compare KJ's.

[@Horstelin]

Very jealous of Hanks' house, looks very cozy!

[@Frostbiker]

No kidding! It makes me long for those mild British summers. Never understood why the locals didn't like them.

[@resparer]

Litterally just said that

[@gcn]

Could you live with Hank though?

[@Igor11311]

@@gcn Fair point

[@prestachuck2867]

It looks like one of those tiny homes built from shipping containers! Those are great. Especially if you weld two or more together to make it roomier.

[@5thElem3nt]

Also, don't forget: Van Aert probably does a lot of training off the bike, too.

[@imilic8]

but also he doesn't have to work, he gets his nutrition prepared, massaged, and so on...

[@ivarbrouwer197]

Yeah, only his Strava tally isn’t that impressive (although the elevation gained hide the real effort a bit), I would have had a few 200 km rides at least, there must be more to it.

[@82vitt]

Very likely core stability to prevent back injuries and some load bearing with weights to prevent issues with low bone density later in life.

[@trannydevitoe3933]

@@ivarbrouwer197oh this how you prep for the tour?? Good luck this year!!

[@squngy0]

@@ivarbrouwer197 Elevation + intervals! Doing 2x20 or whatever in the middle of a ride is not the best way to cover long distances.

[@adamvass4924]

New GCN tee coming 'I used to be a pro'

[@gcn]

Hahahaha We're on it 🤣

[@LureAngler]

Would really love to see how Hank cycles out on a day out with his lovely dogs.

[@CoolGrey7Man]

Hank, I feel your pain. When I was racing many many years ago I was just a weekend warrior as was most of my follow riders. Yeah, trying to get the kms in was hard with balancing family, home chores and work to get in decent training. Of course performance diminishes as we age but keep riding throughout your life, it's totally worth it.

[@sasatrifunovski]

Hank: enjoying a beer after the session Richard Plugge: on life support 😂

[@ciccn512]

Gorgeous home and property Hank. Awesome job trying to keep up with Wout.

[@shintanaka9946]

I've been craving an adventure recently... and the TDF is coming up. This video has inspired me to try and replicate what they do. Match Distance and elevation gain per each stage on zwift and see what stage I make it to. With a newborn, a full time job, and a 6 year old... I doubt I'll get far but it'll be a fun little challenge!

[@cb6866]

Thanks Hank and crew...yeah , a full time job , but structured and coached ...right . Elite athletes are just that , different in many ways , with support . This is a great era of cycling , to me ! There are more men and women doing incredible things on two wheels than I can remember . Thanks for showing a lot of it to me .

[@BrettHankins-m4v]

I follow Wout on strava. What is amazing is the average speeds for his rides!! 26Mph with 12112 ft of climbing!! unreal the amount of strength these athletes have

[@johnlieto8906]

So great Hank! Great to see what a big pro like Wout does.

[@MarrafaProjects]

Wout didn't just break his collarbone but also his sternum and a bunch of ribs😵

[@brianrainey2739]

Hank tried to duplicate that as well….riding no hands over the train tracks….😬

[@peteryoung8375]

Collarbone? What about the sternum and 7 ribs too 😮

[@AleksandarDjordjevic-b5u]

Great insight into what this level of training looks like time wise and regenerations wise. Great stuff Hank, such a character, bought me with a Corona moment

[@edgarcarrasco3453]

It's wild that Wout is doing so much after his accident and Hank is doing the work out without the broken bones! Stay strong Hank! x.x

[@gcn]

Big numbers for a recovering Wout! 🙌

[@fredericaudet25]

Well done Hank! This morning I was cruising on a too hot morning before an even hotter 40 C day, and it came to me "It's been a while since I saw some crazy Hank video." Couldn't be a better timing to watch this video an hour later. Well done again !

[@333wheeler]

Van Aert incorporates running into his routine and probably a load of stretching exercises on top of the riding. :)

[@donwinston]

Future Ms Hank? Life is good for Hank!

[@gcn]

He's living the dream 🙌

[@two-eyedRoy]

Chapeau Hank! That is a shock to the system. I'd be keen to see/know similar from the domestique's position. Maybe Vuelta... perhaps Si & Manon with Coach Conor "C'mon, *I've* done this!"? :D

[@cycleonSK]

HANK, forward slash, bodge of the week. This was a great video showing how hard the pros really go, and goodluck to the rest of us trying to keep up! Another stella video from gcn, and epic house and new bike Hank.

[@seattlegrrlie]

That's accurate. Work keeps getting in the way of riding my bike and going to the gym

[@gcn]

Pesky work! Always getting in the way 👀

[@jimi_sendrix]

The more videos of Hank I see, the more I realize I want to get a beer with this guy. He's an absolute character!

[@stuart3901]

Hank would love to see the elevation for the week of course what your elevation is compared to Wouts elevation. Great video, thanks.

[@frankdocter]

I think Hank forgot what it was like to be a pro. He only mentioned it 10 times so far.

[@gcn]

Hahahaha did you know he was a pro?

[@jm_e5385]

Well done Hank! You managed to match WVA’s time and distance, now just need to match that elevation gain! 😜

[@gcn]

*Books flight to the alps 😉

[@kathyljohnson6203]

You had me at WVA 😍, and then I loved seeing New Hank surrounded by cuteness: Future Mrs, doggie, and house! Hope you remembered to fuel properly on the bike. Nice post-ride beer carbs 🍻

[@blablablubbiblubb]

Congrats to the Hank's. Family is growing 💗

[@fartman10284]

Hank’s golden blonde Dachshund is the cutest presenter on GCN

[@gcn]

Should we get it for the bike vault?

[@HKRoad]

Super nice even if the cranks weren’t fully aligned.

[@andreaonyoutube9560]

Hank, your house and yard is beautiful! Love the big glass doors! Oh, nice work on all the volume too 🙃

[@AlexChklar]

True, not just for cyclists but all elite sports! Thanks for the share.

[@gcn]

A lot of work goes into the results 🙌

[@edwardmacrury5376]

Well done Hank. We did notice your nice dress @3.45-ish in the background although not sure of the brand. Keep up the great work and more torture videos would be much appreciated.

[@philipcooper8297]

Good effort, Hank the Tank.

[@joemartnz]

Hats off to you Hank! Good effort and thanks for highlighting what a machine they are - now I need to get out and ride our NZ winter :)

[@jonathansprenkle8466]

Future Mrs. Hank must have the patience of an angel, to put up with I'm sure is boatloads of cycling and work time

[@Solo_Lobo4]

I’m amazed at the nice weather you got every day- very lucky

[@gcn]

We're not sure how he managed that 🤣

[@kippen64]

Smashing a coffee ☕ is the only part of Hank's training schedule that I could emulate.

[@gcn]

Hahaha can you do it better than Wout too? 👀

[@rainerology2285]

Hank’s Dad need a comeback

[@gcn]

We would love to have Hank's dad back on the channel! Any ideas what you would like to see?

[@ba7025]

@@gcn Yeah! How about they have an inner-tube changing stand off?

[@eleycki]

Great effort mate! Hard work.

[@gcn]

Tough life hey 👀

[@michaelplantarich3375]

Awesome insight into how a pro trains and comparing it to how us normal people can/can't get along. Also, your pupper is really cute! 😂

[@gregkane8635]

Hank unreal effort regardless of not hitting the target set by Wout. Legend 💪🏼

[@alinapopescu872]

Given your choice of dogs, James my boy, you should try Tom Pidcock's training. 😉

[@gcn]

Hahahah yes! That could be a fun idea 👀

[@markusvandyk9461]

Love this content, Hank really puts some awesome hardcore content out, really interesting and very entertaining.

[@gcn]

Great to hear! Would you like to see more vlog style content like this on the channel?

[@blakebullock9656]

I love your mini dachshunds! I have a cream long hair just like yours, but mine barks a lot more! Lol

[@papaduck1000]

Good on you Hank - great pad

[@grahamballard7041]

Great video Hank, I got tired just watching it, think I need a little lie down to recover!😁👍

[@gcn]

You can watch this whilst you recover 👉kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3-ZpXmZmaZ4mrs

[@danfuerthgillis4483]

You forgot the Hypoxic chamber training sessions, this is what every pro cycling team has been using for many years now since it's still legal under UCI rules. This is so you don't have to train at high altitudes and increases your hematocrit levels.

[@frozenyellowpong]

Love your wagner wishbone chairs !!! 🪑 ❤🎉

[@songfta]

Great video, Hank! And your house is awesome!

[@manfrommontreal]

You may not have elevation but English roads look gnarly as hell!

[@danielt91]

What roads? Half the mileage was on turbo trainer...

[@a1white]

⁠@@danielt91at least he should be able to replicate the elevation gains, on the turbo trainer

[@gcn]

We have our fair share of challenges 🙌

[@jayshockey5461]

Great vid Hank! Great job👏🏻👏🏻

[@treyquattro]

Hank is the hardest competitor with a soft center on GCN: the Dogfather.

[@MegaToddski]

So after seeing Hanks efforts to try and complete the training (without the mountains) for the week it has to be hats off to Peter Schulting (Diftar continental team) who won stage 3 of the 2024 ZLM tour against pro teams. A pro himself since 2006, oldest rider in the race at 36, works full time 4 days a week and has 3 children too!

[@Gigadenza]

2:26....the internationally recognised auditory signal of "restrained skepticism"

[@acanfield87]

Wow, Hank! Maybe you shouldn't have picked a top pro getting ready for the biggest race of the year!! :) You really showed how to creatively pack as much cycling into a week+ around a normal schedule! Bravo!

[@glensmall1]

Love Hanks pad. Very cool, open plan. Cute dog.

[@gcn]

Living the dream 👌

[@kimdecker8901]

The real revelation of this video is just how lovely Hank's house is!👌

[@gcn]

You only know the half of it 😉

[@mbdelker]

Don’t forget he gets full physio after every ride and that’s a huge game changer to day to day recovery!!

[@thesuperjohn57]

automatic like for Hanks dogs. More dogs please!

[@jlevesque41]

We need more Hank content! PLEASE make more!!

[@AverageBensCycling]

The most I can manage to average is around 14 hours a week but thats with a full time job and having a family. I wish I could do more but I'd end up sacrificing something somewhere.

[@gcn]

14 hours a week is amazing 🙌

[@stevecaldwell8284]

@GCN - a different challenge for Crash Test dummy Hank - 100km per day for a whole month. A friend did it through Feb this year (and a bit more), summer time here in NZ made it easier of course.

[@beermonster1234]

Really enjoyed this! Great to see Hank suffering once more 😅

[@gcn]

We've been a bit to kind to him recently... time to ramp it up 🤣

[@JEKYLLHYDE123]

that dog is so unbelievable cute

[@dhldt1021]

Gee that Corona looked like it went down well. Zwift Z2 and the saddle hours are hard work no doubt 😂

[@Ballacks101]

Finish the challenge!

[@peterleffler2062]

Good effort! If it was easy - we'd all be doing it.

[@gcn]

Good point! These pros really put the hard time in the saddle 🙌

[@MrGarycoww]

I think to really train like him you shouldn't have to work too as he's job is riding only.👍

[@gcn]

Don't tell him that! We need him at GCN HQ 👀

[@Mavrik-60]

I'd like to see you out there training beside them. Then we can really tell. But that would be embarrassing maybe. But it would sure show what it takes to be a professional cyclists verses....

[@brunorodas79]

Do sport normally without forcing it, don't want to be like professional competitors, anything in excess is bad, life is a balance on a rope. Sport in the right dose gives years to the heart but if it is too much, it takes them away. Be happy riding your bike and don't suffer from it. 

[@stanislaogerman3743]

When you factor in Wout's climbing, you weren't even close to his metrics. There's a reason Wout has won 9 TDF stages, the TDF Green Jersey, 3 cyclocross Rainbow Bands, etc. etc. etc. BEAST

[@AndrewG99]

Just do a whole week of puppy-sitting and upload that. 13/10 would watch.

[@gcn]

Hahah we're here for that 🤣

[@diederikwyffels6831]

Hank, you forgot one detail : before breakfast, Wout goes for a run. Just to wake up. Or sometimes he does this before the dinner as well. And sometimes he gets carried away and he runs half a marathon. But keep in mind : it's just recovery 🙂

[@gcn]

Hahaha running! That might be a step too far for this boy 🤣

[@diederikwyffels6831]

@@gcn Could be an idea for the series "Breaking Hank"... Ok, you tried a week, let's try something different : a day in the life of Wout... Wake up at 6AM, 10k run to get awake, breakfast, 150k ride with 3000m of elevation and some intervals, lunch, evening run and dinner.... Good idea for a next Mallorca trip...

[@James-oj4kg]

Nice video!

[@NicShepPT]

Can we please appreciate how stunning Hanks's house is?!?

[@gcn]

Livin' the dream 👌

[@simonwoodthrillerwriter]

Longhaired dachshunds...another reason to like Hank. :-)

[@gcn]

How long is the list now?

[@kristofbe1]

He didn't just break his collar bone in Dwars door Vlaanderen, but also several ribs and cracked his sternum

[@JoeKirwins]

Great video. I don’t think you covered what the difference was between week previous and this one in terms of distance and time, don’t pros normally ramp up to these things?

[@brannmacfinnchad9056]

@GCN When you do challenges like this PLEASE let your presenters count this as paid out of office work. You're purely setting them up to fail with making them try to take on the work load of a full time cyclist around PLUS working a full 8hr shift. I would far rather see them have a chance to actually complete the challenge and see what happens physically.

[@dcv9460]

BRUTAL & TOUGH! That's why he's Wout Van Aert

[@florinho1994]

Dude how nice is this house

[@lovemesomedetail]

Hank’s been chewing on the clip of that hat for sure 😂🧢

[@triciamcintyre4947]

I'm going to copy what Wout Van Aert has for his breakfast for a week 🤣🤣🚴

[@gcn]

Hahahah let us know how you get on 🙌

[@shahilj]

Would have been great to get before and after stats on fitness and stuff. Looks brutal. My butt is feeling it 😅

[@gcn]

We'll try and keep his motivation going 🙌

[@alexswan7255]

Is Hank from old money? His parents landed gentry that built him a little pod in the grounds?

[@feedbackzaloop]

Money so old the Lowsley-Williams family can be considered young aristrocracy

[@alexswan7255]

@@feedbackzaloopoh shit I just googled it! I was half joking but it’s true!! Explains why he could just piss about being a “pro” then I guess. Having the right parents eh? More than half the battle. Wonder if he had sky when he was a kid…..

[@cracked229]

@@alexswan7255 Old, old money. Check out the Chavenage House. And yes, being wealthy does afford one the time to pursue whatever dreams they have without consequences. Most of us plebs have to go to university, get jobs, be self sufficient, etc.

[@AirSpace]

At least Hank got a new bike! #likeapro

[@99cya]

fantastic home as it seems. do you guys earn so well at GCN or is such housing really affordable in the UK?

[@gcn]

We'll just leave this here 👉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3mklZZ5grCparM 👑

[@ELMSTREETDK]

Great video! How did the training impact your fitness level? How did your body feel after a week like this?

[@gcn]

Maybe we should do a follow up video for this 👀

[@wikusmyburgh1591]

Training like a tour de France pro is one thing, recovering like them is another.

[@brunoechegoyen-chirinos5741]

Try a Michelob ultra.

[@stephencharles6932]

Lack of information on the elevation gains comparison? Wout was distance plus massive climbing, Hank on the flat! Not a real comparison at all. Sorry.

[@bivani]

Hank needs to educate future Mrs. Hank on his FTP, Vo2 max. ... At least the average speed for sub 100 kms rides!

[@alistairwhite3531]

Where is Hank going after his ride if Mrs Hank thinks it takes him 12 hours to do 100k?!

[@walkerways8695]

LOL

[@gcn]

Long coffe stop 😉

[@andrewgaging5428]

He's a pro it not just now but in the past its all he does you might match him for same sleep hours.