Just how fast was Bradley Wiggins riding?

[@MarkLewisfitness]

Me V Sir Bradley V GCN at 440W … sick bucket at the ready 🤢 😂

[@mihpop9733]

As an engineer, W/kg should have been taken into account but its not that simple. I think it would be closer to 500W because even on the flat your extra weight means more rolling resistance. So, I suggest you rent out the velodrome in London and attempt this yourself and hang at 54.5 km/h. Would make for a good vid. P.S. try it in the TT position.

[@gruensein]

@@mihpop9733 Renting the velodrome? Should he also perform a little dance after? ;) Joking aside: The rolling resistance will make almost no difference. What will make a difference is that Mark is simply a lot bigger and therefore has to displace a lot more air which is the dominant form of drag at any velocity above 15 kph IIRC. And guessing how much more aero-drag Mark would have to overcome is near impossible. A very rough way to do it would be to assume similar body densities (We're all mostly water anyway, no?) and then raising the weight ratio (Mark/Wiggins) to 2/3 approximating the increase in surface area. And there are many problems with this approach..

[@derekhill1820]

Any respectable doctor would have given you a TUE for that donut😉

[@MarkLewisfitness]

@@derekhill1820 It's the love handles exemption that my wife WON'T give me that matters 😂

[@Tommy31416]

Is the Hyrox train like a pro on hold Mark? Was looking forward to following that one - also was laughing hard at the garmin stamina chart 😂 some effort you put in there 😄👍

[@GiorgioCoppolaCycling]

When you realised how hard 440w was, absolutely cracked me up 😂 The commentary while doing it was absolutely mega "o thats spicy" 😂

[@MarkLewisfitness]

That’s my kids fault. They are pathetic when it comes to eating hot food and whenever they are served something remotely spicy that’s what they say. It’s become something of a house term for anything that catches you off guard and is a bit outside your comfort zone. 😁

[@rujo700]

@@MarkLewisfitness Mark, this was awsome! Laughing out loud. Great content :)

[@chadwells7562]

Realize how hard 440w is when Froome is about 15KG lighter 😮

[@mikejkaplan]

I’m 6’6” 240. My ftp is currently 364. I only offer that as credibility to say this: your cadence has to come up to survive efforts like that. I was a slow churner too and my legs would burn out so fast. Once I could comfortably hold over 85 and now toward 100rpm, my cycling efforts at high wattage got a lot easier. The work on cadence will pay off.

[@MrAlexshellard]

2nd that ! used to grind out at like 70 and get shouted at. Spent some time working up to 100+ and big difference.

[@DSKHo1968]

Yep, 90+ when I am pushing it on a bike. 100+ when I am really going for it.

[@sd3457]

Power is Energy per Second and Energy is Force x Distance, so if you can pedal quicker then the force you require your legs to put out is reduced, shifting the stress to your cardio system (no free lunch, right?). Related question - how do you change to a lower gear on these zwift bikes?

[@karlprescott2085]

@@sd3457 the same way you would on a road bike. On the levers, you can even program what group set you have, and what gears. So you can program 11 speed di2 and shimano.

[@phil_d]

It might be worth considering using a shorter crank on the Wahoo Bike (using the preset holes) to reduce foot speed and allow for a higher cadence. Make a similar adjustment with the saddle, too.

[@DTGMRuns]

“I’m in my garage and I warmed up with a bobble hat…. Fuck off” 😂😂😂 That’s a sub earned right there hahaha

[@AndrewBrown-em3ti]

You are the master of understatement- “harder than it looks”. My “sprint” isn’t that far north of 440w! Always good to understand how superhuman pro athletes really are so thanks for subjecting yourself to the agony for us all Mark. Consistently great content so thanks for continuing to post these extraordinary feats.

[@hejalll]

Man it must be so much fun to be able to push 3-400 watts without big effort. Must be a freeing feeling.

[@chuck4316]

Never lose that sense of humor mate. Like Greg Lemond said, cycling doesn't get any easier you just go faster.

[@davidplantenga3766]

Yo When I read Lemond's fittness statement, immediately realized how true Lemond saying was ,,, Thanks for bringing said back to mind again ...

[@DC-lu5qs]

Awesome adventure! Loved it as always. I watch GCN fairly often as I'm learning to cycle. Their "enthusiast" (Ollie) is someone that I enjoy watching for much of the same reasons I enjoy watching your content. He's one of their only presenters that isn't a former pro cyclist, but he seems to take on hard challenges with regularity, and takes getting beaten by his coworkers with good humor.

[@martinjarc1994]

He also dropped contador this year and has a sick ftp for his very low weight. Enthusiast is putting it mildly... Fun fact he also did an hour attempt.

[@DC-lu5qs]

@@martinjarc1994 I'd love to see Mark make an hour attempt, but it might be too disruptive to his Hyrox training at the moment. It might be good for triathlon training though

[@DC-lu5qs]

Also, PS - Ollie's post-bonk completion of that ride where he dropped Contador is one of the most inspiring things I've seen on youtube. I have a deep well of respect for anyone that is willing to go outside their comfort zone, and dig deep to finish the task even when things go sideways.

[@martinjarc1994]

@@DC-lu5qs I guess i was misunderstood. I was only pointing out that Ollie the enthusiast also did an hour attempt. Not suggesting Mark should do it. It goes against his mantra of enjoying the sport not searching for super small details to improve his 1h performance. Better for him to focus on lying down and standing up hehe I guess he is too good at spartan to really train those burpies 😂

[@DC-lu5qs]

@@martinjarc1994 nah the hour thing was my thought from whole cloth. I'm not suggesting he try to set the record, just see what he could do in an hour - as an alternate form of challenge to ones like these. I just thought it would be interesting, and maybe fun for Mark, and maybe fit reasonably well into his overall training once he's back to training for Ironman. Obviously only he can tell us for sure :)

[@ru40342]

Just found this video accidently when watching the GCN videos. Ollie (the enthusiast) was a beast back then. It is MUCH MUCH easier to generate 440w with higher weight (I assume Mark Lewis weighs around 100kg) than Ollie (around 70kg). That's why the pro, Conor Dunne, can maintain 440w for such a long time (40+ minutes) as he weighs around 100kg being so tall.

[@bobyates1926]

Mark, I love your posts. It’s hugely encouraging to see a mid 40’s ordinary guy doing extraordinary things.I’m 57 & I’ve signed up for the 2025 Ratrace LeJog when I’m 60. It’s channels like yours (ok, only yours) that gives me the confidence to try👍 What other legacy will we leave?

[@MarkLewisfitness]

Rat race events are awesome-you will have an amazing time!

[@liamchalmers4871]

I definitely think setting off at a lower cadence made it as painful for the legs as it was. For a ramp test or time trial I will always set out at 100+ and look to hold that throughout, dropping only right at the end

[@MarkLewisfitness]

Good point-I normally do cycle between 85 and 95 but that watts increase caught me by surprise and I never recovered

[@MrPhillian]

@@MarkLewisfitness The trick is to be at the cadence you want the interval to be before it starts. So the 5 seconds before, ensure you are at cadence or slightly higher.

[@MishMash95]

Fun video! For estimating how long efforts above threshold can be held, you can use critical power which represents the anaerobic contribution above your threshold. The crude estimate is to take a known time zone e.g your 2 min @ 505w, (which from your video looked more like 545 as zero time was included ) and calculate anaerobic capacity which is AC (W’ J) = (watts-CP)*time(s) CP ~ threshold, so 320w for yourself. (545-320)*120 = 27,000 J Then with your anaerobic work capacity figure, you can reverse the calculation. So divide it by 440-320 to figure out how long you could hold 440w. 27000/(440w-320w) = 225s (3:45) which isn’t far off. Your likely anaerobic capacity is 28kJ or your FTP is higher. These calculations model the anaerobic energy system contribution on too of your aerobic system, given it’s not linear as anaerobic power production only ramps up at the high end.

[@rosiesouter8936]

As a rower I’d love to see you try and maintain the 2k pace for however long you can - or maybe set your own 2k time? I think WR is 5:35 ish but definitely a good challenge! Or a 5K time for more endurance based! Also works toward the HYROX!

[@blaneysiktube]

My most recent on a concept 2, resistance set at 10 was 6.5km in 29 minutes, it was my 3rd time doing it. Have been addicted to the wattbike since and not been back to rower yet haha

[@jimjamthebananaman1]

@@blaneysiktube resistance set at 10 is crazy. Drop it to 5 and set your drag factor to about 130

[@gareth2736]

@@jimjamthebananaman1 true that, I used to stick the rower up to 10 didn't realise that 17 stone Olympic rowers have it on 5 or 6.

[@kralikovo1]

@@blaneysiktube be careful , you can really hurt your back on this resistance.. Try to set 5 and be more dynamic, work with legs as a real rower

[@MrEcted]

I've never been an "elite" level cyclist, but the closest I've come to your effort was on a Strava segment - I did 473W for 4:30 and I literally thought I was going to die at the end of it (got the KOM at least!). It was a segment I had been working on for a couple months. What was almost as hard was coming back home! The segment was about 20 miles from my house and that 20 mile ride back was brutal, my legs were basically Jello, hah.

[@nathanwallis1112]

I saw an interview with a velodrome coach at the Olympics once and when asked about power to weight ratio he stated it's more about power to wind resistance. So a large upper body is a disadvantage.

[@jakobjas4212]

Yep that why a guy like Campanaerts could get the record with much lower wattage. Small guy so he cuts through the air like a bullet. Wiggins is 6ft+.

[@VMVarga-yf6eg]

Great video well done and love the humour. Feel free not to speak during the efforts!! Time to get on the concept 2 and hold the 2k world record split for as long as you can. The record is 5:35.8 so you need to hold a split of 1:24 (technical 1:23.95). It was set by an Australian rower named Josh Dunkley-Smith. He weighed about 92kgs at the time and weight is a huge factor on the rowing machine so if you are lighter let me know and I can provide some data on power to weight so you can come up with a comparable split

[@XavierMontet]

Mark has already done a 1'24'' 500m row vs. his son, so he should be able to maintain WR pace for... around 500m 😉

[@MarkLewisfitness]

@@XavierMontet I reckon I could drag that out for 503 m now 😂

[@XavierMontet]

@@t.e.r.sven2.0vs.daskaltest59 weight is important because more weight = more muscle 😁 and if you're tall you have more amplitude. @69kg you're in the lightweight category (

[@ivorwrench5409]

@@MarkLewisfitness loving the channel. I've just recently gotten into erging on the C2..i saw your 500m time with your son. Man i wish i had either of your power. i can't get below 1.34 (we're the same age). On many sites i see ..add 5 secs to your split for double the distance....well..you mentioned what challenges should you try......2km erg around 6'30? That would make you extremely above average!

[@MarkLewisfitness]

@@ivorwrench5409 2km challenge is happening! VERY soon!

[@graemetough9988]

Great video again. A couple of comments on your GCN critique: Oli Bridgwood (their 'enthusiast') has actually had a proper go at the hour record. On a track. He is also fairly light. Their 'beginner' has gone on to massively improve his cycling and his story, told in a Mallorca long ride video, is actually very very inspiring. Those two GCN videos are worth a watch. Much of the rest of their content I'd not bother with.

[@mattiamurianni8582]

Recently found this channel and I'm loving it. To better understand the greatness of Wiggins or Ganna, you need to know that while in an aero position, your power heavily decreases (but the air resistance decreases more, so you still go faster). This means that wiggins would have been able to produce much higher watts if he stayed in an upright position like you did (but would have gone less far because of drag). Also to "defend" Capenaerts' hour record, although cycling at altitude it provides much less air resistance so you'll go faster with the same power, the heavy decrease in oxygen makes it way harder to produce that power. This means that his 330W is actually comparable to wiggins' 40. And your assumption on weight not being correlated with speed is correct, if there is no climbing weight won't make you faster or slower.

[@HkFinn83]

On balance though the high altitude increase speed more than impacts oxygen levels for the negative, obviously or it wouldn’t be used.

[@leehargreaves7473]

The incredible thing about top pro cyclists, like Wiggins, is their power to weight. Wiggins was around 72kg in the Tour de France so that's over 6W/Kg. Power is one thing but getting that power up Ventoux quicky is another. They aren't human.

[@Daz555Daz]

I was there at the velodrome to watch his hour record. It was completely gripping from start to finish. The only bad part was the conditions. Sir Wiggo was incredibly unlucky with the weather that day. The air pressure was insanely high. In an effort to counteract the high pressure the heat was turned up in the velodrome and it was like a furnace in there. It's hard to say excactly how many metres Wiggo was denied due to the awful conditions but I've read anywhere from 500 to 900m.

[@ashdanga]

Mark Lewis You legend, Keep riding, Keep running, Keep roasting and keep the science coming

[@veronicai6278]

Things that make the hour record harder: it's on a track bike (fixed gear), so you have to know what cadence you're going to ride and you can't deviate much at all. You were in high 70s whereas you'd need to be up over 100 on the track.

[@Educatedshrimp]

Love the videos Mark, thanks for the motivation!

[@paulwood4142]

Its something you have to feel to really know how impressive these insane wattages are, it's not human.

[@scotttacchi2991]

ABSOLUTELY LOVING your posts. Please keep them coming.

[@ReubenHollebon]

Great fun Mark. You're right watts per kilo are less of an issue on the flat, i'm a bigger guy too, racing with my 65kg friends when I'm 86kg. You might want to give Sufferfest's 4dp test a go to see you're 1m, 5m, 20m and sprint power, also a sickening event to take part in.

[@rahelwijeyekoon9403]

W/kg is certainly less of an issue on the flat, but not so much for a challenge like this where the power target (440W) is a muscular rather than aerobic or anaerobic test for the vast majority of non-elite athletes. For this sort of challenge, greater muscle mass and strength is undoubtedly an advantage relative to someone of similar conventional cardiovascular fitness but lower strength/muscle mass. I suppose I actually serve as a decent example of this, as I have running PR's that are slightly better than Mark's (18:30 5k, 39:45 10k, 1:28:3x HM) and equivalent to maybe slightly inferior cycling fitness (assuming Mark's FTP is somewhere in the region of the 3.2W/kg he said he does Alpe de Zwift at) as I doubt I could hold 440W for longer than 90s before my legs give out because I weigh ~60% what Mark does and simply turning the pedals over at 440W causes much more muscular fatigue for me relative to Mark. Basically, this is a test of muscular endurance and strength with a high absolute load. If the load is absolute and strength and muscular endurance are the primary determinants of performance, the person with greater strength and muscle mass is going to perform better most of the time. A technically more "fair" comparison would still be to scale a challenge like this to W/kg, but as Mark points out in the video it doesn't really work for someone like him as he's carrying a lot more muscle mass than the average person, and certainly a lot more than the average cyclist. Wiggins' 6-6.2W/kg is based on a super lean weight with no upper body muscle mass to speak of, whereas Mark is easily carrying 10+ kg of "excess" upper body muscle mass that skews his W/kg against him. There's really no perfect way to make something like this comparable, and if anything this demonstrates how insane 6-6.2W/kg for a full hour on a track bike is as a guy of above average fitness in an upright riding position who weighs ~30kg more physically can't turn over the pedals after 4 minutes. The fitness required to make that a threshold effort that can be held in an extreme TT position remains incomprehensible.

[@MrSimblock]

Discovered your videos this week. Love the combination of elements you bring to a crowded arena - and the fact you take the trouble to write a pithy, witty script (I assume - your eyes keep moving left to right at a regular reading speed, but that could be nystagmus) and don't simply "freestyle" repetitively. What I enjoy as much as your challenges are the ways you adapt to the environment and to yourself as you're experiencing each event. Last summer I decided to see if I could ride 200miles in one day on the road having never ridden more than 100miles in one day on the road, and failed to factor in that it would leave me riding country lanes towards the end for 3 hours, in darkness, with a very small front light that died with ten miles to go. I managed 200 miles (no choice, as the route took me back to my house) and resolved to buy a bigger light (adapted to my stupidity so as to be less stupid next time if I'm stupid enough to do it again). As you said in a previous vid, overcoming obstacles unseen at the start are as satisfying as the finish itself. Thanks for the infotainment. Much appreciated.

[@altosack]

The first time I rode more than 40 miles, I rode 140 (West Houston to Galveston Beach & back - yes, I know it’s illegal on a bike - this was the 90s!). I did it about 10 times; the last time I had such a tailwind on the way out, I did it in 2:45…but then I had to come back…over 6 hours fighting a constant 20-25 mph headwind (it had worsened a bit). Since I lived in Houston, I had put a 13-19 corncob on my Trek 1200, and never made it out of first gear (42/19) the whole way, often struggling to maintain 60 RPM! Did I learn anything? Probably, but I’m not sure what.

[@na-dk9vm]

How long were you training before you were able to bike 200miles??

[@MrSimblock]

@@na-dk9vm I took up road cycling about 3 years before I did the 200 miles, and started doing 50 miles regularly, then a hundred, and then a few more hundreds, and then a 200 over 2 days, and then thought I could attempt 200 in one day in good weather on a relatively flattish route that followed a railway line so that if I needed to give up at any point I was never too far from a railway station to get me home. It wasn't specific training for 200 miles in a day, more just clocking up the miles and then thinking I could give it a go.

[@na-dk9vm]

@@MrSimblock can I ask, what would be the very MINIMUM amount of nutrition you'd take with you if you were a new cyclist again and doing 100km cycle? My goal is 100k in a single session. I'm 90kg, so I'm heavy and I want to carry enough so that I don't bonk on the 100km. What is the absolute minimum amount of food (and what sort) would you take with you for a 100km ride?? Thanks

[@michaelblue7852]

On a setup like this with no wind resistance, i would think weight of rider means quite a lot. If we made a twin of you and shrunk him 20% it would be impossible for him to keep the same power output.

[@007floppyboy]

As previously said, cadence... get it to around 100. Do some runs at 90, 95, 100, 105, 110, at your preferred gearing (power) you will find the best distance is the one to stick at. Also just as a bit of fun, do the 1 hour at that cadence with 1/2 the power. Most will still fail.

[@enekkers]

You gotta love the smoothed out Kickr power. Your actual power was going up when upping your cadence, only the Kickr doesn't broadcast it. Might be better to put the smoothing off so you get a better idea of your actual power output.

[@MarkLewisfitness]

But only momentarily, as soon as my cadence increases it will simply drop the resistance to remain at 4:40

[@enekkers]

@@MarkLewisfitness it indeed will drop bank and probably will undershoot for a few seconds. A power line is never so smooth as a Kickr makes it be

[@infl8urshoes]

I commented a few months back that a 29 March GCN video pointed me toward the GCN pro being Si Richardson. I just watched a more recent GCN episode where they showed that the pro holding 440W for 45-ish minutes was actually 6'8" Conor Dunne in his first "appearance" on GCN. Either that, or GCN is engaging in a subterfuge campaign to keep the pro's identity an actual secret. [Conor is reportedly 88 kg, so 5 w/kg for 45 minutes - still wow]

[@alanparker3130]

Late to the party, but the point of watts per kilo is nothing to do with gravity. It's about lean muscle mass. More muscle = bigger motor. The same is true for rowing, where hills are notably absent. Which is why top rowers look more like Mark Lewis than me (5' 4" and 57kg)

[@RyuQ]

You can't say "if I did 505W for 2min and 320W for 60min, 440W for 30min in the middle". By lowering time you increase the watts exponentially.

[@hotshot8365]

Bradley Wiggins had a crack at rowing when he retired from cycling, we can’t all be amazing at everything and he was much more human at that. His indoor time was 6:22.5 for 2k, if you can’t beat him on the bike, maybe you can take him on the rowing machine?

[@FoobsTon]

That's still a tasty time but yeah... Good one for Mark to take a run at.

[@hotshot8365]

@@FoobsTon yeah, it’s not slow, but Mark should be able to get there rather than the cycling one 🤣 Mark is a natural at the rowing but never seems to want to do it…

[@FoobsTon]

@@hotshot8365 yeah... He's got the engine and the long levers... And i think his time at that comp surprised him...but i can understand it... It's a horrible brutal sport.

[@1stElement]

To be fair, the GCN 'enthusiast' Ollie Bridgewood is a sub 50 min 25mile TT rider and regularly knocks out sub 20 10 miles... he's a bit of a beast! Fair play Mark, it's a lot of watts! Just out of interest, Wiggins hasn't just been beaten by Capenearts since - two Brits have also gone further Alex Dowsett and Dan Bigham - Bigham with significantly lower watts due to having incredibly low CdA (he was a Formula One engineer) - you could try riding at his watts. Wiggins 440w was an estimate, but Bigham was a little more specific with his data: 54.723km at 355-360w... Be interesting to see how long you could hold that for..!

[@Forgot10]

As a 61 kg rider, I'm telling you. Size matters a lot and comparing just the watts isn't exactly objective. And yeah, at my weight and level of fitness (which is not altogether bad) I don't think I'll last a minute at 440W. Also yeah, 61 kg Remco Evenepoel sometimes beats 83 kg Filippo Ganna in flat TT races, so those watts and size come with an aero penalty.

[@stuartbird5139]

I am about the same weight as you and if you normalise the effort on a w/kg basis, for a 61kg rider this would be a 275w target. Which is more do-able.

[@srbmckenzie]

Did you take your inhaler before you started? It always helped him.

[@MarkLewisfitness]

My asthma has improved massively with my fitness but, ultimately, it is still exercise induced so any time my heart rate is going over 150-I need to use it. On a very slow jog or bike ride I am okay. In fact, just got off a 45 minute 230 what average ride without using it

[@DeanPattrick]

“Warmed up with a bobble hat...” classic 🤣 I need an update on the 🍩 donut.

[@MarkLewisfitness]

Kid ate it 🙄

[@DeanPattrick]

@@MarkLewisfitness kids eh 😜

[@beyond990]

Your right working in watts/kg is only realy in effect when climbing, apart from being fantastically fit Bradley has a very low CdA from his size and the ability hold a tight aero position for over an hour comfortably while putting out huge numbers, while us mere mortals would probably be crippled for life if we tried that position with those power numbers. Love the content mate, glad it's you and not me trying these things out. 😀😀

[@carlosvalenzuelasan]

Don’t quit your office job Mark.

[@MarkLewisfitness]

I sold my company a year ago. You’re too late 😂

[@Omnis2]

300 lbs and I've done 8 spinning sessions about once per week trying to be more fit. The only info we're given is watts and the cadence is set to whatever silly song they play, while they take you through different watt ranges through the song. Doing anything beyond 300 watts is an ass-kicker, can't imagine sustaining 400. I do find it's easier to maintain at 70-80 cadence. Doing it at 30 or 40 is a slog. Haven't managed to go that hard for a whole song. Bravo, Mark. Enjoying your channel.

[@XavierMontet]

Hi Mark. Last year's best 5k row on a Concept2, for a male heavyweight 40-49 years, is 16'14''. Maybe try to match it? That's a 1'37'' /500m pace. Or just try a 2k or 5k and see how you compare to your age group? (#aboveaverage) It would be a good benchmark for your future Hyrox events ☺️

[@MarkLewisfitness]

A row is definitely on the cards

[@huubmunstege3428]

Great video and interesting challenge. You're right about the 'Watts/kg-thing'. That really starts to matter when you have a considerable vertical component (so in climbs). Otherwise aero-drag is the major resistance. And I guess that maybe with a higher cadence you even get further. Than you shift more to your aerobic system than pure muscle power in your legs.

[@davidnicholson6680]

Disagree. Being a larger person inarguably offers a huge physiological advantage in terms of raw power output. I think it's clear Mark is rejecting this argument with his tongue firmly in his cheek.

[@MrRobbo4444]

Fairly new subscriber here and steadily working my way through your back catalogue of videos, all of which are funny and informative. Really enjoyed both this video and the previous one as they really do highlight just how super human these elite athletes are. Hopefully you find another challenge that can be attempted, perhaps something rowing related? Anyway keep the content coming and thanks for the hard work you put into it, it genuinely is inspiring.

[@matthewbenger8355]

As I was (one of at least) the people to mention watts/kg I appreciate the shout out! 😄 You are 100% right about it on the flat, so it wasnt really a relevent point. Its compared all the time for cycling uphill as its obviously a big component. Class effort and just shows how insane Brad's effort was. I think the comment you made about his aero position just intensifies the craziest of the effort.

[@daredemontriple6]

Loving the cycling content on this channel. The false braggadocio and cockiness to begin with, and the honest and humble reactions in the moment. Deadpan humour to boot. I'm also a pretty big bloke, and while your affliction is donuts, mine is beer. 6'5 and lugging around a 116 kilo carcass! This channel has inspired me though and I've set myself a goal to follow in your footsteps and complete Chase the sun 2024 - giving me a year pretty much to get fit enough to do it.

[@edwardjcoad]

do enjoy the dry turn of phrase! You have inspired me to get back on my bike - but on Zwift. Done a lot of road cycling in the US, UK and now NZ but now over 50, 95kg and need to get back to sub 90kg for the ski season. Winter (in NZ) approaching and looking forward to getting on the virtual road. Thanks for the videos, the info and the entertainment.

[@IrishTechGuy83]

The guy in the GCN video is Conor Dunne, ex Irish pro, also very tall, 6ft 8!!!

[@DanCave]

Kudos to you Mark for trying. To put the average cyclist Vs pro into perspective, the pro riders spend as much time on the bike doing aerobic conditioning as we do working a thirty plus hour week to build this up, over years, their aerobic capacity is huge and probably higher than your FTP. Ex tour winner Carlos Sastre used to train at 400w in the mountains at steady state

[@kennywilson7413]

The wattage anyone can put out over an hour is (theoretically) their FTP (functional threshold power). Tip over it by any amount and we are unlikely to come anywhere close to lasting an hour. That's not down to strength of character or soundtrack. The fall off isn't linear either. Those are simple realities. However, once again, an awesome 'in your face' presentation of the usual awesome 'in your face' challenge from Mark Lewis .... a much ..... much .... better than average KZbinr.

[@krede7606]

You just have to keep in mind that Wiggins didn’t push 440 watts from start to finish, but averaged 440, by pacing his effort. Pacing is key

[@philthewriter]

GCN's enthusiast had a crack at Eddie Merckx's hour record, be curious to see how you'd get on in comparison. He managed just over 29.5 miles at considerably less than 440W.

[@654jimbob654]

As an amateur cyclist, even 29.5 miles in an hour sounds mad to me.

[@josephdunbar2105]

I just did my bike interval training for the day…..8 zone 7 or max power for 30 seconds with 3 minute recovery’s between efforts. My 30 second wattage was approximately 650 watts per thirty seconds. I thought I’d throw up. But no pain no gain

[@jamesdent8958]

Power is a function of mass, which is why the power output should be proportional to kgs.

[@_Doodle-bob]

Mark, awesome effort. You should start doing this every other week and try to add 20-30 seconds until you can hit 10 minutes. Also, you should do some lifting challenges. - Max 315lbs deadlifts in one hour - Max barbell = body weight squats in one hour - Max pull ups or press ups in one hour - lift 100k lbs of total weight as fast as possible only doing bench press, squats, and deadlifts. I did this with buddies in the military and we called it an iron marathon.

[@MarkLewisfitness]

Those sounds good - me and my son are looking to do some of those sort of challenges. But they need to wait until after April. I have to fit these in around my 24 seven Hyrox training and my coach will get angry if I tell him I can’t walk because I did 400 deadlifts the day before 😂

[@_Doodle-bob]

@@MarkLewisfitness Ha fair enough, I imagine he would be none to pleased for sure. I’ll be looking forward to some weightlifting type ones after April then. Thanks again for the awesome content.

[@Joeonline26]

"OK I'm going to bring my cadence up a bit and see if spinning faster...NOPE that just hurts more"- 🤣🤣

[@davidnicholson6680]

Terrific stuff. It's great to see you put yourself out there with good humor.

[@chrisogrady28]

Terminal velocity is a function of power and friction (mainly air resistance). Mass is LITERALLY not in the equation. Mass only effects acceleration. (Linear acceleration is gaining speed in the same direction, cornering is also acceleration as you are changing direction which is a change of velocity, and climbing is accelerating against gravity, so you could say mass only effects acceleration, cornering, and climbing, but they are all just different types of acceleration)

[@giordanostramare]

Mark, great effort and video!! It’s always great and inspiring see someone die right after an effort it reminds me on ski or swimming comp. Question: why that insane slow cadence??

[@martinjohn9904]

440 watts is an unbelievable amount of power. I row for exercise and I've never come close to 440 watts even in my shortest most intense bursts. 440 for an hour is otherworldly. That's a level outside the realm of my experience. I suppose elite rowers do it on the regular, but to do it for an hour is amazing.

[@gohumberto]

13:39 - That's how I dismounted after my best ever 20minute FTP (301W for 20 minutes) . It's as deep as I've ever been, or ever want to go again thank you very much. Just pain. It was Wiggo's record that led me into Wattbike classes. I had to know what those numbers felt like. I raised my FTP a lot during those classes over a few years and would be happy with 4 mins at 400Watts. My 20 minute threshold was 301Watts but, as you say, it's not a linear feeling. 100Watts is nothing, like freewheeling, 200Watts is sustainable, 300Watts is fine for 10 minutes but took me to the point of collapse after 20 mins. 440 watts is something I add into my training as a 10 second spike. Basically holding onto 440 Watts, in a perfect aero tuck, on a single-speed fixie isn't even human. But then again no world beating athlete is like other humans. >>>>Try the Long-Jump, or High-Jump. The records for those are just as mind bending.

[@beavis3792]

I suggest a rowing challenge! I'm an ex-Cambridge Lightweight rower so here's an idea of some 2000m times to aim for (a 2000m row may well be the singulalrly most painful physical challenge of my life): 7:00 - Women's Lightweight Boat (57kg average, no rower over 59kg) 6:40- Best Score in the Women's Blue Boat 6:25 - Best Score in Men's Lightweight Boat (70kg average, no rower over 72.5kg) 6:10 - Competiive time for Men's Blue Boat, sub-6 more likely with top rowers nearer 5:45. 5:35 - world record

[@MarkLewisfitness]

It’s happening. Watch this space 😁

[@colinswan786]

Great effort Mark! Always cracking content. Really is amazing that he did that for an hour...

[@LoranMaes]

Victor actually recently told in an interview that if he would've tried to break the world record again he'd do it on sea level because the advantage of being able to use more oxygen in your cardiovascular system outweighs the advantage of riding at 2000m+ (which reduces your ability to intake oxygen). :)

[@ynotnilknarf39]

Well he's wrong, he would never have beaten the record at sea level, not even close, this is well known within cycling circles. Phillipo Ganna even states he wants to attempt the record this year at sea level as it has more credibility than doing it at altitude. The offset of cycling in thinner air is significantly more advantageous than the smaller amount of oxygen reduction. In fact the research shows the optimised altitude to be 2500m for acclimatised riders and 2000m for non acclimatised.

[@chriswren1736]

@@ynotnilknarf39 I think Ganna can do it.

[@HkFinn83]

Yeh that’s nonsense. He’ll likely not try it again and is trying to give his effort more credibility

[@chrisvanbuggenum871]

Enthusiast guy is Ollie Bridgewood, he's actually very strong.

[@PeterBerg1982]

Great channel. Celebrating athletic achievements in a different angle. Love the humor. Keep up the good work

[@Rachaelshaw7]

Whoa! When did you upgrade all of that? Need an updated gear walk thru please

[@SevAnsdigg-123]

3:26 the most amazing thing I‘ve seen on the i ternet so far. 😍

[@gerardleahy3729]

Unreal Mark, fair play. I wouldn't get close to a minute at the moment, but getting better overall so it's all good 🚲👍

[@podgey65]

320 w for 60 minutes is phenomenal..so well done. Going to 440 is a whole diff ball game as you have discovered . I think you did excellent.. Just shows you how good wiggins is. I think you can increase your time.. you seemed shocked when you started 440. So I'd say a better warm up and loads of training intervals at 400 w . But it's a commendable effort . V strong 💪

[@nocrustracing]

"I'm in my garage and I warmed up with a bobble hat, fuck off" Brilliant :D

[@Gazmaz]

@13:16 I just howled with laughter, I love this channel.

[@slvto4627]

Try the same thing for Rowing, the rowing record for 1 hour is a 403 watt average (1:35.4) and its a lot harder to achieve the same watts on a rower compared to a bike.

[@stewartfeatherstone346]

I will take a stab in the dark here and say that challenge really hurt. Great video Mark and if its ok by you i wont try that for myself.

[@frostyrobot7689]

lmfao - 13:35 - "Burning Heart" was clearly the most appropriate song for that... well played...

[@maurizioando]

“Echo play my rocky Playlist” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@MR-dv6ms]

Fantastic Video, I love the style of your videos very enjoyable

[@IronDan2121]

This is one of the funniest things I’ve watched. Just love your commentary Mark 👍 awesome

[@alanjohnson6035]

Great video Mark - thanks for putting yourself through these challenges to show us what fantastic athletes these guys really are. Nice Lake shoes btw

[@jantosti4940]

Why can't I stop laughing when you get on the floor totally finished😂😂😂

[@garethkelly6167]

Fantastic video Mark, only found your channel 2 weeks ago and the content is excellent just listened to the podcast you did and you came across brilliantly. Keep the videos coming mate. Btw I love the 80s/90s movie references/cut scenes.

[@jeremyedwards3612]

Gcns enthusiastic amateur has been training. Would love to see a video of you racing him up a long climb outdoors. Love your content. Especially the hurty bits😂

[@robsampson4971]

Great video thanks. Armstrong's 30 minute climb up the madone at a average of 500 watts,7 watts a kilo would be good to watch. Is there going to be a swimming video?

[@trepidati0n533]

Your ability to push that power at such a low cadence is something to behold. If you were in a hill climb it would be amazing...but on a flat route your cadence is a limiter I believe. I would maybe try a video of where you experiment at 300, 350, 400, 450 watts at different cadences and then explain how you feel. There is some evidence that a naturally selected cadence is not optimal for maximal endurance....usually people are a just a bit or even a lot too low when it comes to threshold or above work.

[@MonoPrime]

Mark I think the argument about W/KG also involves the aspect that your ‘levers’ are longer as a result of being taller (generally, obviously you have people on either end of the spectrum). Generally longer levers increases the amount of power you can generate (Power being a physical quantity, algebraically, Work = Force * change in Distance and Power = Work/second); I’m sure you’re also aware that Force is the result of Force = Mass * Acceleration. So being taller and heavier provides not just the advantage in Force that results from a greater mass moved at the same speed, but also an advantage in the amount of power that a given force can output as a result of longer levers providing a ‘larger distance vector’. I don’t necessarily think that this plays nearly as large of a role in cycling as it does for running as in the video you mentioned. We know from scientific analysis of world class runners in short distance categories that there are really 4 major factors involved with top speed: Churn rate (steps/second), stride length (distance/step), force with which the foot is pressed into the ground (Newton’s 3rd law informs us that this results in an equivalent force propelling the runner away from the ground - Force downward/step), and finally, force efficiency (how efficient the force transfer from factor 3 is in propelling the athlete forward). In order of importance, in which elite sprinters distinguish themselves, generally we have: factor 3 (force/step) >> factor 1 (steps/second) > factor 2 (distance/step) >> factor 4 (force efficiency). All of the last paragraph is to suggest that at least in the case of sprinting short distances, which is generally a fairly effective measurement of human power output that is not biased towards anything in particular, likely falling only behind swimming - being taller and heavier is advantageous so long as the losses to churn rate aren’t effected, which is extremely rare. Middle and long distance running is generally opposite way - being taller and heavier are disadvantageous. The longer levers and greater application of force possible and therein required to move a certain speed is completely outweighed by the energy losses from having to apply a greater force and move longer and therefore heavier levers. The reason for the good-faith flak (if it was in good-faith, i’m sure lots of it wasn’t) might only be because with running it’s very difficult to get a specific Power measurement in something semi-appreciable by the average person, such as Watts (although I’m sure if you wrote it as Joules/second it would cause some confusion). Whereas with cycling it’s literally as easy as measuring the weight and any internal applied resistance of the flywheel that is being moved by the person and then measuring the distance per cycle of the flywheel and counting how many times it goes around in a circle to get the Work being done by the person - then you take that amount and divide it by the number of seconds that the work is being done for and voila you have the specific power output of the person.

[@Dr_Petey_Wheatstraw]

Best comparison wouldn’t be watts/kilo but watts/CdA (coefficient of drag * area) as aerodynamic drag is the biggest factor in biking speed. Getting into a time trial position is severely non trivial but so critical for these speed records. It’s also quite hard to generate power in that position.

[@jaspersquire5931]

How about the 'Vitor Belfort Challenge'? Vitor was one of the many athletes in the UFC who had to stop taking TRT under the new UFC drug rules. Despite his physique melting away he still got back in the Octagon. So rather than competing in MMA (a bit dangerous), you could do an Ultra or some such in a race held under WADA rules. BTW: I’m enjoying your content - you’ve inspired me to do a Park Run.

[@GS-pk9rd]

Enjoyed this one, ditto the world record running pace video.. on Wiggin's power, he started he could hold 450w for 1 hr, many estimate he did around 470w for his olympic tt 2012..at under 70kg! Amazing.

[@MarkLewisfitness]

That part of what is so crazy-when you look at him from when he was riding he looks like he would blow away in a gale. Yet is churning out ridiculous numbers

[@ynotnilknarf39]

Wiggins got off the bike like he'd been for a decent paced club run, compare that to when Boardman got off the bike after his hour record and the two are stark. Wiggins had a fair bit more left in him IMHO.

[@Sammy-qt9it]

Friction increases linearly with weight on a flat surface so yes, it would make a difference to your cycling

[@jeremyedwards3612]

Made me laugh out loud 4 times within the first 2 minutes. Thank you. Also kudos for commiting

[@davidwrightsr4188]

Great job Mark... it's me, the older feller in California again... call up GCN and talk to Ollie and he can explain how the maths work in detail, which might make you feel better... on the other hand, you might also nod off during the explanation... don't be put off, 1) Bradly was (still is) an animal that has a perfect physiology for this, not just great leg muscles and aero posture on a bike, and 2) Ollie may not be an ex-pro, but he too is blessed with incredible physiology, and probably could have been a Pro if he hadn't gone for a PhD in Chemistry instead (yawn), THEN discovered bikes... keep them coming big guy

[@zeitakulobusta]

Interesting 320>440 comparison at the end, reminds of the effort it can take shaving 10 sec/km off a 5k pb - "but it's only 10 seconds..."

[@BjerkeRobin]

Hahahaha! "Bradley Wiggins is good on a bicycle" Class 😂 love your stuff man.

[@LeeSmales]

Great effort and excellent choice of soundtrack 🥊

[@glenborch8231]

I need to be cold to do that. Only for around a minute. 320watt's FTP is the eventual goal (I'm somewhere between 198w and 250w depending how it's measured) , but where running at a HR of 170bpm is easy for an hour, 170bpm is my maximum cycling. It was impressive.

[@Hutepilo]

Great motivation, Great video thanks

[@haydnevans2978]

Your a machine! Being able to perform way above proficient at these disciplines as a newbie. Machine!!

[@timfuke4407]

Another excellent video - Keep them coming Mark! - New Challenge? 5K Park Run Barefoot (not with your 5fingers) like Zola Budd from the 80's?

[@MarkLewisfitness]

Is it just me or is it impossible to say her name without doing it in a South African accent 😂. Maybe one for when the rain has stopped. In fact, I’m actually loving that idea. As somebody who has gone all about barefoot style running so much it does sound pretty cool. And will be a nice answer to everyone that says heavy people need lots of cushioning.

[@timfuke4407]

@@MarkLewisfitness That's awesome if you take it on - and yes - it is impossible - Just like "Drago" can only be pronounced as Dolf says it in R4...

[@kieransweeney6010]

What about the toaster challenge, see how long you can hold on to create the power to toast bread. Is it still bread when you're finished or toast?

[@kieransweeney6010]

kzbin.info/door/SlnWkmqC1JrX2_qqLLTGKw

[@MarkLewisfitness]

I did look at that but I wasn’t entirely sure how long he rode at 700 W for. It certainly wasn’t very long

[@kieransweeney6010]

@@MarkLewisfitness 1min 3 seconds. Of course no need to hook it up to the turbo, just get the wain to pop it down then off when you blow :) and compare that my my 34seconds

[@jameswestgate4896]

Might I suggest your cool down after the warmup was a bit short and a bit high? Not enough time to recover 200% before the big effort?

[@garethjones2125]

Loved the sport science content comment at the end. Made me chuckle 👍