KOM Battle: Current v Former Pro | Sean Quinn & Phil Gaimon in the Hollywood Hills

After the Nichols group ride which was posted here, I followed Sean to the base of Sunset Plaza drive for a KOM attempt. Phil Gaimon came along and even gave Sean a leadout but even that wasn't enough for top spot. The level in LA is so nuts that you need to be a world tour caliber rider and be in good form to take a big name segment here.
This was filmed in January of 2022 and I can say Sean was looking faster when I rode with him a few weeks ago. Check out his effort up Piuma: / strava . Maybe he'll be tempted for another dig up Sunset Plaza...
SEAN: / seanquinn1_
PHIL: / philgaimon
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00:00 - 01:22 intro
01:22 - 12:12 effort
12:12 - 16:36 outro
#DescentDisciples​ #PrayForSpeed​ #safa

[@noahbirdrevolution]

I'm always amazed how Safa pedals up the hill no hands and no strava just to film these guys struggle to keep up with him- while letting them have the strava glory. Such a gentleman.

[@SAFABrian]

I didn't even show my unicycle, didn't want to take the limelight off of the pros

[@harryluns]

​@@SAFABrian class act 💯

[@temporalsoliton]

Seems to have a lot of gas though. Needs to find another source of carbs besides beans before a tough ride.

[@mtsmithtube]

@@temporalsoliton I think he was surfing the drone.

[@user-je5po4nz9z]

Don't listen to this in your living room without your earbuds kids!

[@Two_Wheel_Yeehaw]

dead

[@_M_J_27]

Why is kids even on this version ! There’s a whole other app that’s made for just kids !

[@jani724]

Gf walks in the apartment daily hearing heavy breathing coming from the the bedroom. Only to find me watching some chap try and not die up a climb

[@andorsn]

I agree, the shifting under load is obscene

[@abdul-kabiralegbe5660]

​​@@jani724 😂😂😂 To be honest, the heavy breathing really gives a great insight into the intensity of the effort. It gives context to the stats on the LHS of the screen.

[@siriustraining1774]

I was Sean's coach from age 14-19. He still holds the record for highest VO2 max. (age 17) @ the lab I used in the OC. Awesome to see him doing so well!

[@Dezenaamisnietbeschikbaar]

The power these guys have is just insane!

[@twillyspanksyourcakes]

Juiced to the gills

[@iMoreno]

Yeah just SIS and LMNT 💪🏼

[@_Doodle-bob]

I used to have this type of power until I took an arrow to the knee.

[@methylmercury]

it's fairly regular

[@claygriffin-derr558]

Phil is the most anti-doping cyclist out there. He has a bar of soap tattooed on his arm cuz he feels so passionately about it. But I guess people have lied before lol, I just seriously doubt it

[@supersixmikeohimod]

I can relate to hitting 192bpm and only being halfway up the climb...

[@desmoMarco91]

me too but i have to stop and take a breather for a while

[@danmartin9086]

😂

[@razz5841]

How can they stay at Max HR for so long? At least I beleive thats their Max HR 😁

[@liannahlouisevega1612]

​@@razz5841exactly why they are pros they can do crazy shit

[@jaybobd]

@@razz5841 at the end he actually hits 199.

[@dodosaurus4875]

please, more climbing stuff like this :)

[@baza210]

ascent apostles

[@CTSaints89]

​@@baza210 😂

[@ragle8684]

The Vo2 max required for that power output!

[@beau2047]

Insane

[@twillyspanksyourcakes]

With the same doctor/juice even you can produce such power

[@ragle8684]

@@twillyspanksyourcakes Haha! Not likely

[@BrendanChinonyoutube]

can you film another nichol's group ride please? they are such a good watch

[@harryhenry3053]

I live in the Basque Country and most KOMs are unbeatable. All the best times are recorded from the Vuelta, Tour de France or Itzulia. It's cool in LA you have popular climb KOMs that aren't recorded from races.

[@chrisrussell7419]

Phils time wouldn't be broken in a race. Then there is 150km+ before the climb and tactics. Not that often in a race the pro peleton are going FULL gas bottom to top.

[@davidbernhardt551]

@@chrisrussell7419 It would easily be broken by good enough climbers if it’s the final climb or maybe penultimate and there are attacks. The best can literally do way over 7 w/kg for 10 minutes.

[@nickh3533]

Same by me, the Tour of Britain passed through here in 2015, most of the KOM's still stand 8 years later.

[@benallwein5130]

@@davidbernhardt551 I don’t know how heavy Phil is but say it’s 65kg - 460W from his KOM is 7.1 W/kg, which is world class.

[@jemsmay2167]

You must be new around here; Phil spent years in the world tour pro peloton and was well known as a strong climbing domestique. He claims he climbs as well now if not better then he did when he was a pro, and his power numbers (7.1 W/Kg for 10 minutes) confirm this. Let’s look at some climbs all the pros do in Europe; he’s 6th on the KOM list for the Rococorba in Girona (30 sec behind Simon Yates), 11th on the Madone in Nice (a few seconds behind Froomes best), 7th on the Masca climb (one behind Wout) in Tenerife, and these were on his honeymoon when he may not have had the best legs (I’ll let myself out now)

[@jonathanchester5916]

Love how Sean can kick up to 700watts near the top after averaging 400plus for 9mins - awesome.

[@invalice123]

Now THIS is good. More climbing, general riding. Descents are epic, but the struggle is also important :)

[@worstretirementever]

If Sean was fresh I bet he would have had it that day. Super hard effort AFTER a full-on group ride

[@brownshit1]

His bike looked pretty heavy too.

[@darylbrice]

@@brownshit1 Yeah, Aero Disc not a climbing bike. Notice Phil still rocking the rim brakes!

[@jcsrst]

I've been waiting to see Phil on one of your videos😀 This was excellent, thanks for sharing!!

[@aminostruth3494]

Awesome content. Phil's time is even more insane after seeing this!

[@eddydruppel3943]

Staying that long over 195 heartrate !! I salute you dude

[@luismoran7176]

Insane power, I almost passed out just looking at it lol😂. Great video 👌🏻🙌🏻

[@noifjustlive]

😱 What a machine!!! I was out of breath just by watching his performance.

[@ricardorusso1462]

I would imagine that in January he's close to the most unfit he will ever during the season be so this is a great effort!

[@01FozzyS]

Damn those numbers! Nice go at it,Sean!

[@fhowland]

Unreal effort. I dont know how its humanly possible to do that many watts for so long...or to keep your HR that pegged like that!

[@roberthealey6820]

Very cool. Thank you! 👍

[@philipk4475]

It's insane to think Phil was half a minute faster when he got the KOM!

[@twillyspanksyourcakes]

It's the cookies I'm telling ya

[@BryenGraver]

Those differences can be pretty wild. I was cookin on a ride yesterday and was ahead of my PR on a segment, but then when I got to the really hard part, I just dropped like a rock. Still got my second fastest time, but my PR was over 30 seconds faster. Insane.

[@abone2pick]

Phil did it with a 12 pound cannondale and fresh legs . Sean doing it with a disc brake bike after destroying the Nicholas ride 😂

[@martintramuntbikemallorcak481]

must've had the "bloods" spot on that day..... eh

[@h31sman]

@@BryenGraverI have some PRs from a massive tailwind that had me riding at group speed while solo. I’m not likely to touch those for a while. The ride back was awful lol

[@alexmark9147]

Insane climb with that Cannondale System Six...

[@fucktheworld1207]

Look at that beautiful rim brake bike..... what a piece of art 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

[@williammccormick1092]

Rim brakes for the win

[@suisinghoraceho2403]

Long live rim brake

[@cularu1]

Great effort man!

[@utube7930]

thanks again Safa 🙏

[@kpbmx]

Oh man. You could taste that effort 😮

[@t1910j]

You guys are beasts! That was insane climbing

[@stianpollestad754]

That was fun to watch. Insane level. I'd be dropped within the first 100 m. Just shows what it takes to win a pro bike race.

[@mogulmayhem]

it's amazing how strava brought any entirely new facet to professional cycling.

[@justim4545]

1st to mention Phils Rim Brakes! Good man, Phil!

[@sandrochiavaro7831]

You guys are animals! 😵 that was savage to just even watch from the couch. Wow!!

[@SouthLondonCyclist]

I was tired by the end just watching - awesome !

[@liamhotspur9182]

Pure power! Let's have a look at him in 2024!

[@jshwlff]

Gallant effort!

[@poincareconjecture5651]

That's level 2 climbers...geezus christ...that was like watching ...I don't have the right words ....much respect for Phil for showing lots of humility and the opening paces Phil...are you crazy....that was so insane ebikes cant even

[@derroadcyclist9664]

Amzing just AMAZING that Power !!!!

[@lifelabourlanguage5854]

holy shit california is beautiful. perfect cycling. you're really living the dream out there, friend!

[@williammccormick1092]

Looks good in the video but if you go there you’ll be disappointed.

[@acidbased]

@@williammccormick1092 no, you won’t. Not by the cycling at least.

[@lirrtrainwreck]

I came for the KOM battle I stayed for the view!! Unreal!

[@8bigs8]

Amazing !!

[@cfinger1093]

Phil rolling up after sabotaging the KOM like "nothin, just hangin around"

[@Simte]

¡Capos! How insane is that climbing.

[@ayowser01]

What a view from that canyon!

[@nickzoumpoulis1024]

Was a great KOM attempt and such a big effort for this climb. Definitely the most wonderful view in the end!

[@lisashiela9137]

Awesome ride Sean, definitely some Pro level b.p.m with that attempt@!. Was Gaimon's pace at the start the culprit?

[@CreatexColors]

cool video, thanks!

[@overthetarget9401]

I could have kept up...for the first five seconds. 😃

[@karlburningham3604]

Absolutely insane numbers 💪💪💪

[@hernanhernandez3861]

Good to know that the Nichols ride is hard for these guys. It crushes me....

[@zukzworld]

Amazing! Awesome!! ❤👍🏾✌🏾

[@uhurupeak2001]

great vid bryan .

[@TheDreadEmpire]

Sean's a beast 🔥🔥 so powerful

[@TheLanorth]

@8:25 you can see they still didn't finish that tennis coach' house that Michael destroyed!

[@derroadcyclist9664]

I like how chilled they are able to speak after that LOL

[@richardyoung5201]

Brutal 🙌🏻

[@emmanuelcampos8212]

WoW spectacular🎉🎉

[@elpina587]

Everybody is a gangster till you try to keep up with these 2

[@zubetto85]

watching this enormous effort, it seemed to me that I felt pain in my legs...

[@cristianmarint]

Oh lord! This guys are strongggg

[@methilda2927]

Imaging Sean not crushing a massive group ride before :D

[@lirrtrainwreck]

So crazy impressive and on an aero bike as well

[@lukewalker1051]

I heard a stat that Lance Armstrong in his prime could do 500 watts for 30 minutes. These guys are beasts. Congrats on your fitness and w/kg. PS. thought it interesting that Phil chose presumably uber light box section aka non aero wheels for this effort which makes sense. Probably a 1300 gram wheelset Ability of the pro to hold close to 200 bpm HR is nuts. P.S. also the pro's capacity to recover after that incredible effort is noteworthy...most mortals would be on the ground.

[@MrBillboeing]

But Lance had the juice, without it -10% is still impressive

[@bigjuicefolife]

@@MrBillboeing Please shut up. Its been over 15 years. Let. It. GO. Everybody else was doping too. Jeebus H. Christ.

[@sean7098]

@@MrBillboeing He also was one of the most talented riders of his generation

[@martintramuntbikemallorcak481]

@@MrBillboeing hahaha...... and these guys don't????? do u believe in santa? and still get picked up from school by yer mommy?? haha... get real!!

[@michadebicki6534]

495 watts for 40 (!) minutes. It was in one of the documentaries about him.

[@snailpower1890]

Le gainage des pros. Impressionnant. Ça bouge pas . Et ça a des puissance de chevaux

[@Mati03x]

Phil its Incredible !!!

[@zellmersebastian4618]

Good job!

[@dylanarmenta6691]

Shheeeeeshhh absolute, brutal

[@timwolf2215]

Dam I love watching elite athletes push emselves. Heart rate above 185 for that long. Their bodies are so efficient it’s incredible

[@maremare9515]

Sick . . . 💪💪💪

[@thehandleiwantedwasntavailable]

As an Australian, it’s so cool seeing our native trees in Los Angeles! I noticed it when I last visited in 2018.

[@dennis3667]

Eucalyptus trees are on every continent, and often very numerous.

[@joebeech7423]

Yeah but they were brought to California by Aussies and planted in the 1850s as timber was in short supply. The most common tree type in Cali is the Tasmanian Blue gum.

[@joemclaughlin8657]

They’re too flammable so we’re starting to clear the groves 😂😂

[@Thaddeus_Howe]

Some classic Phil Gaimon reverse negative splitting haha. Somehow it works for him though lol

[@ramiyousif3351]

Beast!

[@cecilordono6326]

The heart rate and power is just mind boggling

[@richards4422]

It was a great effort. Too bad that he had that old guy blocking his path for the first one third of the climb !!!

[@DanielaAngulo]

Do people know what wheels does Phil use? Thanks. Looking for wheels for my rim brake bike.

[@powgago]

Guy just became 2024 US National Road champ. Congrats Sean Quinn!

[@user-ct6ic3un9b]

WOW Hollywood Hills

[@richardbraithwaite9653]

Amazing power ! What a pro.........

[@levyyy3774]

crazy power

[@AfroMuggleKing]

I don't think my heart can reach 197 BPM. Massive effort!

[@raffiourfalian1524]

High level sport 👏 awesome 👌

[@cristiancontreras1280]

What are the two cross streets of the beginning beginnin of the climb?

[@Firubak]

Meanwhile in Germany on a much shorter climb on my mtb. Highest gear 4kph trice the time 😂. Seriously i find it insane how Well trained and fit you roadies are. I would say im really fit too but thats just a different Dimension

[@purpleaki7135]

Phil has a much smoother pedalling stroke than the pro guy.

[@82vitt]

He has much smoother everything with far less upper body movement. Now imagine the guy was on a rim brake, non-aero bike at least 2 pounds lighter, he wouldn't have to be wriggling so much.

[@methylmercury]

so what. it's about the power output not the pedaling stroke smoothness

[@82vitt]

@@methylmercury Thanks for enlightening us, captain obvious 🙄.

[@ProWeAreSo]

​@@methylmercury it's about efficiency

[@methylmercury]

@@ProWeAreSo no it isn't. Lol. You either have power in your legs or you don't. It's genetics. In first 2 years most results appear. The others train all they want and still can barely sustain 450W for 5 minutes, whereas teens aged 18 who have been riding since 14 and have genetics, hold 450 for 20 minutes no problem. So Your comment has been debunked sir!

[@CTSaints89]

😳.. Phil G. goes up this incline as fast as my avg on flats!! 😂😂😂

[@stevocanuck]

that is just insane

[@infamousboone]

This should become an LA tradition for all visiting pros.

[@martintramuntbikemallorcak481]

"The level in LA is so nuts that you need to be a world tour caliber rider and be in good form to take a big name segment here" - come try out my home on island of Mallorca!! All KOM's and top 10's are who's who of cycling world!! infact, top 100!!! It's really really crazy!!

[@martintramuntbikemallorcak481]

on December 19th 2019, I was cycling up Es Grau climb from north side, not a soul there... then all of a sudden at the top I could see a peloton coming at me (Ineos) and I could see a yellow flashing light on a car behind... The front 2 were Gerrant Thomas and Chris Froome (and they did say hi) and then a struggler at the rear with another car was egan bernal... So, I just passed and said hi to (at that time) the current TDF champ and the previous 2 champs, 1 being a LEGEND of this sport. It's amazing who you see here in winter.. and you never know who's gonna fly past you on a climb!

[@hergang71]

Wow!!

[@matt92697]

Phil's bike looks insane

[@klopcodez]

Aero

[@TheCyclesport]

Some serious throw-down power is displayed!

[@themrqpz]

what app does he use for this fancy telemetry? 🤔

[@BMWWolf]

The sustained wattage is incredible.

[@dg6226]

got confused because it looks like you were talking about 2 different segments. the KOM at 0:59 / the time Phil mentions ("10 minutes") looks like it wasn't the same segment as the one shown at 0:31 and 12:12. but i assume Sean had the right one on the garmin because it beeped at the right time

[@thomasandreassen]

🔥🔥

[@mhdalis885]

excellent, what gear ratio and combination used ?

[@zaphod_beeblerox]

he was in the big ring the whole way up and being a pro I'd imagine it was either 52 or 54tooth, not those wimpy 48t that come on consumer bikes

[@hughjanus7354]

That chain squeak though...

[@dylanendicott9067]

Rips it on a systemsix too, that’s flashy!

[@go1more365]

Nice zone 5 training

[@adamkevern8764]

Hey Phil. You might like to try the Fred whitton race in lake District UK one year. I would say that it is perfect for you

[@greghart6310]

Insanely fast KOM or not!