Romain Bardet & Kevin Vermaerke ripping canyons in California

I had the pleasure of linking up with two of Team DSM's world tour riders to film them on the wonderful Mulholland Highway in Malibu. Despite a strong headwind these guys kept the hammer down and took all the major KOMs on their way.
Romain Bardet should need no introduction, a world class climber and descender, and one of France's favorite riders. He has finished on the podium twice at the Tour de France, has a silver medal from the road world championships, among many other accolades.
Kevin Vermaerke is a young pro from California who rode in the 2022 TdF, finished 8th in the Vuelta a San Juan this year, and has a plethora of junior race results including a U-23 win at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
ROMAIN: / romainbardet
KEVIN: / kvermaerke
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#DescentDisciples​ #PrayForSpeed​ #safa

[@sonomama82]

These guys are having a casual conversation and I wouldn't be able to even keep up or have enough breath to talk. truly amazing.

[@marcelsow5817]

The beauty of having a zone 2 range from 220-300…haha. I’ll hang back with you at a chill 150 watts.

[@CycoWarriorx]

Crazy huh… I’m riding with ya’all… 😂

[@troy_meeker]

They're professionals...

[@duroxkilo]

@@troy_meeker exactly... they suck in other areas just as much as anyone else and that's perfectly fine for everybody :)

[@timpattydaechsel5988]

@@marcelsow5817yup , the difference between we mere mortals and the super humans

[@ch33zer]

Nice to know that even the pros have mystery creaks and clicks on their $10k+ bikes

[@jonasosa5126]

Think that’s still safas foil

[@SAFABrian]

Bardet's bb. Typical sounding pro bike when it hasn't seen the team mechanic in a few months 😂

[@jonasosa5126]

@@SAFABrian mad watts

[@monochromfotoart]

the second Romain started pedalling I thought "wait, is this his BB creaking?!" 😂

[@ccuellar6212]

Those bikes need a reaming and a Hambini bottom bracket

[@Lockeness86]

Amazing how relaxed they are on the bike. Dude just casually took a swig from his water bottle going 75 kph

[@nateruby]

that was ridiulous lol

[@hillandrewdavid]

Yeah or take off your outer jersey going 50+ 😂

[@NeoPayneHK]

also the hand-signal~

[@rientsdijkstra4266]

These guys are top level professional bike racers (and climbers) They have done this hundreds if not thousands of times on harder and steeper roads than this in the Alpes and the Pyrenees in Europe.

[@JettHamilton]

Romain Bardet is such a smooth descender. And I love how genuine and humble is, a true champion and one of my favourite bike riders

[@enmrtln9958]

"Funny" to read this after seeing him fall in a descente at tdf. But yeah, one of my favorite rider too, i hope to see him shine this year :D

[@NeoPayneHK]

@@enmrtln9958 freerun vs grand tour racing~

[@cedo3333]

He is! And in person too! That's generally all guys in France teams. But watchout he is one the top 10 pro when you look at stages races.

[@sleepdeprived9181]

19:39 That uphill hands-free is badass.

[@FlatSpinMan]

Jesus Christ! Thanks for pointing that out. 500w, uphill, around bends. Staggering skill. Terrifying to watch.

[@sleepdeprived9181]

@@FlatSpinMan Indeed

[@nickv.7181]

At 300w+ nonetheless!

[@nathanramos3277]

Right!

[@neelsahay5227]

bardet, one of the best descenders in the world tour! fuck yeah!

[@bilwit]

and ascenders

[@ballyp81]

Even strong in punchy and / or flat-ish stages.. In young age he was a very good crit rider too

[@wallacedavidg]

The riding etiquette, especially at those speeds, is super impressive. I’d be just trying to hang on for dear life at 70kph and not be able to point out obstacles.

[@carlopoli9067]

From the desert to the ocean...Wonderful California! I would have gladly taken a bath after the downhill gallop. Btw Romain is a very pleasant, humble and generous boy. He struck me when Alaphilippe fell among the pines of a forest - always downhill - and Romain threw the bike away, gave up the race to run to rescue him. Love this champion!

[@SAFABrian]

A really nice genuine human!

[@CJONE764]

Bardet is so smooth on the bike. Such a class act.

[@im-on-youtube]

Damn, that layer peel off at 36km/hr on an incline 👩‍🍳

[@Erik-cq4vc]

Lots to be impressed by in this video, but this section stood out to me as well.

[@user-uh6lm5wv6n]

Easy to do when your bike is setup right, i.e. saddle height and tilt are correct so youre locked in place. Ive done it and moved around freely leaning forward and backwards whilst maintaining my cadence

[@flovino2852]

Incroyable de voir Romain avec Safa ahaha Un clermontois !!

[@Skycoffeee]

Brioude en force!

[@Montrealcycling]

Putain du coup!!!

[@benjaminblabla]

Mais on est qq français ds le coin!!🎉

[@cicliolmo7152]

even at 50mph around on a corner, they can take one hand of the bar and point out road debris ! amazing. The Euro pros are so smooth in their bike handling.

[@TheHardCorePunkHead]

it is just so polite of them😁

[@simondaly7926]

The way bardet took that gilet off.......💯class

[@sigurd9143]

Best Bike Content on KZbin. I really adore these videos. They're so calming and meditative. Also every Video has stunning roads and views. Please never stop doing this.

[@ciccn512]

Well I just watched this before going to sleep - I'm anything but calm haha

[@SrFederico]

These vids ramp up my heart rate to zone 3 whilst sitting, what are you talking about?

[@thomasglaser291]

Same. Its like yoga for your mind :)

[@ronaldvonk]

Should be turned into a game this ❤

[@buzzman4860]

First time I remember Bardet was in Crit de Dauphine and it was a wet descent and he rode away from from everyone and won the stage.

[@timpattydaechsel5988]

9:35 when that car is going around the parked semi !! These guys don’t even flinch , in fact he points out the oncoming to camera man Brian ,,,,next level cool !

[@SAFABrian]

Can't be panicky at these speeds

[@timpattydaechsel5988]

@@SAFABrian you bet, just so much easier said than done.

[@drakeforte5]

The sound was soothing and dozed off midway, woke up and saw the ocean😅

[@CycoWarriorx]

At 40+ mph, calmly pointing out road hazards… that’s badass… 😎🍻

[@SkepticAdrian]

are you jamaican

[@binarycolors1738]

​@@SkepticAdrianno

[@oliverlennard]

You guys are using the whole road to keep up with Bardet. Who it seems does not know the road and only uses one lane. What a savage!

[@jzgame1]

He is cracked in descents..

[@40ny]

Romain Bardet's descent of the Col d'Allos in the 2015 Criterium du Dauphine is well worth watching!

[@G1E1O1R1G]

Romain doesn't need to cut corners for KOM, amazing stuff

[@emac626]

It's also great to see that Safa doesn't miss a beat with Bardet and Vemaerke. That's some great riding all around. And yet another reminder of why pros are pros and I'm not...

[@MrRicky005]

Hats off to these guys, in my 20's I could only dream of being that good in my 50's seeing them descend that fast scares the C$%P out of me

[@MrRideBikesFastDownHills]

Wow. These guys are a different level. Amazing how well they ride together.

[@jerrymigliaccio5137]

Casually peeling off a layer, pushing 550 watts with no hands! Awesome video!

[@ivanreza6541]

So fire !!! Being able to take off your wind breaker going up 3% grade pushing 350 watts 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@gerardmarcel7705]

R.I.P Gino Mäder😪, stay safe boyzzz🙏

[@kathyclemente9850]

Wow, you guys make it look so easy, just gliding down the mountain… An enjoyable watch

[@carlthomas4959]

They naturally ride so close to each other

[@RobertJWaid]

Great job keeping up with and filming a couple of pros having fun on our roads. Liked the way Romain nonchalantly takes off his jacket no hands at speed.

[@GaborL]

Thank you Safa for this yet another amazing insight and of course Scott Sports for the support. So much inspiration and boost of enthusiasm for the average Joe of a cyclist like me!

[@M62auto]

love seeing pros use seat bags and lights. nothing drives me more crazy then the guys in group rides riding stripped down bikes because they think it'll make or brake their KOM effort

[@flo74940]

Thanks Romain to show how to be (super) fast with safe lines ;) Master class to be so quick and don't cross yellow lines

[@polthomaskeeley7860]

Two superb WT riders as guests. Thanks SAFA!

[@timotheebossard4675]

Always fun to see how the terrain around where you live affects the way you perceive cycling. As a french living in the Alps, this descent really just looks like an easy glide down the hill (no deppreciating here, it looks like fun). No tricky corners, a wide road, smooth tarmac, no traffic (in the video, maybe it's different at another time of the day). It feels like you can go very fast without feeling insecure, which sounds like a great time, and with stunning views ! I mean to say that there's nothing surprising to see two pros beeing fully relaxed, as it's very far from the technicality of the descents you can encounter on the world tour races, especially here in the Alps. Still great fun !

[@nielcutter3804]

Amazing video. I like Romain Bardet's personality, he's such a good climber and descender.

[@alexandercoles]

Absolutely. A GT winner for sure but with the right team. Sorry DSM. If Romain rode for Jumbo or some of the others, it’d be a very different story and the French might finally have their GT winner. It’s been a long time!

[@SurrealV1S1ON]

UNREAL. Unparalleled cycling videos Safa. Cycling in all its glory, shows the WT level of cycling.

[@starlitshadows]

Man, this was such a joy to watch. Made me immediately want to get on my bike and ride. So sick!

[@downesdesign]

Another brilliant ride -- so glad to see you mixing it with the pros. Thanks for sharing this one!

[@samj1185]

Fun to watch. That warm up casual conversation at nearly 300 watts floored me. Pros, incredible.

[@01FozzyS]

Amazing to watch the pros on a casual ride.

[@williammurray1620]

That so great! Can't wait to see them in the TDF.

[@olih27]

500 watts, 5% gradient, no hands on the bar to take wind vest off. Incredible

[@tynelson9003]

Badass. So sweet to see footage of Bardet like that

[@SteveBrill]

That's confident descending right there! Incredible skill and a fair amount of nerve.

[@Lucifermn]

Watching this video makes me wanna hop on my bike and feel the freedom. Awesome video as always.

[@danblekeberg2470]

All I can say is WOW !

[@deanhough8993]

I've ridden with Kevin Vermaerke maybe 4 times in Orange County, CA. First time I didn't know who he was when he and 2 of his buddies came up behind me on the Santa Ana river trail moving pretty quick. I jumped on and witnessed this guy (Kevin) take a very long pull at 31 MPH. I thought this guys is showing off and I'll let him blow himself up. He didn't know that I was a former Cat 1-2 track racer and I raced with Greg Lemond back in the day. I was impressed but thought okay, he's done. The other 2 guys pulled through with weaker and shorter pulls and they wouldn't let me into the rotation. Fine have it your way. Then Kevin was pulling again at 31 MPH for another super long pull. And I was like holy shit, this guy is something special because we're going into a 12 MPH headwind coming off the Pacific Ocean on our way west bound to Pacific Coast Highway. The other guys were hurting with weak pulls at 27 MPH and I was hurting just holding on and thankful I wasn't in the rotation. Then another third and final monster pull from Kevin to PCH at about 33 MPH. I hung on for the whole 9 miles and barely made it to my U-turn location, thank god. Told my story on Strava and folks told me that was a pro who had just won the Jr. Giro de Italia. Kevin commented on my Strava ride and said he saw me hanging back there and was impressed. I said he reminded me of Greg Lemond. Greg is a friendly, decent guy who was kind to me when I raced with him. Kevin reminded me of him. That was 5 years ago and folks probably thought yeah right, Greg Lemond. Sure. Well, did you folks see Kevin in the Tour de France this year and last year? He's fricken awesome and a hell of a nice person too.

[@jpslaym0936]

This is on my practice loop! They went the fun direction toward ocean with lots of fun descents

[@christophersquires8631]

good to see you guys have a great ride!!!

[@russellmoore1533]

I remember coming out of Yosemite NP 40 years ago on a fully laden touring bike north of here at Chinese Camp and hitting 88km/h on a steep section of the road. Those were the days. Looking forward to this years TdF with these two in the DSM team.

[@nateanderson9886]

Pro, handling turns like butter smoothness!! Loved it!!

[@iwontreplybacklol7481]

Gotta love that car high speed passing over a double yellow. Man, riding on this two lane mountan road is simply asking for the grim reaper to pay a visit.

[@kevsweb747]

J'adore Romain Bardet ! Pour moi le meilleur coureur Français sur et en dehors du vélo ❤

[@thart6103]

I agree! I’m hoping for a successful TdF this year for him ❤

[@kevsweb747]

@@thart6103 🤞🏻

[@alexandredefaveri5984]

I get sweaty hands watching Brian´s videos...

[@Shadowboost]

I've been waiting for these videos for awhile. Bardet is such a superb rider, been a fan for a long time.

[@israeldanilocastillo5452]

Malibu is a beautiful place to practice free and well-maintained roads!

[@gedrooney9305]

Nice little treat whilst the tour is on, cheers from the UK 👍

[@JK-zx3go]

Huge talent, super smooth roads, two postage stamp sized bits of rubber

[@linyudeyitang]

This film has already been a great cycling technique film for me, with smooth and accomplished techniques. Thanks, SAFA.

[@JMBBPR]

breathtaking!!!! well done guys

[@bhpalmer]

Wow compelling video. These guys are on another level. So graceful, powerful and smooth but yet relaxed. There was still drama involved so it wasn't boring.

[@ayookusanya5437]

Yeeessss! This is the one. Romain is a beast on descents. Paris - Nice legend...Lets gooo.

[@ExhumedToConsume]

The casual conversation kills me lol

[@triTube70]

Removing the top jersey while going on 36mph, I'll be like, you guys go ahead I need to stop and remove my jersey first. It looks like he's just put his bike on auto pilot! That's amazing!

[@erickasanmoerawi6120]

Awesome vid, especially with the pro’s ! ❤

[@swergs]

this is such a cool video. more world tour pros on this channel please!

[@user-cu6ey4yu3e]

God, I raced with Kevin's father! Proud to see his son, but now I feel old!

[@nj2s0N]

Best channel on yt. Inspirational.

[@coastalson]

I could feel Safa wanting to overtake and slice through those turns.

[@altair3090]

Love these videos

[@educationlife794]

Take love from Bangladesh 🇧🇩🇧🇩

[@sarahtoustra7127]

RIP Gino Mader✝

[@8bigs8]

Fkn Amazing. Thank you

[@GoAlastair]

Just the way he emptied and took of his gilet is seriously impressive!!

[@distancespl]

Will be watching for a breakaway for these two in July!

[@victorpedro9809]

Not breakaway for Romain, but top 5.

[@huntingsynth]

Ooohh..Kevin……so cool

[@Macmod405]

Awesome scenery, ride and caption :D

[@biketom5]

Absolutely rippin’ it. Poetry in motion…imo.

[@AlexDresko]

It's the 48MPH water bottle grab that shook me.

[@shengchenfan]

How awesome is that! Dude took off his jacket riding freehanded on a turn.

[@TheCyclesport]

Very impressive. Need to be on your game for that close call at 9:35 into the clip. Damn... hate to be in a situation where a giant truck is blocking a lane and you are flying past it in the other lane, and a car tries passing around the outside of the stopped giant Truck in the opposite lane, which is your lane!

[@charleysmith2272]

This was completely therapeutic. Could watch (and have watched) footage like this for hours. "What are you watching?" "Two guys descending down a mountain road in California." ... ... "Oh."

[@SAFABrian]

😂 Those who ride get it

[@Jedpack]

Taking a drink at 45mph while pedaling is next level.

[@denispancov7125]

cool as always👏🏻

[@Georgtt1968]

Безумно быстро и безумно красиво! Парни, вы сумасшедшие и очень крутые!

[@user-xx2hj7xb6b]

Doing a wardrobe change at speed - insane!

[@peterers3]

World Tour pros racing down mountains with SAFA

[@user-pz8db3oh9y]

Huge fan of bardet, so cool to see him in your channel. Thanks!

[@benjaminurzua8100]

Amazing as usual

[@johnknox4293]

so relaxed, so cool

[@industryrule-4080]

Love how Safa casually takes off his helmet to adjust the gimbal riding no handed while following a couple of WT riders.

[@davemellor4697]

Thats God given talent right there!

[@jirihutecka9020]

I sometimes meet here in CZ where I ride another pro from DSM promising young boy Pavel Bittner. One time I was able to keep up behind him for couple of km on my MTB in speeds around 40-50km/h in a head wind. They are just different breed.. 🙂

[@creepybucket8738]

this is like therapy

[@methylmike]

you are setting the bar for this kind of content. absolutely pinned

[@CyclingHabits]

You guys are exceptional

[@nicoliroos4865]

Appreciate your content! Regards from Joburg

[@SAFABrian]

❤️🇿🇦

[@silas_wong]

absolute vibes. love it

[@ncadvr]

Love this!

[@scooter2163]

great stuff "riding" behind these two pros!