Steepest climb on ZWIFT! - Hardknott Pass!

Thank you for buying me a coffee for this effort : buymeacoffee.c...
Zwift - Climb Portal: Hardknott Pass at 100% Elevation in France
#tourofwatopia #tourdezwift #zwiftbaseline #baseline #tourdezwift2024 #zwiftracing #zwiftrace #zwifttraining #indoortraining #zwiftspringtraining #springtraining2024 #indoorcycling #zwiftpower #zwiftcycling #aplusrace #zwiftcycling #tourofwatopia #tow #zwift #zwiftcycling #watopia #zwiftpower
Help a Zwifter out subscribe here: / @ridewithgerben
Stuff I suffer on/with:Trainer - Wahoo Kickr V5 with ANT + cable, because Wahoos bluetooth is terrible!
HRM - Wahoo Tickr Fit Armband
Find me on: Zwift Power Profile - zwiftpower.com...
Strava - / strava (invite)
Instagram @Ridewithgerben

[@ZwiftyZwifter]

Wow, awesome watts. This climb is near to where I grew up, if we had to drive over it, all the kids would have to get out on the steep sections so the car could make it!

[@RideWithGerben]

No way!! Poor car :D

[@bendawson8601]

Ooooh. Jam eater or marra?

[@ZwiftyZwifter]

@@bendawson8601 As fray the Mont, marra! Yer sen?

[@stevencooper8804]

@@ZwiftyZwifter yes the smell of over heating brakes and clutchs is always in the air

[@MilesNewman-s7r]

Did it in the real world last year - 18:25 absolute killer, already worried about my June coast to coast which involved the Hardknott as an opening climb 😮

[@RideWithGerben]

Nice opening! LoL! I saw people getting off the bike in Zwift! On this climb😅

[@DavidPeak-DBARider]

You are a freakin beast man. Watched this a couple days ago but didn't comment.. had to relay. Massive job and grats!

[@RideWithGerben]

Thank you for watching David! I needed a restday after this one!!

[@matematica_na_tela]

😳 I got exhausted watching this… you did great !!!

[@RideWithGerben]

Thank you for watching!!

[@SteakandChains]

You are an absolute mad man!!! Great climb

[@RideWithGerben]

Thank you!!! It’s a monster of a climb!

[@simonskeggs7284]

Great job👍🏼 I once did Hardlnott followed straight after by Wrynose pass, brutal!!

[@RideWithGerben]

Oh man. Must have been horrible irl! :)

[@stevencooper8804]

It's actually harder in reality the roads Knackered. Out of the saddle and your back wheel won't grip and your front starts to lift. Sometimes hike a bike.👍💪🚴

[@RideWithGerben]

A friend of mine fell backwards irl :)

[@stevencooper8804]

@RideWithGerben I've suffered that climb in all weather conditions I even left some skin on the tarmac.😂

[@davidbacon2726]

@stevencooper8804 noo! Never do the walk of shame up Hardknott 😒

[@CyclingwithRuss]

Try it on the Fred Whitton at 93 mile and 8k elevation in the legs 🤢

[@stevencooper8804]

@CyclingwithRuss I have Russ and it's a brute. Sometimes it's hike a bike and other times I've stopped on. it all depends if your sharing it with motorcycles, cars etc. 👍🚴

[@E.M.B.R]

Solid ride. These sorts of efforts are definitely bumping your VO2 and threshold capabilities. Well done.

[@RideWithGerben]

Thank you! These are good exercise indeed!

[@benhartopp9778]

Been up this twice IRL whilst riding the Fred Whitton.... diddnt know it was on the portal!!! Will have to try it out and see how it compares!

[@RideWithGerben]

It was a surprise for me too! I expected Willunga Hill tbh and I found this monster instead! 😂

[@benhartopp9778]

@@RideWithGerben great effort... As others have said, road surface makes this far harder with broken parts etc. those ramps of 20% upwards seemed more common too. Either way.. WOW, great power!

[@francesconazzarri1445]

Great effort - well done! Done Hardnott a few times, and trust me…. the Zwift version is not as hard as the real thing - IRL you have gradients of up to 33% which the smart-trainers simply cannot simulate… and the combination of road surface, riding position on the steep sections and weather & traction all contribute to much extra ‘fun’. The scenery over there is something quite special too 🤩…. definitely worth a visit

[@RideWithGerben]

Time for the Fred Witton I guess 😂🤣

[@francesconazzarri1445]

@@RideWithGerbenindeed!! Le Tour de Lakes… unmissable 💪

[@lazzaboyman8003]

My trainer has a max of 20% so it’s not super realistic. I’m using an older bike with taller gearing so hopefully low gears will help a bit when I do the Fred Whitton,

[@benjapolcycling]

Great climb Mr Gerben! Super power. For the steep one - I have my own short video showing 44% gradient on Rocacorba climb - that is what i found so far.

[@RideWithGerben]

I remember that one! I did roca too, but never recorded it. Big regret. I will do it when it's back on the menu again!

[@benjapolcycling]

@@RideWithGerben Yeah I feel like Zwift should have some hidden hack just to access any climb at any time somehow!

[@TilmansToasty1]

@@benjapolcycling In my opinion zwift should give access to all the routes all the time in general. I think for 20€ a month we can expect that

[@benjapolcycling]

@@TilmansToasty1 there is "workout" hack for the general any route access already, if you really want to. But for climb i think i never heard of one so far.

[@zwiftingwithdemonhunter]

I'm wiped out just watching that. Here's another climb I can add to my Not-Bucket List. Good job.

[@jthomas4859]

I rode it yesterday. I'm old and low power, but it's doable in Zwift. I would stall out in real life here, but you can't fall over in Zwift. Zwift settings: trainer difficulty around 25% or lower, to simulate extra low gearing so I could sit and spin up the grades. 29:00 time, 134w weighted avg. Mostly Zone 3 for me. I was going 2 mph at times.. I liked it!

[@RideWithGerben]

Yes! This is a rough one!

[@RideWithGerben]

Well done!!!!

[@allanschoy2685]

Well done Gerben! Well paced and cruel climb. Just imagine doing it on the bike outside!

[@RideWithGerben]

A friend of mine told me it's horrendous irl :D

[@mpdeviney]

Thats a ridiculously impressive output for such a long time, I do those wattages on Zwift for short bursts 😳

[@RideWithGerben]

I took a day of ZWIFT to recover from that one 😅

[@patrickflanagan317]

That's awesome, I pulled out an 11.22 at 291 watts on the Scott addict with aero helmet and Carbonsports lightweight wheels. I'm 57 kg and 58, keen to have another go now I know what in for. 💪💪👍👍 .2

[@RideWithGerben]

That’s really quick!! Gogogogo Patrick!

[@Hotshotzwifting]

Great job Gerben , now get yourself entered for the Fred whitton challenge and try it irl 🤗 . Have been up it twice and had to get off the bike both times . I will have to try it on Zwift to see if it’s easier . My irl time was 34 minutes , so will have see if I can stay on the bike and get a ‘ PR ‘ .

[@RideWithGerben]

I need some bigger ⚙️ in the back! A 40 would be nice! 😂

[@Hotshotzwifting]

@ absolutely, I had a 34 and it wasn’t enough . Probably the 90+ miles I had done before you hit hardknotts didn’t help 🤮😵‍💫👍

[@ercmadden]

What an effort! 🤯

[@RideWithGerben]

Thank you! Took a rest day after this one 🤣😂

[@pascalradzienski5157]

Good job !

[@RideWithGerben]

Thank you!!

[@CoenP]

Slicing 5 minutes of the then fastest time is madness 😅😊

[@RideWithGerben]

LoL!

[@danreviews-q4u]

Ive done the fred whitton challange 3 times, had to get off and push. Made it up, Wrynose pass straight after, not quite as severe but still a challange.

[@RideWithGerben]

Brutal brutal series of climbs that!

[@RyanCondon]

Amazing!

[@RideWithGerben]

Thank you for watching Ryan!

[@shanegreen2583]

As you rode up could visualise the scenery for each bend having ridden it 😂

[@RideWithGerben]

It’s not a road it’s a wall!!

[@AHURKY]

Gerben says he needs to pace himself up this climb as its a tough one. Immediatley starts doing over 5.0W/Kg! 😲😲😲 😮😮😮 We are not worthy! 🙏🙏👃💪💪👏👏👏

[@RideWithGerben]

360 watts on the line. I went all in on this one :D

[@AHURKY]

@@RideWithGerben Fair play you made it look easy... well not easy but you know what I mean. Congrats. Thats just a mental hill!

[@pauldyerdyer2731]

I have done the Fred Whitton (120 mile sportive) 3 times which includes this climb at around mile 96 and it is horrible! First time I did it had to get of and walk the steeper bits.

[@RideWithGerben]

It’s horrible on ZWIFT I can’t imagine how terrible the real deal is. Well done!!

[@bonn1771]

So hard but so good

[@RideWithGerben]

Nice to take the KOM on this one!!

[@joshvillen]

Awesome job, ill have to give this one a go. It's too bad those 26% sections arent even possible for our trainers to simulate hahahaha

[@RideWithGerben]

LoL! Go for it!!!

[@onlymeok]

It depends how light you are. The % gradient limit of your trainer applies specifically to a 75 kg rider.

[@joshvillen]

@@onlymeok oh interesting, ive never heard that

[@joshvillen]

@@RideWithGerben i just threw my non cyclist gf on it. She said " get me outta here"

[@tristanseume]

I highly recommend the real thing. It's mad but brilliant! Done it three times (including twice on the Fred Whitton Challenge), and the score is 3-0 to me!

[@RideWithGerben]

Wooheee!!! That Fred Witton doesn’t joke around 😂

[@tristanseume]

@ sure doesn’t! Great day out though :)

[@pelolocoblue]

I have risen this IRL. It’s damn hard. Especially when you have to balance as well 😂

[@RideWithGerben]

Yes!! My friend fell backwards from his bike!

[@2wheelsonline]

I've ridden Hardknott once and had to get off the bike about 3 times. This was about 12 years ago and sounds like to road surface has got worse. It was a bit loose on the downhill on other side heading towards Wrynose Pass even then. The Zwift version doesn't seem to replicate how tight & steep the hairpins are very well and it takes more physical effort, IRL, to get the bike round them than just the pedalling on Zwift. Someone says they've tried it and the Zwift version is easier. Gonna have to try it and see if I don't have to get off at any point. I'm fitter than I was 12 years ago and I can ride the Alpe and the Ven Top OK so should be a breeze! 🤔

[@RideWithGerben]

Go for it! Let me know your time on the climb in the comments 🙏

[@2wheelsonline]

I'll try my best but there's no way I'll get near your time. I'm 62 with a dodgy knee that's still recovering from La Pierre last week. 😥

[@CycleWithMatts]

zozo goeie nummers hoor!!!

[@RideWithGerben]

Dankjewel! Daarna wel een rustdag gepakt :D

[@paulwynne1811]

It's deff harder in real as it's toughest I've ever climbed an I'm from north Wales. A lot more 25% and even 30% at 1 point. But massive congratulations on that effort

[@RideWithGerben]

Thank you Paul. 30% is brutal 😭Afaik this is the steepest climb on Zwift right now!!

[@IanLilley-r9i]

Why does the screen show the graphics of the country side, then when the climb starts just shows a red ramp....? Thought the idea was to give the impression of being outdoors whilst indoors...??

[@RideWithGerben]

ZWIFT is indeed a bit lazy here. The graphics are pretty bad 🤷

[@ianturner1354]

The trouble with the UK climbs on zwift is the avatar is on wrong side of road

[@RideWithGerben]

LoL for me it’s just fine! 🤣

[@leggie9565]

Hardknott is brutal, ticked it off doing the 100 Uk climbs. I’d say Wrynose from the East is harder though.

[@RideWithGerben]

Maybe ZWIFT will add that one to the roster. When they do I’ll try both on one sitting 😅

[@kevstephen9393]

I would imagine most trainers top out at 20% while Hardknott IRL tops out at 30%

[@RideWithGerben]

This is true!

[@PW-CreakySaddle]

The Elite Direto simulates to 25% hence why I chose it for replicating my local climbs

[@mathewrose2951]

It I'm doing a 12 minute full effort (which is basically what this is), I'm thinking, in the interest of having knees left to walk afterwards, I should turn the trainer difficulty down to between 25 and 50%.

[@RideWithGerben]

It's stupid knee breaking steep. 12% average is a lie! :D

[@benfinesilver2250]

This would be ideal to do a quick Eversting on

[@RideWithGerben]

Yes! It’s faster than the grade!

[@benfinesilver2250]

@ will be having a go at that sometime soon ;) It looks steeper than the 5.5-6 minute section of the Radio Tower.

[@RideWithGerben]

@ It is way steeper!

[@htukmumfie]

Hardest English climb for real in the real world. The tarmac is all wavey, with pot holes and other road users. Took me about 15mins in real life in the rain with headwind. Proper brutal.

[@RideWithGerben]

That is still proper quick on such a steep ramp!

[@beyond990]

The worst bit about this climb IRL on the Fran Whitton, is getting stuck behind the guy who dies and can't turn them any more and you have no way round him/her and have to stop on those step bits and you just can't get going again. 😢😢😢 It's all in good fun 😂😂 see you all out there again.

[@RideWithGerben]

I saw the same thing on the Bergen of Flanders. Great stuff 😂🤣

[@ytinfobiker]

what was about those peak more than 195 bpm? congrats Gerben you are my referent 💪

[@RideWithGerben]

Hard effort was hard :D Thank you!

[@PW-CreakySaddle]

How did you find this? Have had to push up the 33% bit IRL but have managed it on Fulgaz platform 😅

[@RideWithGerben]

It suddenly appeared on my ZWIFT dashboard. I was expecting Willunga Hill and got this one.

[@PW-CreakySaddle]

@ thanks and a great effort put in

[@jamesmcgill7630]

Zwift missed a trick with this, as they should of included the downhill after that leads into a valley that the only way out is either back up hard knott or up wrynose pass which in itself is avg 10% for 2.7km

[@RideWithGerben]

Maybe we get the double in a future update!

[@jonnysee5473]

I’m not quite sure how Hardknott could be replicated on a smart trainer. The actual climb ramps up to 33%, unless I’m mistaken there isn’t a smart trainer on the market that will mimic that level of gradient.

[@RideWithGerben]

The new Tacx is supposed to be very close to that number.

[@jonnysee5473]

@ The Neo 2T will only simulate up to 25%, which I own. I wish it would because I am actually cycling up Hardknott in May! Wish me luck😬

[@RideWithGerben]

Get a 40 tooth in the back!

[@jonnysee5473]

@@RideWithGerben 36/29 is all I have🤞

[@frannyyarina]

Hahaha Gerben gaat al die cheaters aan flarden rijden💪💪👏👏🚀🚀

[@RideWithGerben]

Volle bak!!! :D

[@Eragonking53]

Why does this climb have 2 star difficulty

[@RideWithGerben]

I don’t know 🤷 it’s horrible 😅

[@tathh2531]

You beat me to the top Gerben (no surprise there) as I did it today and got a time of 18.23 at 229 watts 👍 Well happy as that was tough. You’ll love to know that with steering you can find a 30% section on this climb 😮 I almost fell off the bike when I saw that 😂 Descent was fun though. 103 kp/h 😉

[@RideWithGerben]

30% 😭 Thank you and well done!!