We Tried The Toughest Tour De France Training Session (Visma-Lease A Bike)

[@gcn]

🥵Was that harder or easier than what you were expecting? 👀 Let us know in the comments!

[@syazwanabdull4835]

Harder

[@kylixchi]

Really liked the why's of the training, of the specifics, to build the body efficiency up and not tear it down. Very insightful! Harder than I thought.

[@VenkatIyer]

Def harder.

[@jdewolfe5]

The 3 minute intervals were just above LT2 in the mid 300 Ws?

[@galaxymohit]

Efforts above 6k ft can be life sucking; that said what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

[@dpthompson]

Ended by absolutely hitting the nail on the head. A lot would be able to do that session but doing it day in day out is why the pros are as good as they are.

[@gcn]

They really are on another level 👌

[@PercyTP5161]

Such a good video...really strong rider too, my FTP is your Zone 2 haha Incredible riding Ollie, making so much progress with your riding, good work!

[@TangibleBelly]

The idea of doing this brutal training in the beautiful french alps is equally amazing and terrifying to me...5 hours, good grief

[@gcn]

It's worth the pain 👌

[@JonJOn0]

Joining Visma for a training session in Tignes, dude is literally living the dream 😊

[@oumtaha3834]

Final done

[@alpsalish]

There are actually a lot of people who get to ride with the pros.

[@Niala8419]

Team Rabobank.

[@gcn]

He's doing alright isn't he 🤣

[@MiddleAgedMike]

Nightmares are a form of dream. Training with pros sounds like a bubble burst when you realize how much better they actually are. Hard to appreciate until your side by side.

[@urbanjungle9600]

Ollie is looking more pro than the pros with every ride! He will be in white shorts before you know it! 🎉

[@gcn]

He better not get any ideas! We need him on the channel 🤣

[@simonrooney817]

GCN, that was so well shot and edited! As always a great presenter and content too, well done all

[@aliancemd]

Reminds me of the trainings we did in athletics but this one has science behind it, we did on the “feel” of the coach. 15x400m on time(required to do under 60s) with 200m recovery jogs between sessions(one day we were told to do 100m recovery jogs, cause the coach felt like it) - cramps or vomiting pretty much guaranteed. After 3 sessions you were already basically dead

[@fourlakes]

“It doesn’t get easier, you just go faster” - Greg LeMond

[@ltu42]

But it's not completely true. Do you remember the first time you had to stop in the middle of a little hill, gasping for air an unable to ride further? That hill does become easier, as you get fit you gain the ability to ride up the hill and not get destroyed by it.

[@irfuel]

@@ltu42 And normally even if you destroy yourself, you recover a lot faster.

[@roadcyclist1]

​@ltu42 it only gets easier if you stop pushing yourself. If you don't ride at your new limits, sure, everything will now be easier. If you push to your new limits, the work will be as hard as it always has been.

[@mohammedalim7958]

Absolutely adore Ollie. "Average Joe" with a superheros heart! His journey has been brilliant to watch.

[@michaelw7438]

Great Video Ollie, really appreciate having a scientist who’s also a cyclist - incredibly valuable😉

[@Jay-qq7so]

I moved from UK to the Canadian Rockies 21 years ago and we are over 4000 feet above sea level. I love to know how my fitness level has changed from then til now. 👍🏻

[@martinbrodie8507]

I love it when Ollie talks biochemistry.

[@phillyh34]

Superb vid, more of this content 👏

[@jodaefauser2911]

Another great video Ollie - DANKE and much love and appreciation fromg ermany

[@jimogg3912]

Do I have to take a biochem test after watching this video? Very well done.

[@mikskuratmiks]

Doing a Visma training ride on a Canyon seems illegal, haha.

[@jameslee-pevenhull5087]

The Spanish teams go up Mt. Teide on Tenerife. The cable car station is 2,350 m.

[@alainpfammatter8224]

The session is easier than I have expected. 2x15min over-unders and than zone 2 doesnt sound that bad. One of the hardest sessions at least for me is 5x5min VO2 Max 🤒

[@joeszeto8859]

Always enjoy Ollie's videos! Question though Ollie... is it me or is that new Canyon of yours sized bigger than your other bikes?

[@waywardchildcyclist]

Great video Ollie you should defo be on a pro team well done 👏 💪

[@atlantaswelder]

6:20 well said 👏👏

[@grahamneray3766]

Can you post the actual training session in writing?

[@THErangerTHE]

nice music as well lads!

[@Supbrah85]

What glasses are we wearing here? Looking for a new pair myself. Thanks!

[@thinkingape7655]

Gee I hope the pro riders wont have the same sensations that I would feel. I’d have a heart attack trying to climb those mountains… and I ride in the mountains of the southwest US. Those guys are completely savage.

[@AgentSmith16]

As a fellow anglophone, I loved Ollie's pronunciation of "petit". I recall making this mistake many times when learning to live in a French-speaking country. For your next trip to France Ollie, the "e" should sound more like the second "e" in "effervescent", not the first one. Might not be the best example English word with both sounds in it, because I am not a linguist.

[@jaysmith8199]

Who doesn't like a massive crepe 😄 Like you said, could complete one session, recovery - 3 days 😊

[@brittle1]

There was a speck of dust right in the middle of the frame on some of your shots.

[@irfuel]

That Canyon needs more logos.

[@pallasathene8071]

1:31Was that an American pie reference 😂

[@dingdong6259]

diese präsentationen sind manchmal härter als erwartet :)

[@kimdecker8901]

Love you, too, Ollie! Bye!😉😄

[@Bellissimovolere]

I need to get bike fit..I really do

[@user-rl3ef4ju9k]

Volume at lowest setting and still a bit too much. Editor take note, thanks!

[@lucianoalves2620]

Muito legal😊

[@ahsyoon73]

how do you find yourself with your blue aeroad?

[@RiazRJ]

the construct of the sessions is no different to what i'm doing apart from being longer in length and the power requirements that make it look like i'm not even trying 🤣🤣

[@LisztyLiszt]

Is there a harder TdF training session than this? Yes. The Criterium du Dauphine.

[@peter_kropotkin_]

Micro dosing helps

[@treyquattro]

"Love a massive crepe." LOL

[@2011hwalker]

Ollie is looking painfully skinny these days. That hoodie is falling off him at 1:50.

[@oatmonster]

Training with Visma-Lease A Bike on an Alpecin-Deceuninck bike 😂

[@MarkSmith-dx4nq]

Lances 500 for 30 min every 3 days harder

[@peterhooper4404]

Pros don’t stop for cafes. Ha ha

[@jonasosa5126]

That’s way too much bend in his knees imo

[@CameronFraserACHF]

It is mildly amusing that Ollie considers himself an "average" cyclist. I think he might be a bit confused about where the average really is.

[@mitch_smith]

climb the alps.... get a crepe. #aWinIsAwin

[@chris_noswe]

Nice clickbait

[@edwardp5748]

is gcn trying to make the nerdiest sport on earth "cool" with the music? literally no one is buying that sauce.

[@dan3565]

Anyone else feel like cycling teams are becoming much more concerned with PR lately..?

[@mingboat]

Looks hard if you're not Visma-Juiced on a bike!

[@alik713]

Ollie, this would be such a great video, if only you didn't talk so much, or just didn't speak, at all.

[@pierrex3226]

Same applies to your comment. Try not commenting, would be great

[@Astrolavista]

A one hour warm up around 250 watts, I'd be cooked after the warm up 🤣 Keep up the great videos 👍

[@ams.4672]

i think i am not even able to paddle 250 watts for an hour 🤣🤣

[@Welther47]

Yeah, That IS my training on a normal day

[@gcn]

We don't think you're the only one 🤣

[@AO-rb9yh]

250 is where I do my intervals 😮

[@treyquattro]

let's face it, Ollie got way fit. He's added over 100W to his FTP while he's been presenting on GCN. Inspirational.

[@alpsalish]

Honestly, surround yourself with ex pros and your job is to ride and get better. I don't understand how this is hard?

[@questgivercyradis8462]

@@alpsalish Type of riding he's been doing favors increasing his power. If he was the presenter that just did things like maintenance, or how to safely commute, he wouldn't necessarily be getting major gains. I'm a commuter - it is easy to stagnate in a routine, despite riding every day. His peers certainly help push him, but didn't necessarily have to. So damn good job on Ollie for being a heck of an athlete. He's an honorary pro for sure.

[@alpsalish]

@@questgivercyradis8462 He is not an honorary pro. I like the guy too. Just talking specifically about training and his professional surroundings. He had all of the benefits that anyone would ultimately massively benefit from. It was always about turning training into content. Commuter ollie was dropped ollie. As soon as anyone goes from commuter to structured training you will improve massively. From there he is in a 24/7 training camp compared to most what most viewers enjoy.

[@alpsalish]

@@questgivercyradis8462 He is not an honorary pro. I like the guy too. Just talking specifically about training and his professional surroundings. He had all of the benefits that anyone would ultimately massively benefit from. It was always about turning training into content. Commuter ollie was dropped ollie. As soon as anyone goes from commuter to structured training you will improve massively. From there he is in a 24/7 training camp compared to most what most viewers enjoy.

[@brotherfranciz]

​@@alpsalish Someone sounds jealous...

[@philipcramer2587]

"As an amateur cyclist..." - Some Guy Who Finished 7th in Tour des Stations

[@jbuffaloman311]

We need a before and after video of Old...When he started at GCN and him now!

[@paulcollingridge8387]

PLEASE, PLEASE.... keep the music level below the normal voice levels... Blew my headphones off!

[@poppyrowland1385]

Crappy AV tech. Bush league.

[@tehRealChazzzy]

Excellent video Ollie! 👏👏👏 The training regimen details and explanation about the "why" of the specifics is quite educational. More content like this please! 👍

[@alexnero2914]

Ollie has a lot of lateral movement in his knees. I noticed that on a video from a few years ago as well. Is this a concern for knee pain/damage? Power loss? Is there a fix for this?

[@SorenOltmanns]

Amazing Footage! Same style of filming by broadcasters during a grand tour would be highly appreciated.

[@Bukoe]

first off amazing video well done =) .. I have done sports for 40 years and have 100 hours of Physiotherapy in my old body to keep it going .. I saw your Knees are caving in when you push the 300+ watts.. I am not a bikefit guy or anything just hurts my eyes to see. As its for sure not a good thing if you want knees working in 5-10 years .. =)

[@OnkelHucke]

Isnt Ollie technically a professional cyclist as he is beeing payed to ride his bike für GCN? 🤔

[@Breum3000]

Great video! How come you’re not riding zone 2 by pulse but by watts? Your body is being stressed by the altitude, so you are probably riding pulse zone 3, or am I missing something?

[@GCNuser123]

i use hr too. Hr was in z2!

[@cyrilmonnet]

Nice! But with altitude shouldn’t you adapt wattage for the reps?

[@cruachan1191]

Did my first 100km today so was feeling good about myself until I saw this. 🤣 Much like Ollie I'm not doing another one tomorrow.

[@questgivercyradis8462]

Congrats on your first 100km day! :)

[@giantolentino9186]

Luv u 2 ollie mate

[@mommamooney]

I found this really helpful. I’ve always had the thought that I must empty myself. I’m going to give those intervals a try

[@Alex.R.Feyn.]

That is the beauty of cycling! Everyone, regardless of their level, share the same beautiful roads. You can't say the same thing about football.

[@DickSpencer1954]

Ollie you BEAST!!! Smart training and diet habits with a healthy dose of love of cycling. Hey, what's wrong with your left leg? You might want to review the video with the frontal views and address it with your fitter? Awesome job, all the best.

[@richardneel6953]

I saw that too!!

[@9090Glenn]

..... or the day the DREAM of turning PRO CYCLIST died for OLLIEO - GO OLLIEO GO !!!! - cycling always hurts - you just go faster indeed

[@janlasa6417]

It gets easier with doping

[@spazmosisdomesticus]

The best line from Ollie “ the pros don’t stop for cafe”!! Beautiful!!

[@a1white]

How many times do Canyon need to write Canyon on your bike? Absolutely massive on the Downtube, on each fork, the headtube (twice), the handlebar, the seatpost (twice)… we get it it’s a CANYON! 😅

[@jimcappa6815]

Ollie is riding a Canyon? I couldn't tell what kind of bike it was 😆

[@robbybobbyhobbies]

Taking your jokey comment seriously: they have no shops or dealers for casual customers to see their product in and no shop staff to "push" the product towards customers. So they need every little bit of marketing they can get (including getting GCN to stand in front of them as often as possible). On the other hand, show me a bike frame (other than a custom paint job) that doesn't have the brand name front and centre (and left and right). I'm in no doubt that I ride a Scott.

[@Navajo_joe]

Yes so irritating

[@alpsalish]

I am not into canyon bikes at all.

[@darylwright]

@@robbybobbyhobbies Enve

[@ScotChef]

he gets about that ollie does ✊🏻🇬🇧

[@artistglyn]

I thought he was going to actually ride with them. It was just a ride.

[@donball370]

Looking good Ollie for this year's Tour des Stations; Top 10 for the 1 day +200k and no bonk on that final, brutal climb?

[@GCNuser123]

I'd love to!

[@melibaut]

Such a beautiful place to train ❤ Well done Ollie!

[@thefucrew9865]

AMAZING !!! Keep up the great work !!!

[@dmoore4520]

Man this would be so sick. I mean I'd have to be on a motorcycle but still sick 😂

[@JMcLeodKC711]

0:20….Ollie, you really have to stop calling yourself an amateur cyclist. I’m sure you’re getting paid to be on GCN, didn’t pay for the travel to this location, bike you’re riding or the gear you’re wearing.

[@Frostbiker]

I was going to say that in GCN speak, a "pro" means a "pro racer", as all the presenters are paid to ride (and showcase) bicycles, but one can make the argument that they are pro racers as well, since they also join races. However, I think we all understand what they mean, vague as that may be.

[@bxnny6657]

@@Frostbiker They are not pro, in order to call yourself a pro your team would have to be registered as a continental team or a worldtour team. Ollie has some crazy strength though and could at the very least race in A category.

[@Frostbiker]

@@bxnny6657 All it takes to be a professional is being paid to do something. GCN presenters are paid to showcase cycling products, often by riding them. Thus, they are professional cyclists. They may not have a formalized UCI-approved team, but it doesn't change the fact that they ride bikes for a living.

[@bxnny6657]

@@Frostbiker I understand where you're coming from, but by that logic you view Benji Naesen as a pro cyclist, which he (or the gcn presenters) just isn't.

[@2dcutout]

Grand St Bernard is up the road from me... come along and find out why the Petit St Bernard is the Petit version...

[@Niala8419]

The always clean Team Rabobank. Casino Team next please and their world beating Van Helsings 😂

[@jbunker90]

i have a harder pre-tour de france training session: building up my wine, cheese and butter tolerance to avoid gut issues throughout the duration of the event.

[@Shelleysnail]

Me too! Hi diet buddy!

[@onederment]

Leaps and bounds Ollie... well done. 5h in the saddle... the day after must be hell... do they get a rest day and a massage?

[@jaydenhale-oq4ho]

Lopez Michael Lewis Karen Gonzalez Kevin

[@golden220student7]

God bless you, Ollie, it’s harder than I was expected 🙌

[@CazzaJen]

Awwww ❤ sharing the love Ollie ❤ we love you too 😂😂😂

[@secretbrad9259]

You are a machine Ollie! Beautiful scenery, awesome video!

[@ianw5119]

12:44 didn’t Greg LeMond say that…? So true

[@edwardp5748]

perpetually the worst music on YT: GCN for as long as ive been a viewer, assaultive music. why is that? beautiful scenes, human and machine working as one.. then to match it, club rave drugged out trance.

[@dpacc88]

That's disappointing, thought he'd be riding with the boys in the video.

[@lcdc27]

Visma did you over, should have let you join them properly.

[@EileenGregory-vi3yj]

Such a good video

[@paulglover5359]

When the warm-up is max hourly output for an hour, 😆 🤣 😂 Well... 😆 🤣 😂

[@torbenfrlund5964]

Do they reduce their effort at altitude, or do they still push at the same FTP they use at sea level to adapt?

[@kingisjakobing]

Reduce

[@mfu424]

Anyone knows what glasses he is wearing in the video?

[@leewood4825]

Ollie needs to join a road race team and you guys film it all 👍

[@DarrenPaul]

Absolute monster 💪💪💪

[@casey-joerumens9432]

… how many canyon stickers do you need on one bike