Why Power Isn't Everything In Professional Cycling! | GCN Show Ep. 467

[@gcn]

Power or Racecraft - which do you think makes the most difference? Let us know in the comments below!

[@johnandrews3568]

It's a combination of the two and mental ability too. FWIW at the Zwift academy I predicted Alex and Maud to win after the first episode. If either pro team needs a scout, I AM available.

[@JayLato]

Get a big boy (or big girl) cyclist, make he/she drop weight fast, pump he/she full of nutrients. Huge power numbers. Boom. Champion.

[@kennethward9530]

Title sponsor for the team is a shampoo company-coaches had to go with the mullet.

[@stephenyoung5368]

Speaking as someone with neither...... who cares? It's GREAT to watch!

[@renatab8293]

Speculating about what goes on in professional cycling is not a very practical or enlightening activity.

[@ChrisCapoccia]

and also it's worth noting that any of the finalists in zwift academy had a great commercial for themselves to be picked up by other teams. surely some team needs a diesel

[@discbrakefan]

Yes, have to say they didn’t do Sam any favours by focussing on his negatives. Also, reportedly his brakes were set up backwards which wouldn’t have helped his descending.

[@ChrisCapoccia]

@@discbrakefan i don't want to pile on any of the finalists. They were all excellent athletes. But they have different strengths and weaknesses. Sam used his strengths effectively in the points race but was unable to get away even on the flat sections of the climbing race. Definitely seems like the analysis was correct that he was not able to recover as well as Alex after several days of competition. Theory of low cadence damage is questionable, but the main point stands

[@Soldier9811]

They all did fab, Sam is still a class rider 💪🏻

[@efusco]

As long as the elimination plan had been announced ahead it would be fine, but making it a surprise was what I think was unfair. As you mention, it's about how you do over 5 days, not just one day. But if someone was pacing themselves for the full 5 days but got judged upon only the first 3 days because they were not told there would be an elimination, that's where it's cruel and unfair.

[@ai314159]

Loved the Zwift Academy finals, but I thought the judges were pretty unfair to Sam and seemed to be looking for reasons not to sign him from the get-go.

[@toomuch9762]

Ya definitely you hit the nail on the head there

[@daryl4841]

Yeah. I think Alex's strong race win on the final episode validated the judge's decision that Alex deserved the contract. However if Sam had won that instead, it might have been pretty awkward for the judges.

[@chrisridesbicycles]

Merry Christmas to all at GCN. You made me rediscover my competitive side in bike riding and I am looking forward to race again after years in 2022.

[@gcn]

I bet you're going to love it. Dan

[@christopherdwyer9496]

"...we don't make mistakes. That must be a mistake." - Si 2021. 🤔😂 Thanks for a great year of entertainment.

[@andymitchell2146]

Could you imagine having Sam on your leadout team though? You could drop a man or two during a stage and still be in good standing.

[@billmccaffrey1977]

Great story on getting the bike back. Hope the thief spends Christmas in a nice cold cell with a mean guard. So, if I understand your assessment of going pro, I guess at 65 with one leg I don't have a good chance. Loved the Zwift Academy series. Good luck to all the riders.

[@andynelson1977]

How cool was that story about the stolen bike? So good!

[@JasonTrew2018]

For me, here's my favorite 4 words: bring on the bloopers 😀😀

[@lordbertos8124]

Caption: that moment when you remember you forgot to press start on you Strava

[@mralbg271]

Caption: He’s got mud on his face, he’s no disgrace, “the other van” turned up and took first place.

[@phillippitts6294]

Happy Christmas from the mountains of Tennessee!🎄

[@nigelcrane5309]

Happy Christmas to all at GCN. Thanks for another brilliant year of content. Long may it continue.

[@gcn]

Thanks Nigel. You too. Dan

[@lordbertos8124]

These Xmas decorations are amazing 😂

[@nickisherwood9646]

Happy Winter Solstice GCN. Days get longer from now on, so that's a plus! Love my Tuesday GCN Show viewings over the last year. Always got me laughing along. Have a Merry Xmas, or Modraniht if you will, and a Happy New Year!

[@gcn]

Thanks Nick. Dan

[@jarrodfife242]

I thought all days were 24 hours long

[@nickisherwood9646]

@@jarrodfife242 Well, in theory that's correct - but it all depends on when you consider the day to start. The Celts, I'm led to believe, had the day starting at sunset and continuing to the next sunset...so, if you're several thousand years old and a Celt, then my original comment would be true, and the time between one sunset and the next is now fractionally longer each day until June 21st. I'm fully aware that I'm pushing my luck with this one, and may have simply typed 'days get' instead of 'daylight gets'...but I'm going with this instead on the off-chance I get away with it :)

[@jarrodfife242]

@@nickisherwood9646 I didn’t even know. Is this only in Celtic places like Scotland or Ireland or Wales? I’m in Australia so I don’t think we have that

[@nickisherwood9646]

@@jarrodfife242 I'm going back nigh on 2000 years for this fact. We've been on the 'normal' 24-hour day length for a while now :)

[@TheUltimateULTRA]

not all pro teams are ignoring data. AlphaCin Fenix are based around a one day classics race team - hence why they chose the less powerful more surgey guy. Whereas other teams may not be looking for specific abilities and just look for W/Kg. (Like ineos)

[@tabishop3]

Caption: Where do you end up when you play peek-a-boo while riding a bike? The ICU.

[@johnandrews3568]

Caption: Michael Vanthourenhout sees no evil in winning the CX race at Namur.

[@galenkehler]

Sam sounds like he could take the mantle from Tim Declercq when he retires :)

[@CarlBaravelli]

Love the nuanced discussion

[@aim-at-me]

Guys... a 500wh battery, can deliver 500 watts... for an hour. If Alex can't add another 100w we should probably be worried. It's the motor that will be the limiting factor, not just the bikes, but Alex's too.

[@jamesbull9879]

Caption: I never saw that win coming!

[@garybc]

Merry Christmas everyone!

[@petergilheany2]

Caption comp - "the UCI's new rules for descending might be a bit counterproductive"

[@d-vngwenya4043]

Where's the bit about the sweaty socks? I needed that

[@gileswright8320]

Caption Comp: How can I ever unsee Dan in his white shorts?

[@jefferycampbell2243]

Re Dan's comment on cold feet. The best way I've found to keep my feet warm riding in winter is... Zwift.

[@alessiaulpiano893]

Where’s Si and Dan’s Christmas decorations with their old Campagnolo cassettes?

[@thlee3]

having a sacrificial domestique is key

[@TalkToMeGooose]

Caption: Michael Vanthourenhout enjoyed the race too much he didn’t want to see it end.

[@jonathanzappala]

Bike flights is a great company. Their rates generally can’t be beat.

[@FOE7]

Merry Christmas from Finland :)

[@olivierhiroz346]

The 2nd picture is definitely Switzerland, somewhere over Sion in Wallis.

[@will44bott]

Caption: Michael covers his face to hide from the shame of yet another Pidcock crash

[@TheRealKaner]

19:25 Hey GCN and Winspace. Thanks for the lovely compo prize. Looking forward to getting these on a bike soon.... not that I 'did' anything...filled in a form, answered one question correctly...

[@velosapien]

14:48 Savièse, Canton de Valais, Schweiz

[@saltycycling]

Yes, I couldn't help but notice that the first finalist to go out in the female group also had the highest W/kg according to her ZwiftPower history. That said though, and I know it sounds weird considering they were chosen from 150k entries, she just didn't have the fighting spirit and ability to dig deep as others. On the male group: Well, Sam might have had the diesel engine but lacked riding craftsmanship (especially on descents) as well as strategic thinking - his answer to everything was to get in front and stay there. Once strategy came to play he was lost.

[@MrLuigi-oi7gm]

Sam's brakes were installed reversed to how he normally rides on that descent (Sam rides Aussie style. The brakes were set up Euro style). That error by the mechanic spawned all this talk of him not being able to descend. Unfortunately, this was never mentioned in the video and so he continues to be labelled a bad descender. Folks who think Sam is a bad descender should try descending a mountain road at sports car speed with your brakes reversed. I suspect everyone would understand why Sam had problems that day.

[@discbrakefan]

Apparently Sam’s brakes were set up the European way (rear brake lever on right hand side) as opposed to the way we use them in Australia. They didn’t acknowledge this in the show. Not very fair!

[@saltycycling]

You both realise that Alex, who won, is also Australian, right?

[@MrLuigi-oi7gm]

@@saltycycling Alex realized his brakes were backwards to how he normally rides before they started off on the day's ride and told the mechanic to switch them. BTW, yes, we know Alex is Australian.

[@gcn]

That was on day 4, and Sam had only just realised his brakes were the wrong way round that morning. Dan

[@ai314159]

Watched "The Longest Descent" on GCN+ -- Incredible!

[@ericcsaba8779]

Great news Maureen!!!! Congratulations on another win!!!! See you next cross season.

[@XavierHS89]

Caption: "If I hide, they won't see my attack!"

[@RichardMigneron]

Don't worry Si, research has shown that stretching is of little use in cycling. PS: I hate it too. ;-)

[@ethangodridge6833]

Those films are great.

[@russstarke6004]

#Captioncompetition Don't blink the Weeping Angel is right behind you!

[@grantcrispin447]

Caption: me realizing I just won a GCN ELITE!!! Water bottle in RED!!!!

[@adrianhibberd9342]

Happy Xmas 🎄 to all at GCN

[@terrymartin6093]

My strength is still putting out 300 Watts at 72 years old. It is not just how fast you go, it is how long you can keep going. Ride on!

[@gcn]

That is awesome!

[@brentonpobjie9429]

Caption Competition: Rider Finds Facehugging Method Quite ALIEN.

[@LewisfromYouTube]

FYI Alex also had the biggest social media following which I think also effects the decision. Having a big social presence helps exposure which probably helps.

[@lukemysse9798]

Caption: ‘the biggest win of my career, hands down”

[@christopherroberts4186]

CAPTION: Peek-a-boo hits as a concept for points in tour races

[@ViveSemelBeneVivere]

The fundamental answer to sweaty feet is surprisingly low tech - wear pure wool socks. Wool socks are amazing in that they keep one's feet cool in Summer and warm in Winter and aerate one's feet during all seasons.

[@Mr.Smolny]

I implanted an airtag into my cube hybrid bike for a peace of mind. Very cool story of returning the bike 😃

[@galenkehler]

Re: Zwift Academy format. I don't think many of us are against the competition, or the actual eliminations. What I don't like is the emotionally manipulative format of the GCN presentation.

[@iwonanatalia5476]

Merry Christmas to all you guys at GCN ! Caption: Wash your face before going to bed xd (it's not as funny as Dan's, but it is first thing that came to my mind)

[@fritsgerms3565]

Sagan and others like him, have enormous bike IQs. They know when to go, whom to stay behind and how to manage their energy. They also see paths through riders most cannot see. I‘m not sure it can be learned. A few others have engines big enough to still make a mistake now and then, and still come out on top. If MVDP could tame his desire to let it rip, then he‘ll win much more. Evenepoel also spend too much time in front. But these riders make it interesting as they throw caution to the wind.

[@miketumelty8183]

What cycling needs is more Mario Cipollini types!

[@cb6866]

Thank you......the story about the stolen bike was very cool ! Peace

[@bergerniklas6647]

#Captioncompetition "When you see Tim Bishop has already postet a comment for Captioncompetition."

[@CorneliusJames]

Caption Whothourenhout the lights?

[@titomon]

Caption: If Tom Pidcock can keep his jersey clean, so can I with my face.

[@ai314159]

6:13 Phil Gaimon 👀

[@danlancaster2239]

Great job GCN, and good story about the stolen bike. So, what happened to the thief?

[@_driane]

Caption: Peak-a-boo!

[@TazioN]

Caption competition. Hasn’t he got a glovely face.

[@jackbenzie545]

Caption: "Bingo! I've found a new tactic to stop the mud from getting in my mouth."

[@cheesemonger97]

Caption: Sorry Michael, I thought you were Muds Pederson.

[@AntonTuuliaho]

In the intro the right guy looked like Lance Armstrong.

[@MattyBrad]

We should go into our archaic rights of way laws.

[@artist-teacher]

Caption: Honestly Ollie, even riding no-handed and covering my face so I can't see where I'm going, I'm still going to drop you!

[@larter_larter]

Caption: Who is the rider? "I can't see!" 🙈

[@robbchastain3036]

Caption: "You know it's coming, but it's probably best not to face your next mudslide."

[@Steve-Riverwood]

Caption: "I just heard that the GCN top-price in caption-competition is a f...ing bidon! Cheapskates!"

[@paulmorrison30]

Jan Ulrich was a Diesel engine and look what he did 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@lincolnmitchell9423]

Great epidsode! Does Dan have to check his bike size being 130CM tall....? My hunch.. is he has to..

[@kennethmcbeath2946]

Caption: Cyclocross riders inspired by Connor's family ride video play hide and seek with the local kids (and let them win!).

[@jagrutirathod]

Caption Competition: Whaaaattt!?!? Jagruti still hasn't got her elite water bottle from the time she won caption competition in episode 459. That's NUTS!!! (See what I did there?!) Buuuttt, I still haven't received my bottle and I have messaged on fb 😢😭

[@aadupolli3601]

#captioncompetition Hmm…my hands smell weird, who i touched touring a race?

[@magicknight8412]

Caption competition “ is playing peek a boo whilst riding UCI legal?”

[@makeitwithmurm]

#captioncompetition you have to be all nuts to ride cyclocross no haneded and blindfolded

[@kritan84]

Caption competition: Is he batman? Spiderman?? Superman?! Probably just nuts.

[@matt_acton-varian]

#captioncompetition The UCI have decided to spice up the Cyclo-cross season by making the riders play peek-a-boo!

[@Atzan]

#captioncompetition Vanthourenhout improvises his way to a famous win despite losing his glasses on the first lap.

[@W2TW]

Caption: They trying to catch me riding dirty.....

[@joshspencer6240]

Caption: Not the look "All Nuts" was hoping for when they decided to sponsor cycling kit

[@michaelmastell6778]

The problem is Si quit before his peak. Late bloomer. 😁

[@jojisai]

I'm 39 and ftp low 200's, y'all just hit me in the feels

[@jamesbull9879]

37 and mid 200’s…. Still not sure I’ll make pro 😂

[@simonm1447]

As a leisure cyclist with 38 I estimate I'm around the same (I don't know it exactly to be honest) , but if you don't earn money with riding you are free to ride when you want, a pro has to ride no matter if he wants or not. It's a sort of freedom pros don't have.

[@LewisfromYouTube]

#Captioncontest - When you can’t have seconds on Christmas Day because you have to race cyclocross on Boxing Day!

[@adamcoatham]

Caption: Peekaboo made a surprise bid to be included in the Winter Olympics

[@tussk.]

#caption Controversy after Vantourenhouts claims that he just cant look at this Namur

[@jameswitte5676]

Caption: Peekaboo!

[@afiqmuhammad2034]

Hi GCN, can you explain why u don't bother to mention that Samuel Hill don't have a proper setup on his bike(brakes) and aforementioned that he struggles with the technical section during the downhill. Just to be clear and fair to both parties i think.

[@gcn]

We didn't think it'd do Sam any favours to mention that he'd only realised his brakes were on the wrong way around on day 4 of riding. Dan

[@lwittrock1]

Caption contest: you might think me crazy for covering my face with my hands, at least I don't have mud in my eyes.

[@endurancejunkie1995]

Caption: alright, who sharted?

[@silentscientist2234]

Hardwork always beat talent

[@p44doyle44]

Seeing Dan ride that moped makes me want to go watch dumb and dumber.

[@inz_uzi]

Ha! The title of the moped video should be 'Dan and Dumber'! 🤣

[@p44doyle44]

@@inz_uzi hahaha. Who gets the back half of seat.

[@davidwashbrook9885]

#captioncompetition THE GLASSES! THEY DO NOTHING!

[@apond58]

Caption: If they don't see my face, maybe they won't know I've only done 1 lap.

[@luxinterna3370]

Power, Talent and a bit EPO...

[@doctorno1516]

#captioncompetition Caption: The winning rider had to wipe his face so the public could recognize him