Can An Average Guy Survive One Of The World’s HARDEST Climbs?
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- čas přidán 26. 05. 2023
- Father-of-two Stefan doesn’t ride a bike very often at all, so how will he cope when trying to ride up Monte Zoncolan, one of the hardest climbs in professional cycling? This climb is so brutal: 10km long at an average gradient of almost 12%! We’ve lent Stefan a $12,000 super bike but can he make it to the top? This is average dad vs epic climb!
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Would you ever consider taking on an epic climb like Monte Zoncolan? 🏔 Let us know in the comments below! 💬
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Would you ever consider taking on an epic climb like Monte Zoncolan? 🏔 Let us know in the comments below! 👇
No, I wouldn't.
Certainly not , would spend weeks of training before I booked that ticket . And only on my mtb with 32 52 gears 🤠 that was a superb achievement from stephan
Average Dad…..and clipped in? No average Dad I know would do that first time around
Super Average! Lol
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Best regards to Stefan, the best bloke that dared go up that epic climb. No way I would even think of trying...
Stefan should get this bike as a prize ! :)
Absolutely should. Make it happen GCN.
what a fantastic idea!
Yess
Yes!! Absolutely, Stefan has earned a bike. Wow.
Absolutely 😂🎉❤
Damn dude! That was IMPRESSIVE ! That climb would kick the ass of any well trained cyclist. You just went out and did it ! Your Kids must be so proud of their Dad. Congrats.
Stefan smashed it 🙌 Should we send him up another climb?
@@gcn definitely yes!😊
@@gcn give me 30/34 at least... I am a reasonably fit cyclist and am not sure I could get up that climb with 36/34 if it averages 12 and kicks up to 25 - jeebus...
Stephan you absolute legend. Truly inspiring. Very impressive clipping in on a gradient too 😮
Alan and Ollie must have been exhausted too from all that pushing.
Thanks David, glad you liked it! For more epic climbing, you could check out our 'Stelvio' film on GCN+ 👉 gcn.eu/mstelvio
@@gcn Hey least u should have given him a 34 on the front . Never go anywhere hilly without a 34 !!
@@budbud2509 28*
He’s somewhat experienced, using the gradient reducing zig zag maneuver . Fantastic!
He’s somewhat experienced, using the gradient reducing zig zag maneuver . Fantastic!
He isn't 'average'. Superb Stefan!
💪💪
More Alan and Ollie content please. They’re great together.
But mega kudos to Stefan - that was some serious grit and determination to get up the Zoncolan. Respect! 🤜
Glad you enjoyed it, Andrew!
Sitting at 208 watts, 0 training, BRUH am I weak or what?
Very inspiring. No way he is new to cycling with clipped shoes and being able to clip in while going up hill. Absolute legend!
I kind of thought the same. Not an absolute beginner. Plus decent high cadence at the start when he’s on the flat. But I do believe them. He’s probably done a few hundred Km getting used to the bike beforehand, so he learnt how to clip in and off, but otherwise a fair novice. At some stage in the video he did struggle to clip back in. Plus they are honest about him having to stop. Many times, I suspect.
Yeah he's definitely not a noob.
And putting out 280W. That's no small feat. I consider myself a fit late 50s and i can only dream of an FTP of 280
@@co2588 I am still a total novice, so not sure I even know my FTP. My estimated power on that mountain was 164W. I think that's achievable for a reasonably fit cyclist (so give it a go if you can). It just takes a lot of hard work & an ability to suffer for a long time. It took me almost 2 hours, that makes an average speed of 5km/hr. I am still very proud of it. My heart rate barely went below 170btm. Stefan is a legend.
@@co2588 FTP expressed in watts is quite meaningless for these kind of climbs - as a w/kg figure it'd be more useful. For someone weighing 60kg's a 280 watt FTP would be pretty decent (4.6watts/kg) but for someone weighing 100kg's, perhaps not so much...
Chapeau to The Legend That Is Stefan.
Alan's "It's a good day to die" had me howling!
I'm attempting my first 100 miler in tomorrow's Ride London.
I may not have a 12k bike, but I do have Stefan to inspire me all the way to the end. I think it's gonna be ok.
Good luck with the ride! We can assure you there aren't climbs as hard as that around London 😂
@@gcn an update - I made it to the end of Ride London. I can't count how many times I said "What would Stefan do".
Please pass on my thanks to him.
The Legend.
@@drvxd We love this!!! What would Stefan do... that's got to catch on 🙌
I kinda want to invite everyone who commented here to come & do Zoncolan with me… love all of you for saying how inspiring Stefan’s adventure is…
I did the same last summer (minus pro bike) to climb out of a deep deep depression (the pandemic & all of that). To prove myself unquestionably that I could push through any (and all) of my dark dark thoughts & hopeless hopeless days.
And I did. Oliviero Bottecchia said [of winning the Tour de France]: “Perseverai. Resistetti. Soprattutto, volli”. (I persevered, held on, above all, I wanted). Cycling in a nutshell.
After Zoncolan I believe this to be true for *everything* no matter the challenge. It’s not about performance & results, it’s about the indomitable human spirit conquering any obstacle. Whatever the hardship.
Great to hear that cycling has helped with your mental health, we hope you are still spinning away and staying strong 🙌 Thanks for watching the video and dropping us a comment!
Thank you guys, means a lot.
Come back to Zoncolan when the sun shines. It’s very pretty. Still tough but we’ll climb via Priola & stop at my cottage for a BBQ.
Happy riding 👍
This is amazing! For me being a professional rowing athlete who came to the sport late going from novice to professional, I can see how strong-willed Stefan is.
It's incredibly difficult, both physically and mentally to pass this challenge.
I hope that every person who faces difficulties in life will see this video and learn something very important for themselves.
A tremendous thanks to Stefan and the GCN team.
Legends.
Thanks so much Mattia!
Goofy Ollie is always a riot to watch and any video with Alan is a win in my book.
But i'm sorry guys, Stefan outshine you both by quite a margin.
Absolute legend !
He's certainly a trooper!
He must at least have the KOM for most swear words on the climb! 😂
Awesome effort! 🎉
Average Dad looks like Hank in disguise 🤔🤣🤣
GCN are busted
Can't be, he didn't get dropped!
No words. This guy is a legend. I started cycling with a 5% gradient with a 1:1 ratio and thought it was crazy and this guy did it with 12% average gradients. Insane.
So true. If you are untrained, climbing 5% can be hard even if you are trained in other sports.
No faking 👍 that's one tough climb and definitely one tough dad.
It certainly is! For another tough Italian climb, why not check out our 'Stelvio' film on GCN+ 👉 gcn.eu/mstelvio
Well done Stefan! I felt his knackeredness all the way!
I think we all did!
Editing: 10/10. Music: 10/10. Cinematography: 10/10. Stefan's willpower: 100/10. Truly a legend! Congratulations to Stefan, Ollie, Alan, and the entire production team on an outstanding video. Thank you for your hard work!
And you made him do it in the rain! What an amazing ride by Above-Average Dad. 👍👍👍
We don't make anything easy here at GCN 😉
Some rain is easier, cools you down.
3:08 Shout out to the filming crew! You folks do an amazing job on every shoot.
That was amazing. Watching Stefan not giving up was really the most positive view today 😁😁👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Stefan is a legend. I would love to see a follow up interview with Stefan on how his legs felt when he got out of bet the next morning.
my thought exactly!!
Went up, out of the saddle 25% with 36/34 (sadist for anyone untrained)... and loughing at it! Average? This guy is hard as granite and cool as liquid helium! 😂
This illustrates the toughness of the climb much better than Ollie breezing up it like it wasn't there.
Also, was this the most sweary bleeps in a GCN video ever?
Huge admiration because I know exactly how he feels. I tried my local 13km long 1,000m elevation gain climb the other day and had to rest ‘cause I thought I was going to explode but rested too long and then finally bailed with only 300m elevation gain done because my lower back was aching. Thanks, Stefan, you’ve motivated me to train more and try it again.
Take it easy nick and don't over push yourself, you wan't to keep riding and not over do things. We hope Stefan keeps you motivated 🙌
@@gcn Cheers. Good advice, thanks. I’ll work up to it, as it were. Plus really, a huge thanks for all the varied and excellent content that keeps me informed, entertained, and motivated.
I guess it's obvious that you need to make him a regular on GCN.
More Stefan please .... this video is the most in common with how I ride out of all GCN videos
Incredible... awesome job Stefan, loved the Matt Stephens quip !!
As a fellow dad who considers himself to be in reasonable shape, hats off to you sir! I don’t think I would have pulled that off. You’re a hero to all MAMILS! :)
MAMIL king ... Stefan will be proud 😂
Poor man hahaha, didn’t know what he signed himself up for, great video. Amazing motivational everyone being so kind, truly what cycling culture about
Glad you liked it! For more climbing motivation, we have some films about epic climbs on GCN+, such as this one about the Tourmalet 👉 gcn.eu/Tourmalet
You can see how real this clip is . The effort the hurt and suffering and the amazement and adulation and admiration of the gcn crew and cycling fraternity in general. This blows every single you tube video away that you guys have ever made . One man one missing and one laugh at adversity and never say die attitude just blew away the minds of the cycling world with this effort ❤
Great to hear you enjoyed it so much Richard! There is a great simplicity in picking a big hill and riding your bike up it! 🙌
I'm a bit skeptical. How does someone with no riding experience clip in so well and ride out of the saddle so well. After 4 years of cycling that climb would kill me.
I agree with the technical skillset, but I truly believe, that you are able to ride it.
I am no climber as well and I thought I could not climb a big pass, too - until I was in nothern Italy and climbed another giro-pass: 23 km with an average of 6.8%.
I did it with an 34-28, so you just have to try
Great job by Stefan! And really impressed he stuck it to the end. It would be great to see a breakdown of w/kg, average speed, heart rate to allow us to compare how we would fare doing the same 😊
I’m a noob. Is heart rate supposed to be high or low?
like high HR!@@symoneprice798
I'm an average commuter (5 days a week @ 5 to 25 km, on a decent road bike) and I have always wondered whether I should make an attempt for Alpe d'huez. You just installed faith in me. Love and hugs.
Man from England , bike from Deutschland, legs from Poundland .
Well done Stefan , you took one for the team representing all us Mamil dads . Respect ✊🏻
He has obviously done a lot of cycling in the past - very natural out of the saddle, clipping in and reading a Wahoo. Incredible achievement though
Thought the same, my wife started last mid-season and I did some hours of technical training (slalom, braking, etc.) with her and she is far away of riding her bike in such natural way.
and pretending he didn't know what the wattages meant lol, yeah right this guy has definitely cycled before.
Did he say his power meter was reading 280??? As a basically untrained person?
Stefan is brilliant! He should join the presenter crew. Really great personality. And he did it! Amazing! One of my favourite GCN videos
That was very cool ! Thank you , Alan , Ollie, Stefan and crew ....dude is nails.
What a legend! Very inspiring, well done Stephan
I'd be absolutely breathless, unable to talk or even think - yet there is Stefan, laughing all the way up. What a legend!
Great job Stefan! Unreal effort on such a tough route.
Stephan showed us never to give up, notwithstanding these terrible weather conditions and steep gradians. Absolute amazing!
-and GCN got many "Beeps" for the next few starts ;)
unbelievable !! so inspirational and hopefully inspired this dad to train and do it again!
Love this video, it shows that anyone can try, just try. Well done GCN, mad props to you guys.
Well done Stefan!! fantastic achievement getting up that beast of a mountain.
Dude, that was incredible. Such a great video in general.
What a lovely bloke, and what an effort. Fantastic stuff.
Great work Stefan! Well done and nice keeping your sense of humour under all that hard effort!
Absolutely phenomenal. What an inspiration! Incredible ride by Stefan.
This is honestly a fascinating video idea, I was hooked through the whole thing willing Stephan on! What a superdad!
Fair play! Amazing work!! 🎉🎉
Absolutely amazing effort!
What a legend, an inspiration to all us normal dads outh there, trying to keep on pedalling! Well done mate!
That is crazy! RESPECT 🙌🏽
So much respect to that effort. Amazing..
Awesome and very inspiring video. Well done Stefan! 🎉
I wonder how he feels after a day or two? Re-cap video? Good effort mate, very impressive!
Wow! That was just amazing 😮Congratulations Stephan🍾🥂
Awesome grit from Stephan! More videos with Stephan please!
Wow. That's incredible. What a great attitude too. It was fun watching him. Plus being able to clip in on the steep parts.
Astonishing effort. Great mindset. Infectious laugh that I now want to set as my ringtone 😂
Definitely not an average guy, Stefan has the heart of a LION!!!
What a guy. Great effort and a great achievement definitely deserves the bike as a reward.
Thoroughly enjoyed that video, absolutely awesome effort by Stefan. I'm an average grandad and would love to have a go at that.
Aye up! Stefan did great! Well done!
More of Ollie's amazing introductions to fantastic cycling challenges! 😃
What a legend!!!! Awesome effort🏆🥇🚴🏼♂️
Thats what i love to see, good job bro
Stephan you did amazing not to let it get the better of you. The voices in my head tell me I can't do it / need to stop take over on steep climbs and I can't seem to stop them and they win. Also brilliant how you managed to get started again on such steep gradients!
1 minute in and I loving the Average Bloke Dad Vides if Stefan. Also, Alan is freaking hilarious!
Seriously impressive, well done!
Bloody great!
Great effort, good video. thanks
it's been many years and I could never do it again - but rode my bike up and over Wolf Creek pass in Colorado on one of the Ride the Rockies.
Awesome effort and filming 💪
Way to go Stefan! Talking whist you ride a super steep grade. AMAZING!
Stefan is a legend. What a great attitude. Awesome support from Alain and Olly,
Loved this! Taking on an epic climb without any sort of proper training is just incredibly well done!
It's no a challenge that most people would want to take on... Stefan smashed it 💪
Awesome work Stefan! 🤘🍻🤘
Awesome effort Stefan!!
I've done the Zonc - I keep trying to return to do it again...even that first bit is a killer.
Very well done!!
Complete Winner! Stephan’s smile combined with Alan and Ollie’s encouragement against an epic beast of a climb made for a really great video! Thanks GCN - you make me want to ride my bike!
Amazing, so incredible, so inspiring.
I was found my self cheering him on awesome job. I was so happy that he kept going. I was so hyped when he seen the sign. Amazing video loved it
Congratulations Man! that is epic stuff, hellish but epic, inspirational and unforgettable! Drew.
Great job Stephan! Great gobs of grit applied 🎉
Stefen, what a effort, you're amazing 💪
AMAZIN! Stephan the legend, l felt every turn of the pedals and every pull of the bars, been there every time l climb big yin, good effort!
Great work Stefan!
Mental strength!!! When your goal is get to the top rather than doing it faster!!!that is brave. I am not sure I would be able to do it without stopping. Legend!!!
Absolute legend. Felt like that sometimes in Mallorca. Es Capdella back to Andratx first climb always kills me
Well done
Stefan, you are a true animal! I really loved the Andrew Feather out of saddle portions! Gut gemacht!
What an absolute legend! Well done!
WOW - SUPER IMPRESSIVE - GREAT JOB
This was great fun to watch. Great idea for a video. Stefan did really, really well. Champion of a bloke.
Thanks, Les!
What a man, Stephan, such a monster climb, you smashed it (with Ollie and Alan's help) you are a hero x
All cyclists know that laughter @11:05 is the laughter of death by exhaustion
Give him 2 😊. He’s our hero. I was in tears when he got to the top. Wicked. Make being a Dad look easy
Awesome as epic. Well done Stefan 🏆
massive achievement - but towards the end, every time Stefan laughed I was waiting for the heart attack or emotional breakdown... presume Hank was busy this weekend.
This is amazing. Love love love it. He apparently is a beast.