The World's Biggest Climb? | GCN Vs Alto de Letras
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 21. 03. 2020
- The Alto de Letras is one of the world's longest climbs, rolling for over 83km through the Colombian Andes to over 3000 meters and is a mythical cycling destination. Whilst in South America Si rode his bike up the mountain pass to find out what makes it so special, and why Colombia produces so many fantastic cyclists like Egan Bernal, Rigoberto Uran and Lucho Herrera. The climb itself might be a busy road, and if the altitude doesn't leave you gasping for air, the stunning scenery will take your breath away....
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What is the longest climb you have ever cycled up? Have you ever ridden in Colombia? Are there any other climbs you think we should come and ride?
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Leave us a comment below! - Sport
I did this climb in 2018. My experience was slightly different than Si's, though epic and enjoyable (enjoyable, in an absolutely brutal type of enjoyment kind of way). I'm in nowhere near as good shape as Si is. I rode from Bogota to the base of the Letras climb first, a little over 100 miles. The airline decided to keep my bike an extra day in Panama. I had planned on taking two days to cover the 100 miles (160 km) from Bogota to Letras, and now I had only one. Bogota sits at 8,000 ft (2,400 m) and the base of the climb is close to 2,000 ft (600 m) if memory serves, so I knew there'd be some descending. Unfortunately, there was also a 4,000 ft (1,200 m) climb mixed in the middle. I didn't expect that. Needless to say, before I started out at 4 AM (to avoid heat and conserve daylight) to climb Letras, I was already knackered, as Si might say. At one point on the climb I did something I've never done before or since, I actually stopped on the side of the road to lie down, and try to sleep for a minute or two. Just a minute or two. I was up in the mountains and found a spot with some grass and lay down. The grass seemed kind of prickly, and then itchy, and then downright painful. WTH? Biting ants!! Good times. While I was attempting to rest, two different vehicles stopped over a 10 minute span to ask if I was ok, which I thought was very kind. And then the only other person I encountered on a bike going uphill that day stopped to check on me. His name was Raul and he was from Medellin. He got me up and going again with his positive attitude and wonderful conversation. I am very grateful to him. Eventually I reached the top, but it was not easy. I stayed at a resort near the top, tucked away at the edge of a National Park there. It was gorgeous. The next day I made the descent, which was indeed amazing. I hope to go back there one day. It is absolutely gorgeous and the people are so supportive and friendly. Truly a wonderful experience.
Great story. Thanks for sharing. đđ»ââïž
Great experience and a great read. Thanks!
Amazing story! Greetings from BogotĂĄ.
Riders from all over the world will always be welcome!!! Spread the world mate...we are good people!!!!
Great story
These are the videos that GCN do best and they could easily be at least half an hour long. GCN also has brilliant presenters but Si is a fantastic presenter at these pieces. Would have liked to see Lasty with him đ§±
Yep! Totally agree. The only thing missing...was another 15mins:)
@@briangrissom3203 Agreed too short.
CZcams Algorithm isn't very fond of anything longer and they'd need to split them in parts for it to work.
YEah!! More epic rides is what the audience wants!
Oh yes!
I'm colombian and think that this video is beautiful. Gracias por hacerme sentir orgulloso de mi paĂs.
Si, congrats on your Strava KOM under the category of "fastest time while presenting for GCN"
How do I find his Strava?
Go to a game search and search strava
Jajajajajajajajaja pff patacones
Seriously though, with cinematography like this, when is "GCN: The Movie" coming out?
it has. GCN plus.
I felt emotional watching you. That was my sport, riding the roads of my country Colombia in my 20's. That was 50 yeas ago.
lo hacias en los 60?
As a 68 years old colombian who lives in New York and had done the Stelvio, Sella Ronda, Falzarego Pass, Tourmalet, and Alpe d'huez, you guys brought to my mind the idea of Alto de Letras...I better hurry because I guess there in not much time left to try it...Great videos and nice to see you in Colombia...
QuĂ© belleza ver a este man en estas tierras colombianas no sĂłlo probando una maravilla ciclĂstica como lo es el alto de letras sino tambiĂ©n degustando algo de comida propiamente de la regiĂłn, unos capos los de GCN, maravilloso el vĂdeo
Haha me encanta como pronuncia las palabras
"I need an empanada." Great line.
And an Arepa. Colombian arepas are good.
@@dsenunez I believe the 'inaudible' part after empanada was Cervesa.
Ă€nd Cerveza"He says
I chuckled
@@tmurphydot5 Yes, is cerveza
Insane production quality once again from GCN!
Now I remember why I love GCN.
Itâs not always about telling us to buy a disc brake bike everyday.
But discs are better ;-) LOL
@@MS-sy8ls Discs brake better but are much heavier than rim brakes, which is a bad thing if you want to do hill climbs. "LOL"
@@MS-sy8ls For braking yes, especially when you going downhill and it's raining... But for me it's not good looking, but what do I know, I don't like disc brakes, aero bikes, just a good old shape of the frame, light, stiff climbing machine :)
Every year at the end of January there is "reto Alto de letras" something like "alto de letras challenge" basically the road is close and all the amateur ciclyst can climb it, in Jan 2020 were around 5000 cyclist, hopefully on 2021 will be bigger.
I have been trying to find confirmation of this and would love to go. Please help with a link to a webpage or a travel agency in the know. The ones I have found or contacted know nothing of it. Thanks!
facebook.com/events/s/reto-mariquita-letras-2020-ver/364878091045570/?ti=cl
Can I ask you is it easy enough to buy a good road bike in Colombia?
@@And-rc9yy A guy from Colombia here. Yeah, cycling is actually a really popular sport here and there are stores for the big brands, in the city of Pereira near were I live there are shops from specialized and there is a "bike house" for trekk, I think it is the same for Armenia and Manizales, all are cities from the "eje cafetero" , just a couple of hours away from Marquita
@@ricardobetancourtquevedo8984 Thanks Ricardo, I really must visit one day.
OMG!!! Si was here!!! I can't believe you came here to Colombia. I've done this climb twice and it has been awesome. I would've love to meet you guys in person whilst you were here. Thanks once again for the amazing content!
This video could've been 1 hour long and i would still enjoy it anyway. With Si presenting this, couldn't get any better.
This is one of the most beautifully shot video on GCN, amazing ride Si.
Fantastic episode, Thank you!!
And btw, To put Lucho Herrera into perspective...he entered his first Tour de France in 1984, and he beat Hinault and Fignon up Alp dâhuez when he won the stage, solo... on his rookie attempt. When he finished they asked how he felt after such effort and he simply said, âwell, itâs a short climb so i feel fineâ . He also quit pro cycling when the doping era started citing â when a guy with a fat ass passes you on a climb, you know something new is going onâ.
To make 15 minutes of entertainment without riffing off of someone else over an 81km ride is quite a skill. Well done to Si and the editor!
This is the kind of contents that got me subscribed to gcn. I love the presenters but you guys have to cover more things like this. I dont mind this kind of videos being 30-60mins. Good job si and more power to you guys
As a Colombian I have yo say that you made a wonderful job, the production team and the cyclist. You captured somehow some sparks of the Colombian soul in that epic journey. Bravo!!!
As a native Colombian living in the States I am supremely jealous. Looking forward to more videos of your time in Colombia.
Thank you for visiting and appreciating my beautiful country.â„ïžđŹđ§&đšđŽ
Wow!! It's amazing to see GCN guys riding and filming in Colombia. I feel proud for it. I Hope you have travelled across many regions and enjoyed our mighty mountains as "Escarabajos". Thanks for visiting us!
My only critic is that the video wasn't longer...loved every second of it and I can't wait for more. Simon you Rock!!!!
Thanks, Raff!
This is a well earned descent...
Hope these rubber breaks dont go on fire.
ClemensAlive in New Zealand, with its constant breaking on the descends, my back rim was ripped apart 150 km short of my trip of 3719 km. However, I managed to make it to the next city, Taupo, by loosing the rear breaks.
@@Gugner did you use a carbon-fibre rim? (the only reason that occurs to me as to why your back-rim was ripped-apart is if you used a carbon-fibre rim).
brutal esta subida
lol der Held aller MittelstufenschĂŒler kommentiert bei GCN :D
You could actually extend letras including cerro Guali, you got a 98km climb. Canât wait to do it when the quarantine ends here in Colombia.
Crikey! That sounds savage!
Love the cinematography of these videos! Keep them coming!!
Amazing video! Look forward to seeing much more Colombia content!
Very well produced video. Great effort Si and very well presented. Looking forward to seeing the next one :) cheers!
I feel like it's been some time since I've seen a video of Si in the wild like this, and I didn't realize before how much I'd missed his presenting style. Fantastic video. Couldn't peel my eyes off of those views. Can't wait for the rest of the Colombia content.
Beautiful shots and awesome lines delivered the entire time. You just gotta love how he mix some spanish words in between, sounds just great.
Great video guys!
Loved this video and Si is just such a cool lad and great presenter. Keep up the great work GCN!
Congratulations Capo, great video and always welcome to Colombia, I hope to use your video like train motivation these days
I love these videos. True quality. Congratulations to all involved. We know it wasnât just Simon, but total respect to him for that effort!
wow. just wow. This must be the most beautiful video I've watched on GCN so far. The content is brilliant as usual but the filming and editing was fantastic!!!
Thank you for sharing the beauty of Colombia and what it offers to cycling in such a positive manner. Looking forward to other Colombia videos.
I did this climb in 2109 february. A great challenge, I was very happy in the finish. Congratulations, Letras is a beautiful mountainđ”đŒââïž
Amazing production value on this video. I just recently got into cycling at the age of 39yo and truly enjoy your videos. Thanks!
Finally! Some content with Si!
Thanks for coming to Colombia and making this fantastic video! You did great on the climb. I officially declare you a Colombian Escarabajo! Looking forward to the other cycling videos you made in our country! đđđđđ
I have lived in Mariquita the las 4 years and at my 48 years old just have months as amateur cyclist. I want to complete the Letras climb in the next two months, I love cycling, love GCN, love Mariquita and just cried emotionally watching Simon on these roads I rode everyday in my $300 dollar MTB bike converted into some flat bar gravel bike đ. Thanks for this beautiful video GCN đ â€ïž đČ đšđŽ
Brilliant Simon!!! Chapeu đ Just waiting for your KOM Patios attempt, and La Cuchilla of course. Well done mate!!
I liked this video a lot, congratulations, ÂĄWelcome to Colombia!, Thanks for comming. I hope that you repeat with the Pichacho in Santander, Colombia. Thanks again : )
Love it!! Excelent video Si! Good bit of history on it aswell!
I did this in January 2019 from Chinchina where my grandma lives and it was one of the best rides I have ever done! I cant wait to go back and do it again!
Great video. Awesome footage of Colombia, once we can travel again it is the first place on my list. Keep up the good work.
Great job Simon; I'm starting the planning now.
Watching this during the virus situation really help keeping me motivated (and really miss cycling outside).
Congrats bro! Welcome to Colombia, that was pretty epic! Looking forward to watching more content about Colombia.
What a beautiful video! Thanks for coming to Colombia Si!
Great video Si. Loved it comparison with Alpe D'Huez really brought it home!
Amazing video! I agree with some of the comments below about making this kind of videos longer, like 30 - 45 minutes long documentary. The quality never disappoints, is very good. Besides that, as a "colombiano" it makes me very happy to see people like you guys come and visit. Colombia is truly a cycling paradise. I hope many people got inspired by this video to come and visit, colombian people are very welcoming, they will be happy to have you all.
Don't forget Nairo Quintana in the video description, he was the first cyclist to truly show what colombian cyclists can do. Keep an eye on him, its seems to be back!
Amazing video! thank you!
Love it ! We hope you come again đšđŽ
Thank you for this great, beautiful video! of this epic climb! As you well said, there. many climbs to enjoy in Colombia. And a cup of the best coffee too. Love you channel.
Would love to see a snippet of the descents on these videos. We all know it's the greatest reward along with the view at the summit. Just a suggestion đđ really well done simon
Stewart Hinsley Iâve done the taiwan kom descent. Itâs cooollldddd đ
The descent has 1000mt of elevation, not so much of a descent tho hahaha
The descent to Manizales is good!! However I was warned that it could be a bit slippery because sometimes the lorries leak oil on the way down and some bends coulds be slightly wet because of the moisture in the air at that altitude but I survived it! It is one of those descents that half way down i did wish i had a camera!
Well done Si! Colombia is a beautiful country. Thank you for a great tour đ.
Such an epic climb. Such beautiful shots. And such a fortunate presenter. All I wana see. More of that. Pleeeeease!
Hola Simon!, Hermoso el video de Alto de letras y gracias por la linda inspiración que das para la nueva temporada. Saludos Andrés Quintana desde Estocolmo
Outstanding.
Entertaining and inspiring at this troubled time.
Thanks very much!
Only a minute in and itâs already brilliant. Absolute quality GCN.
Thank you for your visit to Colombia GCN!!!! Best rides ever! Great video!
Fantastic video, epic climb, the nature, perfect...I almost felt the thin air myself... Excellent job GCN, excellent ride Si.
p.s. Great camera work.
Regards from N.Macedonia
Amazing camera work. I would have loved to see a longer version just to take in the scenery.
Si, this one belongs to the top ten videos of GCN. Just great!
what an awesome video, again! Thanks, Si & GCN :-)
Hey Mate, Glad to know Colombia was one of your dreams to come true. I've not had the chance to ride over that epic climb, I'm sure must be tough, but at the same time it must feel amazing when finishing it. Hope you have had a great time here. Good on you!!!!! Congrats for this channel and for bringing Colombia to one of your shows.
I remember Herrera back in the '80s and I as a teenager wondered if I could go there and do what you've done, alas no so thank you for the insight.
Si going beast mode. That looked like a long, lonely day in the saddle. The climb look brutal and made worse in riding solo. Cheers man!
excellent video, thanks for speaking so well about Colombia and its cycling always
Full thumbs up on this presentation, and actually all your presentations. Thank you GCN and the team of presenters. You are our Bike Stars.
Enjoy the Ride
What was your time?!
Amazing Edit!
Awesome production yet again. Love the epic climb videos. Well done Si!
Awesome Si! Thanks for the great footage for the show!
One of your best videos ever!
However, I would like to inform you that if you want to come, you could start from the town âHondaâ which is 20km before and lower in altitude than âMariquitaâ and finish in âEl nevado del Ruizâ which is 20 km after, so the climbed would be 120km and at least 1000m more. This way it would definitely be the longest climb in the world.
Next Challenge:
Mauna Kea on Hawaii: sea level to 4205 m
sorry for my bad english im french, mauna kea will be difficult because you need a permition 45days before ride the summit from the visitor center, there are manifestants and gards now who block the accĂšs.. :-/
@@alexsunmee3822 Sorry, I didn't know that :).
That's anything but fun, I stayed at the dorms at 9200 ft (worked on Weiku bug survy) and took a CX bike. I rode down to the saddle and did one accent up to Mauna Loa, what accession from 5000 ft to 9200 ft and one summit attempt up to 13.796. All those summits are hard but the unpaved cinder from 9200 ft up to 12,500 by the Burn's cinder cone was the most grueling thing I've ever done. I've never done the whole thing but the saddle road out Hilo is pretty exposed and not pretty like Haleakala. The protesting of the TMT is bit of mess, if you want a duel prospective read the comments on any op-ed at CivilBeat.
Here in Colombia there is another climb a little bit harder than Letras
That climb needs a CX or Gravel bike as itâs dirt track in places I believe?
thatÂŽs why colombia is so famous and have so good cyclists.... IÂŽve been there once, amazing country for "hard" cycling.
I didn't know you've came to my country!!!! Simply amazing! Congrats and cheers from Colombia!
Looking forward to the 20 minute video covering your two weeks cycling in Colombia đ
It's "Colombia"
@@doramakoreano696 Hold on, maybe they are ALSO going to Columbia (US) to film xD
Dorama Koreano đ€ŠđŒââïžđđŒ
Thanks GCN for showing another face of the beautiful Colombia, Impressive challenge tho, ChapĂł!
Si is such a great presenter makes everything interesting. Si combined with the great cinematography is a winning combo - just brilliant. Canât wait to see more of his Colombia visit.
Greetings GCN.
Amazing video.
Excellent content quality.
It is by far the best video I have seen of GCN.
I am 58 years old and had planned to do that tour on March 22/2020 for the first time, but due to covid-19 the project was canceled.
Your video only reaffirms my decision to do it as soon as possible.
Greetings from Cali-Colombia
Si, using old fashioned rim brakes in mountains, but I'm the retro grouch always talking about rim brakes. Haha.
Great video and ride Si, and what amazing scenery. Beautiful country.
they weight less than disc brakes so it makes sense using them for cycling uphill
If anyone can say I living my dreams this man has to be. PINARELLO Dogma
Nice equipment and land of paradise for cyclist
Sead BiberoviÄ And rim brakes đ€
yup i have only Triban RC 520 :( mayby after apocalypse i will scavenge some cool stuff
Indeed! Rim brakes. But everyone knows since the advent of Disc Brakes, Rim Brakes donât work anymore. Theyâve just stopped working - completely. Ironic really... given the choice for a huge mountain, still, rim brakes to save weight; despite all the constant love being poured all over the GCN channel for discs. #marketing #scam
Conspiracy theory: UCI keeps the weight limit not to give rim brakes an "unfair" advantage.
Anybody on a road bike knows braking is the last resort and then it's useless without anti-locking brakes.
Thanks for taking the time to visit our country and show the world how much fun you can have cycling around Colombia! It was such a shame I was not fortunate enough to stumble upon you guys! I'm a huge fan!
Uffff, no rain. Lucky guy. Great video and big thanks in highlighting the beauty of Colombia. Come back soon!
Me and all my 200 lbs of non climbing formatted body really enjoyed watching this.
Not a ride for sprinters :). Great epic video and perfect have Si in that. Thanks GCN!
Can imagine Ackermann, Greipel etc going backwards!
Love this one. My mother is Colombian and itâs definitely way up there in my bucket list to cycle around the country. Thanks for this!
Nice video dude!! Love from Colombia!!!
big up to the editors, as a small youtuber I really look up to this quality of video and it is often overshadowed and taken for granted. Keep up the film quality content!
Cycle Nutter agreed. I find these inspirational.
@@AnvilAirsoftTV :)
Thanks very much! We're really pleased to see so many people enjoying this video.
Global Cycling Network much deserved! Iâd love to see a video of a tour and explanation of what everyone does behind the scenes, Iâm sure there are many more envolved at GCN HQ! I recon many others would enjoy that as well...
Fair play Si, my legs are aching just watching!
haha same!
Colombia -Cycling-Passion Thanks for visiting our county and riding our beautiful mountains, looking forward to watch your other videos in Colombia
Well done Si! And a great video. Keep 'em coming!
Noticed your cadence was dropping towards the top unsurprisingly :)
Your videos are so much better compared to "bad retirement" dude - very positive and humble attitude. Keep it up !
Keep the Geography lessons coming GCN, there's lots of children and teenagers off school right now, not realising their actually receiving an eduction watching your video releases, week in week out. Thanks Guys.
Thanks, Phil. Really pleased we could help!
Astonishing. Wonderful. Do more of these!
Great work Si! Amazed at your ability to talk while climbing! Thanks for taking me along on your ride!
Colombia misspelt with a âuâ -aagh..
Agreed
So what?
@@albertov9664 ok Ulberta
@@LoscoeLad No dear Mark, you just donÂŽt understand the idiocy of the "ItÂŽs not Columbia, ItÂŽs Colombia" crew; they complain because country names are written in a different way in other lenguages; but how could you, if a kid insult is all you have then thatÂŽs all you are.
Ironic, Ulberta
Looks a bit like a video from "the col collective". If you do more videos like that, give us also more infographs please :)
Sandman TV yesss i was waiting for the infoâs
Simon you are amazing! You continue to do rides I can't even begin to think about doing!
You could turn these into half hour shows... the production is amazing and I would be hooked watching one of these a week! Well done on the climb that was EPIC!