10 Weird Things Pro Cyclists Do During Races
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 1. 06. 2024
- Professional cycling is a pretty odd sport, and the pros themselves sometime do some weird things in a bike race. We've put together the top ten weirdest things that pros do in a race to explain just why they do it....
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What did we miss? What do you think is the weirdest thing that pros do?
Use doping, and think to get away with it. (Not a cynical man here, I don't think they are all on dope, just a fan that's very amazed whenever a rider is caught.
Wanting to ride on the front of the bunch in a flat stage's final 3 km. Whereas if only sprinter teams would be up there, the likelihood of crashes will be greatly reduced, so no harm for the gc riders (and maybe provide a 'safe zone' of 12 km or something?)
Odd question, is there a maximum weight limit for bikes? I'm wondering why pros don't use 6.8k bikes uphill and then change to a heavier bike for the descent :ÂŹ]
@@gregor9921 Probably because being heavier only yields very slight advantages if your profile is more streamlined, and also because the bike change will likely cost way more time than you'd gain from such a scheme - especially if you have to climb up another mountain again as well.
@@gregor9921 There is generally no place you could easily do a bike change at the summits; they are tight and team cars are back a bit. So you'd have to stop and wait for your team car while your competition rides away. And the do the same thing at the bottom of the descent. Not to mention most grand tour descents have sections that are tight at twisty and having extra weight might actually make you slower and/or put a lot more stress on your brakes.
Fun fact: 17 is thought to be unlucky because in Latin numbering it is XVII using the same letters used in the word VIXI which is the past tense of VIVO (âI liveâ) and means I used to live and thus Iâm dead.
fun fact, "vixi/vixe" is a brazilian portuguese slang that means something like "omg/oh no/oops"
You know you're a cyclist when these things don't seem weird.
đ€Ł
hell yea
u want a cookie?
@@gcn
.
@@ukaszmaterowski3620 yes
The weirdest thing cyclists ever do is run up Mount Ventoux when they have a crash.
I know right? Crikey
@4:54: To be fair, a good stainless steel brake cable that's 1.6mm in diameter can be loaded to >235 kgf (517 lbf) of tension. That means you can actually hang rider, bicycle, bottles and even a musette full of goodies off a single brake cable.
Benz Ouyang that too frustrated me when they said that. Nice to know I'm not the only person who noticed.
selling those disc brake bikes ... Alos IÂŽve never heard of melting tub glue
@@LBLLBLBLBLB Melting tub glue is a thing. The tubulars will roll off the rim if the weather is hot (e.g., Le Tour is during July), and the riders don't practice good technique (i.e., don't drag down long hills).
Actually with riders of 65kg you can hang about three of them plus bikes and gear on it. So you just need 3 wires to hang up an entire pro team during the tour. Well if that's not useless knowledge.
@@LBLLBLBLBLB Beloki's crash in the 2003 TDF was caused by the tyre coming off the rim due to the heat.
55.54 seconds up the Tourmalet?? Rapid!
đ like they said - losing the water makes a big difference
That would be a dead giveaway that somewhere something electronic is secretly buzzing
And they say riders no longer dope.
Yeah but that 1 bottle made it about 56 minutes. Those bottles are obviously kegs that are holding enough beer for Dan in the offseason.
#11: Get medical assistance from the neutral race doctor out of moving white convertible without stopping. Thibaut Pinot wasn't too happy with the bandaging job they did for him this year, but they couldn't exactly fix a torn muscle without stopping.
I like the chemistry of these 2 presenters!!!!
first they squeeze bottles to lose weight, next then put 27 bottles down their shirts. You guys are a fun bunch
when they fill up with all those bottles, they most of the time are doing that to give bottles to their teammates, so only one rider has to go back and then come ahead again, instead of having every rider do it for himself
I just want to say that this video is excellent; each point was short but gave a lot of info, it was really fun to watch with you two bantering! Love the channel guys!
Next you're gonna tell me they occasionally exhale over their shoulder to give then that little bit of extra push forward
Don't joke I'm sure they will find a science to prove you right
@@thewatcher9778 I mean the science is already out. For every force is an equal and opposite reaction- you blow air out your face, your face is pushed back. It's just a matter of whether you care
The more I learn about this stuff the more appreciation I have for the sport. Fun stuff!
Fantastic and interesting as usual!
Some of these weird things that the pros do are just too funny for me!
If youâre eating a ham and jam sandwich youâve probably got bodies under the floor boards
Or your last name is Merckx.
Really? Thatâs what the Beast used to eat? đ
Pb,B+J like Elvis
It's energy man! Personally I down beef jerky.
If you're idea of hydration is a bottle of vino..
Why am I even dismounting my bike to pee when training? Definitely learned something here now :-)
better be safe and practice on the rollers
Just please be stopping, or st least go to the arriere de peloton to avoid giving your mates golden showers mid-race
If it's raining, you don't have to worry about getting your kit or your shoes( or your teammates) wet.
6:24 I died over the rage quit
Me too, saw it live. He actually won the stage :)
Wow that's such a fantastic video.Thank you mates !
Going 50km/hr in the first hour when youve got 250kms to go. Weird.
But the guys pulling everyone along at 50kph don't win!
Really good stuff, keep up the great work!
Luke Rowe asked G if he wanted a jacket as he was in charge of bringing them up from the team car. G said no but when luke got back with the jackets G was like... I'm actually a bit cold so luke gave him his. A spectator on the side of the road handed him a newspaper as he didn't have time to get back to his team car.. He mentioned it in his podcast
Loads of people offer newspaper
The sticky bottle was interesting, I would never have picked that out watching races, thanks.
â9:39â wtf Is guy on the rights mouth doing
He's Satan
Munka S scripted devil spawning
Trying to word his words
Hahahaha, you totally caught him mouthing the other guy's lines. That's too good.
Looks like they had their script on a screen...
This was way better than what I was expecting, thanks
thanks for sharing
Being chilled does not cause a person to get sick. Sickness is caused by germs.
There's an actual reason to use the newspaper down your jersey - to maintain core temp during the descent and not get too cold which would negatively affect performance. But to do it not to get "sick" is a silly superstition.
"fare 13" (making 13) is linked to the win of the totocalcio schedina, a football betting scheme where guessing all the 13 football game meant winning the highest prize
"Fare 13" it's an old bet called Totocalcio where you could do years ago in italia; There was a pre-setted card with 13 soccer matches on, from serie a to serie c where you had to choose the ending of every match with a sign on Win or Draw, 1 X 2.
The anagramm of "17" - XVII is VIXI and it means dead
I enjoyed this. thanks.
They also sometimes stop and search for the caps of their AICAR bottles
So, a huge vest full of bottles, a funny purse with sweets and a newspaper under the jersey. Now I know how to look pro!
I used to use newspaper up the front of the jersey on cold wet spring race days as well as descents, amazing insulation. For keeping cool, half frozen sponges were popular the Hinault was racing, went down the back of the neck... One of the best things you can learn is to have a piss on the bike, makes life a lot easier..
Solid and interesting vid.
or simply Watt saving of 1.1kg = mgSin(theta)v ~=mgGv = 1.1*9.81*0.078*(20/3.6) ~=4.7 Watts (at 20km/h)
Squirting bottles is also done on wet and muddy days to clear the top of the bottle of any grit and rubbish, in theory, trying to avoid illness.
Great video
Number 10: Dope
Love the sticky bottle
And the bottle-vest may well have saved Svein Tuft's life!
"Fare il tredici" in Italian has nothing to do with 13 being a lucky number. It is related to aport betting, particularly to totalcalcio, where there were 13 games played. So if someone guessed correct results of all 13 games was definitely a lucky winner.
As a 42yr old I really like to see some older presenters sharing their experience and knowledge.
As a 33 year old I really like sitting down on the couch with a cold one after work.
As a 25yr old I feed the pigeons, I sometimes feed the sparrows too. It gives me an enormous sense of well-being.
As a 50 year old I donât want to hear from anyone near my age group as they are lying about their past glories
â@@gethinap Well don't feed house sparrows. They are the worst.
Most random GCN comments ever đđđ
I want one of those bottle vests but with ale.
For post-ride refreshment, of course...
just use a beer helmet. you're responsible (wearing a helmet) and refreshed at the same time!
@@p0ddie LOL
Probably my favorite video yet
It's weird that they allow fans to get that close to them. It's so easy for someone to trip them, throw things at them & even say offensive things that could offend the cyclists.
Lord forbid somebody get offended good ol america
You lost everyone at âeven say offense thingsâ go back to your soft room
You sound like an absolute pussy
Guess they'll need ear protection as well.
@@johnnytsunami6185 Yeah lmao perpetually offended SJWs are failures at life who are incapable of putting in the effort of being a pro cyclist like this.
"Fare tredici" in Italian means getting the thirteen football results from "La schedina" the main football coupon, produced by Totocalcio correct
3am and iâm watching weird things pro cyclist do
this is not on the video topic but i have a question. Have you ever had a video about rear cassette and how to select one upon your needs ? matched with the Sprocket there is a "communication" between both that i just Don't understand what's best for me. What's the difference between a certain rear cassette between another ..same for the sprocket..Thanks and Cheers from Montreal !
Dumping water weight is no joke. I can attest from long distance backpacking (and those with military experience who do long ruck marches). If you know you're near the end and won't need additional hydration, that extra water is just slowing you down.
Also, I can imagine that in a stage race, they aren't just saving a dozen or two seconds on that stage; they are saying a little bit of energy long term. A little bit less they have to recover overnight until the next stage. Even just a little less time under tension can make a difference when parity among competitors is so tight.
8:07 hilarious
Nutella on bread best snack ever!!
Number 17 is unlucky in Italy because the Roman Numeral is XVII, which can be rearranged into VIXI, which I think means "death" or something similar to that.
sweet tarts lining the edge of my shorts for sugar energy in the last mile
Hi GCN
Do you have a video testing the time difference between a MTB and Road bike on the same road. Maybe an event.
I've commuted on both, my MTB runs about a minute or minute and a half longer than on my racer. But yeah, I'd love to see it.
Check out their road bike vs mtb at Paris Roubiax. Exactly what you're looking for
frooms head bobble is by far the weirdest and most annoying thing in cycling!!!
I like the clip art you got the guy wiping his sweat on the newspaper. Dont read the weather section there is a flood;)
So how do female racers deal with a "natural break" during a race?
Matt Butler guess that why they race so fast. Anna van der Breggen must have the smallest bladder in the bunch!
@@ygtcbee23 35 km/h ? You call that fast ?
Seat tube.
For 10 years of racing (female) not even once I wanted to stop for a break. Women don't have 6+ hours races usually 3-4 hours
Usually itâs not a problem for the men either. The human body can take in up to 1,2 litres of water an hour, but can consume much more. In high heat conditions, it can be as high as 2,5 litres an hour, meaning that the cyclists are constantly dehydrating themselves.
In case of emergency you can always go full triathlete, and just have a trickle down yourself.
A ham and jam sandwich? Thatâs the weirdest thing in the video
Jonathan Zappala Itâs been common race fuel for long races for many decades.
I take back what I previously said about 18 being unlucky number in Italy according to the website you are correct 17 is the unlucky number so I don't know why there was no 18 dec on the ship
Was Ollie on a ferry from new heaven to Dieppe in France on the 8th-9th of August?
That pronunciation of 13 in Italian almost killed me. It's much closer to tray-dee-chee
10:49 so niceâ€ïž
Well, the # 13 is an unlucky number BUT if you flip it upside down, it turns into a very lucky #. đ Same with 666, flip it upside down it's good luck (or is it just an indian area code?). đ€
So if you train hill climbs with an extra water bottle youâll get to the top faster during a real race with two less bottles?
By that logic yes
3:39 Imagine if thatâs your house!
lol squeeze the water outđ
Is it really that hard to say 'Stroopwafel' instead of 'strooopwaffle'? I can't even pronounce it the way they do đ
Probably one of the best top 10 videos I've seen. Most are just a bogus waist of time
Number 11: Spending a fortune, because some bikepart is a couple of grams lighter.
there was lots of name drops/hints as to what Marti ?...im afraid i may have his mane wrong ...sorry! id in a preCN life - sports director ....etc But has he got a meet the presenters video ?
This was the most confusing and tangent riddled explanation ive ever heard. The question was why they squirt water out the bottle, and you start explaining the mathematical process of keeping on time!? The hell lmao
#askgcn
How are the womenâs peel in the race?
I actually laughed at 6:29
đŹ isnât nutella like liquified chocolate?! That would ruin my stomach in any road race , I guess everyone is different ! this why I tell some donât follow , figure your self out
But chocolate is basically cocoa/cacao, which has flavonols that aid muscle recovery and increase blood flow. I'm not a Nutella person either, i'd rather have hot cocoa.
#11 EPO
Interesting
Hahahaha, really spend so much money on the speed suits to put a newspaper on? I didn't know that :)
I want to be cycling with you guys and good cycling I am cycling everyday
No way skip it to 10:50
I perspire too much to ever need pee breaks
"
Safety in numbers" LOL
It has to do with getting a fine when making a stop alone in the wrong place. But 70 doing it won't be fined.
Down there, down there, nightmare!
Iâm not really a cyclist but I would like to be one
What type of cyclist?
That's not very hard to solve
Galibier, Tourmalet , ventoux , alpe dâhuez , are weird things to do !
Iâm not english so đ€·đœââïž
If you can get a magic bike it climbs unbelievably at 25 pounds i had one it's a very rare thing to have the bike was so damn fast i could jump cars 45 miles an hour and stay behind them i'll could fly up hills ! Thank you specialized bicycles for helping me out your the best ever.
Stopping for a pee is free weight reduction.
Yes and then you have to raise your saddle height.
It's not just the number 13 that's considered unlucky, it's Friday the 13th. In 1307, King Philip was the King of France, and he had long wanted the riches accumulated by the Knights Templar. So on Friday, the 13th of October, he had them rounded up. They were subsequently tortured into confessing to crimes they hadn't committed, and then killed.
In Brazil, we say 13 is Galo, which is Soccer team Atletico Mineiro, and that's a lucky number for many people
Só tu sabe disso mano....e oq é o Atlético mineiro para cultura e conhecimento nacional ?
Letâs just remember we are talking about cycling, we are a weird bunch. We get hard for pain, shave until we are more smooth then marble, spend hundreds if not thousands on saving just 50 grams or to be more aerodynamic, wear short yoga pants with a build in diaper, wear helmets that us look like sonic the hedgehog and make us feel as fast as him except we donât go much faster anyways
, and much more.
I have a race this weekend how do I prep?
dont forget your bike
Good luck mate!
Make a reminder to win
Theres like a million videos about that already
Put a newspaper in your jersey!
I thought getting blood transfusions and taking asthma medicine is quite weird too
I always wandered what they did when they had to drain the vein, but what they do if they have to take a dump.
I guess they take a crap before heading out.
Peter Sagan actually had an emergency dump during the Tour, and he stopped at a caravan roadside and borrowed their throne
DSâs sending their riders to the front of the peloton as punishment for not getting into the breakaway.
Well well well then, letâs find out
I hate to correct you when you said in Italy the unlucky number is 17 i went on a cruise with MSC cruises which are Italian and they had 19 Decks on board but there was no number 18 Deck when I looked into this it was because in Italy the number 18 is the unlucky number
Ham and jam sandwhich...... creepy
LoL. Wind on your chest doesn't make you sick.
"Riders relying on that 1.6mm diamterer wire to stop them ....." Like they have been doing for decades before the alterative started to become fashionable.
I've been using rim brakes for 12 years or so, and I've never not been able to stop. They're also MUCH easier to maintain. Disc brakes, you're bound to have either brake rub and squealing, or no brakes at all. Fuck that shit. I can easily fine tune my rim brakes to millimeters perfection within seconds, wile disc brakes are some kind of black magic where you fidle with some stuff and conclude with "nah, this is the best I can do" and go get a beer instead of riding
@@krisberntzen yeah agree, the downfall of disk is the rubbing. If that is sorted id go with them. Hopefully they will get better.
Adam Brickley I can set a disc brake up in 45 secs with no rub, brake bleed an average of 3 mins, pad change in less than a minute. They really are very simplistic. Wheels can be way lighter when rolling as you donât need to have a braking surface on the rim which adds weight which then multiplies more than a disc as the diameter is larger when you add in rotary G forces. Letâs not even bring the subject of brake performance in poor weather conditions as Iâll be here all day. Discs are superior in every way, road cyclings about 20 years behind other cycling disciplines in brake technology. Itâs not just âfashionableâ
@@spainobmxer69 ive just bought new xt calipers and rotors. Wheel has had new bearings and trued. Disk still moved slightly from side to side. Any idea why?
Adam Brickley if itâs a six bolt rotor are you using the 3 spacers that spread across the 2 bolt holes? If itâs a centre lock disc there should be a spacer behind the fixing, itâs very similar to the spacer that goes behind a cassette lock ring on your rear wheel
but what about the performance loss due to dehydration on a hot climb?
Would they better having the water and staying hydrated, and having no performance loss due to dehydration? Allowing them to performm at a higher level longer. Sometimes I think they are too fixated on weight to their detriment.
You only need 1 bottle per hour so no need for two in the cages. Also smart teams have a domestique up the road so when the GC rider passes they will hand over their bottles. Finally, at the Crest of the climb theres a swanny waiting for the rider with another bottle. Therefore no need to carry two while going up climbs
What can you do to prevent the need for a number 2 while on a long ride?
Matthew Russell
Probably not eat anything that you know makes you go to the bathroom a lot đ
ration your consumption of electrolyte drinks (ex. Nuun tablets that dissolve in your water - they have magnesium which relaxes your muscles to avoid cramps, but magnesium has laxative effects), basically don't chug a whole bottle of it within the first 2 hours of your ride. And don't overeat - keep it around 100 calories every hour & have a light lunch [my go-to is a boiled egg, a banana, & half a sweet potato]. Make sure you poop before the ride [less likely if you're rolling out at 4/5am] after your morning coffee/caffeinated beverage, lemon water first thing also helps. Don't overeat as you carb up the night before.
I really want the jersey of GCN
Don't knock the ice in the sock trick as strange. I have done it way before I picked up cycling and before those neck things you can freeze while I was working outdoors. Still do it while out in this 100+ F summer heat,
Jeffrey Clark .. I mean if we look at the human autonomy most of the heat is pretty much everywhere but your feet, so if itâs about cooling your core temperature as he says then anywhere but near the core of your body or your head is actually kind of pointless.
@@ieatslag5947 Did you even watch the video? They put it down their jersey, and I used a crew sock full of ice around the back of my neck. It is not on anyone's feet
Jeffrey Clark nah I didnât I just skipped around , that makes sense then