How I Got My BEST EVER Gravel Race FINISH! (Rock Cobbler 2024)
Vložit
- čas přidán 7. 06. 2024
- In this gravel cycling video, I walked through my experience and my race at the 11th edition of the rock cobbler in Bakersfield, California. This turned out to be my best ever finish at a proper gravel race, which is strange, because I went into it with zero expectations and just wanted to tell a good story of the course.
The rock cobbler is one of the most dynamic courses on the gravel cycling circuit. With steep and technical downhill, pitch steep, pitches to climb, and wild cattle to gallop with. I raced the boulder route, which is the newest and longest version of the rock cobbler. Only 50 spots were available, so it wasn’t a super stacked field, although there were racers like Peter Stettner and Tobin, who are certified hitters in the gravel cycling race scene
STRAVA : / strava
SUPPORT: www.RideBikes.com
0:00 Intro
1:19 Course
3:14 Moving Up
8:15 Stick to the plan
11:13 Cliffs & Cows
16:30 New Body
19:35 On your left
24:03 The Race Is ON!
28:41 Finish - Sport
The Rock Cobbler event is a must do gravel event in the year. Bakersfield in February looks UNBELIEVABLE with the endless green hills. Kinda wild that for years I tried SOOO HARD to stay lean and light and be as fit as possible going into events where the result was my MAIN focus. Then I finally let go of chasing weight, performance, and results, only to then have one of my best overall performances ever.
Some questions I know that will come up:
Q: How long did it take to add 30lbs and How tall are you?
A: I go in depth about it here ( instagram.com/p/C4JcFKngAsE/ ) but I shifted my goals just over 2 years ago to add more mass and total power to my frame. This transformation has taken 24 months from the picture to picture. But Im 6'2 : 182cm and I put on weight really easy. I was NEVER supposed to be 155lbs, that is NOT me. Read the Instagram post for more on the mental side of that change.
Q: Are you still Plant Based?
A: Absolutely, I changed my channel name because diet is not my identity, but it is something I believe works great for my life. I have blood work done every 6 months and over the past 10 years of plants, never ONCE I have been deficient in anything. I wasn't a skinny boi because I ate plants, I was skinny because all I saw in the mirror was fat boi no matter how I looked. Strange how the mind can alter reality.
Q: Why Not A MTB?
A: This course, out of all the years of the cobbler, could have handled a MTB very well. Hard to say if it would have been much slower, might have been more stable and less risky but it would be equal at best slightly slower at worse. I believe my suspension fork and dropper post gravel bike was the right tool.
220lb (formerly 290lb) rider here with medium bodyfat who is (fairly, not compared to you) fast, and also lifts pretty heavily.
Just remember the sturdier and stronger you get, the more you gain the advantage on rolling terrain and sharp punchy stuff under 500m at a time. You're not worse, just different (speaking only to your comments on the hill climbing and paying for the weight, not self image related nor do i mean to make it sound like a value judgement).
This result proves that.
I bet dollars to vegan donuts that your max 5-10 second power, despite getting older like the rest of us, has also gone up the last 12 months due to all this as well.
I feel you bro.
I've been both end of the spectrum, very light with 5xbw FTP but weak as shit and big and strong squatting four plates for reps but wouldn't break 30 minutes running 5k. Oh and also suffering from sleep apnea for being too heavy for my frame.
For average people happiness and how you feel best is somewhere in the middle. If you're a pro do whatever.
RAGING out there to end that thing!
6'2" is 188cm, homie.
Tyler your race videos are the best out there, so well shot, so entertaining. Thanks for sacrificing your personal race goals to get this footage - so insane. Congrats on 4th too, monumental effort given everything else you were doing at the time!
This race is basically a Windows XP wallpaper
man it's beautiful 😅
i thought it looked familiar
Omg I came on to say every frame looks like my windows 95 wallpaper
😂😂😂
Everything about this vid is so retro. I love it.
galloping with the cattle... chefs kiss. perfection in a youtube video will never be replicated.
"Like soaring with eagles..." oh man, I actually LOL'd on that one.
Stuff like that is a sign of god
I was outlining a case study of how the rock cobbler went from 250 riders to 1000, and honestly, a key part of it was your videos of the event. GREAT WORK! Anybody with a unique high-level gravel event NEEDS you there to tell their story.
I’d be very interested to hear more about the analytics and if you were able to correlate the increase of registration to launch time of the videos. But to be fair, Rock Cobbler is a content GOLD MINE. So it’s very easy to tell a great story around this event.
12:42 'Do not fear the cow, be the cow'.
Huge Heffer.
Embrace the cow
That VO sounded like Chris Miller 😏
This dude got me back into road biking
Been sober off drinking a month and a half and it’s nice to have a get away
Made my day bro! So glad to hear and I’m proud of you! The social engorgement to drink is slowly fading. With all the new research showing just how bad even light drinking can be, I anticipate alcohol will go the way of cigarettes in the next 10 years.
Thats sick man! Great job and great riding!
Nice man, keep at it
Way to go, mate!
Sobriety is a high all by its self, good on you! life is good being sober. Stay Blessed
Tyler, I just want to say that, I'm a 50 year old guy who's had a lot of health issues that have nudged me to give up on my passion of cycling. Your videos are so inspiring and reignite the passion I have. Sometimes it gets me a tad emotional (to be quite honest). Thanks for just being you and doing what you do. It has meaning.
I really appreciate the comment. I put a lot of work into the videos so hearing amazing things like this means so much 🙏
Tyler, thank you for posting your videos and your adventures, they helped save my life. I was overweight, it gradually crept up on me, then got results of pre-diabetes , liver numbers related to that that weren't good just all around concerning stuff. So I decided I didn't want to live like that anymore and got to work. I was inspired by your motto of "Ride Bikes" Put my road bike on a trainer in the living room (its freezing here in VT in the winter) and started laying down miles everyday, got my diet right and several days a week are vegan now. Dropped 30 pounds in 3 months, lab numbers are better, blood sugar is great, quality of life is so much improved. So thank you and if you're ever feeling down, remember what your doing is really helping people, it helped me.
You saved your own life my friend....keep the faith ❤
Glad your feeling better on vegan. Next step to feeling optimal is to go carnivore and get optimal nutrition to keep you healthy. Veganism will malnourish you with non bioavailable nutrients and plant toxins. Recommend Watching Dr. Shawn Baker and Dr. Anthony Chaffey.
"I galloped with the cattle." VC found the perfect epitaph for his headstone.
Seriously, I’m jotting that down in my will 😜
I'm was relieved to watch a true Tyler production in which the good guy had a great time. VC you make wonderful, inspiring, and humorous films. Your self deprecating ways are truly entertaining. Please stay in this vein, it's so much healthier imo.
Please continue to put out the fine art that you have developed.
You're one of a kind!!
Wow, thank you! Appreciate that my dude!
Can’t believe you don’t have a 10 part series with one of the major streaming channels. The fact that we get to watch the stuff for free is insane. The quality and versatility you bring to the table is unmatched in any cycling venue I’ve ever come across. Congrats on your new efforts and for sure putting on the weight was a great idea. BTW, I’ve got an idea that I was speaking with Jeremiah about to pass to you but I’d rather tell you myself. Hit me up when you can.
As one of the two people in the vid you shouted encouragements to while passing us, I thank you; it helped a lot.
Ive been watching this channel for years now. It is very satisfying to see your consistent progress. In your first Rock Cobbler, you were a young spaz, carrying way too much self-induced stress. Often you were your own worst enemy. Now you can reach that state of mind where you can chase cows, not just in your fatigue-addled delusions, but in real life. (I had no idea cow could run like that!). Congratulations. I’m proud of you.
Amazing footage and storytelling. Congrats VC thanks for bringing us along for the ride
It blows my mind that you can race this hard and film it.. and well too. Kudos Tyler. Well deserved 👍
The day is saved yet again by another VC Adventure!!
I glanced and thought this message was from VCAdcentures. And they would've been correct :)
hahaha yeah, just watched it through right now and can honestly say: the statement is even more true hahaha
Bruh, You look sooo much healthier with the weight you have put on and you carry it really well!! Excellent footage as always!!
I watch your videos regularly and for some reason I do not know, the content, the edit, the way you narrate the stories or the way you present your self but, but, you are the motivation that I need to push myself further and further to become a better cyclist and a better person.
Thank you so much. Cheers from Argentina. 🇦🇷
Awesome attitude! I'm happy to hear that you chose Dylan's advice instead of Backwards Hat Dylan's advice! LOL.
I loved the animations. Man, your storytelling is awesome!
Super stoked on your great result, Tyler. Congratulations!
I rode the Boulder as well and can't thank you enough for putting together this video. I'll be rewatching every time I'm missing the race and Bakersfield. Nice work!
I sometimes loose motivation to train the bike sometimes. As I do triathlon so I do a lot of workouts. But whenever I see a video like this I always feel so much more motivated to train and be my best self. Love this videos been watching you for years.
Tyler,
I’ve been following you for years.
I have to say, you look INCREDIBLE with the added muscle. It was really eye opening for me to recognize that not all weight gain is detrimental. I have battled with body dysmorphia for years and gaining lean healthy weight is usually an internal struggle for me. Thank you for posting your results…it’s harder to deny the benefits of building lean body mass when I can see the positive difference in someone else.
Next step to feeling optimal is to go carnivore and get optimal nutrition to keep you healthy. Veganism will malnourish you with non bioavailable nutrients and plant toxins. Recommend Watching Dr. Shawn Baker and Dr. Anthony Chaffey.
Oh, I’ve been looking forward to this video. Your last video from the cobbler got me to come out and do it myself. Thanks for that. It’s was such a blast. Congrats on your finish!
Getting home after a training, seeing a new VC upload. Awesome to end the day! Keep telling those stories, you are crushing it, and the race. Congrats! Also, those nice graphics and fun music, excellent choices!
Thanks my guy! This was a fun story to tell.
Super nice video Tyler. Maybe you could share in another one in more detail how you managed to gain muscle and cycle simultaneously, because that's really impressive progress. I always struggle with combining weight training and cycling, so would be super interesting
Congratulations Tyler! I am super happy for you!
Amazing race and gorgeous footage. 🤘🤘
Absolutely awesome! Congratulations, you were haulin through those ruts! 💪💪🏁🏁🏁
Congrats VC! Beautiful footage!
This is so hype dude!
Congratulations VC, nothing like seeing you succeed.
Another stunning rock cobbler vid 👍 congrats on the 4th!
So much fun to watch! Great footage and congratulations 🎉on your race! Muscles are a good thing👍
Thanks Tyler, you are the best at this and your battery marathon is very much appreciated 👌😄👍
Great job and fantastic content! Happy for you and happy for me who gets to watch it!
Congratulations on a fantastic race! Thanks for the super footage and commentary. I laughed out loud at the end when you hit the bumpy sandy and didn’t want to fall! Hahaha! You look strong and healthy and happy…better than ever.
Thank you for all of the forethought and planning to get all of those incredible shots. Not only was the whole thing beautiful, but you seriously crushed it. So so stoked to see you finally get an ending you deserved. Keep up the great work 🙌
As always your content is a joy, thank you!
That was awesome! Congratulations! Well deserved.
Incredible footage! Congratulations on your well deserved finish!!!!
Quality story, quality production. Thanks for the ride!
Loved the edit and the graphics. Thanks for this and especially last years vid. Got me to fly out for the Cobbler this year from Ohio and it refilled my soul.
So good Tyler, one of my favourite vids of yours. Loving your steady start, makes sense for a thic strong boi like you!
Awesome! Great result ! Happy for you.
You do the best story telling content ever... mixed in with cinematography whilst riding / keeping race strategy etc.
Love your work.
Tyler, first off you are just an amazing dude. Congrats to the beautiful life and family man. Your videos rock and everytime i see one of your race documentaries i just can't stop smiling. Great content. This year i signed up for my first gravel race ever in Spain, super stoked to be there. A big part of my decision to go for it where your videos. Thanks for that little motivational push :) Hugs from Portugal
I’ve been waiting for this one, such a crazy awesome race.
Awesome job, Tyler!!! Congrats🤙🏼 also the production is so cool! Keep it up bro💪🏻😃
No joke, i legit teared up at the galloping with the cows bit man, god that looks like a nice ride!! Praise be the bovine divine!
Congratulations on the result! And as always great video.
AWESOME
RESULT Tyler! And fantastic video!!!
Congratulations!!! Great Effort! Keep pushing! I love the content you are doing - the best on CZcams!
Awesome Video! Thank you for posting. For those of us that went it is cool to look back at it and see how you did things compared to us. Like how you changed up your style to pacing, totally different perspective
What a funny video. Loving it.
Been following your work for a few years now. What a development in production and style.
Please keep up the good work and if directions change, embrace it. Go with the flow.
Sending love from Europe.
The vibes of your videos are always golden/feel good. A lot of love from Taiwan (where I am now) and Belgium (where I am from) my dude
I love all of your videos. You bring everything to life…I feel like I am there. Amazing narrations and excellent cycling skill. Please keep doing what you do. You NEED to be on Netflix.
Awesome video as ever. It's a good day when you see a new VC post. Inspiring stuff...great result!
Fantastic result, after so many tough days for you in these events, you have nailed your pace & nutrition, and the body comp transformation is unreal, from Climber to Rouleur! Super camera work & audio, and enjoyed the glimpse behind the curtain with the equipment chat. 👏💯
Amazing as always. Congratulations bro
Awesome work VC, what a great result.
Discovered your channel last year with the same race. Happy for you result this year man. Great race, awesome footage, great spirit and commentary, thanks for taking the time to make such videos. All the best for the future !
Great video! Your videos are a blast to watch! Very motivating too!
Great JOB VC! SOOOOOO INSPIRING!! Those cows were crazy!
appreciate your vids man, after all these years, you have come a long way. You seem comfortable in yourself more than ever.
Congratulations. That was a great ride. You are an inspiration.
Congrats on the 4th place finish. The opening visuals of the video were fantastic and the ride with the cows, awesome!!!
Man, awesome race. Congrats! This footage made me want to race that course.
Love your videos and the positivity man, good stuff
Duuuuude the music and shots/editing/colours on this one! Bobbing my head and smiling watching this.
Congrats Brother! Well deserved!!! 🤘😎
Amazing footage! Congratulations 🎉
insane video, the images are beautiful, the story telling, animations, music, finish just perfect!
Big time congrats. What a performance dude. You bulked up and channelled your inner Dylan Johnson - and it worked!!
Now there's a lesson for all of us.
Nice one VC, keep em coming.
This kind of thing from you is what I learn from. Keep doing these. I feel like I'm there with you.
Loved the video! THANKS! Great Job!
love your video’s tyler ! great footage, great narration (hey, we’re top ten wee), great editing, and (maybe most important of all) finally a cycling youtuber with original and cool music yes yes yes !
Now this is my kind of course!! It's funny as a Canadian who hates winters I always find myself binging your channel in the spring to fire me up for the season!! Congrats on all the muscle gain, it's definitely for the better!
awesome footage, colors are awesome, love the open angle as well, gives a video-game vibe
awesome video bro. Brutal race!
Congratulations!!!!!! Nice race video! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
You're an inspiration !! Great video and the quality was amazing
One of your best videos! Great editing. The cows.... wow.
Great finish.
Graphics, storytelling. Love this one!
Great video and congratulations on your result. Love your videos, keep it up
Congratulations 🍾🎉🎈🎊
You are my GOAT and my inspiration buddy, started gravel a few month back! if you are ever in Barcelona let me know
So epic! Pumped for you. Well deserved!
No one deserves this experience more than you. So awesome!
Awesome video man! Congrats on the finish.
Yooo this shot with the running cows is for real one of the best Ive ever seen! Its crazy how you get out there, ride like a beast and get all of these shots while riding and performing! So amazing to see! Keep on riding Tyler ❤🤙🏽
I am stunned. Thank you very much for this experience! It’s really going threw my heart, every emotion you felt, it’s nice to experience this kinda like you did. beautiful landscape, unbelievable performance, that amount of km and hm. it motivates me a lot, keep going, I wish you the best luck! 😊
Such a good video, well done Tyler, love this ❤
Dude you're so freaking good at making these videos, and also crushing the race!!
Fantastic work, Tyler.
What a pleasant surprise. I sit down for some evening chill and VC has a new video. Nice
Yeah Buddy! Love the mind set and the vibes. Mindset is just as important as weight and fitness. You're wearing the new attitude well.
EVERY VIDEO SLAPS. Quality and passion is insane
My legs are cramping again from watching your video!! Really nicely done - both your finish placing and the content. Also...thanks for the free "Ride Bikes" sticker. Cheers!
Awesome story and a 4th is just icing on the cake!
Congrats Tyler, super inspiring
Good stuff! It was nice meeting you at the Cobbler! 4th is beast!!!!
Great race! Congrats!