So much fun to watch, Ryan. I love how you just pick a huge challenge and dive in. Your fitness is miles ahead of where you were a few months ago when I began watching! And I think I noticed your subscriber number go up while I was watching. Last week, I said it would be 15,000 by year-end. I'm sticking with that prediction. 😃
@@RyanCondon Just discovered your channel. Think Ronald might be right, you got some solid content, well edited. Looking forward to seeing more. You may benefit with a few more water bottles, and electrolytes every hour, you got to hydrate, and once your done hydrating, hydrate some more :)
Incredible! Love your spirit and determination, Ryan. I actually got into Zwift and indoor cycling only last week after watching your videos. Keen to see just how much I can do and you show what can be done with the right mindset. Bonus too is discovering your second channel. Thank you
Awesome job Ryan. On-bike bants, editing, music, all on point. 5 stars for the velociraptor line. And great effort getting the job done - I've never done anything that long on Zwift but I'm tempted now.
I've been waiting for this video since last week, when you've mentioned it. Fantastic job both on the bike and with the editing, was fun to watch. 24:21 i almost fell of the chair from that conversation. Not only stabbing you, but turning the blade with "you're welcome". I'm dead xD Ride on!
Great video, don’t worry too much about trying to ride at a high cadence, ride at what is natural, cadence is generally self selecting. If your gonna do 3/4+ hour rides on the turbo, I’d recommend a 5 min break in the middle go to the loo and change your bibs, it makes so much difference to comfort, you end up sweating so much more inside so a dry pair of bibs really helps, keep on at it 💪
Nice vid Ryan, I just discovered your channel 👌🏼 I’ve only ever done the Mega Pretzel and that was tough enough…will give the Uber Pretzel a try at some point. Regarding your weight loss plateau, if you’ve been in a caloric deficit for a long time then you’ll be experiencing metabolic compensation. Your metabolism slows down to maintain your current weight. This happens because your body interprets a calorie shortage as a sign of distress. To kick start it raise your calories for a short period of time and then go for a deficit again aka have a cheat day (that doesn’t have to mean smash a pizza, just eat into a small surplus). Hope that helps 👍🏼
God, this is a tough AF route. Well done for conquering it. I haven't had the cojones to tackle this, so hats off to anyone who has. Some absolutely killer food in this, too. The toasty tiger bread sandwich looked right on the money. 👌
Love you're content as usual, cycling is a very hard sport in the real world let alone in the virtual world .I'm currently recovering from a knee replacement so only just getting back on my turbo trainer so watching you're videos has given me the kick up the backside I need 👍 keep up the good work 🤗
Great video with this lovely route! This is actually my third favorite route on Zwift, coming in behind Road to Sky (#2) and Four Horsemen (#1). To me, the hardest route is PRL Full because holy crap is it dull. xD Next challenge is doing routes on the Buffalo Bike with its default wheels (or even better if you have the sweatdrops for it or already own it, the Safety Bike with its default wheels)! The comments you get when you crush climbs on those are rather hilarious. Especially if you tell people to grab onto your pannier rack if they need a tow to the arch. :P
From what I understand, 100 carbs / hour is above the recommendations for this power level, which is more like 60 grams/hour. Pros are up closer to 120 grams because their power levels are much greater, and much of that is at intensities above threshold. But amazing job: I haven't dared attempt this one.
He’s burning around 500 calories per hour. It’s 4 calories per gram carbs, so if he could eat 100 g carbs per hour, he’d still be in a calorie deficit. In other words, eat as much as you can without getting sick for an effort like this.
With your white T-shirt and the hair cut , I thought I was looking at Kurt Cobain !!!!. You started Zwift a couple months after I did . I watched your first video when you cleaned out your garage and set up the bike . I was glad that I finally found a RUclips Zwifter that I could relate to !!!. You have helped me progress so much , especially with my climbing . With what you learned as you did more and more racing , then passing on that advice and showing your mistakes helped take me from a low Cat D to winning races and going on to Cat C . I wanted to thank you for all that you are doing and to let you know that you are helping and inspiring others with your videos . Looking forward to riding with you in the Podcaster Battle Charity Race …. Again Many Thanks !!!!
@@68breezer Ill take Kurt Cobain... As long as Im entertaining. 😅 Thank you for taking the time to write that. I really appreciate it and congrats on your achievements. 🙏🙌💪
Well done, such a great effort! 💪💪💪Has to a mental challange as much as it is a physical one. This route still eludes me but I thought I was going insane on the PRL Full in London. The sheer boredome gets you on that one but I always reach a point were it would be such a waste to throw the towel while I realize I'm not looking forward to start the damn thing over again some other day. I like your 'sink your teeth into it and get her done' mentality, usually the way I approach these sufferfests myself too. Keep it up man!
@@RyanCondon it’s the PRL Full, 11 times the London Loop over Box Hill. The first few laps, 6 I’d say, were fine but then the boredom set in making the mental aspect as bad as the physical one. As you mentioned in your video, every stroke of the pedal you hope for a group to latch on to 😆
Nice Video Mr. Ryan. I just completed this route today and have only been on zwift for 2 weeks. It was a dumb idea but fun!! I have enjoyed your videos!! Now I just need to get better at racing! Good grief that is rrally really hard.
Let me tell you an awful story that happened to me on the uber pretzel. I was finally half way up the alpe and my zwift crashed. I ended up completing it again but now I have a constant fear on route hunting that my zwift will crash late into a route.
Firstly, massive well done on completing such an epic indoor ride...your arse must have looked like a baboon"s derrière after that much time on the saddle...seriously impressive! Secondly, massive well done for condensing 6 hours worth of riding down into under 30 mins of entertaining footage. I watched whilst sitting in zone 2 on the bike and you had me chuckling away as yI cycled...really appreciated all your time and effort putting this video together :) Lastly, not sure if anyone else has mentioned this but if you plan to do a lot of zone 2 to improve your aerobic base, you could look at doing a heart rate decoupling test now and then another in 8-12 weeks to see if your zone 2 training has had an effect. Zone 2 isn't exciting so you at least want to know whether spending all that time pootling along is having the desired outcome. Just a thought and feel free to ignore :)
Fantastic work. You paced yourself really well I thought. I found the PRL super challenging as well. Bonked on that one, will give it another shot someday... Definitely motivating me to get back on it! Congrats.
your tenacity to finish stuff is inspiring after an hour of zone 2 I'm ready to get away from the indoor bike , I would really like to see you have a pro cycle fit (maybe its a good collab video ) - for the indoor bike so you get an expert cycle fitter to go through everything from bike setup, ride position, cleats, insoles, saddle pressure mapping, and ensuring your position is then optimized for you getting the most power / comfort out of yourself, I'm presuming the bike has just been set up for what you think is right currently :)
Thanks! I'll be honest, my bikes (both indoor and IRL) are setup based on how I 'feel' that day and they've been jigged so much, they're probably completely wrong. I do need to do something like you've described.
have a few of the big rides to do on zwift which i intend to do over winter should also see me reach level 100 . Great vlog really enjoyed seeing someones approach to one of the big rides
Hahaha my partner always comments on the stink whenever she comes in too and always seems more concerned with that than my Zwift feats. Well done mate, big achievement.
Great video! It also gives me a ride to try on Zwift at the end of my winter weight loss session. Going to try and drop about 40lbs in 6 months. I have done 100 mile rides but that was painful.
Amazing achievement. You were looking really strong at the end. I've never managed to stay on the turbo this long, so take all this with a pinch of salt. I'm a big believer that the places you should really spare no expense in cycling are the contact points - so find a saddle that suits your anatomy really well (a big cutout really makes a difference for me), and a really decent pair of bib shorts. I've not tried them but the Red White bibs are designed for ultras, I'm going to get a pair for my turbo long rides. Chamois cream is cheap and does help, you can re apply every couple of hours, and maybe treat yourself to fresh pair of shorts at half way? And finally you might consider a rocker plate. It's quite an investment but it's been a complete game changer for me comfort wise, and makes the whole experience more immersive, riding out of the saddle is loads more fun and I even like to lean into the corners when my avatar leans, it achieves absolutely nothing but it's so fun
Shaving the beard will be 20 watts saved out on the road 😂 Having the Alpe at the end of the ride is a great reminder just how good the pros are. While the likes of you and I are dying the Pog will pull a KOM up the climb.
Nice man, that's one hell of a route. I did it last winter as a group ride with 2 friends. One quit at 70km, the other dropped me off at the bottom of AdZ. What a way to end a ride on top of AdZ. So crazy hard. As you start doing longer rides you ought to think about a bike fit. It'll save your bum abd might get you some free performance gains.You could even make a video of the process.
Kudos Ryan - I did it last year at the age of 63 - and felt it was a massive achievement that doesn't get properly recognised. Very similar time to you - just checked my Strava, 7 hours 1 minute but I did go down the Alp as a cool down to collect the free XP
I can imagine the size of the virtual support van behind you with the 50ish bike and wheels Combo at your disposal 😂 Again what an achievement, putting an ADZ attempt after a few hours riding prior is just pure courage and determination. Runners on the alpe are a pain to see 😅 Rip to your ass 😂 and again, like always, congrats Ryan.
haha... Imagine being able to swap bikes IRL. That would be one awesome video. The map designer putting ADZ at the end of this ride was just a nasty bas....
your production quality is superb, just started indoor cycling. Now i just need to find the magical cure to fix my ass pain lol. Outside i got no problems at all with the same bike/sattle
I just beat you by 10 mins when I did mine! However, you looked like you had a lot more enjoyable experience than me. Wished I looked up a video like this before I did mine! I definitely underestimated how tough it was going to be. It is always amazing achievement when you have done it. Amzing effort on the ride! Also even though zone 2 can feel very boaring you will see the difference quicker.
Congratulation for finishing it! You're a big motivation for me - if you can ride for 7h and finish routes, then I shouldn't complain about requirement to "survive" 4h. I tried this route 2 times and this is insane for me... not because of difficulty, but because of the length. I lost motivation (not power) to ride after 80 and 90 kms. If it would be only about climbing like four horsemen then I would finish it, but flats are too boring and demotivating for me :/ Got point about finding "distractions" from riding, I found this is the only way for me to stay longer than 1.5h in a indoor saddle ;)
The Climb Portal this month of Mt. Hamilton gives you 1600 m vertically just going up on 125% and a few hundred more on the descent to give you almost all of the climbing you get in the Ueber-Pretzel in only half the distance.
Another informative video Ryan.. never attempted any long rides like uber pretzel on zwift yet as not got time to do these due to family; work and other training commitment.. one thing I’m researching at minute is food supplements and wondered what experience you have of this and if so what do you take regular to supplement your vegan diet?? Cheers and keep up the good work!
Thanks. Time is a huge hurdle... More than anything else I find. I take B vitamins, Amino Acids, Magnesium, Iron and Vitamin D. Sounds a lot and to be fair, I took Iron and Vitamin D even when I ate meat.
Long rides on the trainer are tougher on my "undercarriage" than riding outside. I think I stay in the saddle more on the trainer. Glad you checked that one off your list.
Grear job! I just finished The Uber Pretzel an hour ago. It was a killer. Since I had some more time, I rounded the ride to 147 km and got 6 hours and 58 minutes of ride today. My ass is destroyed 😂
Congrats. I failed the Uber P about 4 years ago. I died and climbed off at 118km. I was broken for about six months, couldn't ride or run for more than about twenty minutes. I am fully recovered and much fitter now than I was then. This video makes me want to try again....
I’m convinced you’re made of different stuff and have know idea how you did that! 90 minutes kills me! 😂 very entertaining video! I too prefer a lower cadence now and higher gear, I find by grinding at 75 RPM at Wattbike gear 14 to 16 very comfortable and sustainable, like you around the 90 RPM mark doesn’t feel natural yet 😅
Good job. I did it too earlier this year. You definitely didn't eat enough. I actually stopped a few times, having a full 15 minute break off the bike, about half way to make myself a sandwich, have a coffee etc. Still managed it in about the same time, just over 6 hours. Never again though!
Well done. Not sure I’ll ever be brave enough for that route. Ref cadence- I wouldn’t worry about targeting 90+ rpm for z2 rides. The lack of torque makes it hard to maintain good form. I’ll do 90 rpm in most races but Z2 I’m anywhere from 65-80.
Well done I don’t know if you need more than 80 grams of carbs an hour for zone 2 riding but you do need to fuel and hydrate regularly keep crushing it
Great job. foot/toe numbness you can try moving your cleats as far back as possible and drop your seat height a little to help stop it happening. Thanks for the entertainment.
Great video , I am at the moment where you was 16 months ago, so your video is really motivating me to keep on zwifting, I've been zwifting for three months now and seem to have stopped loosing the weight. I was at 110 kg and now am stuck at 108 kg, did you experience anything like that at first.
@20:07 That seat position looks really uncomfortable.. Why have you chosen to have it tilted that way? Great ride Ryan! Long rides inside are way harder mentally then outside, also harder on the back, shoulder etc. I would be more strict with the watts when doing a zone 2 ride, although its hard to say from the video how many minutes you are spending in higher zones. (HR will rise no matter what, but should probably not be spiking to much during the ride, but have a normal rise as you fatigue - unless it is structured and planned as part of the long ride). There is a great study done in Norway on cyclist doing longer zone 2 rides with hard sprints, 3 sets of 30sec with 4min rest in between each sprint, during the ride. These where done around each hour. It showed a significant improvement in the group doing the sprints over the group only riding zone 2. Also a great way to break up the long rides. Regarding grinding vs spinning - the most important thing is to vary it during the ride. There are great cyclist that "grind" the gears. Take a look at old Jan Ullrich footage, or even Lionel Sanders. There is no "one shoe fits all". Sub 60 is probably not that good for the knees in the long run.. It would be interesting in future videos to see some stats after your efforts. Runs, zwift races, long rides etc.
Thanks for the comment. The seat has loosened and slipped. I need to fix it. I barely went above 140w for the whole thing. Slightly more for first 25k. I like the idea of sprints mixed in. Thats got me thinking.
Good job Ryan it was very hard ride for me too. But I didn't give up I kept on pedaling. My next challenge ride on zwift is the London PRL FULL. wish me luck!!!! by the way I love your content...ride on..
Narrow saddles are generally better for long distance riding. Another point is with indoor riding, the bike is static, no movement at all. Invest or build a rocker board. This will simulate the natural outdoor movement and significantly reduce saddle contact sore points
Jeez Ryan that impressive stuf! I’ve noticed that you tend to lean to 70-75 rpm cause you feel comfy at that rpm and people telling you to stay at 85-90 rpm is probably what they feel comfy at so I’d just stick to 75 rpm and enjoy it without constantly trying to do something your not feeling good with 🤷♂️ I like to be at 75-80 so it’s not that bad
I do feel better at 75-80 but Im trying to improve my racing prowess so giving it a pop. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate that comment too. 🙏🙌👍
@@RyanCondon no problem to try stuff but if you don’t feel comfy or naturally stay out of that zone then you gotta realise that your way of cycling isn’t with that cadence 💪
@@RyanCondon Zwift has several maps. Watopia is the most popular. London (in Zwift) has the hardest route: The PRL Full Length: 173 km (107.5 miles) Elevation: 2621 m (8,599‘) Lead-In: 0.5 km (0.3 miles) Map: London
I can cycle 130 miles outside, have done about 5 120 miles rides this year and about 6000 miles total and there is no way in hell I could do what you just did indoors, 50 or maybe 60 miles at a push is my limit indoors, Well done!
Great ride, but let me tell you something important; once you leave Zone 2, it can take up to an hour for your body to start using fat again, or rather, for your body to start feeding from the typical Zone 2 again. It's counterproductive to leave Zone 2 during a Zone 2 ride. You'll have to go slowly uphill as well, whether you like it or not. :)
@@RyanCondon I watch all your videos. I now follow you on both Zwift and Strava. I'm 38 years old and only started exercising this summer - after spending half of my life behind a bar and smoking like a chimney. I want to compete in the Ironman, full distance, in 2026! So I just started training. You are a great motivation, so I'm the one who should thank you. Thank you for doing all the videos, they are really motivating.
@@RyanCondon yea it’s a tough one. Probably not as much climbing overall but 172km and 11 times up box hill is mentally hard. Don’t make my mistake and do it when the world isn’t on rotation….. it was a lonely 6 hrs 😩
I'm shorter than you but in almost the same weight battle, in my case 93kg for too long. I'm hoping to get below 90kg by Xmas. Also, I'm firmly of the notion that more data is never wrong- i.e daily weighing, you just have to interpret the data properly! Best of luck in your weight loss.
Great work on the Pretzel. I did most of the big climbs over lockdown. They are all tough in different ways. PRL is mind numbingly boring, more of a mental mind game combined with climbing & distance. Your next challenge?
24:40 unfortunately Zwift doesn't support climbing simulation for running. I've no idea why. Treadmil can support it, treadmil can support remote change of the gradient and still no gradient with Zwift. So, it's more likely 0% grade for him
Just to let you know that there are people with let's call it less sound judgement than you - I started that route at 18:00 and finished 22:15. If that is not stupid kind of time to do this ride...
Well done Ryan! But I don’t know how you can put in all that effort and not just turn the bike around to roll back down the hill for free kilometres! 😆 I race this course and the PRL full at the start of the year and I’m sorry to say it but PRL Full was much harder for me. Maybe that was because of the racing aspect though. Also I think the average person can only process 60g of carbs an hour. You need to train the body to cope with more. Well that’s my limited understanding of it anyway.
Thanks Warwick. Having now only discovered that PRL exists through comments on this videos title (Google let me down), I now wish I did this instead of the Uber. Gives me something to do on a cold Sunday morning I suppose.
@@RyanCondon This one is still very tough. I had to constantly remind myself about the alpe too otherwise I would have forgotten how long the last 12km were going to take! 😆
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks for watching :)
Please checkout my podcast channel - www.youtube.com/@RyanCondonUnscripted
This is one of the routes on Zwift I have no desire whatsoever to finish. Kudos to you for finishing 👍
So much fun to watch, Ryan. I love how you just pick a huge challenge and dive in. Your fitness is miles ahead of where you were a few months ago when I began watching! And I think I noticed your subscriber number go up while I was watching. Last week, I said it would be 15,000 by year-end. I'm sticking with that prediction. 😃
Im loving your positivity. Im sticking with hoping you're right. 🙏😅🙌
@@RyanCondon Just discovered your channel. Think Ronald might be right, you got some solid content, well edited. Looking forward to seeing more. You may benefit with a few more water bottles, and electrolytes every hour, you got to hydrate, and once your done hydrating, hydrate some more :)
@@PKNEXUS Thank you. That means a lot. 🙏🙌
15:40 'the weather outside is miserable', literal sunshine thru the window :D
@@boomshine7 I make every room shine! I also didnt want to go outside, what can I say? 🤷
Incredible! Love your spirit and determination, Ryan. I actually got into Zwift and indoor cycling only last week after watching your videos. Keen to see just how much I can do and you show what can be done with the right mindset. Bonus too is discovering your second channel. Thank you
Thanks. Thats awesome to hear. Im pleased you enjoyed it. Good luck with your training. 🙏👍
This channel reminds me of the charm that Mark Lewis' early Zwift videos had. Loving the content, glad I found this channel.
@@JustFMSaves huge praise. Thank you.
Awesome job Ryan. On-bike bants, editing, music, all on point. 5 stars for the velociraptor line. And great effort getting the job done - I've never done anything that long on Zwift but I'm tempted now.
Thanks! I really appreciate the compliments. Give it a pop, it was fun. :)
I've been waiting for this video since last week, when you've mentioned it. Fantastic job both on the bike and with the editing, was fun to watch.
24:21 i almost fell of the chair from that conversation. Not only stabbing you, but turning the blade with "you're welcome". I'm dead xD
Ride on!
🤣 You always get brutal honesty from teenagers. No sugar coating. 🙈
Thanks for watching. 🙏
Great video, don’t worry too much about trying to ride at a high cadence, ride at what is natural, cadence is generally self selecting. If your gonna do 3/4+ hour rides on the turbo, I’d recommend a 5 min break in the middle go to the loo and change your bibs, it makes so much difference to comfort, you end up sweating so much more inside so a dry pair of bibs really helps, keep on at it 💪
just started with zwift and found your channel. Love your work! Keep on ❤
Im pleased you enjoyed the vid.
Well done Ryan, big respect for ticking the ticking off the Uber Pretzel 🙌🏻 Love watching your Zwift content 😊
Thank you. 🙏🙌
Nice vid Ryan, I just discovered your channel 👌🏼
I’ve only ever done the Mega Pretzel and that was tough enough…will give the Uber Pretzel a try at some point.
Regarding your weight loss plateau, if you’ve been in a caloric deficit for a long time then you’ll be experiencing metabolic compensation. Your metabolism slows down to maintain your current weight. This happens because your body interprets a calorie shortage as a sign of distress. To kick start it raise your calories for a short period of time and then go for a deficit again aka have a cheat day (that doesn’t have to mean smash a pizza, just eat into a small surplus). Hope that helps 👍🏼
Thanks for the tip. Good luck with your journey. Im pleased you found me. 🙌
God, this is a tough AF route. Well done for conquering it. I haven't had the cojones to tackle this, so hats off to anyone who has.
Some absolutely killer food in this, too. The toasty tiger bread sandwich looked right on the money. 👌
@@lee-cycling Thanks Lee. 😅
If you do ever attempt it, please make a video. That would be something Id like to see.
Just found this. Love it. From where you started, you are mustard. You're even starting to look like Wiggo! Keep them coming. Superb progress.
@@icklegrangeplombier8051 Thanks. 😅🙌🙏 I really appreciate that.
Love you're content as usual, cycling is a very hard sport in the real world let alone in the virtual world .I'm currently recovering from a knee replacement so only just getting back on my turbo trainer so watching you're videos has given me the kick up the backside I need 👍 keep up the good work 🤗
I'm pleased you enjoyed it. Good luck with your recovery. I hope its going well. 🙏
Great video with this lovely route! This is actually my third favorite route on Zwift, coming in behind Road to Sky (#2) and Four Horsemen (#1). To me, the hardest route is PRL Full because holy crap is it dull. xD Next challenge is doing routes on the Buffalo Bike with its default wheels (or even better if you have the sweatdrops for it or already own it, the Safety Bike with its default wheels)! The comments you get when you crush climbs on those are rather hilarious. Especially if you tell people to grab onto your pannier rack if they need a tow to the arch. :P
@@WendsH that sounds like a real challenge. Thanks for watching. 🙌
From what I understand, 100 carbs / hour is above the recommendations for this power level, which is more like 60 grams/hour. Pros are up closer to 120 grams because their power levels are much greater, and much of that is at intensities above threshold.
But amazing job: I haven't dared attempt this one.
He’s burning around 500 calories per hour. It’s 4 calories per gram carbs, so if he could eat 100 g carbs per hour, he’d still be in a calorie deficit. In other words, eat as much as you can without getting sick for an effort like this.
With your white T-shirt and the hair cut , I thought I was looking at Kurt Cobain !!!!. You started Zwift a couple months after I did . I watched your first video when you cleaned out your garage and set up the bike . I was glad that I finally found a RUclips Zwifter that I could relate to !!!. You have helped me progress so much , especially with my climbing . With what you learned as you did more and more racing , then passing on that advice and showing your mistakes helped take me from a low Cat D to winning races and going on to Cat C . I wanted to thank you for all that you are doing and to let you know that you are helping and inspiring others with your videos . Looking forward to riding with you in the Podcaster Battle Charity Race …. Again Many Thanks !!!!
@@68breezer Ill take Kurt Cobain... As long as Im entertaining. 😅
Thank you for taking the time to write that. I really appreciate it and congrats on your achievements. 🙏🙌💪
Well done, such a great effort! 💪💪💪Has to a mental challange as much as it is a physical one. This route still eludes me but I thought I was going insane on the PRL Full in London. The sheer boredome gets you on that one but I always reach a point were it would be such a waste to throw the towel while I realize I'm not looking forward to start the damn thing over again some other day.
I like your 'sink your teeth into it and get her done' mentality, usually the way I approach these sufferfests myself too. Keep it up man!
@@zvartemax4832 you're right. If you can get over the psychological aspect then you're halfway there. Whats the London course you mentioned?
@@RyanCondon it’s the PRL Full, 11 times the London Loop over Box Hill. The first few laps, 6 I’d say, were fine but then the boredom set in making the mental aspect as bad as the physical one. As you mentioned in your video, every stroke of the pedal you hope for a group to latch on to 😆
Very impressive what you’ve achieved. Should be a motivational speaker for all, we need it.
Great effort Ryan, Can't wait to see your PRL full attempt. Well done and kudos.
Cheers Huddo. 🙌💪
Massive Kudos! I've been meaning to do that course for over a year😂 and you just smash it because it's raining outside 💪🏼💪🏼
It was raining in game too. 😅
@@RyanCondon 🤣
Love the daddy-daughter interaction. 😂 Massive congratulations on completing this route!
@@DarenC Thank you. 🙏🙌
Top effort Ryan - congrats👏
Nice Video Mr. Ryan. I just completed this route today and have only been on zwift for 2 weeks.
It was a dumb idea but fun!! I have enjoyed your videos!! Now I just need to get better at racing! Good grief that is rrally really hard.
Racing is hard but if you can complete this then you can race. Good luck this year. 🙌
Let me tell you an awful story that happened to me on the uber pretzel. I was finally half way up the alpe and my zwift crashed. I ended up completing it again but now I have a constant fear on route hunting that my zwift will crash late into a route.
I've never had Zwift crash, I've had a connection drop but not a crash however I've probably jinxed it now. 😅
You sir, are a absolute mad lad! Really enjoyed the video, I really thought you wouldnt make it! Well done! Looking forward until the next one! 😶🌫
My Everesting attempt is the only thing I've ve not finished. I have unfinished business with that. Thanks for watching. 🙌
Firstly, massive well done on completing such an epic indoor ride...your arse must have looked like a baboon"s derrière after that much time on the saddle...seriously impressive!
Secondly, massive well done for condensing 6 hours worth of riding down into under 30 mins of entertaining footage. I watched whilst sitting in zone 2 on the bike and you had me chuckling away as yI cycled...really appreciated all your time and effort putting this video together :)
Lastly, not sure if anyone else has mentioned this but if you plan to do a lot of zone 2 to improve your aerobic base, you could look at doing a heart rate decoupling test now and then another in 8-12 weeks to see if your zone 2 training has had an effect. Zone 2 isn't exciting so you at least want to know whether spending all that time pootling along is having the desired outcome. Just a thought and feel free to ignore :)
haha thank you. :))
you should roll down the hill to get the free xp ;) nice video and nice job man! just the motivation needed in the dark part of the year :)
Fantastic work. You paced yourself really well I thought. I found the PRL super challenging as well. Bonked on that one, will give it another shot someday... Definitely motivating me to get back on it! Congrats.
Thank you. It's definitely a tough route.
That was insane dude! You are slaying that route!
@@crillesryggsack2860 Cheers. Pleased you enjoyed it. 🙌🙏
your tenacity to finish stuff is inspiring after an hour of zone 2 I'm ready to get away from the indoor bike , I would really like to see you have a pro cycle fit (maybe its a good collab video ) - for the indoor bike so you get an expert cycle fitter to go through everything from bike setup, ride position, cleats, insoles, saddle pressure mapping, and ensuring your position is then optimized for you getting the most power / comfort out of yourself, I'm presuming the bike has just been set up for what you think is right currently :)
Thanks! I'll be honest, my bikes (both indoor and IRL) are setup based on how I 'feel' that day and they've been jigged so much, they're probably completely wrong. I do need to do something like you've described.
Brilliant video as always mate 🚴♂️
Thank you. 😀
Nice one. 👊. I've been far too cowardly to attempt the Uber Pretzel so far but maybe this winter I should give it a go! 🤔
It is a long time on the bike, i don't think you're being cowardly. 🙏
have a few of the big rides to do on zwift which i intend to do over winter should also see me reach level 100 . Great vlog really enjoyed seeing someones approach to one of the big rides
@@raybraydh2956 Thank you. Good luck... Lvl 100, wowser!
Awesome work mate I've still not done this and done most routes looks brutal.
Hahaha my partner always comments on the stink whenever she comes in too and always seems more concerned with that than my Zwift feats.
Well done mate, big achievement.
Great effort, Ryan. Well done.
Thank you. :))
Great video! It also gives me a ride to try on Zwift at the end of my winter weight loss session. Going to try and drop about 40lbs in 6 months. I have done 100 mile rides but that was painful.
@@ahnilatedahnilated7703 Good luck. I hope you smash it. 🙌💪
Great effort mate 👌
Just ordered my trainer today. Been running on Zwift for a couple weeks and cycling outdoors for 6 months. Excited to try out bike on Zwift!!
@@brettharper Hope you have fun with it. Good luck. 🙌
Yeah.... Coming down the alpe is such hard work😊. Happy you figured drafting is better than bike changes! Good effort mate!!
The bike changes gave me something to do. It made it fun. Plus its hard to draft a empty road.
So true about the rain on Zwift, that needs scrapping 😂
Amazing achievement. You were looking really strong at the end. I've never managed to stay on the turbo this long, so take all this with a pinch of salt. I'm a big believer that the places you should really spare no expense in cycling are the contact points - so find a saddle that suits your anatomy really well (a big cutout really makes a difference for me), and a really decent pair of bib shorts. I've not tried them but the Red White bibs are designed for ultras, I'm going to get a pair for my turbo long rides. Chamois cream is cheap and does help, you can re apply every couple of hours, and maybe treat yourself to fresh pair of shorts at half way? And finally you might consider a rocker plate. It's quite an investment but it's been a complete game changer for me comfort wise, and makes the whole experience more immersive, riding out of the saddle is loads more fun and I even like to lean into the corners when my avatar leans, it achieves absolutely nothing but it's so fun
Shaving the beard will be 20 watts saved out on the road 😂
Having the Alpe at the end of the ride is a great reminder just how good the pros are. While the likes of you and I are dying the Pog will pull a KOM up the climb.
Ive trimmed it, i now only look slightly homeless. Also, if I weighed the same as a 8 year old, id also smash a WR up the climb.
Nice man, that's one hell of a route. I did it last winter as a group ride with 2 friends. One quit at 70km, the other dropped me off at the bottom of AdZ. What a way to end a ride on top of AdZ. So crazy hard. As you start doing longer rides you ought to think about a bike fit. It'll save your bum abd might get you some free performance gains.You could even make a video of the process.
Well done for getting it done! I do need to get a bike fit, you're right. Its currently just guess work.
Kudos Ryan - I did it last year at the age of 63 - and felt it was a massive achievement that doesn't get properly recognised. Very similar time to you - just checked my Strava, 7 hours 1 minute but I did go down the Alp as a cool down to collect the free XP
Welldone. Great achievement. 🙌💪
I can imagine the size of the virtual support van behind you with the 50ish bike and wheels Combo at your disposal 😂
Again what an achievement, putting an ADZ attempt after a few hours riding prior is just pure courage and determination.
Runners on the alpe are a pain to see 😅
Rip to your ass 😂 and again, like always, congrats Ryan.
haha... Imagine being able to swap bikes IRL. That would be one awesome video. The map designer putting ADZ at the end of this ride was just a nasty bas....
your production quality is superb, just started indoor cycling. Now i just need to find the magical cure to fix my ass pain lol. Outside i got no problems at all with the same bike/sattle
Thank you. I find that the more I ride, the less it hurts. Good luck.
Well done, good effort 👏
Thank you Lee. :))
I need a lie down after watching this. Bloody well done!
Lol thanks 😅
I just beat you by 10 mins when I did mine! However, you looked like you had a lot more enjoyable experience than me. Wished I looked up a video like this before I did mine! I definitely underestimated how tough it was going to be. It is always amazing achievement when you have done it. Amzing effort on the ride! Also even though zone 2 can feel very boaring you will see the difference quicker.
Congrats on your achievement! Not a easy course to complete.
Congratulation for finishing it! You're a big motivation for me - if you can ride for 7h and finish routes, then I shouldn't complain about requirement to "survive" 4h.
I tried this route 2 times and this is insane for me... not because of difficulty, but because of the length. I lost motivation (not power) to ride after 80 and 90 kms. If it would be only about climbing like four horsemen then I would finish it, but flats are too boring and demotivating for me :/
Got point about finding "distractions" from riding, I found this is the only way for me to stay longer than 1.5h in a indoor saddle ;)
Just keep changing your Avatars bike, hours of fun. 😁
The PRL full is much harder, you definitely have to give it a go keep up the good work 💪💪💪👍
I didnt know this existed. Damn Google. 😅
Ill have to give it a pop.
@@RyanCondon you will love it and your more than capable of doing it 👍
I remember this route, it was so much fun 😂😂🎉
Well done Ryan. It took me 6 hours and 48 minutes (I went down the Alpe at the end) and never again!
I needed to sit down more than I needed more drops :))
You deserve a like for every single pedal stroke of that one 👏
Thanks Paul.
The Climb Portal this month of Mt. Hamilton gives you 1600 m vertically just going up on 125% and a few hundred more on the descent to give you almost all of the climbing you get in the Ueber-Pretzel in only half the distance.
How does the 125% work? Do I get more gradient or does it just increase my trainer difficulty?
@@RyanCondon more gradient. So 4% becomes 5% and 8% sections are now 10%. So a 1250 meter route is now 1575 meters.
Unbelievable hard effort for your body and mind to resist the urge to stop and escape the pain. Hope you are very proud :-)
It was a fun challenge, the climb towards the end, less so. Thanks for watching. 😀
Nice work
Fair play 💪 I couldn't think of anything worse than 7hrs on the turbo 😂
For some reason, I enjoy it.
Another informative video Ryan.. never attempted any long rides like uber pretzel on zwift yet as not got time to do these due to family; work and other training commitment.. one thing I’m researching at minute is food supplements and wondered what experience you have of this and if so what do you take regular to supplement your vegan diet?? Cheers and keep up the good work!
Thanks. Time is a huge hurdle... More than anything else I find.
I take B vitamins, Amino Acids, Magnesium, Iron and Vitamin D. Sounds a lot and to be fair, I took Iron and Vitamin D even when I ate meat.
Long rides on the trainer are tougher on my "undercarriage" than riding outside. I think I stay in the saddle more on the trainer. Glad you checked that one off your list.
@@patrickj4747 I agree, thanks for watching.
Grear job! I just finished The Uber Pretzel an hour ago. It was a killer. Since I had some more time, I rounded the ride to 147 km and got 6 hours and 58 minutes of ride today. My ass is destroyed 😂
Nice one! Well done. 💪
Entering and hats off to you. Epic effort. Don’t think that was zone 2. For me zone 2 is hart rate between 100 and 135 bpm.
Great job!
Thank you sir.
Congrats. I failed the Uber P about 4 years ago. I died and climbed off at 118km. I was broken for about six months, couldn't ride or run for more than about twenty minutes. I am fully recovered and much fitter now than I was then. This video makes me want to try again....
It is a very tough route
I’m convinced you’re made of different stuff and have know idea how you did that! 90 minutes kills me! 😂 very entertaining video! I too prefer a lower cadence now and higher gear, I find by grinding at 75 RPM at Wattbike gear 14 to 16 very comfortable and sustainable, like you around the 90 RPM mark doesn’t feel natural yet 😅
Lol thanks G-Unit. I really appreciate you watching. 🙌
Good job. I did it too earlier this year. You definitely didn't eat enough. I actually stopped a few times, having a full 15 minute break off the bike, about half way to make myself a sandwich, have a coffee etc. Still managed it in about the same time, just over 6 hours. Never again though!
I never eat enough calories, something I'm getting better at though. Thanks for watching
Well done. Not sure I’ll ever be brave enough for that route.
Ref cadence- I wouldn’t worry about targeting 90+ rpm for z2 rides. The lack of torque makes it hard to maintain good form.
I’ll do 90 rpm in most races but Z2 I’m anywhere from 65-80.
Yes. You're probably right about the cadence aspect. Thanks for watching.
Well done I don’t know if you need more than 80 grams of carbs an hour for zone 2 riding but you do need to fuel and hydrate regularly keep crushing it
That time I almost watch a man end it whilst eating a sandwich on a digital mountain. Marvelous content indeed- Well done!
Great job. foot/toe numbness you can try moving your cleats as far back as possible and drop your seat height a little to help stop it happening. Thanks for the entertainment.
Thanks for the tips.
I think the Felt bike may have caused it, I'd go for someone with a more relaxed geometry.
Well done ,your Keener than me to do such a long ride
Supertuck!!
SUPER TUCK 🚲
Planning on doing what is becoming an annual ritual to ride watching the Bathurst 1000 tomorrow, way down on fitness ATM so should be interesting
Good luck, you've got this!
If I had one, I would give you a 'Navy Seal' patch!
I'll take a virtual fist bump 👊
Great video , I am at the moment where you was 16 months ago, so your video is really motivating me to keep on zwifting, I've been zwifting for three months now and seem to have stopped loosing the weight. I was at 110 kg and now am stuck at 108 kg, did you experience anything like that at first.
Yes, Weight loss is a funny thing. You may find some is water retention and I found increasing my water daily intake helped that.
@20:07 That seat position looks really uncomfortable.. Why have you chosen to have it tilted that way?
Great ride Ryan! Long rides inside are way harder mentally then outside, also harder on the back, shoulder etc.
I would be more strict with the watts when doing a zone 2 ride, although its hard to say from the video how many minutes you are spending in higher zones. (HR will rise no matter what, but should probably not be spiking to much during the ride, but have a normal rise as you fatigue - unless it is structured and planned as part of the long ride).
There is a great study done in Norway on cyclist doing longer zone 2 rides with hard sprints, 3 sets of 30sec with 4min rest in between each sprint, during the ride. These where done around each hour. It showed a significant improvement in the group doing the sprints over the group only riding zone 2. Also a great way to break up the long rides.
Regarding grinding vs spinning - the most important thing is to vary it during the ride. There are great cyclist that "grind" the gears. Take a look at old Jan Ullrich footage, or even Lionel Sanders. There is no "one shoe fits all". Sub 60 is probably not that good for the knees in the long run..
It would be interesting in future videos to see some stats after your efforts. Runs, zwift races, long rides etc.
Thanks for the comment. The seat has loosened and slipped. I need to fix it.
I barely went above 140w for the whole thing. Slightly more for first 25k.
I like the idea of sprints mixed in. Thats got me thinking.
Good job Ryan it was very hard ride for me too. But I didn't give up I kept on pedaling. My next challenge ride on zwift is the London PRL FULL. wish me luck!!!! by the way I love your content...ride on..
Good for you, Ive only just discovered PRL exists. I might give it a pop too.
Narrow saddles are generally better for long distance riding. Another point is with indoor riding, the bike is static, no movement at all. Invest or build a rocker board. This will simulate the natural outdoor movement and significantly reduce saddle contact sore points
Two very good points. Thanks for the tips. 👍
Great video bud. I've just brought the zwift bike so watching this has give me something to aim towards! Out of interest, what is your zone 2?
@@ConnorJBTV zone 2 HR is 150ish BPM. Roughly 150w.
Jeez Ryan that impressive stuf! I’ve noticed that you tend to lean to 70-75 rpm cause you feel comfy at that rpm and people telling you to stay at 85-90 rpm is probably what they feel comfy at so I’d just stick to 75 rpm and enjoy it without constantly trying to do something your not feeling good with 🤷♂️
I like to be at 75-80 so it’s not that bad
I do feel better at 75-80 but Im trying to improve my racing prowess so giving it a pop. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate that comment too. 🙏🙌👍
@@RyanCondon no problem to try stuff but if you don’t feel comfy or naturally stay out of that zone then you gotta realise that your way of cycling isn’t with that cadence 💪
The London one I think is harder but this is probably the second hardest. Either way nice work
Not according to google. What's the London one?
@@RyanCondon Zwift has several maps. Watopia is the most popular. London (in Zwift) has the hardest route:
The PRL Full
Length: 173 km (107.5 miles)
Elevation: 2621 m (8,599‘)
Lead-In: 0.5 km (0.3 miles)
Map: London
@@TheGeniesis ill check it out. Thanks.
I can cycle 130 miles outside, have done about 5 120 miles rides this year and about 6000 miles total and there is no way in hell I could do what you just did indoors, 50 or maybe 60 miles at a push is my limit indoors, Well done!
Thanks. Ive run 100k outdoors, terrified to attempt the same on a bike IRL but ill make it happen eventually.
Great ride, but let me tell you something important; once you leave Zone 2, it can take up to an hour for your body to start using fat again, or rather, for your body to start feeding from the typical Zone 2 again. It's counterproductive to leave Zone 2 during a Zone 2 ride. You'll have to go slowly uphill as well, whether you like it or not. :)
If I knew what I was doing, I'd be dangerous. Thanks for watching Dan. :)
@@RyanCondon I watch all your videos. I now follow you on both Zwift and Strava. I'm 38 years old and only started exercising this summer - after spending half of my life behind a bar and smoking like a chimney. I want to compete in the Ironman, full distance, in 2026! So I just started training. You are a great motivation, so I'm the one who should thank you. Thank you for doing all the videos, they are really motivating.
@@danvalicek Thank you Dan. Thats very kind of you to say. I wish you all the best in your journey. 🙌
awesome content
Thank you. 🙌🙏
Awesome….. did the PRL full yesterday. I have to say, that hurt more than the pretzel 🤯. Next weeks ride?
I'm getting a lot of PRL comments lol. I wish I knew this existed before I did this ride.
@@RyanCondon yea it’s a tough one. Probably not as much climbing overall but 172km and 11 times up box hill is mentally hard. Don’t make my mistake and do it when the world isn’t on rotation….. it was a lonely 6 hrs 😩
@@benhartopp9778 6 hours... welldone!
I'm shorter than you but in almost the same weight battle, in my case 93kg for too long. I'm hoping to get below 90kg by Xmas. Also, I'm firmly of the notion that more data is never wrong- i.e daily weighing, you just have to interpret the data properly! Best of luck in your weight loss.
@@hughe29 you too.. Thanks for watching. 🙌
Great work on the Pretzel. I did most of the big climbs over lockdown. They are all tough in different ways. PRL is mind numbingly boring, more of a mental mind game combined with climbing & distance. Your next challenge?
I need to do the PRL. Thank you.
OMG, wow, awsome dude! I dont even dare to do the pretzel
It wasn't that bad... I made it look hard work. 😅🙈
Romeo done! Classic! 12,553m to go, you’ve got 12,553m to go..
Only 12 times up the Alpe... Lets goooo!
You should try the rebel route that is called “KOMonster”
I did not know you could change bikes on the fly like that.
very good
Top effort ..killer!!💀
Thanks Andy.
24:40 unfortunately Zwift doesn't support climbing simulation for running. I've no idea why. Treadmil can support it, treadmil can support remote change of the gradient and still no gradient with Zwift. So, it's more likely 0% grade for him
But running Alpe du Zwift is a nice way to prank those who cycling
haha yes, I had to drop over 400 watts to keep up lol.
The Uber pretzel is a fun route and a good way to earn your century badhe though I prefer the Four Horsemen
Ive also done the four horsemen. It is shorter but doesnt end in the Alpe and for that reason the Uber gets my vote.
Just to let you know that there are people with let's call it less sound judgement than you - I started that route at 18:00 and finished 22:15. If that is not stupid kind of time to do this ride...
Nothing wrong with that. Well done for finishing. 💪
Well done Ryan!
But I don’t know how you can put in all that effort and not just turn the bike around to roll back down the hill for free kilometres! 😆
I race this course and the PRL full at the start of the year and I’m sorry to say it but PRL Full was much harder for me. Maybe that was because of the racing aspect though.
Also I think the average person can only process 60g of carbs an hour. You need to train the body to cope with more. Well that’s my limited understanding of it anyway.
Thanks Warwick. Having now only discovered that PRL exists through comments on this videos title (Google let me down), I now wish I did this instead of the Uber. Gives me something to do on a cold Sunday morning I suppose.
@@RyanCondon This one is still very tough. I had to constantly remind myself about the alpe too otherwise I would have forgotten how long the last 12km were going to take! 😆