The part about resting. And to take it a step further, knowing when you are about to crack. Take some time off, and I mean a good amount to prevent burnout. Everyone's different, so that little bit of time away is going to vary for each of us, but it's needed. You don't want to crack, and then end up hating the very thing you love. I've seen it happen several times in various sports, and it's also happened to me. I went about 3 or 4 years and didn't play ice hockey after being at near pro levels. I just cracked. Lost the whole perspective of it. I never thought I'd get it back. I did eventually, but when it happened, I didn't care if I ever even saw another game on TV.
The one that historically is the one that always gets me the most is eating more the days before the big ride. I always say, "l'll eat later.. then I'll eat tomorrow" then I forget and try to overeat on the bike I do but then get sick of my bike food and stop eating. I need to fix that! I'll fix it tomorrow.. lol
Most important lesson, I’m not a pro, and I’m not paid to ride. So ride what I want, when I want, and where I want. I win each time I enjoy riding a bike. And it’s really rare that I loose
Don’t fettle with the bike less than a week (or two) out from your big target event. Get the new chain on, new tyres fitted, torque all those bolts, and give the bike a proper shakedown. Have confidence that you and your equipment are ready to go and you will save so much nervous energy. Do not be fiddling with an allen key 30 minutes before the start.
Best race of my life I had to pick up a new cable set for both derailleurs on the way down on a 16h drive to make the start. Threw it on an hour and gave it a test ride an hour before the start 😂 Moral of the story, if you trust your mechanical skills you can work on your bike any time 😊
It’s good to see/hear that every one on a bike can struggle and suffer setbacks, both physical and mental. All too often we land up in negative comparison. Thanks for the vulnerability in sharing Conor, much appreciated.
This is actually legit and good advice all around- all of these bits of experience are absolutely spot on. . I was never a pro but raced p/1/2 in the states some years ago and am trying to make a comeback after +20y off the bike so all these topics go through my mind on at least a weekly basis. If any of this is new to anyone watching, go through this video several times and really listen to ingest and understand the implications. One of the best advice videos GCN has put out. Well done.
Extremely appreciate your briefness vs all the verbosity that floods You Tube and the internet. Very much needed since many authors just steal our precious TIME!
The more time you spend riding your bike(s) the more comfortable you will feel doing it. Back side hurts less, you get used to getting into those sporty aero positions and it all will come together. And because you feel more comfortable you will have more fun. So the more you ride, the better you will feel on your bike. Btw, nice nose dive Conor ;D
the first lesson is the most important, by far, it's a tremendously boring, simple activity, lots and lots of miles. When I was racing "seriously" I was considered a slacker by my team because I was "only" riding 300 miles a week or so, this is brutal and success is mostly about this and your natural "motor" relative to others who train as much. The other thing is injury/death, the more you're on your bike the higher your chances of horrible injuries, particularly in race situations. It's a merciless activity, many people get chronic injuries from this, it doesn't help that most of the riders aren't that interesting and are engaged in a tremendously hard, repetitive/boring, activity and are okay with road rash, head injuries (concussion, coma, skull fractures) long term back and knee issues, broken collarbones, ribs, punctured lungs, career ending femur fractures (Froome, Beloki, etc). It's hilarious to see all the attention to bike costs, development, with all the $10,000 dollar bikes ridden by people who are as close to the level of serious amatuer and pro racing as a child riding a tricycle. I know this is true of most such sports, but cycling for more than an hour a two a day max, why? Sorry for the mellow harshing, but people who know, know.
Hi GCN team. Thanks for the insight Conor. As a mid 40s amateur MTB rider & part time racer, l can't believe after 5 years of pretty consistent riding/training how far my fitness level has moves up the scale. Then you start racing and realise how far you still need to go. Then you realise how much harder the gains get as you move up the FTP scale. After all this my biggest deamon is weight control. When l started out I weighed about 100kg. I lost about 3 kg over 2 years of just riding with mates 2-3 times a week. Then I started to focus on the food and increased the training amount (bought an indoor smart bike) raised my FTP considerably, but my hunger levels went up accordingly. Got bigger, stronger and heavier but stayed about 96/97 kg. Then really, really focused on nutrition, calorie counting, stopped drinking alcohol, cut back on sugar & carbs, upped training to 4 & 5 days a week. Got down to 94kg. Only had to think about toast & spreads for breakfast and got back up to and reside at about 97kg. I have over 300W FTP, but when you race 60 & 70 kg guys, on hills, you always get smoked. It's one of the reasons I miss motocross racing. It was all about the skill and overall fitnes not the lightest guy that wins.. Si, Christchurch, NZ.
Me as a non pro hobby cyclist gave up on the idea that I need the most expensive bike, the best groupset, and whatever speed I can buy. I am not going to win the race but I definitely want to enjoy the the race. Being with people with the same mindset is just the free speed for me. It's better than redbull, ultegra, sram or powermeters. Main goal as an amature cyclist. Enjoy the ride!
4 месяца назад+16
It's not. Good-enough bikes are cheap these days. Go put the higher weight of the mid and lower class bikes into an effort/watt calculator for your favourite segment and you will quickly realize everything else but the bike is orders of magnitude more important. Get a bike. Ride it, ride it, ride it. Period.
Wow, perfect timing t see this, after a failed training day yesterday, I so did not fell like going out. Good tips advice, even to the last words, I actually did call my son to come and pick me up yesterday for first time ever. Took a good rest day today, Ill be back on it now, big events at the end of the month. Thanks for all that
i really enjoyed that a guy not covering his ears in a onesie and a flatsail shaped bike with some visual reference assuring me to keep calm and train on. banger!
Most important tweak to the most important lesson: yes, you can do more than it appears however, beware! Mental acuity starts fading in those effort regions. Just two weeks ago I experienced it. Pushed well beyond but noticed mental haze, body did mind started drifting. Stopped and paid "reminder fee for the future". Mind was so hazy that while I unclipped left leg, I did not the right one and fell with a thud while at stand-still. Watch for the mind too!
That's a great point. Reminds me of when I've run 5km races and tried to remember my first 4 x 1km splits - I forget at least 2 within minutes of finishing! And a good buddy who bonked during a xc ski race remembers being delirious, he's unable to recall most details of the race.
All terrific points that we have all heard many times before.............nevertheless, its great to have them delineated again. These are things we forget when we are chasing speed or distance. They get lost the the data and ignored. Nutrition especially. Thanks Connor. I'll watch this video over and over
As I am aging, I find that rest and nutrition have a larger impact on my performances .... and yes hitting the ground does hurt and can even broke some parts of you
Your comment about getting angry and getting in a break reminded me of this one (not just for cycling): Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
The tip where you mentioned that no matter how hard you try, it sometimes doesn't come together, and then when you rest up, it does, I think is similar to people 'trying' to have a baby. So often they try, try and try again, putting huge amounts of pressure on themselves, with no success. Then they finally 'give up trying', have fun, release the pressure and bam, they're pregnant. I'm sure in pro training it sometimes the same. Trying too hard, putting to much pressure on oneself, can be a good thing (motivation) but equally can be a crippling thing.
I think, the "no shortcuts" lesson is the most important one, it often happens with sports and adventures because all the advice is out there and boom, you're on a gravel epic out in the wild after a few months of riding. I would even rephrase it to "take it slow". You don't need a coach from day one, it's OK if your wear your glasses under the helmet strap - just allow yourself to grow into it and learn at your own pace. No need to be perfect from day one and approach the whole thing a bit naive...
I always knew Conor was cool, but I didn't know he was a former pro. Seems like most of GCN was a pro at some point? Thanks for the good advice, seems applicable even to us amateurs!
6:04 I never understood that sort of advice. I have hurt myself physically and mentally many times by going too far and doing too much -- not just talking about riding a bike. My rule of thumb nowadays is: do a lot less than you can, or you won't be able to keep doing it.
Comfort is speed. If your riding position is more aero but hurts you, you'll quickly lose all that advantage over a more comfortable position that you can hold for longer.
Enjoy the ride. I know I’m not the fastest period, and the first to get dropped on any hard effort (allergic to exercise)… if I don’t enjoy the ride, then I wouldn’t ride any more
If you are looking for an endurance bike, I'm afraid this bike is not a very good choice IMO. Look at the geometry table of the EDR model and compare the numbers with RCR models (pure racing bike for pros who can maintain low position). There are no big differences, especially in the stack height.
Thanks for this, perfect timing for me as I'm fighting a dual Epstein-Barr and CMV infection (thankfully only mild, and at least I can now say I have something in common with Cav). Having to take time off just as I was really getting adapted to being on the bike after a long break has been tough mentally. Feeling more positive now!
Conor, it looks like your bike setup is off. It seems that maybe you don't have the standard leg extension on that Canyon bike. Is that your preference, or am I mistaken?
Ollie 5 min video, Conor 7 min, should we expect a 3 min Hanks video? Is this a height correlation xD. Get ready Conor cos we wanna see You, Hank and Manon to ride 100km on e-bikes! \ô/
What do you think was the most important lesson? 📝
The part about resting. And to take it a step further, knowing when you are about to crack.
Take some time off, and I mean a good amount to prevent burnout. Everyone's different, so that little bit of time away is going to vary for each of us, but it's needed. You don't want to crack, and then end up hating the very thing you love. I've seen it happen several times in various sports, and it's also happened to me. I went about 3 or 4 years and didn't play ice hockey after being at near pro levels. I just cracked. Lost the whole perspective of it. I never thought I'd get it back. I did eventually, but when it happened, I didn't care if I ever even saw another game on TV.
The one that historically is the one that always gets me the most is eating more the days before the big ride. I always say, "l'll eat later.. then I'll eat tomorrow" then I forget and try to overeat on the bike I do but then get sick of my bike food and stop eating. I need to fix that! I'll fix it tomorrow.. lol
Connor needs his own channel
@@jax02zerotwo you eat for 2 days away not tomorrow.
Don't change things on race day.
Most important lesson, I’m not a pro, and I’m not paid to ride. So ride what I want, when I want, and where I want. I win each time I enjoy riding a bike. And it’s really rare that I loose
THIS, sometimes i catch myself feeling guilty for missing a training ride or not hitting enough miles. Who tf cares...
Darn these loose fitting clothes
thats the proper spirit of cycling !
Well done. Solid. Concise. Meaningful. Applicable. Not brutal.
Don’t fettle with the bike less than a week (or two) out from your big target event. Get the new chain on, new tyres fitted, torque all those bolts, and give the bike a proper shakedown. Have confidence that you and your equipment are ready to go and you will save so much nervous energy. Do not be fiddling with an allen key 30 minutes before the start.
Best race of my life I had to pick up a new cable set for both derailleurs on the way down on a 16h drive to make the start. Threw it on an hour and gave it a test ride an hour before the start 😂
Moral of the story, if you trust your mechanical skills you can work on your bike any time 😊
Conor is a real nice dude
It’s good to see/hear that every one on a bike can struggle and suffer setbacks, both physical and mental. All too often we land up in negative comparison. Thanks for the vulnerability in sharing Conor, much appreciated.
This is actually legit and good advice all around- all of these bits of experience are absolutely spot on. . I was never a pro but raced p/1/2 in the states some years ago and am trying to make a comeback after +20y off the bike so all these topics go through my mind on at least a weekly basis. If any of this is new to anyone watching, go through this video several times and really listen to ingest and understand the implications. One of the best advice videos GCN has put out. Well done.
Extremely appreciate your briefness vs all the verbosity that floods You Tube and the internet.
Very much needed since many authors just steal our precious TIME!
All really great tips. The “you have more to give than you think” is so true
The more time you spend riding your bike(s) the more comfortable you will feel doing it.
Back side hurts less, you get used to getting into those sporty aero positions and it all will come together. And because you feel more comfortable you will have more fun.
So the more you ride, the better you will feel on your bike.
Btw, nice nose dive Conor ;D
+1
This. Combine with a bit of light stretching and you'll generally find it feels more comfortable in those positions over time.
the first lesson is the most important, by far, it's a tremendously boring, simple activity, lots and lots of miles. When I was racing "seriously" I was considered a slacker by my team because I was "only" riding 300 miles a week or so, this is brutal and success is mostly about this and your natural "motor" relative to others who train as much. The other thing is injury/death, the more you're on your bike the higher your chances of horrible injuries, particularly in race situations. It's a merciless activity, many people get chronic injuries from this, it doesn't help that most of the riders aren't that interesting and are engaged in a tremendously hard, repetitive/boring, activity and are okay with road rash, head injuries (concussion, coma, skull fractures) long term back and knee issues, broken collarbones, ribs, punctured lungs, career ending femur fractures (Froome, Beloki, etc). It's hilarious to see all the attention to bike costs, development, with all the $10,000 dollar bikes ridden by people who are as close to the level of serious amatuer and pro racing as a child riding a tricycle. I know this is true of most such sports, but cycling for more than an hour a two a day max, why? Sorry for the mellow harshing, but people who know, know.
That was a dive that Jurgen Klinsmann would have been proud of 👏
Few minutes ago I subscribed to GCN as supporter. So many years I'm watching your videos and the GCN Italia videos.
3:59 as they said in top gun 2:
It's not the plane. It's the pilot.
Hi GCN team. Thanks for the insight Conor. As a mid 40s amateur MTB rider & part time racer, l can't believe after 5 years of pretty consistent riding/training how far my fitness level has moves up the scale. Then you start racing and realise how far you still need to go. Then you realise how much harder the gains get as you move up the FTP scale. After all this my biggest deamon is weight control. When l started out I weighed about 100kg. I lost about 3 kg over 2 years of just riding with mates 2-3 times a week. Then I started to focus on the food and increased the training amount (bought an indoor smart bike) raised my FTP considerably, but my hunger levels went up accordingly. Got bigger, stronger and heavier but stayed about 96/97 kg. Then really, really focused on nutrition, calorie counting, stopped drinking alcohol, cut back on sugar & carbs, upped training to 4 & 5 days a week. Got down to 94kg. Only had to think about toast & spreads for breakfast and got back up to and reside at about 97kg. I have over 300W FTP, but when you race 60 & 70 kg guys, on hills, you always get smoked. It's one of the reasons I miss motocross racing. It was all about the skill and overall fitnes not the lightest guy that wins.. Si, Christchurch, NZ.
As a non-sponsored, non-pro cyclist, it's bloody expensive.
My OH has horses, cycling is a cheap hobby by comparison.
@@br5380 Ok... But this is a cycling channel.
@@br5380doesn’t mean cycling is not expensive?
A billionaire collecting supercars as a hobby is more expensive than horses. What’s your point?
Me as a non pro hobby cyclist gave up on the idea that I need the most expensive bike, the best groupset, and whatever speed I can buy. I am not going to win the race but I definitely want to enjoy the the race. Being with people with the same mindset is just the free speed for me. It's better than redbull, ultegra, sram or powermeters. Main goal as an amature cyclist. Enjoy the ride!
It's not. Good-enough bikes are cheap these days. Go put the higher weight of the mid and lower class bikes into an effort/watt calculator for your favourite segment and you will quickly realize everything else but the bike is orders of magnitude more important. Get a bike. Ride it, ride it, ride it. Period.
Wow, perfect timing t see this, after a failed training day yesterday, I so did not fell like going out. Good tips advice, even to the last words, I actually did call my son to come and pick me up yesterday for first time ever. Took a good rest day today, Ill be back on it now, big events at the end of the month. Thanks for all that
One of the better videos you blokes have put together in quite some time. Cheerio!
i really enjoyed that a guy not covering his ears in a onesie and a flatsail shaped bike with some visual reference assuring me to keep calm and train on. banger!
Ahahaha that crash 😂 classic Conor. Its like you fell asleep at the wheel. I cant stop watching it!
Great video with a lot of home truths! 😂
Also, just nice to have a GCN video that isn’t trying to flog me something.
Great vid Connor, so nice to get concise no nonsense advice from a pro that anyone can use to their advantage. Tx GCN!
Most important tweak to the most important lesson: yes, you can do more than it appears however, beware! Mental acuity starts fading in those effort regions. Just two weeks ago I experienced it. Pushed well beyond but noticed mental haze, body did mind started drifting. Stopped and paid "reminder fee for the future". Mind was so hazy that while I unclipped left leg, I did not the right one and fell with a thud while at stand-still. Watch for the mind too!
That's a great point. Reminds me of when I've run 5km races and tried to remember my first 4 x 1km splits - I forget at least 2 within minutes of finishing! And a good buddy who bonked during a xc ski race remembers being delirious, he's unable to recall most details of the race.
I for one am very impressed that Conor can go over hurdles on a bike
EXCELLENT! Thanks so much, Connor.... good lessons for life in general!!
All terrific points that we have all heard many times before.............nevertheless, its great to have them delineated again. These are things we forget when we are chasing speed or distance. They get lost the the data and ignored. Nutrition especially. Thanks Connor. I'll watch this video over and over
Brilliant video. I can identify with a lot of what Conor said. Keep up the good work🙌
Concise and well presented Connor, reality of cycling, one hill after another.
Great video! Very similar in most challenges!
Great inspirational words!!!
The same principle applies to everyday life and career. Chapeau Connor!
As I am aging, I find that rest and nutrition have a larger impact on my performances .... and yes hitting the ground does hurt and can even broke some parts of you
Your comment about getting angry and getting in a break reminded me of this one (not just for cycling):
Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
I love this. Thanks for sharing
I just missed a KOM on a 7 min climbing segment by ONE SECOND on my fourth attempt to get it a few days ago... so thanks for this one :'D
Who cares about kom… Strava stats are useless
I kind of find it fun not really meaningful @@andrecrispim3209
@@andrecrispim3209people can be motivated by the ‘game’ aspect. Don’t be so dismissive.
Getting a KOM by ONE second is certainly more fun.
Brutal. We've all been there. You need wind doping
You can prepare yourself but be prepared for the unexpected coming from other riders, sometimes there is no way to avoid their mistakes.
Awesome thanks 🙏 great video.
One more... Keep it fun. Don't get stuck in a rut, it's a broad sport and if things feel a bit dull do something else! It's not all about the grind.
Lovely, down to earth and motivating lesson on the subject. Missing all the "best version of yourself" selfhelp nonsense. That's the way! 👍
Great video and great advice!
It's their job, we're amateurs the key is to get as fast as possible on the fewest hours per week
The worker doing the double take was funny. “Who was that yammering whilst flying down the road?”
Great advice, thanks.
The tip where you mentioned that no matter how hard you try, it sometimes doesn't come together, and then when you rest up, it does, I think is similar to people 'trying' to have a baby.
So often they try, try and try again, putting huge amounts of pressure on themselves, with no success. Then they finally 'give up trying', have fun, release the pressure and bam, they're pregnant.
I'm sure in pro training it sometimes the same. Trying too hard, putting to much pressure on oneself, can be a good thing (motivation) but equally can be a crippling thing.
I think, the "no shortcuts" lesson is the most important one, it often happens with sports and adventures because all the advice is out there and boom, you're on a gravel epic out in the wild after a few months of riding. I would even rephrase it to "take it slow". You don't need a coach from day one, it's OK if your wear your glasses under the helmet strap - just allow yourself to grow into it and learn at your own pace. No need to be perfect from day one and approach the whole thing a bit naive...
I've never been a bike racer and never will be but after 40 years of riding, I've learned all of these lessons.
You don't want to be. It's a fucking nightmare.
Stellar insight!
4:47 looks like Edward scissor hands got himself a high Vis jacket.
Thanks Conor and crew....was that "El Alto " ?? And...was Conor always the tallest in every race ?
good advice keep up the good content
That's so valuable. Thanks mate!
I always knew Conor was cool, but I didn't know he was a former pro. Seems like most of GCN was a pro at some point? Thanks for the good advice, seems applicable even to us amateurs!
6:04 I never understood that sort of advice. I have hurt myself physically and mentally many times by going too far and doing too much -- not just talking about riding a bike. My rule of thumb nowadays is: do a lot less than you can, or you won't be able to keep doing it.
Comfort is speed. If your riding position is more aero but hurts you, you'll quickly lose all that advantage over a more comfortable position that you can hold for longer.
Good tips!
Take in more carbs and get more sleep than you think you need.
Connor needs to bring that beard back
Nice one!
Awesome advice :)
Excellent video
Good one Conor.
EXCELLENT!
Really good advise, thanks. Side note, why has Conor stopped wearing the Irish National champs on his sleeves and collar?
I wondered that too. Did it stop with the new gear I wonder?
3:03 absolute fax coming out here
Conor I need to know the colour name of your shoes. I can't find them on the website, and I want that same color to match my orange & black bke!
Good advice.
Enjoy the ride.
I know I’m not the fastest period, and the first to get dropped on any hard effort (allergic to exercise)… if I don’t enjoy the ride, then I wouldn’t ride any more
Thanks!
I was more impressed that Conor was 'on the front.. 😁
Keep hydrated
Please make a review for van rysel edr af 105 I am planing to buy as my first bike but there isn’t a nice review😢
If you are looking for an endurance bike, I'm afraid this bike is not a very good choice IMO. Look at the geometry table of the EDR model and compare the numbers with RCR models (pure racing bike for pros who can maintain low position). There are no big differences, especially in the stack height.
GCN don’t do bike reviews
If a shortcut wasn't more difficult it would just be the way.
Thanks for this, perfect timing for me as I'm fighting a dual Epstein-Barr and CMV infection (thankfully only mild, and at least I can now say I have something in common with Cav). Having to take time off just as I was really getting adapted to being on the bike after a long break has been tough mentally. Feeling more positive now!
I had that Epstein Barr long ago, it took a long time to get over, the fatigue was horrible. It will ease up and go away eventually !
Any specific advice for tall riders/racers? I'm also 6'8" and it is not an easy sport for me.
How tall are you? And what size is that bike? Thanks!
Lantern Rouge! (Is still better than 99.9% of all other riders).
somethings can't be taught, they can only be learnt
Bike make me happy, buying some gear make me happy, but I’m not paid pro cyclist to dedicate my life. So taking it cool
Can you guys do a video on "7 years of brutal lessons on Pub cycling". :)🤣
Seven minutes of me, saying yes.
Well done you where clean
couple things conor on a endurance bike and no new sram red????
Conor, it looks like your bike setup is off. It seems that maybe you don't have the standard leg extension on that Canyon bike. Is that your preference, or am I mistaken?
You're worrying too much about this.
Decent advice
Been Irish you should have been well used to the pouring rain at the Vuelta
I'm better at recovering than actually training and doing intervals instead of just a chill ride
0:32 neither there are short headtubes
The "it doesn't go according to plan" lesson doesn't seem to be applying to Tadej Pogacar this year...
2 & 3 contradict one another.
Ollie 5 min video, Conor 7 min, should we expect a 3 min Hanks video? Is this a height correlation xD. Get ready Conor cos we wanna see You, Hank and Manon to ride 100km on e-bikes! \ô/
He’s Irish? Didnt know that as a fellow Irishman
What happened to Manon? I havent seen her in the videos lately
Eat as much pizza and drink as much beer as you like. Just enjoy the ride unless you want to win
Great title card assumed it said no...
Was number 1 basically don't dope?
😴
How tall are you? Your bike looks almost like a BMX bike!
Athletes Perform BETTER On ZERO Carbs! | Professor Tim Noakes
ruclips.net/video/GzIhfUX5i2I/видео.html
Yes there are shortcuts, it's called performance enhancing drugs and they work great. Widely used in professional sport.
That crash at the beginning of the video, was just plain art 😀
ruclips.net/video/cM9rfFDoWUg/видео.html
Where did Conors Irish stripes go?
"Every man and his dog has an opinion..." Nearby dog: "woof"
or just maybe they bought a woof off of an audio library....