We Race The BEST Riders On The Planet…Here’s What Happened

Jonas Vingegaard and Sepp Kuss. Grand Tour winners and two of the biggest names in professional cycling. They are amongst the fittest men on the planet, with legs and minds of steel. No one can beat them. Or can they? We have the perfect athlete to challenge the Visma Lease-A-Bike’s lead riders. Dan Lloyd. Can the pull-up king push Kuss and Vingegaard out of Zone 2?

In association with @Zwift 👉 https://gcn.eu/zwift2024

00:00 Intro
02:03 Race route
02:29 Race start
05:44 5 minutes into the race
06:50 Effort level gauge
07:09 Tidepool sprint
12:25 13km into the race
12:52 2km sprint lead out
14:15 Race finish
15:48 Dan’s final thoughts

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📸 Photos – © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sprint Cycling Agency

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When zwift contacted us recently to say we had an opportunity to race yonas vinor and seus the two most recent Grand Tour winners I immediately put my hand up there was no doubt in my mind I was the person for this job I’m the person

Take on two of the best riders in the world sorry I’m just in a swift ride I’ll have to call you back he’s robbing us now streaming set to get back to Yus you’re pulling for it the wrong tactics I would say 600 me oh my God sandwich between Grand to Winners oh

God none of us really need an introduction but I shall do one anyway yonas vineer 27 years old Danish sep cus 29 years old American Dan and Lloyd 43 years young British between the three of us we have won 37 Pro races including the tour to France twice stages of the

Criterian to do and the Welter at exra Madura 2008 brutal race worthy winner basically we are three Titans of cycling so who would win a race between me yonas and sep would you know what I think it could be quite close between yonas and sep of course for second place

In all seriousness there is not a cat chance in hell that I’d be able to stick with these guys I wouldn’t have done in my Heyday let alone 15 years past my Prime you know that I know that everybody knows that and so we had to devise an alternative plan an

Alternative game just how hard will yonas and sep two of the world’s best pro cyclists have to work to beat me one of the world’s worst xpro cyclists will they even need to breathe through their mouth will they even look in the least bit late labored it’s time to find out

Here’s the route that we’ll be tackling today it’s the island Hopper which takes on two Loops of the urui island complex a total of 18 km with 128 M of elevation gain most of that in the second half it should take me somewhere around 30 minutes to complete at my current

Fitness if you can even call it Fitness if they were racing yonas and set would probably finish around 8 minutes in front of me but today all they need to do is pick me to the Finish Line you put your correct weights into here or you

Got your race weights I don’t know I think mine is the race weight so probably it’s bit cheating already sorry about that a change B what’s your rway 45 kilos yeah I’m 58 here 1 minute 20 to go if you want to beat me you got to be

Actually in the race I’m I’m just curious I can of change it so yeah how confident are you feeling y had a training this morning already so set tired legs are taking over okay ready to for a hot start it’s not going to be a hot start normally when you do a more

Than this you do like a sprint out off the Stu yeah well I won’t be doing that well I could do I’m geared I’m in the big ring I could do five seconds cuz I don’t you don’t pay for that do you physiologically no you don’t build leg tap you got to start

Hard Four 3 2 one but one Sprint for 5 seconds got read the face uh body I’ve already reached almost 800 ws and now I’ve gone below 200 okay oh it’s creeping back up to 300 I know I can’t sustain that no now we’re just playing games with you uhoh comes a swingshot

Oh after 45 seconds I’m at almost 150 heart rate bearing in mind that my Max is probably lower than yours given my age what’s your max I’ve got no idea I know what my max heart rate was 12 years ago I watch 192 in theory it should have dropped 10

Beats since then what is it your age minus wow yeah that’s the B calculation 220 minus your age which will put mine at 177 all right we got to play our our tactical card no okay I have a good okay 2 minutes in I’ll block for you no you’re not

Blocking I’m sitting on your wheel I’m sling set to get back to yonus just to let you both know this is how quickly Fitness drops off if you don’t ride your bike for a decade the good thing is you’re more fresh at least you know yeah yeah I’m very fresh you

Got the peak power in all seriousness it’s like if I think back to what power I used to average on recovery rides like about 170 normally I wasn’t really looking at it but it literally felt like the weight of my legs pushing the automatically generate the power and now

I go out and if I did 2 hours about that it really feels like a proper workout yeah yeah but for us too when we start the season it’s uh you really feel like you start from from zero you think how how will I ever be a remember again I remember how much

Different it felt after just three weeks yeah yeah you’re in the green jersey yeah yeah how how ironic so coming up to 5 minutes in on a scale of 1 to 10 Jonas what’s your effort score one or two one two I take two s

About two two 10 I sister CL now we’re here I’m back no I got to catch up now now they worri now now I will help you instead block for me yeah I did do some training and preparation for this two ride on the first and second of

January and that’s been it you’re starting the year oper right yeah with hangover on the first of January then uh well yeah I had I had quite a bit on but I don’t suffer with hangovers thankfully genetically gifted yeah it’s lucky sorry I’m just in a swift ride I’ll have to call you

Back I’m starting to sweat there we go right 9 Minutes in effort level 1 to 10 step the same about two still two this got sweat on no I’m I’m I’m I’m growing into it but I’m really working into the all just let you know I’m eight

I would also say too what power are you at right now 190 yeah I’m 240 didn’t make that much difference in with the weight uhoh Sprint coming up 350 M that’s too far for to Sprint they ready short oh no I see it the banner now they’re ready I’m not

Going toother doing it that’s I am oh jeez that was the Finish l oh that does that me I won the Sun lights on our screens oh now the 170 heart you won yeah you have the best time yeah so oh man best time in the spring heart it’s amazing how much

Fitness you lose cuz obviously 15 years ago i’ have been smashing these two I’m afraid when I uh when I stop how quick it goes oh my Cadence has really dropped as well you need another gel you got to go backstage for a even though I’m going really hard right now

It’s going up the actual calories I’m burning at my power I’m probably not going to get through the 90 gam gel I had now there’s a be this is part of my plan less than halfway through my heart rate had already crept up towards 170 and even though my expectations

Weren’t High to begin with the reality of the size of the chasm between me and the world’s best was brutally evident I was already on my limit and time seemed to be standing still the time’s flying by though yeah only 10K left I don’t think we’ve even got to the

Climb yet this is going to be more than half an hour for me for us oh I Dred everyone oh I dropped everyone while you on the I’m bringing Dan up to you we ride against each other yeah yeah 169 heart rate I’ve got cardiovascular drift

What is that it’s where your heart rate Rises to the same power gradually if you’re very fit it normally doesn’t at one point it does eventually yeah eventually I guess not normally after 16 minutes how much over your race weight did you get this witer if you’re allowed

To say um I don’t know I usually try not to check until uh around now at one point you look at yourself yeah I I usually just go for the mirror test I just check in every once in a while look at myself in the mirror and

See if the bones that normally poke out poke out and if not uh I don’t know probably four or five kilos oh well quite a bit Yeah but it I do the same did you hit G Thomas complaining in his podcast that you are naturally skiny and he has to work

Hard yeah that that that also comes with age that’s what they say fir back I’m afraid when I stop that I will gain more fat than I lose weight put away une easily yeah pretty yeah maybe it’s also the amount of food that I eat in well that’s where I’m

Really lucky is that my my appetite completely mirrors how much exercise I’m doing so I I always used to have the same thing three weeks off in the offseason yeah I couldn’t wait I eat anything I want and about a week G I’d be like I’m

Just I’m not really hungry for me it’s a different kind of hunger or appetite like the appetite I have after a ride is is always the nicest kind of appetite yeah yeah but then I always have that appetite I always have to step on the scale after two or three weeks in the

Offseason and I get a shock every every time it might be the hair on the legs half a kilo yeah nice nice and warm take care oh I’ve got a truck Sven Sven I need a truck get this truck I think you need someone in front of you because it’s it’s Drafting

And leave it leave it now is not pushing he’s freeing that was a nail in the coffin for D both of us with our our power up things are you free behind me yeah no we’re in front of you now we’re coasting now now you have

To work a lot of glare on the screen which is why I can’t see exactly what’s going On how far is to go 5 K you’re getting back now but at least we got there he’s coming with speed getting Arrow I’ll CL it I’ll CL like then we also go Arrow yeah he’s robbing us now SE yeah out of 10 SE still a high two a high two

Yeah can I get a high five from y sure 174 heart rate I saw then that’s crazy isn’t it I’m one one 25 24 4ks to go are you you’re pulling for us it’s the wrong tactics I would say the wrong tactics indeed but in this race no

Amount of clever riding is going to change the end result at this point a whopping 13 km in the finished can’t come soon enough for me quite frankly I just want to be put out of my misery you have a Sprint in you for uh for the final in my Peak I could

Do 1350 Watts maybe okay that’s it’s more than me more than me also 175 heart rate I’m going to do the lead out 2K lead Out told you I was the man for the job 176 that’s the highest heart rate I’ve seen for a long long long time with 2 km remaining the three of us were locked together in the most uneven Battle of the century whilst I was approaching a heart rate I’ve not seen

In years and one which disproves the 220 minus your age Theory Jonas and set we’re on the verge of taking an unplanned afternoon nap 77 oh it’s uphill finish St it’s just sitting in your wheel letting you do all the way 600 M oh my God F push oh oh you’re making it across St nice right I made 10 I think I’m on a on a three now I made it to three see about that two or three it’s always different feeling on the on the trainer versus outside so oh

God was uh how much were you on 10 10 out of 10 no you beat me though again I did yeah yeah sandwi between Grant or winners I mean it was a privilege for me to ride with two such good Riders and I fight I think it might be a kick out the

Backside to ride my bike a little bit more what you reckon you have 180 170 I think uh 185 190 yeah okay you got 216 okay right thanks again both for your time you thank you hope you enjoyed it should we reconvene in 15 years time and see where

You’re at sure maybe 26 how old are you 26 I’m 27 now 27 how old are you now 43 but then I want to do it against you again in 20 years yeah yeah well like I said we’ll go again and uh we’ll see you in what would it be

2039 2039 yeah 2039 pencil pencil it in yeah I’ll put it in my calendar my phone a reminder one week before yeah yeah I’ll get a reminder every Year I’m genuinely shattered and we are now 3 hours past that legendary whift race which has been a little bit of a wakeup call I would say for me I mean obviously I knew I wasn’t going to be pushing them hard but I did at least

Think that they might get to a four maybe a five out of 10 perceived exertion but the maximum I push St C to was a high two and I think Jonas vinor was at about the same point I already had a New Year’s resolution that I was

Going to be spending more time on my bike this year but after that I have realized just how unfit I am right now and I need to do something about it bit of weight training quite a lot more time on the bike this year anyway less about

Me I really hope that you enjoyed this video today thanks go to vizal Lisa bike of course and yonis and set for being great Sports and to zwift for setting this race up it’s been an absolute privilege to ride two such class Riders if you have enjoyed this video please

Share with your mates and give it a thumbs up