Riding The Length Of A Country In A Day | GCN’s Epic Welsh Ride

Wales is a stunning country, and there’s plenty to enjoy for cyclists – mountains, valleys, beautiful countryside – so why not try to take it all in in one go? That’s exactly what Hank and Ollie have set out to do, armed with the latest Giant TCR, their goal is to ride the length of Wales in a day!

In association with Giant: www.giant-bicycles.com

Follow the route on komoot: https://www.komoot.com/tour/255022436

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Speaker: Today, we’re going to go on an epic ride. [music] Speaker: [cheers] Speaker: Ugh, getting steep around here. Ollie: My mullet power is going to attack you when we go uphill, Hank. [music] Ollie: [unintelligible 00:00:18] uphills, we’re dealing with the downhills. Hank: [cheers] [music]

Ollie: No one wants to watch us being sensible, Hank. Hank: What I am looking forward to when we get there, are we going to have chippy tea? [sound effects] [music] Ollie: We are in Llandudno to start an epic ride. Giant, the world’s largest bike manufacturer

Got in contact with us and said, “Hey, GCN, can you make a video that demonstrates how the new TCR is a superb, all-around total race bike? Hank: We had a think, and we thought the best way to demonstrate this was riding the length

Of Wales. Yes, one country in one day. Ollie: Wales is a savage place. Legend has it, it’s home to dragons. To be honest, I’m more worried about the mountains, the double-digit gradients, the unpredictable weather, and just how many place names I’m going to mispronounce

Over the course of this massive ride. Hank: Hang on there, Ollie. You’re going to mispronounce? Ollie: Yes. Hank: Gosh, I have no chance. Ollie: Speaking of which, [unintelligible 00:01:30] not describing the route. Hank: [laughs] No, he didn’t. Ollie: Here it goes. Hank: Our route begins in the beautiful North

Wales coastal town of Llandudno. From there, we’ll head south, past Conwy Castle, and into the heart of Snowdonia National Park, and past the town of Betws-y-Coed. From there, we’ll have 15 kilometers of uphill towards Penmachno, and we then roll through the mountains,

Past Llyn Celyn towards Bala for our first cafe stop and breakfast, 80 kilometers ahead. From Bala, we head back into the mountains, up Hirnant Pass, the highest point on our route. Then we head down the valley and into Powys and through Newtown. The riding from

Here to Hay-on-Wye is unrelenting, with many short, sharp climbs and technical roads. After climbing and descending Rhulen Hill, we plan to have a final stop at Hay-on-Wye. From there, we’ll have 95 kilometers to go as we traverse across to Monmouth and ride

Through the stunning wide valley and past Tintern Abbey and across the Severn Bridge back into England. 300 kilometers and 5,000 meters of elevation. Right, I hope I haven’t ruined too many of these place names. Ollie: Ideally, we’re going to need a bike

That is first and foremost fast, aerodynamic, and one that has aggressive racing geometry, so we can get into that aerodynamic position and just be as fast as possible. Hank: Tick. Ollie: We’re also going to need a bike that

Is light and stiff. With this much climbing in the route and some really steep sections, we’re going to need a bike that’s efficient on the climbs and just feels like home. Hank: Tick. Ollie: We’re also going to need a bike that’s

Comfortable because 300 kilometers, that’s a lot of shammy time, right? It’s going to have to have some compliance features built-in. Hank: A tick. This is the TCR Advanced Pro 0, and I love it. It’s got Ultegra Ti2 on it, carbon wheels, disc brakes, and, there’s

An added bonus, Ollie. It comes with a power meter as standard. Ollie: That is quite good. That is quite a nice one. Hank: I love it. Ollie: Where’s your bike? [music] Hank: Hold on a minute, Ollie. Why is your bike different to mine? Ollie: Is it?

Hank: Well, yes, it is, isn’t it? Ollie: Pretty much the same, isn’t it? Hank: Hold on a minute. It’s also lighter. Ollie: Yes. Don’t worry about that. 6.8 kilograms with pedals. Hank: What? Ollie: This is the Advanced SL 0, top of the range one.

Hank: How come you get that one? Ollie: I don’t know. I guess Giant wanted to showcase their range. Hank: Ah, great. Well, my one has a better colorway. Enough about the bikes, on to Conwy. I’ll race you. Ollie: Don’t think you pronounced that right. Hank: Oh. Ollie: Anyway. Hank: Well.

[music] Hank: All right. Here we go. We’re leaving the sea, heading inland, down south. Ollie: We were feeling apprehensive about how far we still had to ride, but the scenery soon took our mind off it, and the sun started to come out. [cheers] Just going past Conwy Castle now. Absolutely stunning mega castle.

I love a good castle. I’m a proper geek for castles. Hank: [inaudible 00:04:56] Ollie: That is so cool. [music] Hank: We’re going up to Betws-y-Coed. Ollie: Betws-y-Coed. Hank: Betws-y– Ollie: Betws-y-Coed. Hank: Betws-y-Coed. That’s the one. We have

To keep on the pace. It’s not going to be one of those slow, beautiful rides to take in all the sights and stop for loads of coffee stops. Oh, no, this is all about getting to the other side, to the Severn Bridge in daylight. [music]

Hank: We’re starting to climb up in the moors now. Ollie: Moors? We’re not in New Yorkshire. Hank: The moors of Snowdonia. The mountains of Snowdonia. Ollie: The mountains? The valleys. Hank: They feel like moors, though, don’t they? Ollie: Except there’s no moors [unintelligible 00:06:00] Hank: [unintelligible 00:05:59] [laughs] Oh, god.

Ollie: Your geography skills are always highly amusing. Hank: That’s one of the best things I like about riding with you. Ollie: Oh, cheers. [music] Hank: This is a tough climb. [unintelligible 00:06:30] stinging the legs, isn’t it? Ollie: We’re riding full thoroughbred race bikes, mate, so we’ve got to do a bit of racing.

I thinking, a couple of challenges along the way. Hank: Oh, god. Ollie: I get to pick a challenge, and I think you get to pick a challenge. Hank: Oh, I know what I’m going to pick. Ollie: I’m going to say Hirnant Pass, I’ve murdered the name, out of Bala. All right,

That’s the [unintelligible 00:06:54] of our route today, the highest point, long climb. I reckon we have a go up there and see who can get the king of the mountain’s points. Hank: What? To do a max effort in the middle of a 300k ride? Ollie: Yes. Hank: [laughs] Fair. I’m up for it.

Ollie: No one wants to watch us being sensible, Hank. Hank: Very true. All right. When can I pick mine? Ollie: Whenever you’d like. Hank: I need to think about it, and I’ll get back to you. [music] Hank: I have got a little surprise for you, mate.

Ollie: What? Hank: Well, the cafe we’re going to stop at is on the loch. Hopefully, we can have our coffee and enjoy the view. Ollie: Again, Hank, with the amazing geography skills, lochs are in Scotland, mate. It’s a lake. Hank: It was called Loch Cafe, so I thought

I’d just put two and two together. You know how my mind works, guys. Guys? Okay. [music] Hank: Here it is, Ollie. Cafe, stop one. 75 km, and this is our first stop of our three-stop strategy, isn’t it? I’m hoping for some proper Welsh cuisine. I’m going to leave mine here, just so.

[music] Ollie: Just had to indulge in a bit of bara brith, a local delicacy. It’s good ride food, this. It’ll get you around, that, it’ll get you around. Hank: I don’t know about two slices, mate, but- Ollie: There’s still a whole brick of it. Hank: -a whole cake will get you around. [music]

Hank: Well, we’ve managed to swing into a beautiful lake, grabbed a takeaway coffee. I’d have to say, it’s beautiful, isn’t it? Ollie: [inaudible 00:08:58] Hank: The sun’s out. Ah, stunning. What I really want to know, Ollie, is what the difference

Is between your bike and mine. Ollie: Well, mine is the top of the range one, the SL used by Van Avernmaet and the other pros, whereas you’re riding the Advanced Pro, which is the tier below that. There’s a few differences. The frame is a more sophisticated

Carbon layup in there, a bit more high modulus carbon. It’s a bit stiffer, it’s a bit lighter. It also has a special paint job on it, this one, something Giant calls ThinLine paint technology, which [unintelligible 00:09:31] 50 grams on the frame and gives this nice

Matte black look over a standard seven-layer paint job. Also, big difference is, on mine, you’ll see it’s got this integrated seat post, something that’s been a feature of top-end Giant bikes for a while now. It uses less material, having

An integrated seat post. You don’t need extra reinforcement, and the extra weight of the collar, so it saves weight as well. It’s said to make the frame that little bit stiffer as well. Very nice. Then the specs are a bit different as well. SRAM RED AXS on mine, and

Also these amazing CADEX 42 wheels with carbon aero spokes low-friction hubs. It’s top-of-the-range, a seriously bling bike. It’s amazing. Hank: It’s a nice bike, but it’s a bit like pets and their owners. You go for something that looks like yourself. I mean, you’ve gone

For a stiffer, lighter, more scientific version. I’ve gone for not-so-scientific but yet does the job and vibrant with the vibrant colorway, a bit loud and proud. I’m trying to say that I’m– Ollie: Anyway, they might be a bit different,

But they share a lot of the same tech. The frame tech that’s been used to build these bikes is really cool if you’re a nerd like me. It’s used lasers and robots, two of my favorite things, right? They use lasers to cut out 150 of the swatches of carbon rather

Than machine-cutting them, which makes it more accurate, more precise, makes the frame-building more consistent. Then the layup of those pieces, they’ve developed certain sections of the frame is laid up by robots now rather than by hand, which, again, improves accuracy and

Consistency, meaning they can get away with using less material because that material is used more efficiently, saves away in the frame. Hank: That’s an awful lot of knowledge, Ollie- Ollie: Cool. Hank: -that I didn’t know you had in your head. Anyway, what I really want to know is

What bike looks better to you, viewers? Ollie: Mine looks the best. Hank: It’s all about the paint job. My paint job, you know what that’s called? Ollie: What? Hank: Chameleon Neptune. Even for that, we’re

Going to post it on the GCN app, and we’re going to poll it to you guys, so you can vote which one looks the best. Ollie: ThinLine paint, that looks the best. Hank: No, no. Chameleon Neptune, mate. Ollie: All right. Hank: Chameleon Neptune, loud and proud. Ollie: Let’s go.

Hank: Right, we have got 230k to go- Ollie: Oh, mate. Hank: -and we’re on our second coffee stop. We need to a [unintelligible 00:11:47] on, even though I’d love to stare at this vista longer. All right, Ollie, stop thinking about robots. We’re off. Ollie, stop thinking about robots. Ollie: Robots are cool. [music]

Hank: Well, I just enjoy at that horrible [unintelligible 00:12:07] of yours. Ollie: [laughs] The flying mullet. Hank: The flying mullet. Ollie: My mullet power’s going to attack you when we go uphill, Hank. [music] Hank: Right, so Ollie was not wrong. Straight

Out of the cafe, [unintelligible 00:12:27] attacked me. He’s using his superior lightweight body and that superior lightweight bike to put some time into me. Ollie: All right. I’m trying to average over 400 watts for 6 minutes here, which is a lot

For me, but I managed to drop Hank on the King of the Mountains part. Getting steep around here, real steep. If you’ve never ridden a 6.8-kilo bike, my, oh, my, they feel amazing. Hank: I have a feeling he’s going to get these points, but don’t you worry. Up my sleeve,

I’ve got descending. Descending this mountain is going to be the next challenge, and I’m sure I’m going to hoover up the points there, and he’s going to burn his bullets, let me tell you. We’re still only 8k in. Let’s hope you don’t [unintelligible 00:13:29]

Ollie: Not the most sensible thing, doing a 6-minute full-gas effort in this ride, but King of the Mountain, got the jersey, secured the points, job done. What kept you? Hank: Nothing. Ollie: You look quite sweaty, mate. Hank: It went easy, it went easy, really. Too early in the ride to start putting some

Big power down. Ollie: You’re looking very sweaty. Hank: Anyway, I’ll give you those points, mate. All right. Next competition, descending. Ollie: What? Hank: Speed, cornering. You’ve got to take in all those to account. You’ve got to be a full-round bike rider. Are you ready? It’s

Not just about the mountain goats, it’s about the heavier physique. Ollie: You just picked a challenge that you know you’ll beat me at. Hank: Yes, that’s the game, isn’t it? All right, Ollie. You may win the uphills, but do you win the downhills? [music]

Hank: The roadside’s gone now, so let’s celebrate my descending win. Get in. I mean, to be fair, [unintelligible 00:14:38] win the descending. Where have you been? Ollie: It made me feel like Ilnur Zakarin going down there, mate. [music] Ollie: 120k in now. Hank’s stopped to do some

Faffing and had a wee, so I’m taking on some carbs. Hank: It is worth mentioning, to be able to film this, we’ve got our film crew with us, so we don’t have to use saddlebags, which is an added bonus. Full set of [unintelligible 00:15:20] tighten up the bottle cages. I’m good to go.

[music] Ollie: These lanes are so grippy. They really take your average speed off. We’re doing all right, though. We’re still on 29.5k an hour average, so we’ve been ticking along nicely, but ooh, long way to go. [music] At this point,

We’ve been so lucky with the glorious Welsh weather. We’re starting to believe what Manon repeatedly tells us, “It’s always sunny in Wales.” [music] Hank: We’re 185k in, and we’re trying to sit close to an average speed of 30k an hour,

So it’s not slow. I’ve got to say that these bikes, they’re not a full-on aero bike, but they feel deceptively fast, don’t they? Ollie: Yes, the TCR is not an out-and-out aero bike, you’re right, but that’s the whole point. It’s an all-rounder, and it does have

Aero features. I think there’s an important lesson as well and something that people sometimes forget, and that is, yes, aero bikes, they are faster, they do make a difference, but by far the biggest thing in terms of aerodynamics is you. The biggest impact on you is the geometry

Of the bike and being able to get into an aero position on the bike. A bike like the TCR has that classic racing geometry low front-end where you can really get low on the bars and tank out the k. Hank: Yes, like we’ve been doing, although not right now. Ollie: Right.

Hank: Basically, been like a two-up breakaway in the Tour de France today. Ollie: For 300 kilometers. Hank: 12 hours. [groans] [music] Ollie: About 250k into this ride, and oh, man, we’re both starting to feel quite tired now. I think there’s quite a lot of people

Who watch this and say, “Why didn’t you use the Giant Defy?” Because that’s their longstanding endurance platform with loads of comfort built in. Yes, you could go down that route, but we like to ride hard. We like to ride fast. The modern race bikes like the TCR, they’ve

Got so good at becoming more compliant because bike designers have learned how better to place carbon fiber to give compliance where you want it. Things like the tire clearance is just, on this bike, it’s 32 millimeters [unintelligible 00:18:47]. The versatility

Of that is just brilliant, and the amount of comfort that you can get from massive tires is great if you want it. [music] Hank: Look at that [unintelligible 00:19:20] Abbey, mate. Ollie: I don’t know if you’re playing GCN bingo. Tintern Abbey. Classic, big hit. 25k

To go. We’re not far now. Both feeling it. We’re just putting some lights on for a bit of safety, just as we rolled past Tintern, which is a beautiful, beautiful road. Hank: It’s been quite the ride. It’s 7:15, and we’re hoping to get there by 7:30, but

I don’t think we’re going to make it for 7:30. Lights are on. Ollie: Dare to dream, Hank. Hank: I know. Exactly. What I am looking forward to, though, when we get there, are we going to have chippy tea? Ollie: I like that you’re now into chippy teas.

Hank: We’ve got to have a chippy tea, don’t we? Ollie: We’re going to finish near a pub so I’m thinking pint. Hank: Oh. [music] Ollie: Right, we’re just going over the Severn bridge now. We made it. Woo, sun setting in the background. Hank: What a day. [music] Ollie: Oh, mate, what a day.

Hank: I know. Ollie: And that is Wales, that’s the Severn bridge and this is England. It might be dark, but we’ve made it. Hank: Yes. Ollie: 300K, ah. Hank: Wales in a day has been completed. Ollie: You can probably tell we are both absolutely

Battered. [laughs] Hank: 13 hours and 15 minutes riding– No, 10 hours and 15 minutes riding time in 13 and a half hours total time. I think in my book- Ollie: We’ve done well. Hank: -that was pretty good. Ollie: I’m pretty pleased with myself.

Hank: Oh gosh, we pressed on, but I just want to say a massive thank you to Giant for lending these amazing TCR’s, loved it. Ollie: I know, shame we’ve got to give them back really. Hank: Yes, it’s always the worse bit really.

Ollie: Well I hope you’ve enjoyed this video. If you have please give it a thumbs up. We’re going to go get a pint now and check out the routes on Komoot. Hank: Yes, definitely one for your bucket list. Ollie: Yes, definitely one worth doing. Hank: Right, I am going to get these legs

Into a pub and fill my belly with some good food. Tell you what- Ollie: Over and out. Hank: -how good is that bridge? Ollie: It looks amazing. Hank: Mate, it looks insane, isn’t it? Ollie: Oh come on, then let’s get some- Hank: Another epic ride done. Yes, boy. [laughs]

Ollie: Oh, I’m wrecked, oh. What have you done to me?