5 Things You Should Copy From Tour De France Pros | GCN Tech Show Ep. 340

Overheating can seriously sap your power and performance! Pro teams use advanced body temperature devices to gather data to boost performance, so why shouldn’t we? Join Manon and Conor to discover the other top tricks and habits that Tour de France pros use—tips every cyclist needs to know!

Plus, Manon & Conor talk about new heart rate tech from Wahoo, new climbs on Zwift, custom 3D printed saddles, comments of the week, and much more!

Thanks to ‪@wahoofitness‬ 👉 https://uk.wahoofitness.com/
Thanks to @Zwift 👉 https://www.zwift.com/uk

00:00 Welcome to the GCN Tech show!
00:31 What do Tour de France pros do that we should do?
08:48 Hot and Spicy TechOk
09:17 Curve Titanosaur 36er
13:07 New Wahoo Heart Rate Monitor Strap #AD 🤝 ‪@wahoofitness
13:51 Zwift’s expansion of Watopia: The Grade #AD 🤝 @Zwift
15:06 Visma-Lease A Bike’s new kit
15:49 Fizik’s custom 3D printed saddles
16:56 Comments of the Week
19:18 Bike Vault

Useful Links:
GCN Tech Uploader 👉 https://gcn.eu/techuploader
Everything Cycling. All In One Place 👉 https://www.globalcyclingnetwork.com
Visit the GCN Shop 👉 https://gcn.eu/gcnshop
GCN WhatsApp Channel 👉 https://gcn.eu/GCNwhatsapp
GCN Instagram Broadcast Channel 👉 https://gcn.eu/instagrambroadcast

Will you start doing any of these TDF pro habits? 🚴‍♂️🌡️

Let us know in the comments! 💬

Watch more on GCN Tech…
📹 How To Wash Your Bike Like A Pro Mechanic 👉 https://youtu.be/XzlWmumnQp0?si=JVr4CRNFix6yvH7o
📹 Watch our Editor’s Choice Playlist 👉 https://gcntech.co/EditorsChoice
📹 Watch the latest GCN Tech Show 👉 https://gcntech.co/GCNTechShow

🎵 Music – licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
when i hop – baegel

#gcntech #gcn #cycling #roadcycling #roadbike #bike #bikes #bikelife #biketech #gcntechshow #technews #biketech #cyclingnews

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

Brought to you by the world’s biggest cycling channel, the Global Cycling Network (GCN), GCN Tech is the only channel you need for all things bike tech – past, present and future.

Simply put, we’re obsessed with tech: we seek out and showcase the best in bikes, components, tech, accessories, upgrades and more from races and events, tech shows and product launches across the globe to bring you the best in road bike technology.

We’ve got great maintenance videos to help you get the most from your bike; pro-bike tours from all the biggest races; special features and the weekly GCN Tech Show!

Thanks to our sponsors:
Pinarello Bikes: https://gcn.eu/Pinarello
Topeak Tools: http://gcn.eu/Topeak
CamelBak: https://gcn.eu/Camelbak
Canyon Bikes: http://gcn.eu/-Canyon
Pirelli Tyres: https://gcn.eu/Pirelli
Orbea Bikes: http://gcn.eu/Orbea
Vision Wheels: http://gcn.eu/Vision
Wahoo Fitness: http://gcn.eu/Wahoo-Fitness
Park Tool: http://gcn.eu/-parktool
Selle Italia: https://gcn.eu/SelleItalia
Zwift: https://gcn.eu/Zwift
Silca: https://gcn.eu/Silca
MET Helmets: https://gcn.eu/methelmets
Strava: https://gcn.eu/strava
ShadowStand: https://gcn.eu/ShadowStand
Precision Fuel & Hydration: https://gcn.eu/precisionhydration
AGU: https://gcn.eu/AGU
Elitewheels: https://gcn.eu/Elitewheels

Watch our sister channels:
Global Cycling Network – https://www.youtube.com/@gcn
GCN Racing – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnracing
Global Triathlon Network – https://www.youtube.com/@gtn
GCN Italia – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnitalia
GCN en Español – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnenespanol
GCN auf Deutsch – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnaufdeutsch
GCN en Français – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnenfrancais
GCN Training – https://www.youtube.com/@GCNTraining
Global Mountain Bike Network – https://youtube.com/@gmbn
GMBN Racing – https://youtube.com/@gmbnracing
GMBN Tech – https://www.youtube.com/@gmbntech
Electric Mountain Bike Network – https://www.youtube.com/@embn

welcome to the GC and Tech show coming up on the show this week new heart rate Tech from Woo new climbs on Swift custom 3D printers Saddles anyone and our main talking point things that the Tor of France Pros do that we should too and seeing as I’m on the show this week I thought I’d hijack things slightly because I thought I and you should check out the titanosaur 36 in wield magical goodness okay let’s start this week’s show with our main talking point and it is things that the Tor France Pros do that we should to and before we get started it’s fair to say that the pros probably do a lot of things that we shouldn’t copy but there are a few things that we have listed that we can do yeah for sure and it’s not a case of just like doing it word for word I think it’s maybe just like seeing what other riders or athletes at the top of the sport are doing and maybe applying it to our own riding and see how we can improve too definitely but to start us off I think a big kind of focus at this year’s tour to France is heat management um conditions are so hot in France in the summer when this race is on that it plays such a key role in the race and deciding um kind of real big tactics actually as the race unfolds so one area that you can kind of look to improve here is using a body temperature sensor um which is really new tech at the moment isn’t it well the last few years I feel like Riders have been kind of triing them and secretly using them and now more and more Pros or teams are coming out you know openly saying they’re using them for performance benefits and in very basic terms is essentially using a piece of tech which is really noninvasive you’re putting it on your heart rate straps a little device that Clips in and and you’re using that alongside other metrics like heart rate data power data um or you kind of ride metrics uh and seeing how you respond to hot conditions and how you can kind of change things or look to change your training to at the end of the day perform better in the heat yeah and I think a lot of riders well everybody kind of has different adaptations of how they perform in heat and kind of go in hand in hand with this is kind of taking you know your electrolites and things like that I think that’s an important one that really does make a big difference to Performance I know you’ve done a lot of work with um procision food and hydration yet I’ve learned a whole heap about how to ride better in the heat um just from looking at my nutrition so this is another area where I think if you are someone that struggles in hot conditions um riding your bike as fast as possible you can really learn quite a lot it’s quite new tech but I think as like things progress um and we all learn how to use it better then um I think it’s really going to help us all yeah it will next up wider tires it is a trend I think that is continuing to grow rers opting for wider like with tires rather than the really narrow ones which we’re kind of used to seeing in procycling um we often go for wider tires present here at you I always do mainly for Comfort reasons but that’s not the only reason to go for wi tires is it matter better rolling resistance it’s also a lot yeah a lot more comfortable and it is faster it is and also bikes are being more and more optimized for wider with tires now so it’s not a question whereas before it’ be kind of like if you went for a wider Tire be losing out aerodynamically but that’s not really the case anymore with how frames are so yeah and it is one of the easiest cheapest upgrades you can make it is a bang for your buck kind of upgrade it doesn’t cost much and you know we need to replace our tires every now and again anyway so may as well try out some wider tires and see how they feel because the pros are us them so they have to be good right yeah plus the toour FR Pros are trying to ride as fast as possible really everything on the line most of the time we’re not really doing the same thing we’re trying to R fast we’re also trying to enjoy our rise too so actually you go even wider than what the pros use I think and it would really benefit you yeah right next up wax chain now Alex and Ollie aren’t here so this would have probably been top of the list if they were here but we’re going to put it in anyway because we’ll probably get told off if yeah we kind of had to begrudgingly add it and admit they are right um especially in the summer months I think we are talking to of France here hot conditions very very dry for me personally in such conditions I’d always go for a wax chain now it’s worked for me I’d understand if it how works for you um but yeah for me there’s less maintenance the drive TR runs super smooth let’s be honest um components we out don’t wear out as quick which is all kind of big plus points for me there’s a bit more faf involved yeah there is you have to you know buy a few extra productss and it can be a little bit more expensive and it can take a bit more time but just think about it in the long run it might save you money because components haven’t worn out on your bike because you know you haven’t got all that dirt and grime in them that would normally wear them out yeah so I think for me to of FR Pros definitely doing it yeah I would in the hot summer months think it’s and I mean if Alex and only bang on about it all the time it has to be quite good yeah wax that chain right next up now custom insoles and shoes I think pretty much every Pro is getting some sort of combination of this done before big race or before the season even starts it’s something I definitely did when I was racing um I had four custom insults made and for me personally I think it’s actually one of the biggest game changers you can make it feels like you’re wearing slippers on your bike it you don’t think it’s going to make that much of a difference you know you’re quite used to your normal insoles but then when you have the custom ones they are good yeah and when I stopped racing I actually just decided not to use them again I just went to normal setup um and then I found a pair back in my in my workshop so I put them back in my shoes just to see and oh my gosh makes such a difference I totally forgot it I really underestimated it so for me it is one you really should try and do and I for me like an example I’ve got really high arches so I’m not actually using custom insoles I’m using just an inso support so it just kind of matches my foot and my my um my Arch I tell you the power transfer is insane because it’s just like straight away you have that support whereas before it would like be my foot collaps it’s probably quite uncomfortable when you’re riding you know long distances makes a big difference of comfort yeah so that for me is one aspect to you a bite fit I definitely copy and talking about bik fit B fit bik fit yeah it is one of the number one things I think that performance yeah if you’re racing or you’re not racing you’re just riding casually being comfortable and being like optimizing you know your body to your bike is super important and I think bike fit should be up there pretty high on the list for everybody because you know you don’t want to be riding in a position where you know you’re going to get a IG on it’s going to cause you pain and you stop enjoying your riding yeah and it’s not just about kind of injuries either I think you can do so much to kind of improve yourself on the bike but if you don’t get your bike foot right in the first place you really your ceiling is quite low you’re just not going to be able to push past that cuz your bike fit is going to be letting you down in terms of comfort and power transfer so for me it’s almost a number one thing you need to do um if you want to ride a bike fast or even comfortably um so Pros would do this at the start of the Season normally in the Autumn so anyone in the toil FRS now they have got this sorted back in the Autumn they maybe looked and reassessed as things go on because your muscles do change your flexibility changes um so you might reassess again like a quiet a time in the season and which something I recommend to you too you know you want to kind of sort this before any big goals get used to it see how how it works and then you can kind of build your training up towards whatever you’re targeting if you do have a goal cuz depending on how much you ride your bike just I advice to be so fussy like even it’s the smallest tweak on my bike a few millimeters of a saddle height I could feel it and yeah it takes if you’re riding your bike day and day out it does take a while to get used to so make sure you give yourself enough time to you know say it takes a while if you are making tweaks to get used to that riding position so yeah good time yeah for sure maybe even try and find a local bik fter who’s pretty well renowned you can work with as the year progresses and you know check things are all working okay because as we said at the start it’s going to help with keeping you injury free too yeah so that’s all List have you got anything else to add anything else that’s popped to mind or I I was going to add skin suits like AOS suits because I feel so nice to ride fast with it’s just another points that I knew Alex and olly would had and they they’d have AOS socks they have the have everything what call the fast bra things they all yeah they’ have you only need these things if you wanting to Race fast let’s be honest and you’re wantan to kind of get results but at the same time it can be quite nice to feel feel yourself cutting through the wind like a like a wind shark don’t know if that’s such a thing but quite nice I’ve never heard of a wind CH before but so we could add that to this but let us know down in the comments section below if you’ve heard of a wind shark or there anything else in the to of fries which you think maybe as Riders back back out in the lanes should be copying too it’s now time for hot and spicy deck and Conor we’re kicking things off with some dinosaurus Rex thing yeah so something hold bear with me something a bit different on the tech show this week so Australian bike brand curve are known for some insanely cool looking bikes mainly titanium but something else peaked my fancy and soon as they’re passing through GC and HQ I thought I’d take a look and bring you with me I’ll stay here then see you in a bit Connor right so I’m joined by Jimmy and Gus from curve and they’ve brought with them the titanosaur 36 in wheels on this bad boy it’s pretty incredible in real life I love 36in wheel bikes um and this is pretty special it’s one of the first I’ve seen with like it’s it’s a proper setup carbon rims titanium frame I gave it a little spin earlier and it it feels pretty cool but tell me a bit more about it Gus like where did this bike come from why are you trying to bring it to the kind of the mass Market in a way well this idea started from our adventures crossing the Outback in Australia where we have loads of gravel roads that are really corrugated and when you ride all day you’re you’re just getting shaken um riding a riding a 29er or 7 100 C Rim so during all those Miles when you’re getting beaten like that you sort of start to think and we had these ideas to what if we could eliminate a lot of that lot of that banging and flattering that you get all day and using that bigger tire puff and the idea was to to only touch the tops of the corrugations um and so we had this idea and we talked about it and and theorized it and Jimmy I had engineer here did a lot of work on the geometry because we wanted to build the bike to still hand handle and react as a as a as a good gravel bike should but in that bigger platform so yeah there’s a few differences to to some other 36ers that you see out there and uh that was really the idea behind the bike um and then we went and did a lot of riding and testing on it in real life and it turned out to to ride really really nicely but then we heard about the 200 CM club and we we we learn about all these Giants who are who are struggling to find the bike that is suitable for them it’s it’s long enough stable enough and and strong enough to handle the power that they put out um and you know these were guys that were you know struggling to go bike packing and gravel riding and adventuring with their mates just because they they it’s so hard for them to find the bike that fits uh so that’s that’s how it came to be and um yeah it’s been it’s been a long process of of Designing it and and and putting it together but yeah here we are in the UK showing it off to people and yeah getting some cool reactions well I’m like already a massive convert to bigger Wheels coming from someone who’s 6’8 tall um and I know how it rolls so well over the rougher ground like the the L AO bike which we built it was always let down by the fact the wheels were quite heavy you guys have managed to get carbon rims on this um and they it feels like so like next level how did you manage to get 36in wheel rims in carbon so yeah we we work a lot with carbon like we obviously that’s like how curve started Carbon wheels and we found a manufacturer that willing to to work with us to to to just get something done and we Tri them out and uh yeah here we are this kind of they’re very similar to our normal 29er Rim dir Hoops but just size up nice well Bo it’s so cool to see in real life so like big thanks for for bringing it by GC and HQ and showing us um I think I might just take it for a little spin again now can’t resist but yeah Mega stuff cheers guys right I I’ll try and come back I can’t guarantee it well that was pretty cool is that is proper cool that was cool I love the name it gets me so excited I mean those wheels are insane I want I just it felt so different to elto it was like elto but like on steroids Next Level Next Level that’s cool I do love elto don’t get me wrong I do love elto but yeah watch and don’t forget that’s actually on a crowdfunding to try and get this over the line and see if they can kind of make this for anyone to buy which I think is really cool for the big Riders out there something different all smaller Riders even as well yeah exactly so yeah any of riding we love it we’ve got more hot Tech coming in coming in hot we have a brand new heart rate monitor strap from W haven’t we Conor yep so this is kind of the latest iteration of wo’s heart rate strap it’s got a claimed 100h hour battery life they’ve done away with a coin cell um battery that’s within the strap so this is changes fully rechargeable well who says more reliable than ever it’s Amp plus connectivity Bluetooth connectivity can actually pair it with multiple devices at once up to three up to three devices which is pretty cool um straps totally redesigned too for a bit more Comfort um so I’m getting Qui back into my riding these days and trying to like up my fitness and heart rate so important in that so for me this is going to be useful bit of Kit it will so last week we saw the new zift ride being launched and we did a few videos on that as well if you want to go check them out but they have also had a few more announcements over on the platform and they have the grade which is an expansion of watopia and it is essentially a 3.5 km climb which averages 88.6% 8.6% yeah so but the interesting thing about this climb and how it’s been added so basically so if say they’ve kind of cross cross referenced 700,000 FTP tests that’s a lot of FTP test do that many there a lot of data on their hands there and basically what they’ve done is they found a way of using this data to work out your FTP after an effort on the grade so basically all you have to do is ride up the grade as hard as you can and at the end of it they’ll have a fairly accurate idea of what your FTP is and tell you what it is so you could either do an FTP test or you can just ride up a 3.5 K clim yeah in in in your ride on zwift so it’s just pretty handy just ride through and so I I think personally I would say like a long format FTP test is going to be more accurate slightly but if you’re crunch the time or you don’t want to go through the full process of that sort of idea yeah then this is is pretty cool actually very cool I like that nice next up in hot Tech Vima Lisa bike have changed their kits for the tour I love how teams do this and they always seem to save their best design for the special occasion so chains of jerse is more of kind of blue design it’s really different isn’t it it is a lot I I like it you know what else they changed their bikes too so the bike designs changed I thought it was quite funny though how inter marate like sent a little message on social medias saying that they copied their bik really ohed does look very similar you put next to each other so I don’t know where they got the inspiration from I’m sure it was just a happy coincidence but bit of fun bit of fun but hopefully we’ll see a few more kind of jerseys and bikes released you know within this week build up to the tour yeah bring be really exciting yeah um next up though custom 3D printed Saddles this is quite cool so physique have launched this kind of like custom 3D printed process where you can kind of go you get proper mapping done of your position on the bike and the saddle you get the saddle really like custom made to you and you say that and You’ probably think it’s pretty expensive maybe you know edging towards £1,000 for you know the Mapp in the saddle being made but it comes in at a price of £499 $499 or no $499 or $599 which you know for a saddle that could solve a lot of problems yeah and I’m always hearing from people who do have quite a lot of problems down there saddle region and if that solves it for you and it is it’s probably worth the money I know yeah it is a lot more than a normal saddle but if you think about you know the saddle could make your rid inter development I think in the saddle world but that is about all we have time for I think it is in hot Tech this week quite a lot there actually it was yeah I guess it’s now time for comments for the week do you do do you want to do jingle do a jingle I don’t know if I want to do a jingle man jingle no jingle I won’t Force you because I’m looking for a bike let wait Arrow we just put Hank clip in there I’m looking for a bike that’s lightweight carbon loud hubs Arrow Arrow Arrow Arrow the first comment this week is from Alex’s video where it was post post crash checks to do to your bike and someone said I’d love to see a a video well me and Connor actually did do it’s quite a while ago now but we did a video with a team of first aiders um basically what you should do when you or someone else crashes around you you know literally from really extreme stuff to you know you’ve just fallen off and you’ve got a bit of a Grace so yeah go check that out it’s on the gcn channel yeah next comment from bike and dog trips the two most important actions are take following a crash I’ll stop your cycling computer upload your partial right to sta not wrong not wrong there yeah always get on to stra and under last week’s show we had did we decide that stage lights were just too much this week it has been a big week big week hopefully this is looking a bit brighter me yeah although I don’t know sometimes I’m too bright because I shine like above the lights you shine above the lights shine yeah I’m like a giant Angel it’s not a bad thing let’s swiftly move on anyway andne customize your bike we user d y4x y that that is one hell of a username your name easy alternative options keep riding one bike for a long time or buy a used bike a couple Generations old they will stand out in the crowd because the bike design philosophy has changed quite a bit in the last that is true that is true I feel like bikes from you know 10 15 20 years ago really do stand out now yeah yeah so next up and Powerful text the pros aren’t using but you can went in from Andrew that says love the cinematography in this video but hey when you have the Alps as b roll you can’t go wrong and there was another one that said sorry what is this video about I was too busy looking at the stunning scenery yeah he can’t beat the out beautiful right then you know what time it is now man on it is the B rip ring out the Bell should you get straight into it I guess I guess we probably should let’s dive straight into that bite Vault Madam we all know how the bite Vault works bring the energy bring the energy we vote your bike to be nice or super nice and if it’s super nice the Bell gets Rong so Conor what have we got up first so first up this is from dback Petty Marita Speedo Road handlebars I finally did this rebuild change the handlebar Mar speeda from Flat to Road this my computer bikes has fenders but it’s now faster more versatile than ever sh five derailers I take shifters and brakes Vision TRX 30 wheel set Victoria Rabino Pro 28 mil tires this is my best bike ever and I got to say Al absolutely stunning it does look stunning absolutely stunning and there’s not much wrong with it really that white Bart tape is looking pretty crisp as well I do worry about white Bart tape it doesn’t look that nice when it gets scrubby the mud guards are on it yeah I like the mud guards being just put straight on that they do look neat we’re not in Biggy Smalls though what are you saying to that Connor I we’re going to be a to put it through b I thought we going be able to put it through it’s very close I think it’s very close it’s an absolutely standing bite for me you know what I’m putting it through because I’m here you you have your moment to my moment and it is through to the bite F next one in from Hit 24 what have we got here I’m a huge huge pogy fan and made in my mission to support him oh so I see what he’s done here with the pink little decals from jro colago that is pretty nice looking very nice that is pretty nuts very busy background valves aren’t aligned valves aren’t aligned but I me it is still pretty bag in that that is that is a very you can’t really look like a he quite hard you a pretty cool rolling around on that it’s quite hard not to put that in the bite I love the little pink decals yeah I think it’s that right next up next up weight weenie build sub4 Tac sl8 that’s 6.32 kilos for those of you in metric uh submission by taoris 11 oh this is naughty this is very naughty so this has got pretty much like all the F oh it’s got gold so dur drivve train carbon TI Road gold chain as well gold chain it’s got a gold chain Goldie looking chain a gold chain it’s got to go oh sorry m i just looking at the bike I you leave me hanging there I just thought you’re really excited about the gold chain do you not do you not remember what we do here at the gcn I forgot about oh but okay gold in ages we’ve got um T side D well which are very cool Princeton um W set that is but then we’re not in Biggy Smalls it’s mad maybe in Biggy Smalls anymore end right at the end it’s let down bar the Val lined where where the that is a banging that’s a banging bike but we can’t put too many through we can’t sneak too many on we can’t sneak them through we’re getting trouble get that bigy Smalls into action right FR Bull with the next one man take it away oh we have a oh canadel CAD 14 replica frame in 36 CM from 2003 oh this is cool 63 cm as well as my size man got campag super record 11 speed group set 6.8 kilos it weighs 6.8 kilos that is nice that is nice for a big bike like that just goes to show Rim brakes gosh there’s quite a lot of very very nice bikes that Wheels say nearly 20 years old now um like you can’t go wrong with that can you I like this a lot that is very very bad if we super nice another one yeah this is super nice in I don’t care 6 C I’ve never seen one never seen one the take show before go straight through straight through like a cannonball exactly Conor the blue light is next from hoo 2022 SX divers gravel bike let’s see oh this is a this is a bit of you as well to me look at these bags on there good old bag set up I love this Frame that is a lovely looking frame who makes the bags let’s see what the bags are I’m going to Classic I straight to see what the bags are it’s not the yeah I know we these a bag Vault that’s what I think bag Vault I do like the bike though it’s like got kind of like camo style almost isn’t it like patterned it’s patented um very look I think bags make a bikes look better I’m sorry really I think you gra they do they they look good when they’re neat and like that it looks good but sometimes they can be a little bit messy and you can have bits hang off it always looks better so I’m put this through been very naughty very very naughty one more is it man on oh my God I think this one this is the last one this one’s going through as well oh gosh we put them all through have we no we put one one we didn’t put through no I think we put them all through I think we did put them all through right this a Richie Road logic CM I mean look at it banging those spinachy Wheels spinaches straight on that thing where have you got all this energy from a mad one I a titanosaur gave me energy the spinies looks sick that a super nice for me as well yeah a super nice it just don’t put your fingers in them those bottles any spokes actually um one finger less well Connor we’ve made it to the end of the juicy and texture hopefully Alex and Ollie have watched this and they’ve been okay with the amount of bikes we’ve super niced and everything else that we have done but let us know in the comments section below what you thought of the show what you thought of our main talking point if there’s anything that we missed and what you thought of Connor’s tanur Rex bike yeah give it a thumbs up just for the titanosaur please if you do thanks everyone for watching we’ll see you on the next video hopefully