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    I Raced The World’s FASTEST Cyclists Up One of Spain’s HARDEST Climbs



    Rocacorba, a brutally steep and unrelenting climb located 15 kilometres north of Girona, is one of the premiere training climbs for pro cyclists who live in Europe. When I first came to Spain, it was a climb that pushed me to my absolute limit. In this episode I do a deep-dive into my attempt to race the world’s best cyclists up it. Because what good is the view, without the journey?

    See the ride on Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/9131209399
    Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tristantakephoto/
    View my photography: http://tristantakephoto.com

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    Music from Epidemic Sound: (free trial affiliate link): https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/slnb1q

    00:00 Intro
    02:13 Why THIS climb?
    05:53 Which pro cyclists?
    10:52 Coaching advice
    14:30 Bike setup
    21:41 Day of the climb
    24:35 Attempting the climb
    26:42 The result
    29:15 Chat with Paul Double – KOM winner
    32:35 Outro

    This training and riding footage was all filmed in Girona, Catalunya, Spain. A cycling destination quickly becoming popular with professional cyclists as well as amateur cyclists wanting a perfect cycling holiday. Girona has been home to many professional cyclists including Ben O’Connor, Jack Haig, Esteban Chaves, Ryan Mullen, George Bennett, James Knox, Dorian Godon, Jay Vine, and at one point George Hincappie, Lance Armstrong and Tyler Hamilton. Girona is used for training for races such as the Tour de France, Volta Catalunya, Vuelta Espana, Paris-Nice, Giro d’Italia and more. Teams such as INEOS-Grenadiers, Israel-Premier Tech Pro Cycling, Human Powered Health, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team, UAE Team Emirates and others use Girona for team training camps and rider testing.

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    View 41 Comments

    41 Comments

    2. Stephen Chu on

      It seems reasonable that a non-pro rider is approximately 3 minutes slower than the best WorldTour pro riders in a 30 minute effort. Vingegaard taking 3 minutes out of van Aert in a 30 minute effort is not reasonable. Something does not add up here.

    4. Andy King on

      Brilliant video, Tristan! Strava hoodoos strike again – grrrrrr. Can't wait to see you crack this one (cuz I know you want let this one go). All the best.

    9. Yavor L on

      @tristantakevideo you can try cutting the ride on strava so it ends with the moving time up, then refresh activity. It may work, it may not, if not, then you can reupload the old activity. Give it a try imo

    10. Ketzal Sterling on

      Just make a new segment. Strava 101. That segment is total junk. Proper Strava segments should always end 30-50m before the actual summit to account for GPS issues etc. Simply build a new segment. Call it the Official segment and put that ancient junk segment in the trash where it belongs…

    13. Mike on

      No worries Mate we don't need no stinkin Strava confirmation to see what you did! 😉 That was awesome & thanks so much for taking us along for the build up & the actual ride! I thought it was so impressive& interesting. Even after riding for decades I love to watch something like this Thanks! 👋

    14. MrBillboeing on

      Good job mate, I road for the first time Rocacorba, I had a rental bike, which was a bit on the heavier side. My goal was under 60 min and it worked out. Well I am in the mid 40‘s and 20kg heavier then you skinny guys 😂. If I would live there I would do it once a month. It’s just a nice climb up. I enjoyed my vacations around Catalonia.

    16. Marc LaFleur on

      Congratulations are reaching your goal with a great effort. I suggest you try again when the conditions are cooler and overcast. You will go at least 20 seconds faster. In terms of the video, it was really entertaining. Really good to see your history on the climb and your build-up to this effort. One aspect to discuss with your coach is the part of the video from 21:45 to 23:45. That part reveals your insecurities and mental blockers. Some work on these could unblock even more progress in your cycling. Best of luck, you are having a fabulous season on the bike and in the videos.

    22. Michael Fowler on

      Hey Tristan, do you mind me asking what power meter you use? as I am currently looking to put dual sided power meter onto my bike and am unsure which meter to choose as there are many all claiming to have the same accuracy.

    34. Marco Brotto on

      Hate when this happens on strava…i had a GPS malfunction on my stelvio climb and it missed my PB. Good thing i was wearing my garmin forerunner watch and i used its file instead of my headunit's one

    35. Louis Perriman on

      Why are you doing essentially a fasted ride when your goal event is 30 minutes long? You won’t be using any fats for that length of effort which is what the session is trying to imitate (even though the science out there is not convincing that it even works)

    37. Chris Foz on

      "I still haven't gone under 30 minutes" – Uh, yes you have. We saw it, you saw it. Your camera is more accurate than strava.
      Great effort, and great video.

    40. jondashun on

      Oh that agony when you pressed lap, saw that your time was fast so that you look forward to seeing the time on Strava and the segment is not recognised.🪦
      You have to go again which means another great video for your viewers.
      @tristantakevideo : Do you do group ride with “fans”?😅 I am planning a short trip to Girona later this year with a Rocacorba attempt. Not below 30 minutes though.🙈

    41. Glen Nicol on

      As you have friends who are pro riders… It might be interesting to do another attempt following the wheel of someone like Ben O'connor.

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