40km In 50 Minutes!? We Ride The World’s Fastest Bike Course

Riding 25 miles in under 50 minutes was once considered an unbreakable cycling barrier, famously shattered by Alf Engers in 1978. The GCN Super Nerds are teaming up with Conor Dunne as their DS to see if modern aero road bikes, smart training, and live communication are enough to average 30mph on one of the world’s fastest courses. Can they beat the clock, or will the traffic and the uphill finish ruin their attempt?

🤝 In partnership with:
@senatechnologies 👉 https://gcn.eu/BiKom20
@wahoofitness 👉 http://gcn.eu/Wahoo-Fitness
@Insta360

‼️ Correction: the radius on the Sena BiKom 20 is *actually* 0.5 miles (800m) 😉

⏱️ Timestamps ⏱️
00:00 – The 30mph Challenge
00:42 – The History of the “50”
02:49 – Secret Weapons: Tech & Comms
04:16 – The Training Test
07:35 – Race Strategy & Safety
10:12 – Bike Check: Is This Cheating?
13:55 – The Challenge Begins
16:42 – The Suffering Starts
20:55 – The Final Drag to the Line
23:50 – Did We Make It?

Useful Links:
Join this channel to get access to perks 👉
https://gcn.eu/JoinYTmemberships
Subscribe so you don’t miss a thing! 👉 https://gcn.eu/subscribe
Insurance: Viewers in the USA and UK can explore GCN Insurance products 👉 https://gcn.eu/GCNinsurance
Sign Up To The GCN Newsletter 👉 https://gcn.eu/Newsletter
GCN Uploader 👉 https://gcn.eu/gcnuploader
Visit the GCN Shop 👉 https://gcn.eu/gcnshop
GCN WhatsApp Channel 👉 https://gcn.eu/GCNwhatsapp
GCN Instagram Broadcast Channel 👉 https://gcn.eu/instagrambroadcast
Join the GCN Club on Zwift and ride with us! 👉 https://gcn.eu/GCNClubRides

A 25-mile time trial in under 50 minutes requires averaging over 30mph! 🚀 What is the fastest average speed you’ve ever managed to hold for a significant distance? Let us know your stats in the comments! 👇

Watch more on GCN…
📹 https://youtu.be/X1oNnYC4Rhc
📹 Watch our Editor’s Choice Playlist 👉 https://gcn.eu/editorschoice
📹 Or why not check out our Features Playlist 👉 ​​https://gcn.eu/gcnfeatures

🎵 Music – licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
An Oath to the Gods – Dream Cave
BACKZBACK – STRLGHT
Boundless – Ooyy
Built to Kill (Instrumental Version) – Torii Wolf
Burn the Boats – Will Harrison
Casual Chic – Ava Low
Desert Fire Blues – Will Harrison
Don’t Trip – Amber Spill
Floating Leaf – Chill Cole
HAMMER – MXRPHEUS
Lately (Instrumental Version) – I’MIN
Leaving Traces – Anna Landstrom
Marauder – Tigerblood Jewel
Pet Detective – Stationary Sign
Pose (Instrumental Version) – ALICE
Rhythmania 2 – August Wilhelmsson
Saltine – Tigerblood Jewel
Sciphy – Azucares
So Done (Instrumental Version) – I’MIN
Somewhere Above – Gerard Franklin
The Beginning of an Era – Bonnie Grace
Time is Up – Hampus Naeselius
War on a Sunday (Instrumental Version) – Witchitaw Slim

#gcn #cycling #roadcycling #roadbike #bike #bikes #bikelife #AD

📸 Photos – © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sirotti Images

The Global Cycling Network (GCN) is the largest online cycling channel in the world, bringing together a global community of road cyclists to celebrate everything that’s great about the world of cycling.

Our videos bring fans compelling daily content including expert tutorials, techniques, training, racing, cutting-edge bike tech, unparalleled behind the scenes event coverage, humour, entertainment, and more.

Presented by ex-pro riders, GCN offers a uniquely qualified insight into the world of cycling, and most importantly it’s fuelled by our passionate and enthusiastic fans – everyone who makes up the GCN community. We also bring the latest and greatest tech to your attention, showcase the best places in the world to ride and get exclusive access to events and races.

Welcome to the Global Cycling Network | Inside Cycling

Thanks to our sponsors:
Canyon Bikes: http://gcn.eu/-Canyon
Orbea Bikes: http://gcn.eu/Orbea
Pinarello Bikes: https://gcn.eu/Pinarello
Topeak Tools: http://gcn.eu/Topeak
CamelBak: https://gcn.eu/Camelbak
Pirelli Tyres: https://gcn.eu/Pirelli
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
Core Body Temperature: https://gcn.eu/corebodytemp
Precision Fuel & Hydration: https://gcn.eu/precisionhydration
Elitewheels: https://gcn.eu/Elitewheels
CeramicSpeed: https://gcn.eu/GCNCeramicSpeed

Watch our sister channels:
GCN Tech – https://www.youtube.com/@gcntech
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 Tech – https://www.youtube.com/@gmbntech
Electric Mountain Bike Network – https://www.youtube.com/@embn

Cycling 30 mph for 25 miles on a bike is ridiculously hard. But on a standard road bike, it’s almost impossible. But we’re going to try by using the power of tech, teamwork, and with the help of the fastest bike course in the world, plus our unimaginable fitness and power. Can we do it? Probably not. Nah, probably not, actually. Yeah. Good work, boys. We’re right behind you. Looking good. Easy, easy, easy. Come on, Ollie. Don’t quit on me now. To give this challenge some context, riding 25 miles in less than 50 minutes was until relatively recently considered to be an unbreakable barrier. A little bit like running a sub 2-hour marathon or a sub4minute mile. And in fact, much like running a sub4-minute mile, it was considered unbreakable until suddenly it wasn’t. The first man to do it was Alfers in 1978. He averaged over 30 miles per hour. And what makes that feat even more incredible was the bike that he was using. In fact, it’s probably one of the greatest feats of time triing ever recorded, and it deserves far more credit than it gets. But the trouble is in cycling technology has moved on so rapidly that Alf’s time was bettered more and more frequently until today when even people like like Ollie can do it. That’s how much technology has moved on. Alf’s record was set on a drop bar road bike because that’s all they had available in the late 1970s. But remarkably, his feet was only bettered on drop bars this year in 2025. So what makes us think we can do it? Well, there’s three of us for a start. Yeah, but we’re all rubbish compared to ALF. Fair. But we do have modern superfast aero road bikes, which is going to make life much much easier than it was for ALF in 1978. Yeah. Plus, we have carefully selected our route. So, this course in Wales is arguably the fastest bike course on the planet. The quickest ever 25 mile time trial was ridden right here in a time of 42 minutes and 58 seconds by Marson Bilabocki. That’s over 56k an hour. Yeah, but what we’ve got to say is that was riding a time travel bike which is basically cheating. Is literally cheating. Yeah. But we have a couple of secret weapons up our sleeves in the form of science and communication. Now, I know what you’re thinking. What on earth is that? Well, my friends, that is a Senna BCOM 20, a cycling specific Bluetooth communication device which will allow us to seamlessly communicate with one another while riding. This is in spite of wind noise, in spite of riding behind one another, and it will allow us to communicate with DS Connor Dunn in the team car. And best of all, if one of us gets dropped, it has a radius of 2 km. It essentially allows you to communicate with your riding buddies without having to ride directly next to them or shouting. But the great thing is for us that we’re really hoping that quick, clear, and effortless communication is going to help us succeed today compared to our many, many, many previous failed Super Nerd challenges. Have you guys ever succeeded in one of these? No. Yeah, I don’t think we actually have, but today could be the day. We’ve also worked out a pacing strategy which again we’ve not actually done before. You see, we know the demands of this course. So, we can work out how much power it will take to ride at 30 mph. And we know how much it will take for each of the key sections, be they flat, downhill, or the dreaded uphill finish. What we didn’t know though was who could generate that power and for how long. So we did a bit of testing. Taking a GPX of the route, we’ve been able to recreate it exactly using our smart trainers simply via the Wahoo app. However, as well as simulating the course, we wanted to find out what we were all capable of. Right guys, super nerds boot camp time. We’re going to do a session in Wahoo system that’s actually based on real data from a world tour team time trial. Now, normally when you do this session with a system app, would tailor it to your own abilities to make it a beneficial training session. However, we want to find out exactly what we’re capable of in a team time trial. So, guys, you’re going to have to do 410 W turns. Oh, ouch. What are you going to do? 350. How’s that thing? Yeah. Why? Everyone knows I’m more arrow than you. I’m more arrow. Come on, put it up. You can do more. Okay, I’ll put it up a bit. [Applause] Five, two, one. Go. That guys. Oh, this is a big turn on the front. 300 370 W turn for me. 405. I said 410. Yeah, the next one’s harder. You’re cruising. Me? No. No monster on that hating. You’re dead. Apparently, tell you what, BMC are well drilled, aren’t they? Yeah. And these turns the same length. Then you should make your father, Alex. Alex is in zone three now. I am actually starting to struggle here. Good. You’re only on 150 beats. All right, guys. I’m done. All right, mate. That’s all I got. There’s nothing more left. Come on, guys. We got a super old time travel record to beat here. Someone’s got to do it. [Music] Uh, this will be me. Come on, S. Come on. Only one of us is going to make it to the finish with a real pan. I’m not going to get there. Come on. Get down with the breathing. Oh jeez. Oh, mate. Good job. Good job. You done well. I think we got a bit of work to do. Ollie, I shouldn’t have allowed myself to be bullied by YouTube and go up to 370. I think 350 is me. I think we all ate a slice of humble pie, didn’t we? Yeah. Right. Let’s make a plan. [Music] Guys, I’ve come up with a plan. Uh, now I’ve broken the course down into key moments that we’re going to do. We can put that then on the wahoos to give us tips. I’ve looked at the wind. I’ve analyzed what power we need to do and how we need to allocate our resources. Okay. Yeah. Now, you two have got considerably more horsepower than me. No surprises there. Yeah. Okay. What’s the bad news then, mate? What are you What are you wanting on the front? Well, Alex, yeah. 400 W turns. Brilliant. Sigh 380. Okay. All right. What are you doing? Sitting on. How’s that a thing? How’s that? because aerodynamically I’m still contributing to the team effort making it easier for you guys by sitting on. We need to basically conserve me so that then I can still be there contributing aerodynamically and then hopefully in the back half I can then do turns cuz there is a problem actually here in that having got a sneak peek of the course if one of us gets dropped it pretty much means certain death. Yes. because you’ll be outside the relative safety of our follow car. Yeah. And therefore, basically you’ll be like a a lamb waiting to get eaten by a lorry. I get a feeling that this road is actually more dangerous than death road that you guys have literally just 100%. I mean, I’m terrified of this particular road. It might be the fastest race course in the world, but that’s probably because people are scared that they will get run over. Um, well, see as we can forget about Ollie’s pacing, how long turns do you want to do if it’s just me and you? Minute and a half each. Minute. Should we start with a minute? See how we go. Whilst the nerds talk wattage and CDA, my role today is team manager, director, sporty, if you will. Now, I’ll be communicating with them during their effort with Senna’s intercom system, but from the comfort of the team car or or mini bus, which is kind of what I’ve got today. You see, I don’t need to get cold because I’ve already done this route before and I’ve already gone faster than 50 minutes, which um proud of. I think it was about 13 years ago. Managed a 47 minute, 18 25 mile TT here. Yeah. So, I’m going to enjoy watching these clowns make an absolute haste of this. All right. Um, should we get kitted up? See the Z’s ready? Let’s drink it up, shall we? Here he is. You ready, guys? What is that? What have you come as? What? Literally, what is that? You have brought a time trial bike. It’s nice. A road bike. Drop bars. What about the the wheel situation? Yeah, Princeton disc wheel. Did it for America, right? But I didn’t get to propery ride it. So I thought I’m going to use it now. And 58 to chain ring. One buy. And look at that arrow oversized pium. Careful. You get run over. They might not sp. But seriously, disc wheel is that I mean is that not cheating? Yeah. I need all the help I can get. Yeah, but there’s all the help you can get and then there’s cheating. It’s not cheating. Is it in the spirit of the rules? It’s not. It’s not not in the rules. Well, I mean, it’s it’s it’s against all rules from the UCI cycling time trials. This wheels are fine in time trials. Time trials. This is, as you know, a very, very fast course and my memories of it. You start and pretty much immediately you’re absolutely flying. So, I’m glad Ollie’s got the 58. I think my tips are just to keep on top of that speed and don’t don’t take it too easy. You need to press on the whole time. Um, which means high speeds. Quite like that in depth analysis there. Get the speed high and then keep it high. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean very high, but also save a bit for the end cuz there’s a little sting in the tail cuz obviously whilst you’re going downhill, you have to go back up. Not quite as far as from where you started, but still save a bit for those last 3 km. Okay, Connor, make sure you’re muted before telling us what time you think you’re going to do. Over. Okay. Right. Get a warm up in, boys. Get those legs moving. Hi, Cadence. Work. I feel like the poor relation with my 50 to chain set. Yeah. Mic off. Mic off. So, I got a 50 to chain set on. 50. 50. Yeah. That’s like a sport chain ring. 5010. 50. Yeah. Sport gearing. Oh, could be spinning a bit there. I think the boys are going to give it a good effort. I’m I’m going to do my best to help them as best I can. I’m really up for it, actually. Do I think they’re going to go sub 50? No. Uh I think they’ll be lucky to get under 52 minutes. That’s my prediction. So, I’m going 5230. Before we start, we got to give a little shout out to Insta 360 as well. Not only will we have our amazing filmmakers today, but we’re also going to be recording it from our bikes. So, Alex has got an Insta3 Ace Pro 2 on the back of his bike. I’m going to be having one, but on a chest mount. Apparently, it’s not quite as aerodynamic, but someone has to wear it. Ollie’s got a Go 3S Ultra. And Connor will also have an Ace Pro 2 filming him as well. Um, I got to say, the best bit is knowing that I can let it run for 50 minutes and I’m not going to have to stress about battery life. That’s a win. Okay. Right guys, good luck. Keep it tight. Let’s do it. Three, two, one, let’s go. Up, up, up, up, up. Yeah, that was quite a few matches burnt there. GR has been working out. Good work, boys. Coming up to the turn now. Nice and tight through the roundabout. Then we’re going up the slip. So stay together around this. It is fast. Ease a little bit for the turn. It’s quite tight. Okay, you’re all through together. Make sure Ollie’s on the back. Ollie’s just off the back. Ease it off site. Back on. Back on. Okay, you’re all together. We’re behind you now. Behind you in position. Good work, boys. Keep it rolling. Keep it rolling. From this point on, it starts to get much faster. Need to get that speed and maintain it. Ollie, how you feeling, mate? Good work, boys. All together. Good work, boys. You need to try and lift it if you can. You need to try and lift it. Okay, I’m out of gear. That’s it, Alex. Up it, mate. Up it. Keep it moving. [Applause] Come on, Ollie. We’re going to need some turns from here, mate. I’m coming through. I got the big gear. Yeah, you need to make the most of it. Up, up, up. Keep pushing. Really push it here. We’re a little bit down, so we need to make up some ground. Just keep that speed and pull off when you’re done. Don’t let it slow down. Little squeeze side. Good job. [Applause] Good work, boys. We’re right behind you. Looking good. Straight over the roundabout. Good work, mate. Get straight back on that wheel. Oh, he’s he’s he’s on. He’s on. Good work, boys. Coming up to 10 miles. 10 mile mark. I think we’re in a good place. I think we’re in a good place. Easy. Easy. Ollie’s in difficulty at the back. Stick to that wheel, mate. I’ll uh I’ll do what I can. So third exit A465 again straight through. [Applause] Good work, boys. I put you at 30 seconds up at the 10 mile check. I think you’re 30 seconds up. So we’ve gone through the first 10 miles. Actually looking pretty good. And I think we’re up by about 30 seconds, which if I’m honest, I wasn’t sure we’d be in this position when I saw them set off on the first couple, but some solid turns by Alex and Sigh. Oie’s been doing well when he can, but he’s suffering after each turn. Stay at those wheels, Ollie. Stay at those wheels. Recover, mate. All good. All together. All together. Good work. Keep it going, S. I think they can do it. If they can keep this going, they can do it. But still got a long way to go. And also kicked up hit at the end. Still all to play for. Keep it steady cuz we’re on target. So you got an average power 318. Good mate. Solid work. Alex, you’re also looking good too. 296 watt. I think we got a bit more from you, Alex. I think you got more in the tank, mate. Thanks to Wahoo’s live track feature, Connor was able to see our power and heart rate data in real time from the car. This would help him direct us and tell us when to do turns, or in my case, when to skip them. Remember what David Gog says, don’t stop when you’re tired, stop when you’re done. [Applause] Good work, boys. That junction is our turn. One mile to go. Okay. Right through there, mate. Is that you? Sorry. Good work. Nice and calm through this now. Left here. Left here. [Music] Steady side. Steady side. Dropping. Ollie. Sigh. Ease off, mate. Ease off. Sigh. Ease off. You’ve captain. That’s it. Stay together. We don’t need to take risks. Okay. Keep it a short turn if you want, Oie. Yeah, keep it short, Ollie. Keep it short. We still need you for the last 5 miles. Make sure you recover from the turn. Alex is coming through side on Alex. Ollie, he’s off straight on size wheel. Good work, Alex. Good work. Nice and smooth. Steady side. side. Ollie skipping. Ollie skipping. Alex got size wheel. Okay, Alex. Yeah, this bit’s always going to be slow, but we’re well up. Come on, Ollie. Dig in, mate. Come on. You’re not done yet, mate. Good job, mate. 9K left. All clear. All clear. Looking good. Okay. S on the action on my left. Go, boys. Focus. 5 miles to go. He’s still up. He’s still up. Just need to keep it smooth to the finish. Come on, Ollie. Don’t quit on me now. [Music] Remember, it’s a bit more uphill, so you are going to have to really push it. You’re going to have to empty to the tanks for this last bit. It’s not going to be pretty, but you can do it side. Keep it moving all together. Keep it going. You might be wearing football socks, but they’re definitely working for you. [Applause] Good job, bud. Good work, boys. Good work. Ollie, still save a bit if you can. Just keep the speed and get back on the wheels. Still need you as you know for that last drag. [Music] Ollie’s missing. Ollie’s missing. Alex on the side. All together. All together. Good work. Keep it going. Keep it going. Keep it going. Alex need to dig in now. Really need to go for it. Two miles to go. [Music] Little bit of downhill and then you get that drag to finish. Pick up the speed here if you can. Pick up the speed here. Inside the last mile. Come on, Ollie. Get on the wheel. Get on the wheel. He’s easy. He’s easy. He’s up. He’s up. He’s dropping Ollie. We’re dropping Ollie. Dropping Ollie. Momentary wait. Ease up. Ease up. Ease up. Stay together. Stay together. Okay. He’s off. He’s up. He’s on to Alex. Sideway. Sideway. [Applause] Come on, Ollie. On on. [Applause] Come on now, boys. This is the last drag. This is it to the line. How far? Oh, now this is it. Go on. Yeah, that’s it. Stop here. Save it. Save the ride. Is that end ride? Save ride. Yes, please. Super nerds have actually done something. So, you guys, haven’t we got to talk to each other? [Applause] You did it. I can do like under 48. Yeah, 48. We’re a minute a minute quicker. Oh, yeah. I can’t believe that we did that. I can’t believe it. But do you want to know the official time? Yes. So So I uploaded it cuz I think it’s a bit faster than what you guys said from my calculations. 48 35. This is the first thing we’ve ever succeeded at. I know. Good job, boys. Good job. Fair. What was that? We’re a bunch of losers. I was a bit worried cuz the first 3K I was looking at you in the times. I was like, “Oh, don’t know. We’re a bit down here.” Well, you’re just trying to judge us off the first 3k. Yeah, but it’s just that first bit is really important to get your speed up and then you need to use the gift till your advantage. Are you saying that we were a bit slow until we went down that massive hill at 80 km an hour? Yeah. That was crazy. And you were flying down it, but then I was like, they need to keep it going after this if it drops off. And to be fair to you, you brought it back. And after those first 10 miles, I was like, game on it. Well, these two brought it back. Absolute heroes. I was I was dying just dying just hanging out of my ass trying to hold on to you. That’s the thing about team time trials though, isn’t it? I don’t think anyone ever feels good cuz it’s just that you constantly give it everything and then everyone else looks so strong. Do you know what really made the difference for me was doing that team time trial practice on the indoor trainers? That was like that was good. Remember how um if we cast our minds back all the way to our first team time trial session at GCM mega base and then you guys turned mine up to the max then I died a thousand deaths. Yeah. Like I did I think two or three of those workouts at home afterwards and honestly it was like night and day. No surprise though really is it? If you practice something you get better at it. Yeah. Yeah. Totally. Can I also say as well Connor having you on the radio was absolutely wicked. Like what a DS. That was brilliant. I thought you were going to be rubbish, but you were great. So there were some bits, particularly on roundabouts where different people, you know, you hesitate, different amounts, gaps form, and then with me being the weakest of the three. I was then of struggling to get back on, but being able to tell you that a gap had opened up, I made all the difference. Plus, it was just fun just having mega bounce on the radio all the time. I think that’s what’s key because when you do lose the gap in those places, you can lose a lot of time if you don’t immediately like pause, get back together and go again. And I think having the communication really helped you guys actually. For me, the most like sort of safety net was knowing that you could speak to the person that was doing your turn and you could let everyone know that you were about to finish your turn. So, it meant it was just smoother in general rather than being like, “Oh, right, I’ve got to go now.” Because it was really helpful. You were like, “Right, Alex, you ready?” And I was like, “Okay, concentrate. Size and finish.” Or I could tell you when I was missing a turn. Yeah, that was good cuz you didn’t There was one time when you didn’t do a turn and you didn’t speak and I was like, “For God’s sake, he he’s been saying every time.” And then the one time you didn’t say, I had to fill the gap. Sorry. Can uh can I ask Connor, what did you think that we were actually going to do timewise? What was your prediction? I feel it bad. I predicted 32 and 1/2 minutes. It’s just good to know you believed in us. Well, I cheers coach. I I came here as a good get the job done. Like I was coming to get the job done, but I just felt it’s so fast and you have to really stick it together. It’s a cold day as well. It’s a cold day as well. And Ollie was giving it the beans on the way here about how he wasn’t feeling good. So yeah, but you came around, brought it through, so that’s what counts. Was it cool having our live data as well in your laptop in the DS car? Yeah, it was amazing. I mean, it’s it’s the first time I’ve ever done that. It’s a lot to think about because I was trying to keep on the maps, keep on your data, keep on talking to you, and I didn’t want to like mess it up because you guys the ones putting the effort in. Um, so yeah, it was a lot of pressure, but I have we finally discovered today that the missing link to all of the super nerds challenges has been Connor. Quite possibly, basically. Yeah. I mean, we should have guessed that before, shouldn’t we? Really? Thank you, mate. Yeah, that’s right. I mean, I don’t know why I wasn’t invited before. I got lost in the post. We didn’t want you to show us up. You thought we could only do 52 and 1/2 minutes. I mean, we we didn’t get to 4718, which is what I did. Right. On that, we shall probably wrap it up. Uh, if you’ve enjoyed this video, please give it a big thumbs up. And once again, thank you very much to Wahoo, to Senna, and also to Insta 360 for supporting this video. Much appreciated. Oh, and let us know in the comments what is the next Super Nerds challenge. Right, we’re out of here. See you.