Join Alex Paton, Conor Dunne, and James Pickering as they head to North Wales to tackle the legendary Horseshoe Pass Road Race. As the only race in the UK at this level featuring a mountain-top finish, the 91.5km route tests the team with two brutal ascents of the iconic climb. From bike setups and pre-race nerves to mid-race drama and a grueling final summit, see how the GCN team fares in the world of grassroots racing.
Chapters: ⏱️
00:00 – Introduction to the Horseshoe Pass
01:05 – Race History & Horseshoe Pass Stats
02:55 – The GCN Team: Alex, Conor & James
04:45 – Bike Checks: Pinarello, Orbea & Canyon
07:13 – Pre-Race Nerves & Women’s Race Results
08:26 – Race Start & The First Ascent
11:15 – Mid-Race Breakaways & Tactics
13:03 – Race Drama & The Final Climb
17:05 – Post-Race Recap & Final Results
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
The Horseshoe Pass is a legendary climb in the UK cycling scene, but summit finishes are rare in domestic road racing. Have you ever entered a race with a mountain-top finish, or do you prefer a flat-out sprint to the line? Let us know your racing stories in the comments! 👇
Watch more on GCN…
📹 https://youtu.be/F8oBRdr1Wfg
📹 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 🎵
A Pure Force – Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
Abyss (Instrumental Version) – Luwaks
Antelope – Ava Low
Automatic City – Hampus Naeselius
Better Off (Instrumental Version) – Torii Wolf
Cyberpunkz – Splasher!
Eclipse Enigma – Bonkers Beat Club
Envy – AGST
Grieg_ Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46_ No. 4, In the Hall of the Mountain King – Odyssey Orchestra
Hail Mary – Edgar Hopp
Hyper Drive – Hampus Naeselius
#gcn #cycling #roadcycling #roadbike #bike #bikes #bikelife
📸 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
Hunt Bike Wheels: https://gcn.eu/Hunt
Wahoo Fitness: http://gcn.eu/Wahoo-Fitness
Park Tool: http://gcn.eu/-parktool
Selle Italia: https://gcn.eu/SelleItalia
Zwift: https://gcn.eu/Zwift
Gtechniq: https://gcn.eu/Gtechniq
Core Body Temperature: https://gcn.eu/corebodytemp
Precision Fuel & Hydration: https://gcn.eu/precisionhydration
Elitewheels: https://gcn.eu/Elitewheels
CeramicSpeed: https://gcn.eu/GCNCeramicSpeed
HJC Sports: https://gcn.eu/hjcsports
Shimano: https://gcn.eu/shimano
Cyclowax: https://gcn.eu/cyclowax
Sena: https://gcn.eu/Senacycling
Princeton Carbon Works: https://gcn.eu/princetoncarbonworks
P1 Race Technologies: https://gcn.eu/p1racetechnologies
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
41 Comments
The Horseshoe Pass is a legendary climb in the UK cycling scene, but summit finishes are rare in domestic road racing. Have you ever entered a race with a mountain-top finish, or do you prefer a flat-out sprint to the line? Let us know your racing stories in the comments! 👇
I’m loving seeing the mtbers with the roadies. Real world training. BTW what happened to your nice GCN vw? Not happy with vw if they took it back as we bikers nearly all have vws!
"This was a bit of a mistake" 😂
Great video – fun to see the guys mix it up again with a local road race! As the RD for the race my club promotes, definitely support seeing more people trying out road racing!! It is really fun to be in the group and try things out. Great job to Alex, Conor, and James, and very glad James stayed upright!! Gotta guard that front wheel!!
Lovely noth Wales even on rainy conditions 😅 that climb is awesome.
Bravo guys ….. Excellent Ride …. Enjoyed this tremendously !!!!!
Was Simon at ballet again? I think he would've done really well!
Fantastic video, great effort guys,it was so good seeing the presenters with massive smiles on their faces throughout.
Cycle to the Sun. Maui. 1 August 2026.
This is a challenge!
So. back to Unound
It was like watching my friends in a friends tour.
Nice music choice for Connor's attack.
Don't care if you guys win. Love watching this. Just needed ollie off the back to complete your group.
The soundtrack was on point
Excellent view. Really enjoyed it. Question: Did James break a spoke? On Alex' derailleur?
I loved seeing the fire in Conor’s belly light up and those race instincts kick in. Even though he couldn’t stay in the front, he was every bit a part of that break, and it was so good to see that race joy show up. Alex working to bridge to the front was just solid smart effort. Gutted that James got taken out by the touch of wheels with Alex (broken spoke? Broken rim?). Glad no one hit the deck. Thanks again for letting me experience racing vicariously through the three of you!
Chapeau! Great video too! The fun you had is contagious, keep it up! Thanks!
So good I watched it again… but also partly because I couldn't keep track where they were in the race .. lol
Love this kind of content. More racing!
Please bring Si and Dan next time! You four fit ex pros?!? I want to see that!
I loved this video! Your music editor for this video rocked it, great job!
That was fun watching you race!
That was great to watch. Felt bad for James but it happens. Another video that just killed it. You guys are doing great. Yes more stuff like this one. Love the grass roots approach. Great job.
Really wonderful video, guys! And props to the editor and the music selections. Incredibly well done!
That first attack by Conner was impressive and he looked like he thoroughly enjoyed activating his beastmode… he paid for it later but it was still enjoyable to watch…. 🫡🍻
Nice to see SPD pedals on a road bike finally get some representation on GCN 👍
When Conor decides to Flex… He Flex’s 👍💪🚴♀️🚴♂️🚴♀️🍻
Legendary content boys!!!
Super in every way
I enjoyed the music choices on this one.
This was fun to watch!
First GCN video I've watched all the way through in ages 😆 More british road racing content please 🎉
Someone should be camerad up and moked up in all pro races its a lot more exciting 😊
👍
Those two “older and wiser” boys are STILL racers at heart ❤️ Brilliant video 😊
Best video in a while to me personally. Guess I've been spoiled by the Rocket's daily Giro videos lately. Haha.
Loved this, a little bit more commentary on how the race was panning out as you went along would have helped and made it more engaging.
Great video, great music, great racing – well done lads. Another superb video from the team!
Great fun, love to see Connor light up. However, I think Alex rode into James rather than the other way around…🤕
This is the lowest set sadle I have ever seen… How do you do that with High watt and no pain?
Absolutely loved this video, a great advert for the amateur cycling scene. More of this would be great 👍