How Many Tour de France Climbs Can We Ride In 24 Hrs

We’re in the heart of the French Alps for a brutally hard adventure into the unknown: riding as many Tour de France climbs as possible in just 24 hours! To tackle this ultra-endurance challenge, we’re swapping out the aero bike for the more comfortable, practical, and fast Van Rysel EDR Ultra endurance bike. Join the ride as we take on the Iseran, Galibier, Izoard, and more on a single, epic push to the limit.

In collaboration 🤝 @vanryselcycling
https://www.vanryselcycling.com/edr-cf-ultra-ww

Chapters: ⏱️
00:00 – The 24-Hour TDF Climb Challenge
02:04 – The Van Rysel EDR Ultra Setup
03:31 – Start / Climb 1: Cormet de Roseland
07:09 – Climb 2: Col de l’Iseran (Highest Pass in Europe)
12:14 – Climbs 3 & 4: Telegraph & Galibier
17:27 – Climb 5: Col d’Izoard (Riding Through the Night)
19:59 – Climb 6: Col du Var & The Eating Contest
22:33 – Climb 7: Col de la Bonnette (Sunrise Summit)
25:50 – The Final Push to Nice

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

What’s the toughest thing to deal with on an ultra-endurance ride? Let us know your biggest struggle or your dream ultra-challenge! 👇

Watch more on GCN…
📹 https://youtu.be/JZuXiR2KOEQ
📹 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 🎵
Abyss (Instrumental Version) – Luwaks
Astral – Lupus Nocte
Jungle Rumble – Andreas Dahlback
Last Kiss – DonVayei
Last Odyssey – ELFL
Retriever – Ooyy
Show Me This – Ooyy
Spotless Mind – Ave Air
Through Glass – Ooyy
You Want It – STRLGHT
You Want It (Instrumental Version) – STRLGHT
Heat – Hampus Naeselius
The Mirror – Everything.
Skywards – Aiyo
On My Way – Aiyo
Once I Was A Cat (Instrumental Version) – Suffer City
Terrain – Splasher!
Raise Your Shoes – Splasher!

#gcn #cycling #roadcycling #roadbike #bike #bikes #bikelife #ultraendurance #ultracycling

📸 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

I’m going to attempt to ride as many Tour to France climbs as possible in the next 24 hours. Typically, in the hardest stages of the tour, they’ll go up three massive mountains, but I think we can do far more than that. How many? I’m not sure. This is going to be a brutally hard adventure into the unknown. But ultra endurance cycling like this is just the ultimate sense of freedom. I can’t wait to show you the roads around here. They are incredible. And I mean, the scenery here, it is as good as it gets. So, let’s go on your back. [Music] It’s starting to bite. A telegraph takes no prisoners. [Music] Our start point for this ride is Lei, right in the heart of the French Alps. From there, I’m going to head south over the beautiful Cornet de Rosaland and then onto the mighty Isawald, the highest pass in Europe. After that, well, we’ll see where the road takes me. I’m no stranger to ultra endurance rides, having done things like all tennisense of Monte Graer in a single ride and events like the Torstasion Ultimate 1000. But every single time that I’ve done any of these rides, I’ve used an aerodynamic race bike. And you know, that’s great. They they feel absolutely rapid. But on a really really long ride, I’ve experienced problems. Back pain, wrist pain, hand pain, neck pain, excruciating neck pain. Not bum pain though, cuz my saddle is spot on. However, I spoke to some experts and they suggested that for my next ultra endurance adventure, I take a different approach with regards to my equipment and instead opt for a bike that’s designed for endurance. A bike that’s comfortable, functional, practical, but still light and fast. And so, here it is, the new Vonrizel EDR Ultra. And bonus points is French. [Music] So, Vonrizelle approached us and asked us if we wanted to do an ultra endurance ride on their new bike. So, naturally, I jumped at the chance and suggested this. So, here are some quick fire facts about the bike. Everything you need to know. Firstly, the geometry is more relaxed and specifically designed for endurance and different to what I’m used to with a shorter reach and a higher head tube, hopefully making it ideal for what I’m about to do. The bar and the seat post are both deliberately round to make them more practical, which is really great for attaching things on such as the lights, which I’m going to need to ride through the night. Mine has 32 mm tires on, which is brilliant for comfort and also grip on the descents, but there’s clearance for up to 38. The frame and fork are carbon fiber and pretty light, just 830 g for the frame. This top end model comes with Altegra Di2, which is mint, although I have swapped out the chain set for a Jura Ace one that Alex had lying around. And also just because I wanted to ride my normal crank length, which was different to what came with the bike. It’s also covered in mount points so that you can attach loads of accessories, goubbins, luggage, all sorts of things, which is really practical. However, I’m not carrying much because I’m traveling light and not planning on sleeping. Talking of which, I should probably get going. Right, let’s go. 24 hours. Right after that initial descent, we’re on to the first climb of this epic ride, the Cor the Rosalan. 20 km long and it’s been in the tour to France 14 times including this year where they did it before they then went on to a summit finish up the plan. It is it’s really nice like you’ve got this lower section with loads of trees and then at the top it’s super beautiful. There’s a lake and it it’s a real gem here in the Alps. The thing that most appeals to me about ultra endurance cycling is freedom. And it’s the same sense of freedom that you had when you were a little kid and you first learned how to ride a bike and you left your front door. To me, the idea of leaving your front door and then just traveling somewhere, picking a random place and riding there off your own steam, it’s it’s still that amazing sense of freedom. And it’s just when you get older, you go much further than the end of your road. So, I’ve been joined by my mate Jordan cuz uh well, it was pure coincidence, but he’s on holiday here at the moment for his birthday. Happy birthday, Jordan. Cheers, guys. Thank you. So, he was like, “Oh, I’ll ride with you for the first few hours if you want.” So, uh I was like, “Yeah, oh, I definitely appreciate the company on something like this. So yeah, here he is. No chance I’m going all the way. Do you do you not fancy coming all the way with me? I don’t. Remember 7 years ago before you joined GCN, 100 miles and maybe 5,000 ft of climbing would be an epic. Now he wants to ride 500 km over every tour to France call. And they’re not little calls either, are they? He’s picked all the big one. So So I can’t tempt you then. No. All right. No. You have a nice time though. Well, I I’ll put you down as a maybe. You think about it. Yeah. Let’s keep going. [Music] Oh, look at this. It’s so beautiful. [Music] One down. Keep going. The descents in the Alps are absolutely phenomenal. A lot of them have amazing surfaces and they’re just so much fun. They’re exhilarating and they’re exciting. And if you’ve got a if you’ve got, you know, a modern bike with disc brakes and like the the EDR with it massive tire clearance, having those extra wide tires, you know, like 32s, it gives you a lot more grip and a lot more confidence in in the corners and it just Yeah, just being able to to stop and grip it. It just makes makes desense super super fun, especially if uh you know, you’re not super confident. So we’ve just come into Borg Maurice and if we’ve gone back over there that’s where the tour of France went this year for a summit finish in La Plan. But that is a dead end summit finish. So I don’t want to do that one. So instead I’ve turned left and we’re going to go up the biggest of them all, the Daddy, the highest pass in Europe, the Isan. And starting from where we’re starting now, it’s 47 km uphill. Going well though, let’s get it done. [Music] So the Isan despite being such a high road, it has never actually been used much in the tour to France and they’ve never used the full climb from Bareice to the very top. What they have done is gone halfway to teen and also Valdair and they’ve also started stages in Valdair such as in 2007 where they then went over the top and then did Telegraph and Gibby but they were going to do it you may remember in 2019 there was a really bad landslide and so they couldn’t but uh on that basis I’m going to say we’re getting two to France climbs here for the price of one but this is seriously long. We’re about a third of the way up. [Music] In terms of nutrition, just really important. Got to stay on top of it. Aiming for about 90 g of carbs an hour because the intensity I’m riding at, I should be burning a lot of fat and it’s just easier on the gut to have, you know, not the crazy amounts. Time for another shoe. Mint and lemon. Simon favorites. [Music] So if you go over that dam behind me, I mean this is stunning. That takes you up to teen where there have been summit finishes. And this climb now over towards Valdazair. Look at this. It’s actually uh one that Vizma Lisa bite use a lot. I actually having an altitude camp up in teen over there right now. [Music] We are 100 km into the ride. Oh, the is massive, but it’s beautiful. [Music] Right, we’ve made it to the top of the highest pass in Europe, the Isaran, and it’s 2765, even higher than the Stelvio. Right, cool. A fifth of the way in. And now I’ve got a massive descent down into an incredible valley down there. Sure you don’t want to come do the rest of me, Jordan? Oh, I’d love to, but you’re an absolute lunatic. So, this is where I’m going to spin back around. All right. Find some lunch and maybe get in the bath and stare at the taps. Probably stare at the top. You got the salt on you. You need some electrolyte. Oh, mate. They say cycling easy. Well, it’s been mega like having you uh having the company on the first 5 hours, but um yeah, I’ve got 20 more hours. Well, no, 19 more hours to go. Yeah, best of luck. Like unbelievable. Three epic to France climbs done. Let’s do some more. [Music] So, the pace that I’m riding today is much slower than what tour to France riders do. Those guys are unbelievable. Uh, so to put it into context, there’s climbs I’ll be doing today where it’ll be taking me two 2 and 1/2 hours to get to the top. those guys will do it in less than an hour. But the nice thing is is that with our modern endurance bikes and and modern gearing, like the bike that that we’re using, it comes with a 34 to cassette on the back, which is a massive gear. And it’s also got a long cage rear derailer, so you could put a 36 on if you wanted. And you know, these modern gearing that you get on modern endurance bikes like the EDR, it it just means that you can go at that much slower pace and still be spinning and still be comfortable, which is great. And I’d say that, you know, being able to ride up these climbs and not in a race at a slower pace is is a lot more fun, I think, than than riding up and to a France pace where they’re just graveling and staring at their power numbers and just trying to hold on cuz you get to enjoy the amazing scenery for well, even longer. So, real winners. That descent off the was amazing. Now we’re heading into a huge valley. I’ve still got about 40 km of descending to do slight false flat downhill. And this valley is massive and it’s got so many to France climbs in it. There’s the Glandon, the Madelen, the Quadair, Lass Monier, all of them. But I’m not going to do any of those. Instead, I’m going to take on a pair of climbs first used in 1911, which have then gone on to feature over 60 times. The double punch of the Telegraph and Galibia. Seven hours into this ride and I’m going to say when it comes to endurance bikes, I feel like I get it now. I mean, just the the more relaxed position, I feel so much more comfortable on it on a really long ride like this. I feel like at this point, 7 hours in, I’m better than I’ve been 7 hours into other endurance challenges I’ve done. And that’s just thanks to the fact that we’ve got this shorter top tube and higher front end. I’m just a bit more upright, a bit more relaxed. It’s not It’s not going to be as quick aerodynamically, but it’s like the tortoise in the hair. I’m trying to be the tortoise right now. I think I’ve always been the tortoise. I’ve just never wanted to admit it to myself. [Music] This is the daddy. Now I’m on the lower slopes of the Telegraph which is 12 km long and then you have a slight bit of rest bite and then the Golivier. And so from here to the top it’s about 34 km to the top of the Gibbier. Absolute monster and it’s pretty steep as well. It’s eleg. It’s blumbing hot as well. I think I’m going to cook. Got about 4 hours more of daylight. But make the most of it. [Music] About halfway up the telegraph now. And then I’m just going to tick that off. Get that one done. And then I’ll think about the Gibby cuz it’s another monster. [Music] Ah, this is a hard climb. 5k left of it. But I’ve got a plan now. I’ve had a long time to think about it on this climb. So, what I’m going to do, cuz I know this area quite well, is get over the top of this, then get onto the lottery, which will tick off another climb that’s used in the tour. Descend that get into Brienne Song. And from there, we’re going to go up the isawad. And from there, I’m going to do the VA. And then because I feel like it and I can cuz I can do what I want. I’m going to have a go at the bonnet. Oh, let’s do it. Let’s keep going. [Music] I like finding out what I’m capable of. Like I like pushing myself to see what my body can do and I want to sort of reach the end of my life one day and think, yeah, I did I did use my body to its full potential and um hopefully then I can be satisfied. Starting to rain now and I can see the weather really coming in on the top of the Golivier. I think the descent is going to be very cold. I’m going to have to get dressed. Try and stay as warm as I can. So, whenever I do like ultra things like this, what I find is there are bits where you feel like a bit and you’re having a bit of a moment. And uh what I’ve learned is that if you keep going, you come through it. But right now I’m having a bit of a moment, struggling a bit, [Music] top of Libya. It’s4 to 900 p.m. It’s freezing. The rain is just stopping, but uh yeah, I’m going to descend. I’ve put a load of clothes on. It’s going to be freezing. Right. Catch you in a bit. [Music] So on the Isizawad now. Wow. I mean this is pretty amazing. We’ve got 8 km to go on this climb. 19 kilometers in total. And uh right now it’s pitch black and this is one of the things that I love about endurance cycling because it’s been a bit busier earlier in the day, but now there’s no one around and you get this amazing sense of tranquility and solitude on the mountain and you just got it all to yourself. And it’s going to be like that now throughout the night and through the early morning. And it’s it’s just something that I love. But just got to keep on cracking on. So this climb again has been used in many tours to France. I’ve even seen really really old footage from way way back in the early days of the tour with uh riders like uh BKIA coming up here when he was winning the tour. And more recently, the one that sticks out in my mind is Warren Bar winning a stage up on the Isizawad on Bastile Day, which for a French rider is like the ultimate the ultimate win, the ultimate accolade, apart from winning the tour itself. But yeah, I mean, I wish you could see it right now cuz I’ve ridden up here in daylight and it is a stunner. But uh guess you just have to take my word for it. [Music] We’re at the top of these. We’re 270 km in. We are nearly the height of Everest in elevation. We’re uh 12 hours 47 minutes ride time. So, over halfway for our 24-hour target and uh well, it’s 5 to midnight right now. So, um yeah, the Isawward at midnight. There you go. [Applause] [Music] The descent off the Isawad led us to the beautiful Gorge Duid, an absolutely stunning road which I navigated in the pitch black and took us to the foot of our next test, the Cole Duva. At 19 km and 2,19 m, it’s another all category to France climb and one that has been used over 30 times, including in 2024. What I tend to find on these rides is they’re an eating competition and you’re trying to get as much in as you can to fuel yourself. The result was we got sort of started going up the culdev. I was pretty empty and um yeah, I felt like I was crawling up there and really struggling and but I didn’t feel hungry and I was didn’t feel like eating much and um yeah, it’s pretty it can be can be pretty difficult when you’re doing that. So, we got a big descent now off the culdev. Steep as well, 10% down to Jazzier where I will start the bonet. I think people think, oh, endurance bikes, they’re slow. They’re for they’re for slow people. And I think that they’ve just it’s like if you compared a gravel bike to a an arrow road bike, it’s slower. Of course it is, but that’s because it’s designed for a different thing. On gravel, the gravel bike is faster. So, I think the endurance bike in an ultra endurance ride is faster than than the out and out race arrow bike because it just, you know, allows you to keep on going. Right, let’s go. You said there’s going to be a time for you and me and didn’t know it. So, whenever I ride ultra long events, there’s always that thing of of sleeping and not sleeping. And I have a a rule which is if at any point you feel that like sort of falling asleep at the wheel sort of sensation, um I just stop straight away. I will stop, get off the bike, and just if it means just lying in the grass on the side of the road having a 20 minute power nap, then then I’ll do it because the consequences of, you know, just having that that sort of 2C thing while riding. Um, it doesn’t bear thinking about it. It could be game game over if that were to happen. So, yeah, stop immediately if it ever comes to that. We’re now on the Cole Dabonet which is a monster as well. Uh it’s 23 km from Choier back there. Few kilometers in already but uh yeah I’m hoping we can get to the top for sunrise which is well less than 2 hours time. Um so going to push on this climb despite being massive and also an just an incredible climb. We were here 6 weeks ago. made a video about it has only been in the tour four times. Um the most notable of which I think it’s been in the Jiro as well a few times but um I think it was 93 when uh Pippy York led over the top but uh yeah going to crack on. I am feeling it now. If you want to be able to ride up mountains like this and do long rides, then I’d say you can do because I’m just someone that is just very passionate about it and has trained and has got as fit as I can be so that I can do things like this. But the other beauty of of doing long endurance rides and adventures in the mountains is you can be the master of your own destiny and you can decide how far you want it to be, where you want to go, where you want to stop, where you want to take in the the view and have a nice cafe uh rest. It’s that’s the beauty of it. Last 5k of the bonnet. It is steep and I’ve got a headwind. Ah, this is savage. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Sun’s about to come up. [Music] So, made it to the top of the bonnet and I am well and truly broken. I absolutely crawled up that and it was uh it’s pretty hard. Um, as for the sunrise, there it is. bit of an antilimax, but this descent is one of the best. It’s blowing amazing and it’s dry. So, I’m going to uh go and enjoy that now and head down there and see how far I can get cuz uh well, I’ve still got I can’t do maths at this point. I’ve still got a few hours before it’s 24 hours. [Music] [Music] Right, I’ve got 2 hours left and now I’ve decided I’m going to try and get to Nice. Okay, now I’m going to have to push on cuz it’s about 70 kilometers and it’s mostly downhill. It’s amazing roads and uh I just think that would be a nice place to finish this ride. No pun intended. It is a really nice place. Oh, by the sea as well, which is pretty cool. That’ll be about 500 km. Just got to wait for a temporary traffic light to do its thing. There we go. Right on. [Music] I’m just completely dead now. No energy. [Music] I’ve made it. And I am absolutely battered and uh well admittedly about 25 minutes later than I I planned. So not technically 24 hours, but still I think I can be excused. I was absolutely crawling in the last hour. But um I mean this has been like an incredible ride and like just seeing so much incredible scenery and you know so many incredible mountains and roads and I hope you’ve enjoyed it and I hope that doing things like this inspires you to do your own like ultra endurance rides cuz well you can just have amazing adventures and like I said before the the sense of freedom that you can get from it is is just absolutely amazing. I I love it. But um yeah, hope you’ve enjoyed this. If you have, share it with your friends, give it a thumbs up, and also massive thanks to Von Rezel for the new EDR Ultra and making this video possible. Right, I’m going to go now and have a shower because I absolutely stink. Love you. Bye.