Can This Mountain Biker Survive An Epic Tour De France Climb?

Welcome to Alpe d'Huez. This is mountain biker versus climb. We've got a long way to go. We're going to settle into a rhythm. Oh, man, this is the toughest climb I've ever done. Dig in now, all the way. This, in my mind, is one of the most iconic climbs in cycling history. It is, in road riders' terms, one of the hardest challenges too. How would a mountain biker fare on such a tough climb? How would I fare on Alpe d'Huez climb? It's a 13-kilometer climb. It averages 8%. The pros do it in 37 minutes, Blake. Let us know in the comments down below, how do I get on with this one? First, we're going to make it down to the bottom. After an epic descent, it was time for something a lot harder. Wish me luck. Alpe d'Huez, one of the road cycling's most famous climbs. Start line, we're ready to go. We've gone past kilometer zero. Blake, how does it feel? Knackering already. Just done turn 21. 20 more to go. I'm counting them, Hank. The great thing about Alpe d'Huez is that the corners are actually named and marked. When you go past each corner, there's a stage winner of the Alpe d'Huez stage. There's been so many times Alpe d'Huez has happened in the Tour de France that they've started to double up on the corners. I'll tell you what, the one to look forward to. What's that? Number one? Number seven, Dutch corner. That's when the party happens, mate. We've got to make you there first. I'm half Dutch. I'm looking forward to it. There you go. You're gaining on a few, mate. How many people can you overtake? We're going to count them. Hey, buddy. You can talk. Keep it up, my friend. Incredible. You got this. Dig deep. We've got a long way to go. We're going to settle into a rhythm, see how Blake gets on. How do you feel? Because in the race, this is lined with cycling fans. Alpe d'Huez becomes like the Glastonbury Festival for cycling fans. It's absolutely covered in people shouting, screaming, and it becomes this whole incredible stadium and atmosphere that's electric like no other. I bet it gives me goosebumps right now. Come on. There you go. You're in the spirit now, mate, but just think the pros are going up here, nearly double the speed. That's ridiculous. That's ridiculous. If you find a good rhythm, you pace yourself and you wait. You let the effort come to you. You don't go hunting for the effort. I'm not finding it. Do you know what's here? What's here? Another two people for each part, and one behind, I reckon. I heard some gears changing. We pressed on slowly, counting down the corners in the midday heat. It was brutal. Hank's just screamed ahead. He's here for something special. I hope he's getting the coffees and cakes then. I'm done in. We've just done turn nine. Coming up to turn eight, my favorite number. Then it's number seven, which I've been told is Dutch Corner, which is when I'm half Dutch. This, in my mind, is one of the most famous corners. Last time I was here, it was a slightly younger-faced Hank, but this time, I'm cheering on. Good old Blake. This is corner number seven, Dutch Corner. Come on, Blake. Come on, Blake. This is where the party happens. It's always covered in smoke orange. Come on, Blake. Come on, Blake. Come on, Blake. Come on, Blake. Come on, Blake. Blake, you're going to win the Tour de France, Blake. Oh, yes. That's what it's all about. It's the party. Oh, man. This is the toughest climb I've ever done. Now, Blake, you're doing blooming well. Over halfway, you've now got to really just settle into that rhythm, not get ahead of yourself, and realize that it will be over soon. Alpe d'Huez is in the distance, but you can do it. You're looking strong. I've got goosebumps, dude. Mate, you're killing it. Unreal effort. There's something quite nice about it. It's just you and the mountain. Do you want to know an amazing stat, mate? Yes. We've still got three and a half kilometers to go, and the pros would have finished 20 minutes ago. What? Wow. I can't fathom going at that speed up here. The sweat's getting in my eyes. It's stinging. We've just passed corner four, mate. You're doing incredibly well. Such a different effort to the effort you're used to, which is short, sharp, and aggressive. This is all about endurance and finding your rhythm and sticking with it. You know you're going to be out of breath, but you want to find a nice sweet spot, and you've absolutely killed it. We're coming up to turn three, Hank. I feel like we're coming to the plateau. Three more turns. Oh, my legs. Three more turns. We hit Alpe d'Huez, and then you know the end is in sight. Look, it's like being at the Tour de France, mate. Look at that. The support up this mountain is unreal. Deep breaths, mate. Come on, buddy. I'm feeling done, man. I can feel sick. Keep going now. We've got plateaus. This is where the pros get a breath before they go for the sprint. I'm not doing that. Yes, you are, mate. I'm not. You're going to finish full gas, 1,100 watts, buddy. This is corner zero. I'm ready for it. Let's go. Kilometer to go. 1,000 meters. Dig in now. All the way. Deep breath, buddy. You're the sprinter. No, not today. I'm on the verge of cramping up. I'm stoked I made it this far. Mate, you've done epic. Here we go, mate. The finish is in sight. Yes, buddy. All the way to the end. Come on, mate. Up. Up. Up. Up. That's it. Come on, mate. I'm done. All the way. 50 meters. 50 meters. Come on, Blake. I'm done. Come on. All the way to the end. Come on, Blake. That time's gone. Empty it. Oh, my gosh. Empty it, Blake. That was it, Hank. Empty it. It's gone. Blake, you're 50 meters away. Blake, I'm coming. Come on, Blake. I'm nearly there. Hank, the legs never felt so dead after that sprint. Holy frick. All the way to the car. All the way to the car. Come on, mate. Mate, you did it. You survived iconic Alpe d'Huez. Yes, I did. Yes, I did. You didn't even just survive it. You smashed it. I didn't go slow. Only some sections where I felt absolutely dead. Oh, can a mountain bike survive the climb? Yes, they can. They can. Yes, they can. Yes, they can. You smashed it. I think we should take a minute, grab a Coke, and go through your results. Please. Yes, mate. Yes, buddy. Hang on. Now, the dust has settled. We've been able to get our breath back. Blake's been able to regroup himself, I guess. We've also got an ice cream because in July, especially when doing the Alpe d'Huez in July, it gets incredibly hot. It can be up to 30 degrees, meaning it's just been baking. It sometimes adds to the challenge, really. We've got this, but now's the time to go through some of your stats. Now, you did it in an insanely impressive time of one hour and 18 minutes. Now, to put that into perspective, pros up the Tour de France, did it in 37 minutes, which is ridiculously quick. Now, I did it in one hour and five, one hour and six minutes. You're not far off, mate. I'm at the back, probably like three turns back. That is fair effort. The wattage you averaged was also pretty impressive. You averaged 255 watts. What does that mean? For an hour and 18 minutes. It's actually quite big. Now, your max wattage in the sprint at 511. It's not your max, but it just shows after an hour and 20 minutes of hard effort, it's going to drop your wattage down. It didn't last long. Your max heart rate, which is an interesting one, was 177, but your average was 167. It just shows you're riding within yourself. You're not in the red and you're pacing yourself, which was absolutely perfect. Your average speed was 10.46 kilometers per hour, which is really nice, really good speed. I felt good. Your max going uphill was 20 kilometers per hour. Wow. That was when it was a bit low. I think it was between Dutch Corner and number six. When I was shouting at you. Is that what happened? That's what happened. I was just like, okay, let's go. Took me a while for me to catch you up after that. In order to reward you for an insane effort. Yes. In the Tour de France, the king of the mountains gets poked on. It's only right, Blake. You chop this on. You ready? One, two, three. Suits you, actually. One more thing. There you are. Blake is now an official KOM. He's conquered and completed the iconic Alpe d'Huez climb in a formidable time. A massive thank you for Blake for joining us on GCN. I hope you guys enjoyed this video. Give this video a big thumbs up if you enjoyed it. Let me know in the comments section below if you thought that Blake could do that well. Let us know if you want to do another one. Big call that one. Big call. We'll see you next time.