If you zoom in on his actual Hour ride, average power is almost 300w (~297).
8 Likes
The link to the ride for those who might be interested
5 Likes
I know right. Just how??
Just looked back and they predicted he’d need 310, so there’s a reasonable argument that if he’d done that he might have broken the record. Not far out on the modeling then!
3 Likes
They’ve almost certainly got a tiered approach to their sponsored content, ranging from full on partnerships spanning multiple episodes to individual products which get shown once or twice.
They’re big enough now that it’s unlikely that they just get given a product for free and give it prominent position in a video. You’d have to pay for that privilege.
The correct/original phrase is “Couldn’t care less” but it seems to be morphing into “could care less”, I suspect because of it being misheard in the same way that people transcribe “could’ve” to “could of” rather than “could have”.
Back on topic:
The GCN challenges vary in interest for me: some are very "Top Gear"esque and very set up in their banter and results but others like this and Ollie’s hill climbing challenge are much better.
There’s always going to be some product placement or sponsorship in “free” channels like GCN, so long as they are clear that the product is being used, at least in part, because it’s part of a sponsorship deal then there’s less chance of a conflict of interest.
2 Likes
HA apologies, I read the 
as sarcasm! 
I often see people use could care less instead of couldn’t care less for the same concept, despite the technically opposite meanings. I also often see people respond creatively to the technically incorrect formation with variations on “that’s technically incorrect”, which is how I read your post. I offer an upvote for “little turdlings” in penance.
3 Likes
Shoot, you know what, I do need to rewrap my bars…
1 Like
I think complaints about obvious sponsorship are funny. You ain’t paying, so sponsorship is good. Non-obvious sponsorship is bad.
I’m happy to have the option to view so much niche content.
2 Likes
Oh be careful there. Contentious subject… are you a top-to-bottom wrapper, or bottom-to-top? And do you use a cheat strip for the shifter clamps?
2 Likes
I’m not complaining about the sponsor ships, just the way they implement it these days. It has become a lot more aggressive. For instance the old GCN epic rides. They say a short thank you to the sponsor in the beginning and the end of the video. Or the Taiwan KOM challenge… they make an awesome video and in the end they take a minute to introduce the sponsored bikes. That’s totally fine and also very transparent.
But Ollies video on the the other hand… there is that random awkward shaving scene for Gilette, the xth introduction of the skinsuit, the 5 minute talk about the features of Sufferfest in the middle… it’s just to littered with advertisement all the way through.
1 Like
Ahem. Last of the Summer Wine on two wheels. 
I loved that show as a kid.
Anyhoo, as someone with very little interest in track, but a lot of interest in how fast I can do 40km…I’m thinking track is fast, very fast. Great surfaces, great aerodynamics…does the circular nature of it lose significant velocity? I’m a little concerned he did 47km. Either I’m vastly overestimating my own capability to do 40km in an hour at a non-all out effort, or the 7km difference (about 1/6th further) is exponentially harder.
1 Like
Kudos to Ollie. He’s a likeable chap and this was an interesting journey. Shame he didn’t make it but riding that hard for that long deserves a fair amount of respect.
And I don’t find the commerciality of GCN too oppressive really. They have a lot of very useful content. Everything costs money so even cycling needs ad revenue or sponsorship.
4 Likes
For those not in the UK that’s going to be very, very confusing 
5 Likes
Ha, good question! I went and looked up pictures from the last time I did it (few years ago), looks like bottom-up:
I think I used a ParkTool video and did not use a cheat strip. I remember spending a long time figuring out the right wrap direction, heh.
5 Likes
Massive pet peeve of mine…drives me insane when I see people write “could of”.
3 Likes
Greta colour though. I applaud anyone who defies the black bar tape 
2 Likes
uh how about the usage of “get” and “become”… I was taught the difference in school and it seemed quite clear… until I encountered native speakers who seem to just use “get” 90 % of the time, despite the “official” definitions 
I managed 40.2km on a bike from 1979 on an outdoor track built in the 1950s. Maybe I should give it another go on the fancy track down the M4 haha
Expectant father to take on Hour record as "it's harder than giving birth" | road.cc
2 Likes