I Took A Tour de France Climb KOM, What Happened Next Was Ridiculous
How hard is it to get a Strava KOM on a climb that features in the Tour de France? We sent Dan to find out! The target: the Côte d’Outreau, the final climb of Stage 2 of the 2025 race!
Follow along as Dan goes all-in for a massive effort—hiding his gear in a bush to save weight and laying down nearly 500 watts—to take the crown… for a little while. Then, we dive deep into the data, comparing his power and speed directly against Tour de France stage contenders like Tadej Pogačar and Fred Wright to see exactly where the pros are on another level.
Here’s a link to Dan’s Strava ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/14973631639
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 The Challenge: Stealing a TDF KOM
01:28 Final Prep: Hiding Gear Like a Pro
01:48 The KOM Attempt: Full Gas!
03:50 Mission Accomplished… For Now
05:08 The Long Wait: Will The KOM Hold?
07:10 The Aftermath: The Pros Arrive
08:02 Why Is Dan “Only” 34th?
08:45 Data Deep Dive: Where The Time Was Lost
09:29 Amateur vs. Pro: The Pogačar Comparison
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 your proudest (or most short-lived) Strava KOM/QOM story? Let us know in the comments below!
Watch more on GCN…
📹 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 🎵
Too Many Kings (Instrumental Version) – Pink Persona
Lifelike – STRLGHT
Handcraft – Johnny Berglund
Old Arcade (Indie Pop Version) – Josef Falkenskold
#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
Vision Wheels: http://gcn.eu/Vision
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles: https://gcn.eu/VW
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
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
![Men's 1500m Section 1 [Hunter Out-Kicks The Milers] - Sunset Tour 2025 [Full Race Replay]](https://www.lovenhl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/1753763885_maxresdefault-150x150.jpg)
50 Comments
I just realised that I didn't quote any power numbers from the pros on the day. Neither Fred Wright nor Tadej Pogačar included power data in their Strava file – amongst those that did are:
Santiago Buitrago: 454w for 2'08"
Oscar Onley: 470w for 2'08"
Valentin Madouas: 502w for 2'11"
Clément Berthet: 519w for 2'14"
Harry Sweeney: 526w for 2'19"
Just goes to show how much difference weight makes!
Anyway, hope you enjoyed the video! Cheers. Dan
I had a decent position (not KOM!) on a hill used in the Tour of Britain back in 2012. I was overtaken by about 10 pros when they went up the climb, probably because they were the only ones on Strava in the race. Now, though, I'm something like 110th, and the leaders went up the climb at 55 km/h, apparently… Seems legit. So now Strava leaderboards are meaningless.
Did you do your EPO regimen for a more fair comparison?
Floating like a butterfly 🦋 😂 very impressive cycling Dan 🎉
I remember comparing a time up a short but steep climb near me where I did a very hard effort. When I looked the KOM holders, Sepp Kuss was at the top and his average speed was TWICE mine… I'm 200lb, but Sepp probably had a 2lb lighter bike and special grease in his wheel bearings or something.
Classic Dan Lloyd, brilliant 👌
Impressive you can still do it! You should take that away from it.
That was so humorous! Quick wit, constant one-liners. We’ve all felt the pain of waiting for the inevitable email. And the thrill of holding a QOM even for a short time. Thank goodness for Local Legends, or I’d have no bragging left! 😅
IDK I think Strava should have multiple leaderboards based on skill. Pros, semi-pro, retired pro, local amatuer, joe public, etc…. Most sports do this. It would be a lot more motivating than being blown up by a peloton rider.
A joy, one of the best GCN videos. Thanks Dan
Need more of this hilariousness!
Stolen glory! It's subtle, but it looks like some of those riders got huge benefits from drafting! That's a least a 50-55 second advantage on such a climb!
Great form these days Dan. You had your wilderness years when you seemed to prefer beer than bikes. Glad you are having a mid life crisis. Great stuff!
This type of content is fantastic. Thanks Dan, keep 'em coming ❤
So much fun tks !
Dan being peak self aware is hilarious, LOVE YOU DAN, THE OG GCN PRESENTER _ LONG LIVE DAN
Good banter! I always look at Strava KOM to see if it was part of a long ride or if they just went KOM hunting! What’s the truer KOM? Including ride or just hitting the segment….
what a great script and even better delivery by dan 😂😂
“The power is starting to come down (427w); still slightly higher than my hear rate, which is always a good sign”!!!
Brilliant commentary Dan. More content like this please. 🙏
This was so funny 😂
super fun video big kudos
These kind of 10 minutes video,s are the best!
Well said. All of it.
Watched this because my mate shared it with me. He's subscribed. I'm subscribed by proxy.
Dan's quads OMG I'M KOMMING
I figure at my age and weight that I should only look at downhill segments.
It's great to see Lloydy having fun again. More of this please.
did he ride the 150+kms prior to going up lol
Big numbers. Cray.
Nice!!! I did the same for the Commonwealth Games Road Race in Warwick in 2022… 10 mile loop….😂 👑 …vid on my channel 😉
tremendous effort
What a knob head ! LOL! Funny video
Absolute comedy gold i loved this made me laugh loads cheers man 😂😂
It's insane to think over 30 riders went up that climb faster….then had to continue racing to the end!
if you think you are going to use an action camera which can weigh anywhere from 86 to 158 grams depending on the model, then you should just lose 200 grams of weight to compensate! For those in the U.S. that comes to about just under a half a pound. Just my 2 cents! CHEERS!😁
Great idea and vid
So good. All the right marks. Love the satire. 😂
Great video. As someone who has never used Strava, this was great explanation of what is possible with it.
Fun video. Now I just need to find some east local hill to get a KOM so I can not humble brag about it!
Best GCN Video ever!
Doping pros and you whine about Armstrong. They are all doping!
Dumb question, how do you determine whether a positive or negative split makes sense (for shorter climbs like 2-8min)? Given impact of aero drag scales faster than speed, does it thus make sense to invest more power into flatter/faster parts of the climb, or is it the opposite, invest more power on the steeps where it's a more direct translation to speed and then go softer on the flats?
Peak power for peak content! Excellent 😂🎉
👏👏
love the humor. what is KOM ?^^
Very funny. Brilliant video
Which wahoo comp is that?
75Kg?? Gosh these cyclists are tiny.
It's looks pretty humbling for an ex-pro to see how much the now pros take out and even more so for us mere mortals on climbs that look quite simple.
Wow, still very impressive how many Watts you could make.