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Browse 198 movies from GCN+
Ex-pro cyclist Si Richardson heads to Ovaro in northern Italy to tackle the infamous Monte Zoncolan. Joining him is former professional, Dan Martin, who battled to a top 10 finish there at the Giro d’Italia in 2010. One of the toughest mountains in Italy, the Zoncolan was once considered too difficult for the Giro. It has featured eight times since its first appearance in the 1997 Giro Donne, but its hellish gradients immediately earned it a reputation as a bucket list climb to be feared by both amateurs and professional riders. This brutal climb averages an eye-watering 11.9% for 10.1km. WorldTour rider Alessandro De Marchi and journalist Antonio Simeoli, who both grew up at the foot of Monte Zoncolan, reveal why a climb so punishing is still so loved by the locals.
Sep 2023
Simon Richardson and James Lowsley-Williams head to the Himalayas on a quest to discover Nepal’s mysterious ‘Forbidden Kingdom’, the remote mountaintop city of Lo Manthang. Breath-taking views, lung-busting climbs, and incredible encounters with locals; Si and James are in for an unmissable gravel bike adventure! Their once-in-a-lifetime expedition begins in the chaotic streets of Kathmandu before embarking on a gruelling five-day ride up the ancient trade route that forges a path between Nepal and Tibet. Their epic ride sees them dicing with kamikaze trucks, enduring freezing rainstorms, taking a 228m bungee jump, and even a heroic attempt to beat a Himalayan KOM.
Aug 2023
Simon Richardson and James Lowsley-Williams are heading to Nepal to tackle the Annapurna Circuit; a 230 km trail that circumnavigates the mountain. Known as the best long distance hike in the world, an experienced hiker will take around 20 days to complete the route on foot; Si and James are attempting to ride it in just 5. Joined by local Nepalese mountain bike legend, Mangal Lama, they’ll battle extreme weather conditions, treacherous single track, and perilous high altitude as they try to complete the iconic Annapurna Circuit.
Nov 2023
Indulging his new passion for photography, ex-pro Juan Antonio Flecha teams up with renowned professional cycling photographer Camille McMillan to help him hone his craft. They ride to Spain’s remote Picos de Europa to capture its beautiful vistas, incredible wildlife, rugged glacial valleys, and peaceful cow meadows. Along the way, they enlist three time world champion and local lad Óscar Freire to pose for them! Camille teaches Juan about composition and what it means to build a story through pictures. Can Juan Antonio learn what it takes to capture the perfect cycling photo?
Standing proudly amongst the pantheon of cycling’s most revered mountains, the Stelvio boasts some of the longest and most challenging climbs in bike racing. Relentless switchbacks over impossible gradients beneath extremes of weather. It is on the relentless, technical, and often treacherous slopes of the Stelvio where the most famous and revered battles have decided the fate of the Giro d’Italia’s coveted Maglia Rosa. Jon Shubert explores the history and legends of the Stelvio and the surrounding regions, meeting people whose lives have been shaped by the mountain, and ex-professional Adam Hansen joins him as he makes his own attempt to conquer the coveted mountain.
Nov 2022
It created one of the most memorable days in grand tour history. Riders such as Andy Hampsten and Franco Chioccioli share their extraordinary experience of a day they'll never forget.
May 2023
In 1939, driven by a desire for fame and fortune English amateur Tommy Godwin cycled a world record 75,065 miles in one year setting out from home each day through bitter winters and the blackouts of World War Two. He became the fastest person to cycle 100,000 miles in just 500 days. After this epic feat of endurance, Tommy had to learn to walk again and uncurl his hands! The madcap record has only been attempted by a handful of determined souls and Tommy’s record stood for 76 years making it one of the greatest, but also most overlooked sporting achievements. Ultra endurance athlete and round the world cycling record holder Mark Beaumont is on a mission to shine a light on Tommy’s ride. He delves deeper into Tommy’s story and finds out if he has the physical and mental stamina to take on Godwin’s record.
In a fierce battle of innovation and resourcefulness, two teams have just three days to go head-to-head over a pile of scrap bikes and used parts, on a mission to transform discarded relics into awe-inspiring tandem bicycles and create the perfect set of wheels for a picnic adventure. With just old bike parts and the tools available, UK framebuilders extraordinaire Paul Burford and Ted James team up with ex pro Alex Paton and Crit racer Alec Briggs to conjure up new bikes from old. Under the watchful eye of judges Si Richardson and expert Andrew Denham, as the action unfolds, everything that can go wrong, does go wrong - from wonky wheels, to faulty frames and crazy cranks! This all culminates in a day of wacky races but will either of the bikes be roadworthy? And will they look the part? Who will be crowned the winner?
Jul 2023
A brutally steep green giant in the heart of the Asturian mountains, the Alto de l'Angliru is one of cycling's iconic climbs. Since its 'discovery' and inclusion in the Vuelta a España in 1999, riders have struggled up its fierce gradients, and fans flock here from around the world to witness the drama. Ex pro cyclist Conor Dunne returns to this beast of a climb for the first time since crawling his way up on Stage 20 of the 2017 Vuelta. Joining Conor is David Millar facing his own demons, after his 2002 Vuelta when he crashed twice in heavy rain and fog. These horrific conditions led to his dramatic protest, refusing to cross the finish line. Ex pros Chechu Rubiera and Samuel Sánchez also explain what the notorious Angliru means to them.
1969. July the 15th. Stage 17 of the Tour de France. A brutal stage from Luchon to Mourenx covering four of the toughest mountains in the Pyrenees. On this fateful day, Eddy Merckx catapulted himself into the history books with one of the greatest solo breakaways the sport has ever seen. Fast forward over half a century, and GCN’s Simon Richardson is in the Pyrenees to pay tribute to The Cannibal by recreating his ride. To make the 220km epic even more challenging, Si will do it aboard his 1969 spec Faema team bike and wearing their iconic red and white jersey. Eddy Merckx made this ride look easy, but will Si even make it to the finish line?
Dec 2022
GCN presenter and ex-professional cyclist Conor Dunne heads to Midwest America to take on the infamous UNBOUND 200. Alongside 100 pro riders and more than 1000 amateurs, this is the biggest gravel race in the world. Across 330 km of unforgiving Kansas landscape, Conor must battle tyre-slashing flint, thick mud, and crippling heat exhaustion in a fight to make it to the finish. Conor is joined by former World Tour road pros Nathan Haas and Larry Warbasse, up-and coming gravel racer Anna Yamauchi, and 2022 Unbound champion Ivar Slik in this up close and personal, no-holds barred look at what it takes to survive this brutal event.
Oct 2023
Andy Schleck & Alberto Contador. A pro cycling rivalry that ignited the Tour de France in 2009 and 2010. The fiery Spaniard and the level headed Luxembourger only went toe to toe at the Tour on a few occasions; but their rivalry has gone down in history as one of the most explosive, entertaining, and controversial the sport has ever seen. Dan Lloyd is joined in the studio by Nicolas Roche and William Fotheringham to dig into what made this rivalry so compelling. They’ll re-live epic battles, and debate who is the greatest.
Jun 2023
Oliver Bridgewood is taking on the biggest cycling challenge of his life. The Ultimate 1000: a 1000 km bike ride through the stunning Swiss Alps. With almost 27,000 m of climbing over 26 classified climbs, the only way Ollie will find out if he can complete the ride…is to just go for it.
Mont Ventoux. The Bald Mountain. The Giant of Provence. One of the most iconic climbs in all of professional cycling. The Strava KOM, currently held by World Tour professional Richard Carapaz, stands at just over 1 hour. If Tom’s team of elite amateurs are going to take this crown, they’ll need to put their egos aside and work together as a team. Headed by two super talented climbers - British National hill climb champion, Andrew Feather, and aspiring professional bike racer, Max Stedman - the KOM Hunters have the potential to write themselves into the history books of this iconic mountain; but only one rider can take the record for themselves. Will personal ambition and internal rivalry get in the way of achieving their goal? Will Tom be able to wrangle this bunch of individuals into a functioning team? Will Max or Andy break the record, or will they become another victim of Ventoux?
A fascinating insight into the role of the bicycle in the First World War - from reconnaissance to transporting ammunition, historian and cycling enthusiast Jeremy Banning explores stories from the battlefield. Ollie Bridgewood discovers the role cycle scouts played in the Army Cycling Corp and rides the original bikes used in the conflict. Mark Beaumont meets the grandson of a WW1 soldier who rode for the Highland Cyclist Battalion and survived brutal combat on the front line.
May 2021
GCN's James Lowsley-Williams and GMBN's Blake Samson are trading in their usual bikes for ones with much smaller wheels, as they try their hand at two variations of the incredibly varied sport of bicycle motocross. We'll explore the history of BMX to learn about the rise, fall and rebirth of one of cycling's most explosive forms. From racing on the track to landing tricks in skate bowls, what does it take to make it to the top level of BMX?
Mar 2021
Paris-Brest-Paris is a cycling spectacle like no other. Once every 4 years, over 7,000 cyclists from across the globe head to France’s capital to take on this gruelling 1200 km. Thousands of spectators flock to the roadsides of North-West France to support the riders; some of whom will be attempting to finish first, riding non-stop for over 48 hours, whilst others are just trying to make it back to Paris before the 90 hour cut off time. We follow British amateur riders Jack Thurston and Amy Hudson as they tackle this monumental challenge for the first time, along with veteran French rider Dominique Lamouller, racing Paris-Brest-Paris for the13th time, along with his son, ex-pro road racer Loïc Lamouller. A gruelling course, intense heat, and sleep deprivation, will our riders make it back to Paris?
Two time British National Hill Climb Champion, Andrew Feather, takes on the ultimate cycling challenge: Everesting. For a natural born climber like Andrew, it’s all about finding the right climb, but this is a journey into the unknown. The best ranked climber on Strava, Andrew needs to transition from a world of climbing efforts lasting only a few minutes, to a challenge few can finish in under ten hours. We follow one of sport’s greatest amateurs as he meets experts, tests climbs, and steps up his training to punishing new levels, on a quest to conquer cycling’s most masochistic mission.
Sep 2022
Biniam Girmay’s recent successes have shown that African cycling is on the up, ready at last to follow athletics and football into the big time. But why has it taken so long, and what’s needed to take it all the way? Set against the beauty and battles of the Tour du Rwanda, we explore the past, present and future of riders from Eritrea, South Africa, Rwanda and more, meeting Girmay and the rising stars hot on his heels, as well as the people passionate about giving these riders the opportunities they deserve. This is the story of the next great continent in cycling - Africa.
A mountain so legendary it’s known simply as “The Alpe”, with its unmistakable 21 hairpins it’s cycling’s most famous climb. Not the steepest, or the hardest, but when the Tour de France hits Alpe d’Huez, drama is guaranteed. It’s featured more than thirty times and is eagerly awaited by hordes of fans lining the route. Crowds are estimated to have swelled to over a million and on one of the sport’s most recognisable bends all of Holland seems to camp out; the iconic Dutch Corner. Conor is joined by ex-pro Fränk Schleck who won on the mountain in 2006. His victory cemented his place at cycling’s top table, and Fränk’s name is now immortalised on hairpin eighteen, alongside double stage winner, Hennie Kuiper, who also shares his memories of the mythical mountain.
Dec 2023