Former WorldTour pro versus cyclo-cross: Can Conor Dunne finish a ‘cross race?

A few weeks ago, GCN’s Conor Dunne embarked on a cyclo-cross adventure. Buoyed by constant mudslinging in the GCN head office, where Conor’s handling skills are often the target of his fellow presenters’ jokes, the Irishman decided that it was time to set the record straight.

To rebuild his reputation, he entered his first ever ‘cross race. After weeks of preparation, the day has finally arrived. It all comes down to this. Can Conor prove that his fellow presenters were wrong?

Read more: A beginner's guide to cyclocross

Preparation: cyclo-cross training with Amy Perryman

Despite the last-minute decision to enter the race, Conor managed to cram in plenty of preparation prior to race day - for it he recruited pro racer Amy Perryman.

Perryman is an off-road specialist, so there was no one better to put Conor through his paces in the weeks leading up to the race. It was a big task.

Cyclo-cross is one of the toughest disciplines in cycling, containing everything from deep mud and off-camber sections to obstacles and gnarly off-road descents. All of that has to be tackled on a drop-bar bike, making it one of the purest tests of handling skills.

Despite his WorldTour pedigree - he finished a Grand Tour as recently as 2019 - Conor lacked most of these skills, as Perryman found out when they first met up.

Read more: From zero to hero: Conor Dunne takes a cyclo-cross crash course

To rectify this, she gave Conor a crash course in an attempt to improve his cornering, running and starting, all key elements in a race. Determined to prove his fellow presenters wrong, Conor then practised everything he learned on local trails and off-road routes.

Read more: How To Ride Cyclocross with Amy Perryman

By the time race day arrived, Conor was feeling confident. Aiming for more than just finishing, he even had a race plan. Was that confidence misplaced or could he conquer his local cyclocross race in Bristol?Watch the full video above to find out.

Watch the best of the cyclo-cross season live on GCN+, including the World Cup, Superprestige, X2O & Exact series plus the UCI World Championships, with replays available on demand. Territory restrictions apply, check availability here.