Can GCN beat Ineos Grenadiers with the help of marginal gains?

While on a training camp in 2019, Geraint Thomas, Dylan van Baarle and Cameron Wurf completed a mammoth 312km lap around Mallorca. The Inoes Grenadiers trio finished the course in only eight hours and 30 minutes, averaging 36 kph.

That’s a mind-blowing pace, but even more impressively, it wasn’t even a part of their training plan, they did it for fun. For most riders it would be a career achievement, for these WorldTour pros it was a spare day in their training camp.

On paper it’s an impressive ride, but how achievable would it be for non-pro riders? Alex Paton and Ollie Bridgewood wanted to find out. They made the journey across to the small Spanish island to take on the challenge, except they wouldn’t be relying on leg power alone - neither has WorldTour-level wattage in their locker.

Instead, our dynamic duo relied on some top-level kit and careful planning to see if it would be enough to bridge the gap, allowing them to match the time of the Ineos Grenadiers trio or maybe even beat it.

• Read more: Oliver Bridgewood takes on the Tour des Stations Ultimate 1000

The route: climbing and more climbing

A 312km ride is tough regardless of the terrain. Throw in some climbing and the challenge increases exponentially - except this route includes a lot more than ‘some’ climbing.

Unfortunately for Alex and Ollie, Mallorca is far from flat. The Spanish island has become one of the most popular cycling destinations in Europe thanks to its favourable mix of glorious sunshine and tough terrain. While some areas of the island offer respite in the form of relatively flat roads, a lot of it is packed with climbs and elevation gain.

Read more: Ultimate guide to cycling in Mallorca

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The 312km route packed in nearly 4000m of climbing

Starting and finishing in the northern town of Alcudia, the route winds its way around stunning coastline before dissecting the Tramuntana mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s home to some of the best cycling climbs in Europe, not that Alex and Ollie would spend much time enjoying them. It’s here that much of the elevation gain is contained, helping to take the total figure for the full route to a leg-sapping 4,000m - we’re being generous, it’s actually only 3,956m, but it sounds better for Alex and Ollie this way.

The kit: in search of aero gains

If the challenge relied on power alone, Alex and Ollie would lose every time. While they’re very capable cyclists, both fall some way short of WorldTour ability.

That’s why they relied on all of the technological marginal gains they could, specifically the ABUS GameChanger helmet. Built for speed, the GameChanger is a performance helmet in every sense of the word. Its Multi Position technology reduces drag regardless of weather conditions, head-tilt position and inflow angle.

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The ABUS GameChanger is build to be aerodynamic

Over the course of a long ride like this, that aero advantage can make a big difference. The size of this advantage will vary as aerodynamic benefits are system-dependent and there are multiple factors that influence it such as rider position.

However, according to Ollie, an aero helmet like the GameChanger will usually reduce CdA (coefficient of aerodynamic drag) by 0.005 to 0.01. For those who don’t speak the language of the tech nerd used by Ollie, CdA, in the simplest terms, quantifies how much drag a rider and their equipment produces.

Most importantly of all, that reduction in CdA would be enough to cut Ollie and Alex’s time on the route by three to six minutes. That’s not huge in the context of a nearly nine-hour ride, but when you’re racing against the clock, every little helps.

So, living up to its name, the ABUS helmet really could be a game changer.

The result (Spoiler alert!)

Would it be enough for Alex and Ollie to conquer the time of the Ineos Grenadiers riders, though? Watch the full video above to find out how they got on throughout the ride, or check out the result below.

Unfortunately not. As Alex and Ollie rolled up to Burger King at the end of their ride, they were left rueing another missed opportunity to bag some bragging rights over WorldTour pros. In reality they missed out by quite a lot.

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Alex suffered a serious bonk on the ride

Their finishing time of 10 hours and one minute fell some way short of the time required, although they were faster than their rivals over the first 140km. The finishing time was partly hampered by one of the most impressive bonks we’ve ever had on GCN as Alex completely blew up - it was even enough to rival one of Conor Dunne’s famous bonks.

Read more: Conor Dunne bonks at Unbound gravel

Even so, the average speed of 31.1 kph is impressive for two amateur cyclists over such a course, and there is no doubt that they would have been even slower without the help of their marginal gains.

Here at GCN, we’re constantly setting our presenters tough challenges. You can enjoy all of their pain as they complete them via the challenge section on the GCN website, linked here.