GCN’s best of Andrew Feather collection: All the challenges in one place

We love a challenge at GCN and we also love seeing what world-class talent is capable of. Enter four-time UK national hill climb champion Andrew Feather.

Solicitor in the week and hill climbing animal at the weekend, he has more Strava KOMs than anyone else on the platform. Fortunately for us, Feather lives only a stone's throw away from the GCN megabase, making him the perfect choice for any challenges that test the defiance of gravity.

In this Andrew Feather collection, we have compiled some of our favourite content from the past few years into one easy-to-watch compilation video. Not only do we get to put him through his paces to find out how much faster a world-class climber is than our GCN presenters, but we also have some more wacky challenges up our sleeves. Here is a taste of what is included in the Feather collection.

Super climb vs super climber? Can we break the Alpe d’Huez record?

As the title might suggest, we put Andrew Feather to the test on one of the most iconic climbs in the world. We wanted to find out how he would stack up against the wealth of WorldTour talent that has taken on the slopes of Alpe d'Huez.

There is a twist, however. Feather would not be heading down to Bourg d'Oisans for this challenge but would instead be in the basement of the GCN megabase. Using the latest in indoor training technology we brought the Alpe to Feather using Wahoo’s indoor simulation of the climb. Can the latest indoor training tech really help Feather take down the KOM held by dsm-firmenich PostNL's Romain Bardet?

• Read more: How realistic is Zwift and can it really help you prepare for reality?

Can a folding bike climb? Superbike vs Brompton challenge

At the other end of the spectrum, we have one of the challenges where we use the climbing talents of the hill climb champion to put a Brompton folding bike to the test to see just how well it can move uphill.

• Read more: Monster Brompton Challenge: Turning a Brompton into a folding mountain bike

To add a bit more to the challenge our very own Ollie Bridewood takes on the same challenging climb on a top-spec superbike to see just how much difference a bike can make. Will the folding bike hold Feather back or will his astronomical power-to-weight ratio prove too much for even the best superbike?

The anatomy of the perfect climber

In this video, we take a look under the hood to find out exactly what it is that makes Feather a world-class climber. Obviously, there is a ton of hard work, dedication and consistency that has got him in the shape he's in. Beyond all of the training what is it that Feather has that gives him the edge when it comes to powering up steep gradients?

Conor Dunne takes a look at the anatomy of climbers to find out more. This deep dive into the physiology of Feather is not only a great watch to find out more about the athlete himself but also to find out more about the science behind human performance in endurance sports as well.

To watch these and a heap of other climbing-related challenges make sure to find time to work your way through the Feather collection. It is an ideal watch for indoor training sessions and to get that motivation back in the depths of the winter months, in the northern hemisphere for the time being, at least!