Marathon Champ Tries Cycling | We Take Paula Radcliffe For A Ride!
Paula Radcliffe, ex-pro runner, marathon world champion, MBE holder, but can she conquer road cycling? Manon takes Paula on a ride to help manage her initial beginner cycling nerves before she attempts to take on an endurance cycling challenge. Manon shares her tips on the basics of cornering on a bike and balancing on skinny road tyres.
In association with Let's Do This 👉 gcn.eu/Letsdothis
00:00 Intro
01:12 Has Paula Radcliffe done much cycling?
01:57 Do marathon runners use cross training?
02:46 How far has Paula Radcliffe ever cycled?
03:00 What bike is Paula Radcliffe cycling?
03:42 What does Paula Radcliffe find challenging about cycling?
04:57 Quick bike choice tips
05:44 Paula Radcliffe and Manon go for a bike ride
06:17 First impressions of the new bike
07:29 Descending and cornering tips
09:09 Ride London bike training plan
11:50 The big differences between running and cycling
12:47 Ride end
Useful Links:
Everything Cycling. All In One Place 👉 www.globalcyclingnetwork.com
Visit the GCN Shop 👉 gcn.eu/blackfriday23
Join the GCN Club 👉 gcnclub.com
GCN Training Plans 👉 gcn.eu/gcntp
Which other athletes would you like to see try road cycling? 🚲
Watch more on GCN...
📹 Cyclist vs Runner 👉 • Cyclist VS Runner: Who...
📹 Watch our Editor’s Choice Playlist 👉 gcn.eu/editorschoice
📹 Or why not check out our Features Playlist 👉 gcn.eu/gcnfeatures
🎵 Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
#gcn #cycling #roadcycling #roadbike #bike #bikes #bikelife #ride #100miles #beginner #marathon
📸 Photos - © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sprint Cycling Agency
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:
Pinarello Bikes: gcn.eu/Pinarello
Topeak Tools: gcn.eu/Topeak
Canyon Bikes: gcn.eu/-Canyon
Pirelli Tyres: gcn.eu/Pirelli
Orbea Bikes: gcn.eu/Orbea
Vision Wheels: gcn.eu/Vision
Wahoo Fitness: gcn.eu/Wahoo-Fitness
Park Tool: gcn.eu/-parktool
Elite Bottles: gcn.eu/EliteBottles
Whoop Fitness: gcn.eu/Whoop
Selle Italia: gcn.eu/SelleItalia
SiS: gcn.eu/ScienceInSport
Zwift: gcn.eu/Zwift
Shimano Wheels: gcn.eu/Shimano
DMT Shoes: gcn.eu/DMT
Silca: gcn.eu/Silca
MET Helmets: gcn.eu/methelmets
Strava: gcn.eu/strava
ShadowStand: gcn.eu/ShadowStand
Watch our sister channels:
GCN Tech - / @gcntech
GCN Racing - / @gcnracing
Global Triathlon Network - / @gtn
GCN Italia - / @gcnitalia
GCN en Español - / @gcnenespanol
GCN auf Deutsch - / @gcnaufdeutsch
GCN en Français - / @gcnenfrancais
GCN Japan - / @gcnjapan
GCN Training - / @gcntraining
Global Mountain Bike Network - / @gmbn
GMBN Racing - / @gmbnracing
GMBN Tech - / @gmbntech
Electric Mountain Bike Network - / @embn
Which other athletes would you like to see try road cycling? 🚲
Riley Reid!
Eddie Hall on the track. Perhaps one of the bulkier rugby celebs on a road bike on the road
Mike Tindal, Roger Utley and Alan Lamb are all Strava regulars.
Jake Wightman rides a bit.
Adam Gemili. A fine lad, I bet he'd agree.
This woman is so special, I remember watching her through her career, the disappointments and improvements, getting glimpses of her personality. Seeing her now on the TV presenting. Definitely a legend.
She's amazing! We're sure that she'll make a great cyclists 🙌 Should we check back in with Paula to see how her cycling journey is going?
Next week Manon runs a marathon in size 12 shoes.
I did my first 100 aged 65 on quite a heavy hybrid with the motivation of 'I wonder if I can' and the best tip I had was Manon's "add 5 miles to your normal ride" That got me to where I needed to be over a couple of months regular rides. The feeling of seeing the mileage click over from 99.9 to 100 was amazing! Anyone thinking of that challenge I'd say go for it, it will take some work but it's so worth it. Enjoy it Paula! And thanks Manon/GCN for all the tips and advice.
That's awesome! Have you done many century rides since?
I've done one more but circumstances and health prevented it this year. Trying to get my fitness back now though! @@gcn
A bike that is a size smaller than that one would really boost her confidence. That frame is too big for her.
Agree. Clearly she is not feeling well. The stem should be shorter.
For a channel that makes out they know everything cycling at least get a bike that is the right size for her. !!!!!!!!!
Yes she is having to reach way forward that's not going to do the confidence much good.
It’s enormous 😂
That's all sponsor had...😂
Her VO2 Max is probably insane for someone of her age. As soon as she gets cycling muscles, she'll be a super strong cyclist.
Oh man. When I was running, Paula was one of my heroines! Such an amazing athlete, and so cool to see her here with my favourite GCN host. So interesting to see someone who was such a tiger as a runner being quite timid on the bike. It takes a lot of humility to get out of your comfort zone and try something new. So much admiration for you, Paula!
Paula is a heroine to us all! Has this given you inspiration to try something new on gcn.eu/Letsdothis?
Paula trained in Albuquerque for a couple of years. I got to share a lane in the pool at my gym several times with Paula when she was rehabbing a foot injury by water running. And I saw her at the parking lot of a bike trail along the river after Paula had finished a training run. Paula's a very nice person and I was able to introduce her to my wife and several of my friends after we had finished our runs. Too bad GCN set her up with a bike that didn't fit her for the video shoot.
I met Paula many years ago, at the beginning of her amazing career as a distance runner, and she was such a lovely person. Great to see her try a new discipline. All the best with your 100 mile challenge Paula.
She's got this! We would rather ride 100 miles over run a marathon 😂
More, more, more of this EXCELLENT content please Manon and gcn! Huge respect for Paula for having the courage to tackle cycling like this given her history (the crash)! Way to get back on the horse! So great to have such an amazing athlete set such a goal in another discipline! Manon is such a supportive teacher! (As if she is paying forward the experience she had with Maghalie Rochette). This quiest confident support without any hint of condescension/ ego tells us the class act Manon really is! I will gladly watch any of these videos with such amazing women athletes! Can't wait for the next one!
Thanks for the great comment! We would love to have Paula back on the channel 🙌 Have you go any video ideas that we could do with Paula?
Well, I am wondering if you could do some follow up videos of Manon supporting/ guiding Paula as she heads towards her goal of the London race? Manon does such a good job and Paula is a consummate athlete, maybe sessions on breaking on different surfaces (to help erase misgivings), shifting, how to clip in/out and set for easy release? A bike fit session, as others have suggested in comments, with Phil Burt? How to use her 'sharp elbows ' strategy from running to help her with bike racing. Assertive positioning? There are lots of tips and tricks that could be covered. These women are both amazing athletes and I am super stoked that Manon got recognized (rightly so) for her contributions to getting women cycling! I will gladly watch any content you produce on this topic!!@@gcn
What a legend! Looking forward to Paula's progress.
What challenges would you like to see Paula take on next? She's a great athlete and we're sure she'll smash it on the bike too 🙌
Love the chemistry between you two...really strange to see someone who is/was so accomplished at one sport to be a more or less beginner in another...excellent vid, thanks you and go Paula!
It just proves, we're all human - We've got no doubt that Paula will be smashing it soon though 🙌
Lovely to see Paula out on a bike, what a legend!
She seems such a lovely person. Good luck with your riding Paula
She is going to make an amazing cyclist! We can't wait to see how she develops 🙌
Love these videos! Keep them coming.
Absolute running Legend, World record for marathon held for 16 years, winning London 3 times. Dad's bikes on her trainer ❤ Maybe book in to see a bike fitting guy like Phil Burt ( other bike fitters are available ) :) Get that ideal riding position and bike setup nailed. Best wishes on the 2 wheeled journey Paula.
Yes, she ran 2:15:25 in 2003! Only broken by 1:21min. That is not a lot indeed and exactly 16 years later (hihi). Also the fact she used old shoe technology without carbon fibre in sight or not light-ish shoes at the time, that makes it even more impressive. Imagine running 2:15:25 in regular lighter weight daily trainers then somebody wearing future high tech shoes comes along and breaks it by only 1:21 minutes, she broke the old wr which was her own by 1:57 in 2003 and she was 3:22 clear of the next best performance that was not hers. So actually she improved as much as on the records as men did on carbon supershows compared to racing flats. She was racing flats vs racing flats🤯
Female world record.... Not the world record. The men's record has been under 2:17 since the 50s. And the current women's world record finally beat the men's from the 60s.
There's a certain knighted guy, now busy polishing Olympic Gold medals. Fancied furthering the legacy, but in the 26.2 mile arena. Yet despite all the experience of overseas high altitude training camps, logging literally thousands of training miles, came to a certain realisation ! We'll "dance around" the "questionable" coaching methods of a certain training camp ! Needless to say, best of luck to anyone, matching what Paula achieved, at the highest level.
Awesome to see such an accomplished athlete as a cycling newb. I am sure that with her determination, she will crush Ride London. But please GCN, let the next video in the series be "Paula gets a bike fit".
Beginner bike fits a great idea 🙌 Nothing sets you up for a long ride better than a bike fit 🙌
Great video Manon!
You would have thought that with all the bikes at GCN/GTN disposal the correct sized bike would be used. It also shows the downside to one piece handlebars. If Paula used that bike for Ride Essex then she will be at side of road for a different reason. 😂
I'm looking at the video and scrolled down to say the same thing 🙂
Met Paula when representing GB in XC running. Great person who makes time for others.
She's awesome!
Brilliant film 🎥 Loved seeing the legendary Paula on GCN 👍
Should we get her back for more content soon? 🎞
Yes please and maybe Global Running Channel GRC 🤞🤞
Really interesting to see someone who excelled at another sport try cycling. Especially someone who experienced an injury. The first time I got on a horse I broke both my arms, but with perseverance and support from others I became a good horseman and horse trainer. I really like that Manon is supporting Paula and helping her with her fears. We cyclists focus on how physically difficult cycling is and sometimes forget how mentally taxing it can be for people who are unaccustomed to the stresses.
Exactly, everybody trains differently so it is important to understand their fears and how they want to train! We think Manon did it perfectly!
I love this! Great job, Manon! I'd like to see the follow up about how her 100 miler goes. Also, perhaps video showing her conversion to clipless? And please give Paula a GCN kit!
100%! How do you think she will do in the Ride London?
@@gcn I have no doubt she'll crush it.
love her philosophy of being a big believer in setting goals. If she is scared of clipless pedals, flat pedals are just as fast if not faster and you waste less energy in some situations by using them. There is a GCN video comparing flat pedals vs clipless pedals with surprising results. Kudos to her, nice person to listen to
Exactly, When you are just starting to ride, it is important to start with what is comfortable for you and then add in more difficult tech as your confidence builds.
@@gcn in that regard she seemed to grow quite comfortable with "thin" tyres fast. I have a MTB with 53,4mm tyres and a road bike with bars (street fighter style) and the 28mm tyres of my road bike are much more responsive, plus during climbs they are a lot easier to keep straight, the tyres on the MTB tend to go from left to right, they are much harder to control for some reason. However, in the mountainous area where I live, rough surfaces, or one particular nasty narrow road with a downhill section where you rapidly build speed and turn right into a small bridge then you go uphill, that turn on the bridge has some gravel in the middle and gosh, I ended up skidding on my MTB but managed to save the day, on the 28mm road bike I'd never make that turn at that speed (30 something Km/h) without crashing and a few wounds
Paula is an absoloute legend, great to see her finding the love of two wheels, we just need sir sir Mo Farah now!
She's an incredible person and athlete! It's great to see her giving cycling a go! Would you try any of the other sports on gcn.eu/Letsdothis?
Great video - more like this, which other athletes can you get on a bike!
Dear GCN, please don’t put people on bikes that don’t fit them
Yep, stupid!!! Absolutey stupid, with the ending of GCN+ have they run out of bikes??????
I started running at 20 years of age and, for the most part, ran up until I stopped because of knee arthritics at 64 years of age. I've always had a bicycle, but never rode more than a once a week. That changed when I joined a seniors riding group in 2015. Now I ride at least 3 times a week and love it. I liked running, but I love riding, on both on my road and mountain bikes. One thing I know for sure is that running is A LOT cheaper than cycling (at 6 bikes I've got to stop!).
In my opinion the bike was too big, she was stretched out toooooo much!!!
WTF 😂 get her a bike the right size
I thought the same thing - also those cranks were way too long for her.
She’s a legend. Amazing lady.
And she just got even cooler! Riding a bike 😎
What a nice lady! So modest. Looking forward to seeing how she gets on ...
We're sure she will do amazing! Would you try any of the events on gcn.eu/Letsdothis? 🤔
Would love to see more guests on the channel. For instance I was watching Alexei Sayle this morning.
So would we! Feel free to give us some more ideas for guests who are new to cycling!🚴♂
5:24 I think newer riders should try 30 or 32 mmm tires rather than 28! I felt 10x more comfortable descending and cornering on wider tires. It’s a great way to remove fear at the start.
35s even... whatever can fit.
I started road bike riding on 25s so that should not matter.
Go Paula you legend 🎖
GCN always telling us how important a bike fit is, Paula here’s a bike that’s a bit too big for you but I’ll just lower the seat a bit
haha I was totally thinking the same, not a great way to build a beginner's confidence when she's so stretched out on the hoods with bars far to wide... Hope they can get her on a better fitting bike in future videos
Same thoughts! Nice GCN very cruel
See you on RideLondon Essex 2024 Paula! If you're going to do a century ride, it's the best intro. Did it last year and it was great with a lovely atmosphere.
It sure is a great event! Have you tried any other 100-mile events?
Used to live in the New Forest and it really is a great place to cycle. Watching this makes me miss it, these are all the roads I used to ride on. It is pretty flat I guess, but it is glorious in the summer.
She’s a legend 👍
And how to you make a legend even cooler ... get them on a bike 😎
Paula Radcliffe MBE on GCN... Wow! I would love to see how she prepares for and then completes her challenge. It is such a shame that GCN Plus is closing because this would make for a fabulous documentary. I can only wish this inspirational woman the very best of luck with her riding, but someone please help her with her fear of proper pedals? They make so much difference. Huge respect to her for doing this though, she is a legend.
Super cool to have her on the channel! We'll be trying to get her back for sure 🙌 Clipless pedals are a game changer but confidence should come first.
I think a nice easy gear would suit. Paula looked like she was pushing a too big gear for rolling along chatting. Good luck Paula, keep at it, it gets easier!
Spinning is winning for most of us 🙌
She needs one size smaller bike, narrower handlebars, and 1 cm shorter cranks.
I remember her competing back in the day. She always looked like she was about to faint and collapse. It was an odd sight...
To be fair, Paula made it look exactly like it feels, the folk who do it looking relaxed is actually the odd sight.
@@fergusdenoon1255 I was out of breath and suffocating just looking at her. And I understood why I don't like running. At all.
Ran with Paula other Nike runs but that bike is the wrong size wonderful ladie
Please don't get her into using clipless pedals any time soon. Confidence is the key here and I think Paula will be much happier putting the miles in and riding in a group without having something like that to worry about. Guessing most of us DID fall off a few times before getting used to them? And let's remember, when GCN tested it.... flats and clipless were virtually the same efficiency wise.
Great point, clipless pedals can come later - building confidence on the bike first is more important 🙌
If GCN film progress videos, then we'll see obvious progress early on(bikefit & cadence improvements) then I'll be looking forward to watching. But i'm sure they will anyway. It will be a nice change from watching the endless 'how to wash youe bike' videos.😜😉😉😂
My first time riding clipless with SPDs was when I was 39 years old, no big deal, had it loose enough that I would fall out of the pedal just as a reaction to reaching for the ground.
The reach and frame size don’t suit Paula at all by the look of it.. hope her other bikes are a better fit. Good luck for Ride100 in London did that earlier this year 😊 Pete 😃🚴🏻🥇
Great to see Paula but for such an athlete a 100 miles challenge is a bit easy ? I had a quad heart bypass two years ago and managed a 100 mile plus ride back in May, so it can't be that hard 😊
Or, conversely, you could be that great and made your century look easy!
@@David-dw4iu if only that were true, I never said how long it took 😁
Is it me, or does Paula look so uncomfortable and awkward on the bike. She is a colossus of the sporting world, I would have thought GCN could have sorted out a bike and a professional fit for her. I love GCN and the presenters but please give the respect to an icon that they deserve.
Amazing how even an incredibly accomplished athlete can be scared of serious cycling. Reminds me of getting my wife acclimated and now she loves it but going clipless and riding in traffic were some hurdles she faced.
It is incredible how riders progress so quickly even with such difficult hurdles to face! How is riding for you and your wife now?
@@gcn She is a champ and with a good bike (Scott Addisct Disc) she can be tough to keep up with thanks to her dancing days (musical Theater, not exotic haha)
Good to have that goal of the Ride London 100 miles. Just get out there. Maybe set an intermediate goal of like 60 or 70 miles, if you achieve that well reward yourself with a Coffee or a treat. For the Mass start, just concentrate and try to hold your line , just try to settle into a rhythm that you are comfortable with as soon as possible. If you want to try cleats on the road, or well and good, maybe set up one pedal ( probable your preferred leg) a little looser so the force needed to clip in a little less, and just practice , and when out on the road, coming up to an intersection where you will need to stop, slow down, get prepared and unclip before you actually stop that way it is just put your foot down.. Vitally important to get the procedure down so when you are tired at the end of the ride especially the ride London you can slow your mind , belay panic and do the unclipping procedure. Maybe get a GPS bike computer, one you can pre load the course of the ride, it will show you how far you have ridden, and you can mentally tick off little milestones... Most importantly just enjoy.
Watching Paula on the bike she seems very nervous, the fitness and fueling should not be the priority but time on the bike. Maybe try wider tyres, some off road riding (it is safer, honestly) and maybe some skill courses to get her confidence up. The bike did look like it was not fitted well, or maybe there was some flexibility issues. Good to see her giving it a go, would be even more special if she did it on her fathers bike....
Paula’s VO2 max must be way up there so a 100 mile ride should be easy for her once she’s comfortable on riding the bike at faster paced.
I’ve taught small children to use clipless pedals in BMX. I have them stand over the bike and clip in and twist out at least ten times on each leg. This can be done on the turbo as well. The more repetition the better. It will get ingrained into the brain and make it second nature.
Great point! Repeat repeat repeat... it's the best way to drill those skills in 🙌
That was painful to watch; Paula needs a bike fit so badly! Maybe a before and after video GCN...?
Did an Audax along that road, lovely place to ride.
Awesome! How long was the Audax?
@@gcn They were running 100 and 200 that day - the 200 included getting the ferry to the Isle of Wight
Cycle fit in London should be her destination.
Have GTN coach Paula in swimming and she'll become a triathlete as well.
A true triple threat ... she'll smash it we're sure 🙌
the bike seems a bit big for Paula. Looks a bit stretched
I love Manon asking Paula Radcliffe if she is competitive 😂
She‘ll be more than alright on the training side of things. I‘m curious if she will prefer riding out of the saddle on climbs. Ex-runners like Michael Woods often do so and the movement looks a lot like running. Maybe visit a bike fitter. Looked like she could use shorter cranks to me but maybe it is due to the flat pedals.
My tip for Paula is that when she is at the level that she can ride a for the whole morning, she should find a cycling club who have a nice slow group ride. Some group rides would be first cat or elite racers who would be hammering it so don't pick those groups when you're a beginner. But there should be a group with a more relaxed pace. She mentioned being worried about riding in a bunch, so work on that. And she wants to smooth out your pedaling technique whilst being absolutely terrified and do something that is mega difficult then ride on rollers, that will scare the hell out of her whilst giving her a smooth pedaling technique. Rollers are really difficult to ride.
Some cycling clubs are perfect for beginners because they are able to help your confidence and help you with little tips and tricks to make you more comfortable!
Paula reminds me of some of my students in her age bracket very stiff unsure and nervous, best tool for her at this point is too ride rollors and find her pedaling stroke and balance and build the confidence she's lacking. I hope you do great on your journey into the world of cycling.
7:43 she needs disc brakes I think. I was also so scared of s]descending when I started. I had a bike with rim brakes, and I used to ride them so much that they’d get super hot and squeak. I now have hydraulic disc brakes and see a massive difference! I’m so much more confident descending!
Why do I keep missing gtn when they come to the new Forest, I live and ride here 😅
Love GCN, Manon a great presenter, but why oh why not start with a bike fit, just a basic one and the right size bike. Take the vid down GCN re-do with a correct bike PLEASE
Asking a World Champion "Are you quite competitive?"😂
Hahahaha She's just a little competitive 😂
Warner Bros. taking us all for a ride.
Is that Connors bike....
Paula should join a cycling club. She'll get some good advice, progress faster, gain in confidence and get used to riding in a group.
Reminds me of riding with my wife 😅
I see triathlon in her future:-)
We best get GTN on the case for the swimming!
she did the Dumoulin long before Dumoulin
Could have helped her a bit with gear choice? She seemed to be in a high gear and was wobbling all over the road. Made her look very nervous on the bike.
Please suggest to Paula to use an easier gear and a higher cadence.
Great vid. Lovely lady
From the way Paula stretches, I would say the bike's too big. But I do mainly MTB, so I guess I'm wrong?
She needs a bike fit and she looks terrified .
Paula built for a QOM😎💪🏻
Hopefully she will take many on the Ride London course!👑
I started off on a Pinarello (no)
And she didn’t have to stop halfway for a wee !
It wasn’t a wee, it was a 💩
Hi Paula, slide your seat forward
It is obvious that Paula is new to bike riding as a sport. Her cadence is far lower than Manon’s. She almost grind.
Paula Ridecliffe
👏
maybe a basketball player so Connor can have someone to draft?
Aged 51 doing OK, but how are her knees?
Why is she riding a pro level bike when she's begginer? I mean, it has shimano 105 but it's very good bike.
An Offensive lineman in the from American football. Also, Lebron James would be interesting to see on the bike.
Yes! How do you think a 53-man peloton from the NFL would do in a 100-mile ride?
Everyone are such know it all's.
Didn’t you have a bigger bike?!!!!!!!
I've ridden a long time and have seen a few runners start riding. They seem to be fast right away. So annoying, lol.
Cyclists just love the bike too much to start running! Maybe we will send Hank to GTN to try some running😈
You can see how she shines when running...most runners have good cardio but lack in power
She'll be smashing us on the bike in no time we're sure 👀
Great video. I’m sure Paula will complete the ride. However as Paula is an inexperienced cyclist I don’t understand the fixation of providing her with a drop handlebar bike. There are many quality straight handlebar bikes, lightweight, quality components, even carbon frame if you want it such as the Trek FX range. I feel these would be far more suitable.
Why have you stuck her on a bike that is too big for her?
Where's Dan?
Paula and Tom Dumoulin would make a great two up time trial.💩
bike looks too big for her?
I think she needs a shorter stem on there her arms are to straight?
I guess Paula has best running style ever (male athletes included)