Conor Dunne: Pros get to do a lot of cool stuff, ride nice bikes, go on seemingly
endless warm-weather training camps and they get massage as part of their job description.
Not to mention the fact that they're encouraged to live in places like the French Riviera,
Girona, Andorra, Gerona, Andora, and Lucca in Italy which has brilliant ice cream,
Manon. I think they call it Gelato. Manon Lloyd: Well, it's not always plain
sailing for the pros. Oh, no. It can be a tough place out there in the pro peloton. Coming up
are a list of things us mere mortals can do that the pros just can't. Are you all right, Conner?
Conor: I dropped my ice cream. Manon: Oh, we'll go get another one. Come on.
[music] Manon:
Now, first up, the super tuck. If I was to do this in a race, not only would I get thrown out,
but I'd get locked up under the UCI headquarters and fed to the lions.
Conor: That's right because the super tuck is now banned in professional bike races.
If you're a pro and you slowly dropped on an ascent and all you want to do is help your cause
by getting down on that top tube. Well, you could get yourself in a bit of trouble.
[music] Conor: I've
been here for three hours looking for cyclists doing the super tuck. Haven't
seen any yet. Who's this? Excuse me, miss. Come back here. Hey. Hey, come back. That's illegal.
Get back on that saddle. What do you think you're doing? No.
Manon: Good news is, as non-pros, we can ride in the super tuck
all day every day until our heart's content. Conor: However, disclaimer: probably best to
not actually do it because while the UCI are just looking out for our health and safety.
Manon, best to get back on that saddle. Manon: It's pretty sketchy
down there. It's safer up here. Conor: It's a sketchy maneuver, so don't do it.
[music] Conor: Oh, yes. The
pros do get to ride a lot of mega nice bikes, but unfortunately for them, they have rules,
weight rules to be precise. Now, pros can't race on a bike that weighs less than 6.8 kilograms.
Manon: Now, some bikes do weigh a lot less than that and some pros have actually had
to add weights to their bikes. Imagine having your dream bike, your dream super light bike,
and then having to add weights to it. It'd be like eating Weetabix with water.
Manon and Conor: Heartbreaking. Conor: Luckily, we can ride a bike
of any weight we want. If we can get our hands on a super-lightweight hyperbike, then great.
Manon: It also works the other way around too. We just don't have to worry about weight.
If we want to ride on our heavy steed to the shops and back, then it's a win-win. We just
don't have to worry about the weight. Conor: It's a win-win, Manon.
Manon: It is. [music]
Pros have to watch their diet. If they turn up to a race after living life a little bit too much,
well, they're going to get dropped, simple as. Conor: If you're a pro and you stop at a café
on a ride and have two cappuccinos and a Danish pastry, well that's considered
slightly risqué and it could land you in trouble with the team manager. Remember,
team bosses have spies in every corner, so you can't relax for a second.
[music] Manon:
On the other hand, no one gives two fiddles what we eat. We can stop at a café and eat what we
want. We can eat all of these. Conor: Crisps and sandwiches-
Manon: Cakes. Conor: -and coffee.
Manon: Carrot cake. Eat to our heart's content. Conor: Lovely.
[music] Conor:
Pros are the epitome of peek performance, devoting every living second to being the
best cyclist they can possibly be. Riding harder, faster, further for the everlasting
glory of [unintelligible 00:03:55]. Manon:
We, on the other hand, we can just use any bike and it really pisses
the pros off when we take their QOMs and KOMs. I'm not sure why. Come on, Conor.
Conor: Manon. Manon: Get a motor.
It's far easier. [music]
Conor: Admittedly, pros get to ride a lot of nice gear. We aren't questioning that,
but they are stuck to sponsor correct equipment. What does that mean? Well, it might mean that
they end up working [unintelligible 00:04:30] just outside Roubaix part-time throughout the winter.
Manon: It does also mean that the pros might have to ride bikes that they don't like,
but then we'll never really know if the pros don't like the bikes they ride because that's what press
officers are for. Believe me, it does happen. Conor: We, on the other hand, get to ride
whatever the hell we want. We also get to choose what components we'd like to use,
tires, wheels, saddle. The cycling world really is our oyster.
[music] Manon:
Ever fancied lazing about on the sofa on the weekend? The weather is terrible,
it is peeing it down and you just don't want to ride your bike in that.
Conor: On average, it rains 30% of the time here in the UK where we're based at GCN HQ and those
days make up a high proportion of the time when I choose not to ride my bike and take it steady
instead. Pros on the other hand, well, they have to ride whether they like it or not. They
have training to do. They have to stick to the program, man. If they don't, they'll lose fitness,
their coach might ring them up and tell them they're not in the race at the weekend, and worse,
they might be prescribed more training. Manon: Oh, no. We, on the other hand, we
can take rest days whenever we want or even rest weeks. Then, when we fancy going out and ripping
our legs off, we can. It's bloody brilliant. Conor: It's brilliant, isn't it, Manon? Let's
go. Woo-hoo. [music]
Manon: Last one now. This one is using brakes. Now, we might be clutching our
straws a little bit here, but bear with us. Of course, the pros have brakes.
Conor: For example, imagine this one. You're charging down the Via Roma, the bottom of the
[unintelligible 00:06:16] is looming and the win at the famous Italian classic, Milan–San Remo
is on the cards. Your DS is screaming at you through the radio, "Take every risk possible,
take the wind." This is not a situation when you can use your brakes, is it?
Manon: We, on the other hand, we can take things nice and steady, getting from A to B in one piece,
taking in the views. Sounds brilliant, doesn't it? Conor: It does, Manon. It does.
Manon: I love using my brakes, especially on descents like this.
[music] Conor:
Those were seven things pros can't do but we can. I'd like to add to the list riding BMX tracks.
In a training session, pros can't do that. They have to take things seriously, don't they, Manon?
Manon: They do. If you did enjoy this video, then please give a big thumbs up.
Conor: Woah, you all right, Manon? Anyway, if we did miss anything else, please let us know in the
comments section below. As always, thank you for watching. Hopefully, we'll see you on the next
video if we survive the BMX track. [00:07:20] [END OF AUDIO]