Hank: 100 miles, 160 kilometers a benchmark for many a cyclist. Is it possible though
to go in under three hours for that distance? Well, today is the day, we might just find
out, and he's going to do it. Go, Jon. [music]
Now, today is the day that I could be witnessing cycling history. We're following a project
called sub-three hours which is where Jonathan Schubert is going to try and break the three
hours 100-mile time trial record which is unassisted, so that's no drafting. He's got
to carry his food and water. We're just off to Milton Keynes which is just North of London
here in the UK and he's cycling to Norwich. Now the reason we're doing it today is because
we're coming off the back-end of a big storm, and the wind that's been pushing all this
wind northeasterly direction is kind of kept with us today, but we've got blue skies so
it's a perfect day, perfect conditions, hopefully, that wind might just see Jonathan go under
that sub-three-hour mark. Boy, am I excited. This could be the day that we see huge chapters
of cycling history get absolutely smashed by a regular man, a teacher, a scientist,
a time trialist. Oh, it's got me excited already. [music]
Jonathan is a scientist, teacher, and athlete. His palmares includes the 2018 world record
for crossing Oman. In 2014, he broke the British 24-hour time trial record. He's also circumnavigated
the planet back in 2013. I would also mention that Jonathan has already broken the unassisted
100-mile time trial record, a record that has stood since 1993 with a time of 3 hours
8 minutes and 15 seconds. This time he wants to go under three hours. How you feeling,
are you up for it? Do you feel-- [crosstalk] Jonathan Shubert: I'm apprehensive. It's kind
of stepping into the unknown. I already have the record but it's the challenge of being
the first man to ever ride 100 miles in under three hours without drafting, which is really
strange because normally you're racing other people or you're racing a record that someone
else has set, but I'm simply racing the time. That's a position I've never been in before.
Hank: Well, the wind is definitely blowing which is definitely going to be on your side,
is that one of the thought process of doing it on today?
Jonathan: Absolutely. Everything is virtually the same other when I went and set the record
of three hours and eight minutes last time. We got all the data, we knew what to play
around with and we knew if a wind came, because it's a straight-out course, we're going to
hit from here near Milton Keynes all the way to Norwich, if the wind came then I'm going
to go a heck of a lot faster and it seems like sub-two hours as possible perfect tailwind
we're looking at about 28 miles an hour average speed on that tailwind. It's going to be crazy.
How often do you get the opportunity to ride 100 miles with a tailwind and not have to
ride back into it? That's exciting. Hank: That's the absolute dream, right. It's
worth mentioning that this is done by the RRA which is the Road Record Association.
In order to make sure it's a proper record and we abide by the rules, we've got two follow
cars, we've got two-time keepers. One's going to stick behind him at all times and then
with about 20 miles to go, they're going to jump forward and head to the finish that way
the finish isn't missed. The other car is then going to come in behind
and they're going to take over the timekeeping. No cars are allowed to pass them except the
average public. I'm going to be jumping forwards to be able to get a few glimpses as he shoots
past and then we're going to leave a cameraman in the back of the car so you'll be able to
see every little bit what goes on with the commissars and their timekeeping. Hopefully,
he's going to stay on track to go under, well, this ominous under three-hour 100-mile mark.
Commissar 1: Four, three, two, one, go. Hank: Go, Jon.
[music] Hank: Jonathan is off. It's been a bit of
a race to catch him now. He's traveling at some speed already and to think we're only
three miles in, it is quite incredible, but he's definitely using that wind. The wind
is averaging around 28 miles per hour all in that northeasterly direction. I'm coming
to the follow vehicles now, and it's quite incredible how fast he's going already. Two
miles in and disaster strikes. His chain has just dropped off. In order to get it back
on, that massive 62 tooth chainring, Jonathan has to dismount. This is a gasping moment
for Jonathan and the team. The biggest time lost here is just getting back on the bike
and back up to speed. I'm hoping this isn't going to come back to haunt him later on the
attempt. [music]
It looks like Jonathan's on course. Just seen him fly past. We've been 20 minutes and he
looks like he's sitting at that good average of about 35 miles per hour, which is well,
over 55 kilometers per hour. Absolutely, unreal. I'm going to shoot on and try and catch him
up. [music]
Commissar 1: There's an OS map and it just gives you the traveling speed in mph, and
we have a little circle here which tracks the route where we're going, and that's tracking
us not the rider which is just in front of us. At the black car roundabout 29 minutes
39 seconds, 4 minutes 21 seconds, which builds well.
[music] Hank: I'm currently sitting behind the follow
vehicles and my speedometer is saying I'm going 37 miles per hour. It's coming up to
40 miles per hour at some points, and we're on a slight incline. This is outrageous, literally
outrageous. Tipping 43 miles per hour subsections, and we're going on a slight incline around
2%. This is mad. Commissar 2: We've now come on to a single
carriageway, the danger is we can't pull over to the side enough to let following traffic
pass so what we'll do is we've gone ahead of the rider now when we regain the dual carriageway,
we'll try to lay by and pull in and then get back behind the rider again and resume position,
but what we don't want to do along here is hold the traffic up behind, you get some of
it high rate. Also, Jon will get a toe from the traffic as it goes past so it's counterproductive.
Hank: He's just behind so I'm going to try and swing in and get a glimpse. Wow, he is
going fast coming up to an hour in and it's just a battle just to stay with him.
[music] Commissar 1: Checkpoint 36.1, time is 61.48.
Hank: Now as I'm following this route you can really tell that this route is being thought
out meticulously. Every little detail following the right direction, getting the tarmac right,
and the weather, the distance, the traffic, how many junctions, how many stoplights. It's
all been planned to every little detail because it's all down for minutes, the seconds. Every
little bit of time wasted sat at a junction is going to eat in to the record time. The
route, the weather, and the speed has all been calculated. Let's take a close look at
the bike that Jonathan is riding. Jon, just talk us through your bike.
Jonathan: Well actually, the frameset is over a decade old so everyone thinks you need cutting
edge, the latest spikes but this was designed by a fella from Formula One called Simon Smart,
and he said at the time when he came out with this, it was leagues ahead of anything else
and he still claims it's one of the best frames he's ever come up with. It's got a nose cone
on it which was banned by the UCI for a while. I think you're allowed them again now.
I had no issues with using this old frame, I know it works. I've been aero testing on
this bike for a long time. We've got a massive chainring on the front, that's 62 tooth, oversized
jockey wheels, pulley arm. Having the big chainring keeps the chain more central in
the on the cassette at the back so you're not losing a few watts with a bad chainline
and you then got these tight bends around the jockey wheels as well, so more efficient.
The pedals, these are Speedplay's zero errors, so they're flush and in line with the bottom
of the shoe. Actually, the moving parts in the air are really important to smooth the
airflow over. People sometimes fail or neglect to realize how important those things are.
Just small things like that make a big difference. These bars, these Project Sub3 bars, I designed
those myself for this record attempt and they hug the profile of my forearm. They are not
UCI legal but they're Cycling Time Trials legal in the UK. Also illegal for Ironman
Triathlon events. We did some error testing on those. They were giving me some quite substantial
gains. I'm running tubeless technology on the front. Clincher, it's got a better interface
between the rim and the tire than a tubular has. Putting the hydration-- I was wearing
a CamelBak bladder and that shape on the front is also helping to distribute the airflow
effectively around me and reduce drag. Bottle on the back. I think those are some of the--
You turn the brake levers in as well to be in line with the handlebar. All these little
things, they all add up. Hank: I'm noticing here, you've got your taped
up crank arm. Just explain a little bit about that.
Jonathan: I think, like I was saying, the moving parts are some of the most important.
Those that are rotating in the air to clean the airflow over, so yes, I just simply taped
over the top of any bolts all over the bike, but particularly the chainset.
Hank: Talking of tape, now, I've done a little bit of research, your first disc wheel wasn't
actually a proper disc wheel, was it? Jonathan: When I was a student, I was training
as a teacher and I was living in Wales, I didn't have much money and I had the clever
idea, because I couldn't afford a disc wheel, to use parcel tape to put around my spokes
and build this disc wheel. I would turn up to races and people would laugh at me. Usually,
I would quite quickly overtake them and then a week or so later, you'd see other people
trying to make their own homemade sellotaped disc wheel. I've moved on a little bit from
that now and I've got a proper disc wheel. [music]
Hank: Come on, Jonathan. Just to get a sense of the wind today, it's absolutely blowing.
Literally, you couldn't get better conditions. [music]
Now, one thing you might be thinking is, how on earth is Jonathan able to eat, drink and
hold that aerodynamic position for so long. He's done a lot of big endurance time trials,
24-hour champ, he's done loads of things of sitting in this aerodynamic position, so he's
quite used to it. The other thing worth noting is that he's got his CamelBak in the front
of his skinsuit. Now, normally, you'll see CamelBaks on the back, in rucksack or something
similar but he's got his down the front of his skinsuit, so he can keep hydrated, so
it's easy to keep hydrated without moving position, but it's also to make himself even
more aerodynamic. You'll see that it's actually closing that
gap in the middle between his head and the bike. If you close that gap, you're actually
making yourself even more aerodynamic. You're keeping that airflow a little bit smoother
and reducing that aerodynamic drag, which is basically what a time trial is up against.
Everything is really being thought about. Right now, I'm going to shoot ahead to see
if I can get another glimpse. [cheering]
[music] Right, it looks like Jonathan's on schedule.
He's got about 45 minutes left and around 25 to 27 miles to go. It looks like he's going
to smash it, so I'm going to hurry on and get to the finish. Whoa, what a ride.
[music] Commissar: Yes, I saw that.
Hank: 17 miles to Norwich. He's starting to slow but he's still holding amazing pace,
so I'm praying he's going to do it. I'm coming up to him now. I could see he's stretching
a bit. He's feeling uncomfortable, he's obviously getting sore and stiff, the muscles are starting
to fatigue. I'm hoping he's just able to hold this pie. He's done so well and he's only
got 32 minutes left. Come on, Jon, you can do it.
[music] Jonathan, I'm just getting word that he's
on for around of 256, 258, so it is going to be seriously close. He's got around about
11 miles to go, so it really is touch and go now. I'm going to try and see him for a
last swing in, see him for the last little bit before I rush to the finish.
[music] We've been chasing Jonathan around from Milton
Keynes all the way to Norwich with five minutes to go now. I'm hoping he's going to come around
that corner within the next three, four minutes. This is where it all counts. It's all down
to this moment now. Can he do it or can he not? It's a bit weird waiting for him. Four
minutes now, he's got four minutes to go. With two minutes to go.
[cheering] Wow. The three-hour barrier has been broken
with a time of 2 hours, 57 minutes, and 58 seconds. Let's take a quick look at the stats
from this incredible performance. Jon averaged a speed of 33 miles per hour, 54.3 kilometers
per hour. His max speed he reached was an insane 47.9 miles per hour, 77 kilometers
per hour. He averaged a power of 279 watts and a norm power of 295 watts. One word, incredible.
Jon, this is something that is pretty incredible and would potentially, it's going to last
in the history books. You've just broken a three-hour barrier that no other cyclist has
done. How does that actually feel? Jonathan: Yes, you're right. It hasn't sunk
in. That's surreal. I've been inspired in the past by Roger Bannister, running the sub-four-minute
mile and I don't even pretend to be the kind of athlete that he was. I'm fascinated by
his story because I don't think he was-- He would have admitted he wasn't the best in
the world at the time, but he had the gumption to get there before anyone else did.
Hank: What would you say to the young audience out there who are just getting on their bikes,
they're just riding 100 miles. What kind of hints and tips would you give them?
Jonathan: I think the bicycle is a wonderful tool for expressing yourself and discovering
yourself. There's lots of other records and things that I'd chased in the past and I've
grown as a person, so first and foremost, just enjoy riding your bike. Find the challenges
that are out there for you, whatever appeals to you and you might surprise yourself. If
I can ride at 34 miles an hour for 100 miles, then plenty is possible.
Hank: There you have it. Sub-three-hour 100 mile unassisted time trial record smashed
by Jonathan Shubert. If you enjoyed this video, then give it a big thumbs up. Let us know
in that comment section below what you thought of this insane feat of speed, power, and endurance.
Unreal. All right, I better not break this thing now.
[00:19:12] [END OF AUDIO]