1903: Relived: Stage 1 Of The First Tour

1903: Relived: Stage 1 Of The First Tour 2020

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On the 19th of July 1903 60 cyclists left Paris for the maiden stage of the very first Tour de France, racing 467km through the night to the line in Lyon. 116 years later, two modern-day riders attempted to recreate the feat of endurance using bikes and equipment from the early 20th century to fully experience the highs and lows of the early Tour pioneers. Endurance cyclist Mark Beaumont and GCN presenter James Lowsley-Williams are pushed to the limits of their physical and mental ability, struggling with the midsummer heat, bikes borrowed from museums and a lack of sleep. How did they compare to the Tour’s first heroes?

2020

Superteams: La Vie Claire

Superteams: La Vie Claire 2023

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In the mid-1980s, one team dominated the cycling headlines: La Vie Claire. Despite a ferocious internal power struggle between two of the sport’s biggest stars, they racked up more than 100 wins. Wearing their iconic Mondrian jersey, Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond won two of the most infamous Tour de France victories of all time. Bankrolled by the controversial businessman, Bernard Tapie, La Vie Claire rewrote the rulebook on both bike racing and fashion. Dan Lloyd is joined by special guests Pippa York and William Fotheringham to discuss how the team turned a recipe for disaster into a period of complete dominance.

2023

1969 - Following Merckx

1969 - Following Merckx 2022

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1969. July the 15th. Stage 17 of the Tour de France. A brutal stage from Luchon to Mourenx covering four of the toughest mountains in the Pyrenees. On this fateful day, Eddy Merckx catapulted himself into the history books with one of the greatest solo breakaways the sport has ever seen. Fast forward over half a century, and GCN’s Simon Richardson is in the Pyrenees to pay tribute to The Cannibal by recreating his ride. To make the 220km epic even more challenging, Si will do it aboard his 1969 spec Faema team bike and wearing their iconic red and white jersey. Eddy Merckx made this ride look easy, but will Si even make it to the finish line?

2022

The Fast Lane

The Fast Lane 2023

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Tulsa Tough is one of the hardest, fastest, most prestigious criterium races in the United States of America. This high-octane, action packed film follows the Miami Blazers, and hears from sprinter and fast rising talent Dante Young, as they go toe-to-toe with the likes of L39ION OF LOS ANGELES on the downtown streets of Tulsa. It’s NASCAR meets bike racing as we see the best criterium racers in the world battle for supremacy.

2023

Colombia: 24hrs In Medellin

Colombia: 24hrs In Medellin 2020

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GCN Presenter Simon Richardson & endurance cyclist Jenny Graham are spending a whirlwind 24 hours in the Colombian city of Medellin. Once the country's murder capitol, this cities dark past is long gone, now a safe a vibrant place, described as one of the most cycling friendly cities in Latin America. Si is heading to the hills to ride the world famous Alto de las Palmas & meet legendary figureheads of Colombian cycling including Santiago Botero, Rigoberto Uran & frame builder Tino Hincapie. Jenny is exploring the colourful Comuna 13 with Champion trials rider Xavier Zapata.

2020

Legend Of The Rainbow Jersey

Legend Of The Rainbow Jersey 2023

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The Rainbow Jersey is the crowning achievement of any cyclist’s career, proof that they are the very best in the world. GCN stats guru Cillian Kelly heads to Belgium in a lighthearted jaunt to chat to ex pros, pros and journalists about how the Rainbow Jersey undoubtedly brings with it greatness, but also the pressure to live up to the win. In 'Legend of the Rainbow Jersey’, Cillian uses his statistical nouse as he crunches the numbers and speaks with a selection of former world champions including Michal Kwiatkowski, Rui Costa, Philippe Gilbert and Johan Museeuw about riders wins and losses after winning this famous jersey. Finally, Cillian watches from the roadside as current world champions Remco Evenepoel and Annemiek van Vleuten take on the Ardennes hills in Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Will they crown their season as world champions by winning in rainbows? Or will the jersey weigh heavy on their shoulders?

2023

Unbound

Unbound 2023

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GCN presenter and ex-professional cyclist Conor Dunne heads to Midwest America to take on the infamous UNBOUND 200. Alongside 100 pro riders and more than 1000 amateurs, this is the biggest gravel race in the world. Across 330 km of unforgiving Kansas landscape, Conor must battle tyre-slashing flint, thick mud, and crippling heat exhaustion in a fight to make it to the finish. Conor is joined by former World Tour road pros Nathan Haas and Larry Warbasse, up-and coming gravel racer Anna Yamauchi, and 2022 Unbound champion Ivar Slik in this up close and personal, no-holds barred look at what it takes to survive this brutal event.

2023

Lost Origins of the Modern Bicycle

Lost Origins of the Modern Bicycle 2021

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Neil Laughton, cycling enthusiast, adventurer and record-breaker is joined by cycling experts Scotford Lawrence, Edwin Knight and Jon Cannings to explore the history of the bicycle. They explore every twist and turn of the bicycle’s journey of development through history, including some major successes, and the odd failure! The journey begins with the Laufmachine in 1817 right through to the safety bicycle that has developed into the high-performance machines we know today.

2021

Band of Brothers - The 7- ELEVEN Story

Band of Brothers - The 7- ELEVEN Story 2022

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7-Eleven: A team that defined American Cycling for a decade. In this film, Alex Stieda reunites with his teammates to tell the story of how an unlikely group of bike racers reinvented North American cycling, and created a legacy which endures today. In the early 1980s, sport in the USA was dominated by the LA Olympics. The company behind the convenience store 7-Eleven wanted in on the action, and funded a bike racing team. This band of brothers won seven gold medals at the LA Games before turning pro and tackling Europe’s biggest races - much to the irritation of established European riders. In 1986, they were invited to the Tour de France where Canadian, Alex Stieda, became the first North American to wear the coveted Yellow Jersey. The 7-Eleven story was unorthodox, pioneering, and full of friendship and camaraderie.

2022

Stelvio

Stelvio 2022

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Standing proudly amongst the pantheon of cycling’s most revered mountains, the Stelvio boasts some of the longest and most challenging climbs in bike racing. Relentless switchbacks over impossible gradients beneath extremes of weather. It is on the relentless, technical, and often treacherous slopes of the Stelvio where the most famous and revered battles have decided the fate of the Giro d’Italia’s coveted Maglia Rosa. Jon Shubert explores the history and legends of the Stelvio and the surrounding regions, meeting people whose lives have been shaped by the mountain, and ex-professional Adam Hansen joins him as he makes his own attempt to conquer the coveted mountain.

2022

Giro 88

Giro 88 2023

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It created one of the most memorable days in grand tour history. Riders such as Andy Hampsten and Franco Chioccioli share their extraordinary experience of a day they'll never forget.

2023

Paris-Brest-Paris

Paris-Brest-Paris 2023

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Paris-Brest-Paris is a cycling spectacle like no other. Once every 4 years, over 7,000 cyclists from across the globe head to France’s capital to take on this gruelling 1200 km. Thousands of spectators flock to the roadsides of North-West France to support the riders; some of whom will be attempting to finish first, riding non-stop for over 48 hours, whilst others are just trying to make it back to Paris before the 90 hour cut off time. We follow British amateur riders Jack Thurston and Amy Hudson as they tackle this monumental challenge for the first time, along with veteran French rider Dominique Lamouller, racing Paris-Brest-Paris for the13th time, along with his son, ex-pro road racer Loïc Lamouller. A gruelling course, intense heat, and sleep deprivation, will our riders make it back to Paris?

2023

BMX: Turning Dirt To Gold

BMX: Turning Dirt To Gold 2021

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GCN's James Lowsley-Williams and GMBN's Blake Samson are trading in their usual bikes for ones with much smaller wheels, as they try their hand at two variations of the incredibly varied sport of bicycle motocross. We'll explore the history of BMX to learn about the rise, fall and rebirth of one of cycling's most explosive forms. From racing on the track to landing tricks in skate bowls, what does it take to make it to the top level of BMX?

2021

Rivals: Contador vs Schleck

Rivals: Contador vs Schleck 2023

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Andy Schleck & Alberto Contador. A pro cycling rivalry that ignited the Tour de France in 2009 and 2010. The fiery Spaniard and the level headed Luxembourger only went toe to toe at the Tour on a few occasions; but their rivalry has gone down in history as one of the most explosive, entertaining, and controversial the sport has ever seen. Dan Lloyd is joined in the studio by Nicolas Roche and William Fotheringham to dig into what made this rivalry so compelling. They’ll re-live epic battles, and debate who is the greatest.

2023

Fully Charged: Rise Of The E-Bike

Fully Charged: Rise Of The E-Bike 2021

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From Victorian oddity to potentially being the future of personal transport, the e-bike has never been more popular. But it seems, not with everyone. GCN’s Si Richardson is not convinced. So, it falls to former-downhill racer and EMBN presenter Steve Jones to change his mind in a series of challenges that are sure to test Si’s preconceptions, fitness and bike handling skills. As well as putting Simon through his paces, we'll catch up with former world champion Tracy Moseley and discover how Israel Start-Up Nation have electrified their training.

2021

The Weight of The Peloton

The Weight of The Peloton 2022

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Does the pro peloton have a problem with food? Are cyclists eating enough to be healthy? Former pro cyclist and GCN presenter Conor Dunne investigates how the pursuit of low weight has been the fixation of professional riders for generations. He finds out if his own weight loss programme has caused lasting damage, and asks if pro teams are now changing their approach to weight management Conor heads to Italy to meet former teammate Davide Cimolai to hear how his weight obsession ruined his early years. He also hears from Gabz Cullaigh whose recent experience at the top of the sport presents evidence that despite advances in coaching and science-led meal plans, under-eating is still a problem.

2022

Tommy Godwin: The Hardest Year

Tommy Godwin: The Hardest Year 2023

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In 1939, driven by a desire for fame and fortune English amateur Tommy Godwin cycled a world record 75,065 miles in one year setting out from home each day through bitter winters and the blackouts of World War Two. He became the fastest person to cycle 100,000 miles in just 500 days. After this epic feat of endurance, Tommy had to learn to walk again and uncurl his hands! The madcap record has only been attempted by a handful of determined souls and Tommy’s record stood for 76 years making it one of the greatest, but also most overlooked sporting achievements. Ultra endurance athlete and round the world cycling record holder Mark Beaumont is on a mission to shine a light on Tommy’s ride. He delves deeper into Tommy’s story and finds out if he has the physical and mental stamina to take on Godwin’s record.

2023

Himalayas

Himalayas 2023

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Simon Richardson and James Lowsley-Williams head to the Himalayas on a quest to discover Nepal’s mysterious ‘Forbidden Kingdom’, the remote mountaintop city of Lo Manthang. Breath-taking views, lung-busting climbs, and incredible encounters with locals; Si and James are in for an unmissable gravel bike adventure! Their once-in-a-lifetime expedition begins in the chaotic streets of Kathmandu before embarking on a gruelling five-day ride up the ancient trade route that forges a path between Nepal and Tibet. Their epic ride sees them dicing with kamikaze trucks, enduring freezing rainstorms, taking a 228m bungee jump, and even a heroic attempt to beat a Himalayan KOM.

2023

Legend: Jens Voigt

Legend: Jens Voigt 2021

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Cycling powerhouse Jens Voigt was the boss of the breakaway when he was a professional. Bernie Eisel travels to Berlin to meet Jens, tour his beloved city, and visit the places that influenced his life and seventeen year cycling career. Born in East Germany, Jens gives us an insight into what it was like to grow up under a communist regime, how discipline and determination was instilled in him from a young age, and how this helped him as a bike racer. Bernie chats to close friend, and old team mate Bobby Julich, who helps to paint a picture of this extraordinarily tough and charismatic cycling Legend.

2021

Legend: Fabian Cancellara

Legend: Fabian Cancellara 2020

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Fabian Cancellara is one of the greatest Classics riders ever, with three Tour of Flanders wins and three editions of Paris-Roubaix to his name. He also won the world time trial championships four times and took eight stage victories at the Tour de France, wearing the yellow jersey for a total of 29 days. He hung up his wheels in 2016, after claiming his second Olympic gold medal. Dan Lloyd is in Switzerland to go cross country skiing and find out more about the lesser-known Swiss version of the legend of Spartacus.

2020