Gravel Bike California crosses paths with the greatest gravel cyclist in the world (and he’s pretty good everywhere else joining Panda’s Ponies out of Griffith Park and tackling the Griffith Park Hill Climb segment.

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0:00 – 0:45 Intro
0:45 – 3:13 Panda’s Rollout
3:13 – 5:32 MVDP appears
5:32 – 7:23 Griffith Park Golf
7:23 – 13:28 Travel Town Ramp Up
13:28 – 29:01 Griffith Park Hill Climb

48 Comments

  1. Thank you for referencing Panda. He was a wild, fast, friendly, and very inclusive force in the cycling scene. There has been or maybe will never be a replacement for Panda.

  2. I did my first ride over that hill last month, from the observatory side. Problem was I did it alone in the dark! 😅 I had a good light but it was still nerve wracking! And spooky passing the haunted picnic bench and all those ghost white lilies that grow along the sides. The observatory at dusk was beautiful though. Thanks Zach, nicely filmed and narrated.

  3. it will good to know if justin williams could keep with mathew also if callled that a climb it's evident you never been in europe

  4. Just my opinion but it's a little unnecessary to try and make an arguement for MVDP being the best cyclist in the world. He is a monster in cycling, multi discipline multi time World Champion. Arguably my favorite cyclist. No point on comparing him to Tadej who's dominance remains undisputed. VDP taking it easy out there 😂 hardly breaking a sweat!

  5. Eric Min, Zwift CEO is the the guy in the 10 year Anniversary Zwift Kit. All over the first few minutes of the video

  6. Had I known MvDP would be in California, I would have loved to be there! I'm a pro-cycling fan and can't wait to see MvDP in CX this season!

  7. Belgium’s roads aren’t great, but California? Somehow even worse than Italy’s—impressive, really.

  8. Why are all these idiots flashing lights in each other's faces? Do none of them know how to ride? Or are they all so self-absorbed that they think it's fine to blind everyone behind them with their cheap electronics?

  9. Andy Hamsten rode with us, one Wednesday evening, back in the mid to late eighties, when I was in my late teens, on this same road. You had up to four large groups riding on Wednesdays and Sundays. Riding was fun back then!!

  10. First time here – YT algo led me here for obvious reasons. On a visit years ago to LA, I did hike up the walking trail to the observatory at twilight. Took the tourist bus back down – it was dark then, but I presume it's the same road. Interesting to see the video then, regardless of celebrity guests. But on that note, it does seem like your group should've made a lot more of it!

    I would've wanted a motorbike filming MvdP riding up the hill, and some publicity shots with him posing with the group, a short interview, etc. etc. I'm surprised that it seems he just turned up, burned everyone off up the hill, and went off again. I would say milk the opportunity for all it's worth! Perhaps bear that in mind for the next time a top 10 UCI ranked rider shows up for one of your rides… 😉

  11. First playing golf with Michael Phelps and now a fun ride with cyclists. A nice, relaxing holiday. MvdP, enjoy it.

  12. Always loved the description I think Rob Hatch gave during the 2023 Paris Roubaix. Paraphrasing but something like "You see people crossing the line with bloody blisters on their hands, covered in dirt. Looking as if they returned from a warzone. And then you see MvdP, who won it all, completely unscathed in his perfectly clean crystal white world champion uniform. Like some kind of cycling god."

  13. At 3:02 in the video, you passed the location where Andrew Jelmert was killed. There’s a memorial sign off the road on the right with his picture. In April 2022 — two weeks before Panda died up by Camp 9, Andy was riding in the AIDS/LifeCycle Day On The Ride event when an intoxicated driver crashed into him and killed him.

  14. Every time I see a american groupride it looks messy. Everybody is riding everywhere and overtaking on all sides. Start riding with 2 riders next to each other. This saves energie and is way safer.

  15. He's more than a former world champion, he just won in his homeland his 8th! world title in cycle cross! He's the man 🦾

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