"The Last Few Laps Were Completely Torturous!"

After a long dark winter it's nice to see the days starting to get a little longer, and I guess it'll not be long until the UK Everesting season is upon us. I'm sure that up and down the country people are hatching plans to bag their favourite climb, just as soon as the rest of the snow has melted! Here's a story sent in by John Bowman about his 2014 effort, it's sure to wet the appetite and get those cogs turning.... 

 

Everesting Lady Park - Near Gateshead

By John Bowman

 

 

I can't remember exactly how I stumbled across the Hell's500 website but it was sometime at the end

of 2013. I was instantly inspired by what these Australian riders were doing, embarking on increasingly more difficult rides and always seeking as much elevation as possible year on year. On rides with my friends from the Newcastle area we always head for the tougher routes in the hills rather than the flatter roads near the coast, so this is something I can relate to. Their 2014 challenge was going to be incredibly tough even by their standards- 'Everesting' a climb with hill repeats until the elevation shows 8848m on the Garmin! As I read this it seemed impossible, could it be done? I knew from then that I wanted to find out for myself.

Everesting in Devon - "Literally a mountain to climb"

Thanks to Niall for sending us this great little story. With the clocks due to go back on Saturday and the days getting much shorter, I wonder if we'll have anymore UK everests this year...?


By Niall Todd

Everesting in Devon, September 27^th

 

It was in a cycling magazine I first properly became aware of ‘Everesting’, one of Laurie’s rides I think.  I read it, was impressed but cast it aside with notions that such riders must be a tad insane.  Some days/weeks later another magazine and another Everesting story…. a few days later something clicked and I considered it a great end of season goal.  My TT season ending end of September, holiday in the sun booked for October 3^rd – I figured if I was to attempt such a thing then the last weekend of September would be the one.  Saturday 27^th was chosen, with Sunday as a plan B in case the weather was horrendous.

 

Where to do it was the next question.  Living near Dartmoor, there’s no shortage of the up and down stuff and soon a list of 3 was put together.  I sought advice and had some great comms with riders already having done an Everest and Gulworthy Hill was eventually chosen.  Not the longest or steepest (just under 1.5miles @ average 6%) but lots of logistical benefits in being close to home (easily accessible spares!) and a hill I know very well.  It’s also fairly sheltered compared to others on the moors – so, hill chosen!!

Pushing Natural - Nutritional Advise Website

Here's a small interview I was asked to do by a nutritional advise company called Pushing Natural.

Interesting website focusing on nutrition in endurance sports. Without doubt one of the most important things to get right during an 'Everesting'.

http://www.pushingnatural.com/#!Interview-with-Everester-Laurie-Lambeth/c1md8/729B48B3-F61D-4240-9945-95795C54BC6F

Everesting Solo "I felt I could ride no further"

Richard Seipp highlights the value of support riders after Everesting Mam Tor in Derbyshire.



Everesting Solo

By Richard Seipp

I've read a number of accounts of people who've done their Everesting ride with friends and or with support teams. It was great reading of the camaraderie, mine was a bit different though, and hopefully this will give a bit of encouragement for those who find themselves without their soigneur or a riding partner when they are keen to give the Everesting challenge a go.

I heard of the Everesting phenomenon only 3 days before I embarked on my ride. The idea really grabbed my attention, and I spent a long evening working out which local hill would be best for an attempt.

I've a couple of mates who I can usually call upon for support for a ride such as this, but they were busy. My wife and children like helping out at sociable gatherings such as 24 hour races. I knew though, that asking them to spend the best part of 24 hours sat in a car by the side of the road miles from any other diversions other than counting sheep, would have met with either contempt, mutiny or me having to make reparations for many weeks after.

The sensible thing I guess, would have been to pick a future date to coincide with a helper or pal to ride with, but the long summer days were coming to an end, and the forecast for the weekend was looking really good. Oh, and I guessed that this being one of the Peak's classic climbs, that others would be eyeing it up. I later found out that this was indeed the case.

If at first you don't succeed.... Have another go.

Second time lucky for Matt Barnes, after 113 repeats he triumphs on Condor Bottoms. 

By Matthew Barnes,

Everesting attempt #1

On 19th July, 2014, I had an attempt at Everesting. The concept
is very simple, you find a hill and cycle up and down it continuously
until you have climbed the equivalent of Everest, 8 848 m or
29 000 ft. There is a website where you can post your acheivement,
but only the first person to climb a specific hill gets on the hall of
fame. It also has to be the complete hill, you can’t just pick the
steepest section.

The profile and segment map for my ride on Strava

I picked a fairly local climb that went up to some wind turbines
along a dead end, so there shouldn’t be too much trafic. It had an
average gradient of 7%, which would mean that if I completed the
challenge I would have to climb it 39 times, a distance of 260 km.
I knew that it would be a very long day, so I packed a rucksack
with food and water which I would lock to a tree half way up the
climb as i didn’t have a support crew with me. I had also only told
a few people about my attempt, so I wasn’t expected much, if any,
company. In hindsight, a big mistake.

Everesting Snake Pass - "Cold beer never tasted so good"

Congratulations Paul Talbot for bagging Snake Pass, 27x up the 1100ft ascent and he even managed a
Hill Climb event with 2013 national champ Tejvan Pettinger during the challenge.


By Paul Talbot,

I rediscovered the joy and pain of cycling only five years ago and ever since I’ve been looking for new ways to suffer. I’ve managed to escape from Stravaworld but not before accruing an indefensible number of KOMs that I’ve now left for my younger, skinnier and harder fellow masochists to conquer. I’ve ridden many of the UK’s toughest sportives and survived to tell the tale, so what’s next? I’ve done Mount Teide and the cobbled climbs of de Ronde van Vlaanderen, so… the Alpes, the Pyrenees… the Himalayas?!

Everesting the Snake Pass seemed an inspired idea at the time – our club was hosting the J9/5 Open CTT hill climb in 2 weeks time and I’d been given the dubious privilege of being first rider off, so why not just carry on?

Thiathlon Scene Shows 'Everesting' Interest

It's good to see the Triathlon Scene showing an interest in 'Everesting', here's a small feature written by Triathlete/Journalist Niamh Lewis for 220Triathlon. READ MORE...