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Everesting

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Everesting is an activity in which cyclists or runners ascend and descend a given hill multiple times, in order to have cumulatively climbed 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) (the elevation of Mount Everest).[1][2]

The first event described as "Everesting" was by George Mallory, grandson of George Mallory, who disappeared on Everest in 1924. The younger Mallory ascended Mount Donna Buang in 1994, having ridden eight "laps" of the 1,069-metre hill. The format and rules were cemented by Andy van Bergen, inspired by the story of Mallory's effort.[3][4][5] In the first official group effort, van Bergen organized 65 riders, 40 of whom finished the Everesting attempt.[6]

Everesting

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George Mallory's Everesting attempt in 1994 was written up into an article in 2012, which first prompted others to take on this challenge.[6] The widespread growth of GPS technology and social media - particularly Strava and Zwift - has been vital in allowing riders to accurately measure distance, elevation and height gain, while also sharing information about their ride.[6] The writer and cyclist Andy van Bergen has been key to popularizing the idea through the Hells 500 group, which had been created as a social group to allow its members to complete and share cycling challenges.[7] Hells 500 created the Everesting website, which established the parameters of the challenge, and started documenting attempts.[7]

Everesting has grown among both amateur cyclists as a challenging but achievable goal,[8] and among professionals or retired professionals who have sought to break Everesting time records.[9] It rose further in popularity during 2020 when the Covid-19 Pandemic resulted in cancelled races, and lockdowns prevented cycling club rides or travel for cycling challenges. This forced riders to seek new challenges,[8] that could be completed on local roads, or on virtual platforms (sometimes called vEveresting).[10] During 2020, the challenge grew beyond cycling into running.[11][12]

A number of related challenges have spun-off from the original Everesting challenge. Riders have attempted double, triple or even quadruple Everests.[13] The Everesting website has multiple suggestions for variants of the challenge, including an Everesting 10k challenge - that is, to continue past the 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) of Everest to reach a cumulative height of 10,000 metres (33,000 ft) - as a stretch goal,[14] or a Half-Everest as an easier target.

Parameters

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Everesting is a personal challenge, and as such there is no official sanctioning body: the only criterion is that 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) of climbing is completed in a single ride or run.[8] To be accepted as a ride on the Everesting website, an attempt must, among other things:

  • be recorded on Strava or Zwift;
  • be timed as one effort, with any breaks for food or rest included in the attempt's elapsed time;
  • be completed by going up and down one route of ascent only, avoiding loops;
  • be continuous, with athletes cycling or running down the slope as well as up it (eg, they cannot be taken by car down the slope);
  • be completed using a bike that does not have a motor.[15]

Everesting recognise different rules for variants of the challenge, some of which incorporate sleeping or longer rest breaks to ensure rider safety.[15]

Fastest known times

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Women

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Rank Date Rider Age
(in years)		 Time Location Distance Average
gradient		 Notes
Name Pro-team km mi
1 July 23, 2022 United Kingdom Illi Gardner 22 8:03:29 Crowcombe, United Kingdom 106 66 17.2% [16]
2 August 14, 2021 United Kingdom Illi Gardner CAMS–Basso 21 8:33:47 Bwlch y Groes, Wales 107.5 66.8 17.4% [17]
3 July 8, 2020 United Kingdom Emma Pooley retired 37 8:53:00 Haggenegg, Schwyz, Switzerland 130 81 13% [18]
4 June 4, 2020 United Kingdom Hannah Rhodes 9:08:00 Kirkstone Pass, Cumbria, United Kingdom 163 101 10.9% [19]
5 May 31, 2020 United States Lauren De Crescenzo 29 9:57:00 Hogpen Gap, Blairsville, Georgia, United States 179 111 9.83% [20]
6 May 23, 2020 United States Katie Hall Boels–Dolmans 33 10:01:00 Bonny Doon, Davenport, California, United States 197 122 8.88% [21]
7 August 19, 2018 United Kingdom Alice Thompson 24 12:32:00 Naish Hill, Clapton-in-Gordano, United Kingdom 121 75 14.6% [22]
8 July 31, 2017 Canada Alisa MacDonald 37 12:37:00 Silvertip, Canmore, Alberta, Canada 188 117 10.0% [23]

Men

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Rank Date Rider Age
(in years)		 Time Location Distance Average
gradient		 Notes
Name Pro-team km mi
1 March 23, 2021 Republic of Ireland Ronan McLaughlin 34 6:40.54 Mamore Gap, County Donegal, Ireland 123 76 14.2% [24]
2 October 3, 2020 United States Sean Gardner 26 6:59:38 Tanners Ridge Road, Stanley, Virginia, United States 116 72 15.5% [25][26]
3 October 12, 2020 Australia Nathan Earle Team UKYO 33 7:10:10 The Lea, Tasmania, Australia 130 81 13.9% [27][28]
4 July 7, 2020 Spain Alberto Contador retired 37 7:27:20 Silla del Rey, Castile and León, Spain 139 86 12.9% [29]
5 June 20, 2020 Australia Lachlan Morton EF Pro Cycling 28 7:29:00 Rist Canyon, Bellvue, Colorado, United States 155 96 11.1% [30][31]
6 May 15, 2020 United States Keegan Swenson 26 7:40:00 Pine Canyon, Park City, Utah, United States 170 110 10.6% [32]
7 May 11, 2020 United States Phil Gaimon retired 34 7:52:00 Mountaingate Drive, Los Angeles, California, United States 156 97 11.1% [33]

Notable Everesting rides

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  • The first woman to everest was Sarah Hammond in February 2014, climbing Australia's Mount Buffalo eight times.[4]
  • Frank Garcia was the first to "virtually everest", riding Zwift's Watopia Wall 314 times in 2015.[34]
  • Pavel Paloncý (M) and Markéta Peggy Marvanová (F, both Czech) everested 14 times between April 19, 2021 and June 22, 2021.[35]
  • Benny JJ completed an everesting every month of 2016.[36]
  • Ben Soja was the first to Everest on a 2-gear-unicycle – Schlumpf-gear, 27,5", 150 mm cranks, daytime clipless pedals, during night platform pedals, riding up Mount Lowe in the San Gabriel Mountains of California ten times over twenty-three hours in March 2018. Helmet gloves, knee pads, 1 crash to ground: elbow skin hurt.[37]
  • In August 2018 Zhuangchen “JJ” Zhou became the first rider to everest on Mount Everest, completing 8,850 metres (29,035 ft) of climbing over 177 laps of the 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) climb to Everest Base Camp in Tibet, China.[38]
  • From June 8, 2022 until June 12, 2022 Arend Van den Broucke did a sextuple everesting on Cresta del Gallo, Murcia (Spain). He rode 1429 km in 108 hours with an elevation of 53,454m.[39]
  • In March 2017 Charlie Rentoul became the first person to everest the "tallest" mountain in the world. This required just two ascents and descents of the 89 km long climb of the dormant volcano Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
  • In July 2023 Karl Plötzl was the first person to achieve an 8-times Everest on bike. He was cycling for 7 days continuously, spending a total of 116 hours on his bike to break the previous world record of 7 Everests by going up 70.800m over a distance of 1.781km on a small hill in Austria

References

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  1. ^ "WHAT IS EVERESTING?". Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  2. ^ "THE RULES - EVERESTING". Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  3. ^ Mallory, George (14 May 2012). "Mt Everest in a Day". Cycling Tips. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Everesting: A new mountain to climb for cyclists". Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  5. ^ "Inside the cult of Everesting". The Daily Telegraph. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  6. ^ a b c de Neef, Matt (28 September 2021). "How Everesting Grew into a Global Phenomenon". Cycling Tips. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  7. ^ a b "About". Everesting.
  8. ^ a b c Leach, Marcus (18 December 2020). "My own personal Everest". Cyclist. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  9. ^ "Alberto Contador takes Everesting to a new level". Velonews. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  10. ^ Yaeger, Selene (20 May 2020). "Everesting Is Having a Moment". Bicycling. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  11. ^ McGuigan, Molly (17 December 2020). "Everything you need to know about Everesting". Runners World. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  12. ^ Russell, Fiona (10 June 2021). "Danish runner sets impressive 'Everesting' world record". Advnture. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  13. ^ Dabbs, Ryan (8 March 2022). "British cyclist breaks Everesting world record after 114 hours of riding, climbing more than anyone else before". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  14. ^ "Everesting10k". Everesting.
  15. ^ a b "Ride Rules". Everesting. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  16. ^ Mc Laughlin, Ronan (24 July 2022). "Illi Gardner sets a new Everesting world record". Cycling Tips.
  17. ^ Fretz, Caley (15 August 2021). "Illi Gardner breaks Everesting record in 8 hours 33 minutes". Cycling Tips.
  18. ^ "Emma Pooley". Everesting Hall of Fame. Hells 500. 8 July 2020.
  19. ^ "Hannah Rhodes". Everesting Hall of Fame. Hells 500. 4 June 2020.
  20. ^ "Lauren De Crescenzo". Everesting Hall of Fame. Hells 500. 31 May 2020.
  21. ^ "Katie Hall". Everesting Hall of Fame. Hells 500. 23 May 2020.
  22. ^ "Alice Thompson". Everesting Hall of Fame. Hells 500. 19 August 2018.
  23. ^ "Alisa MacDonald". Everesting Hall of Fame. Hells 500. 31 July 2017.
  24. ^ De Neef, Matt (30 March 2021). "Ronan McLaughlin has smashed the Everesting record in 6hours 40minutes". Cycling Tips.
  25. ^ "Sean Gardner". Everesting Hall of Fame. Hells 500. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  26. ^ Treloar, Iain (3 October 2020). "New Everesting World record set under 7 hours by Sean Gardner". Cycling Tips. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  27. ^ "Nathan Earle". Everesting Hall of Fame. Hells 500. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  28. ^ "Everest Challenge. Verified time just in, 07:10:10. Thx everyone for the support & over $6k raised for MRC Tas 😀 - Nathan Earle's 152.6 km bike ride". Strava. Retrieved 20 July 2021. [self-published source?]
  29. ^ Treloar, Iain (10 July 2020). "Alberto Contador breaks Everesting record with time of 7:27:20". Cycling Tips. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  30. ^ "Lachlan Morton". Everesting Hall of Fame. Hells 500. 20 June 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  31. ^ "Morning Ride". Strava. Retrieved 21 June 2020.[self-published source?]
  32. ^ "Keegan Swenson". Everesting Hall of Fame. Hells 500. 15 May 2020.
  33. ^ "Phil Gaimon". Everesting Hall of Fame. Hells 500. 11 May 2020.
  34. ^ "The First Man To Ride A Bicycle Up Everest, From His Den". Gizmodo. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  35. ^ "Korona Himálaje". Korona Himálaje. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  36. ^ "Everesting - Fox Creek Rd - Benny JJ". Veloviewer. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  37. ^ "Ben Soja". www.facebook.com. 2018-03-11. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  38. ^ "What It's Like to "Everest" on Mount Everest". Bicycling. August 2018.
  39. ^ "Cresta X151 5 dias EVERESTING (X6)". strava.com. 8 June 2022.
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