Climbing on the bike the equivalent of Mt. Everest in one ride, 29,029 feet
May 24, 2020
Kunkletown, PA
This was not something Joël nor I really ever had on our bucket list. Not something either of us ever really considered doing. But all of a sudden it started popping up all over the internet. People we knew were signing up for this event call Rebecca's Giddy Up Challenge, a climbing challenge to benefit COVID-19 relief efforts. It sparked my interest so I said to Joël lets sign up. We really didn't read much into the event until after we hit the "enter" button. As we evaluated the details and figured out what this would entail we had a "holy crap what did we get ourselves into" moment. But, it's an endurance cycling challenge. And that's what the Nankmans like to do.
So how does Everesting work? One must ride their bike, any style bike, up and down the same hill as many times as it takes to get 29,029 feet of climbing. The rider can stop to eat/drink/bathroom/clothing change, etc but it must be done in one consecutive ride. We choose Point Phillips Road, a two mile stretch of roughly paved road in Kunkletown, PA with just around 1100 feet elevation gain. It switchbacks up the side of Blue Mountain with around a 10% grade. The ideal part is the parking lot at the top, the Appalachian Trail parking area, which made for the perfect place to park the van and have it be our aid station for the day. There are a few houses along the way but we knew traffic would be minimal. At that length and distance we calculated just under 30 repeats and around 110 miles of riding.
Side note: a typical 110 mile ride in Eastern Pennsylvania, either road or mountain, would be about 11,000 feet of climbing. It would take about seven hours on the road and about 12 to 13 hours on the mountain bike.
So here is a ride summary from each of us. In own own words what was this challenge was like:
Jess's reportI climbed Mt. Everest.
OK, not really. Cycled the elevation gain that Mt. Everest is high, 29,029 feet as part of Rebecca's Giddy Up Challenge Queen's Everest event.
15 hours doing about 30 repeats up and down the same hill.
START 8am felt great. Liv Cycling USA Pique Advanced ready.
Feet burning and tingly.
11am more fun that I thought. Feeling strong.
Hands hurting, blisters forming. Some chafing.
Noon running friends join in, great to have company.
Sun comes out and clouds go away. It gets hot
Dehydration and overheating.
Constantly eating Honey Stinger products for calories and electrolytes. Drinking extra.
Clothing is crusted in salt and I am sunburned.
Taking a few repeats easy to recover.
4pm air temperatures starting to cool down. Feeling energized again.
Friends come to cheer bringing icy cold sodas and snacks. Their support brings a smile to my face and helps me push on.
7pm sun is starting to set, Lupine Lights on.
Legs are really tired. Some cramping. An annoying squeaky pedal.
Rode with Joël for a bit.
9pm getting cold. The descent is freezing. More layers.
Forest creatures out and about. I see glowing eyes everywhere.
11pm my legs are shot. My back is seized up. Walking a good portion of the climb.
Almost midnight. FINISHED.
Joël's report
Well, since all the cool kids are doing it I figured what the heck. Lets have a crack at this Everest challenge (riding up and down a particular climb until you reach the equivalent elevation gain to summit Mount Everest 29029ft /8848m. Here is my Strava file. On a side note, as someone who has done many dumb/challenging feats of endurance. This is truly the dumbest I have ever done. And unlike 24 hour mountainbike races that I recommend to anyone interested. I would never recommend this and never do it again. https://www.strava.com/activities/3508737468
As an FYI it goes without saying that Jessica did this as well.
Thanks Rebecca Rusch and the Be Good Foundation for putting on this crazy event.