Strava Climbing Challenge – Climb Everest in 20 days or less

[oliglynn]

Climb 8,848m (29,029ft) in 20 days.

Anybody else out there challenging themselves to this? I’m trying to complete the challenge, and am currently at 45% with 10 days to go. Living in a flat area of Oxfordshire I’m having to pull out the stops for this one, divert my commute by about 2x the distance to hit some hills, and even do some hill reps for the first time ever!

This is quite a different challenge for me, as being quite tall and a bit overweight I generally go for distance and avoid hills! I’d been deliberately doing a bit more hill climbing the last few months anyway, and I really feel it’s made a difference to my climbing, which on many sportives / big rides has previously let me down, especially when the gradient gets crazy.

This challenge is really pushing me to hit the hills big time. I’m really motivated to complete this just for the personal achievement. So far so good, but I think a bit of a push near the end will be required to complete the challenge!

 

[nickyboy]

I'm doing it. Living in a hilly area it isn't really a motivator to climb hills as I don't really have any choice but I thought it might be fun. I'm at 40%. I planned to do a decent ride Sunday but drank a lot with friends Saturday night so following day was a bit of a write-off.

Off out this pm to get my % up a bit

 

[Geoff Crowther]

I'm doing it. Living in a hilly area it isn't really a motivator to climb hills as I don't really have any choice but I thought it might be fun. I'm at 40%. I planned to do a decent ride Sunday but drank a lot with friends Saturday night so following day was a bit of a write-off.

Off out this pm to get my % up a bit

Good luck with this Nicky.
But surely, all you have to do is keep riding up Monks Road from Charlesworth then hurtling back down again

 

[nickyboy]

Good luck with this Nicky.
But surely, all you have to do is keep riding up Monks Road from Charlesworth then hurtling back down again

I couldn't imagine anything worse. I avoid Monk's road like the plague, too steep.
49% of the climbing now so just about on track after 50% of the time...but got a soaking for my troubles

 

[fossyant]

Chunal.

 

[nickyboy]

Chunal.

Don't you swear at me

 

[Geoff Crowther]

I couldn't imagine anything worse. I avoid Monk's road like the plague, too steep.
49% of the climbing now so just about on track after 50% of the time...but got a soaking for my troubles

Well done!
And ... I wasn't being serious. Haven't cycled up it all yet.

 

[ColinJ]

If I did my least hilly local routes, I would have to ride them about 16 times in the 20 days which wouldn't be particularly challenging unless the weather were bad, though it would give me a real fitness boost if I made the effort to get out that regularly.

If I rode some of the more hilly routes, I could achieve the target in 5 rides, which would be a lot harder.

It is getting a bit late in the year for me to want to do 5 hilly 100-ish km rides in less than 3 weeks, but I might have a go next spring if I am feeling well, and the weather is kind to us.

For a really difficult challenge, perhaps do it in just 2 rides? (I know that this all started with people 'doing the Everest' in one ride, but that would be crazily hard!)

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Chunal.

Bless you!

 

[nickyboy]

If I did my least hilly local routes, I would have to ride them about 16 times in the 20 days which wouldn't be particularly challenging unless the weather were bad, though it would give me a real fitness boost if I made the effort to get out that regularly.

If I rode some of the more hilly routes, I could achieve the target in 5 rides, which would be a lot harder.

It is getting a bit late in the year for me to want to do 5 hilly 100-ish km rides in less than 3 weeks, but I might have a go next spring if I am feeling well, and the weather is kind to us.

For a really difficult challenge, perhaps do it in just 2 rides? (I know that this all started with people 'doing the Everest' in one ride, but that would be crazily hard!)

It's not that hard a challenge for those of us "blessed" to be living in hilly areas. You, like me, probably average 100ft/mile as a normalish ride. So 29,000ft needs about 290 miles. I'm not sure how fast you'll go but let's say 12mph. This way you need 24 hours in the saddle over 20 days. Not a massive commitment compared to the flatlanders

57% today

 

[oliglynn]

9 days to go, 58% complete, My legs are shot!! Having a rest day tomorrow!

This is definitely a tough challenge for a "flatlander" such as myself. I have the ridgeway located aprox 6 miles from me, which offers some hills of between 50-140m ascent, however with the 12 miles required to reach and return from said destination each time makes it considerably harder. I have to make a conscious effort to hit the hills. I can commute to work a few days a week which is aprox 14 miles with To stick another 70m climb up a half decent hill in that commute takes it up to around 17 miles, and then more if more hills are required. I found myself having to do hill repeats for the first time ever, plus this evening, driving to the white horse hill, riding round it a few times then driving home!!

I'm sure my hill climbing will have improved a lot with all this practice, so looking forward to hitting white horse hill after the challenge is over, with fresh legs, and seeing how much time i can take off my PB!

 

[busdennis]

dragged my self upto 48% since the start day, with Wednesday Thursday being rest days from work if im going to complete this challenge they will be no rest for me. hoping to get to 70% by friday

 

[Dogtrousers]

Is the air getting thinner yet?

 

[oliglynn]

Is the air getting thinner yet?

Ha - colleagues at work say I should complete this challenge with my mouth duck taped shut with a drinking straw sized hole poked through!

 

[moo]

I've been doing hill repeats before and after work on my 25kg commuter. My legs are not happy, but now I'm over the half way mark they can shut up and deal with it