"Fiendishly simple, yet brutally hard.
Everesting is the most difficult climbing challenge in the world."
The concept of Everesting is fiendishly simple: Pick any hill, anywhere in the world and ride repeats of it in a single activity with no sleep until you climb 8,848m – the equivalent height of Mt Everest.
I first came across the concept of Everesting in Oct 2018 while researching the route for my Sicily Endurance Ride. Everesting intrigued me and Mount Etna immediately came to mind. I had climbed the volcano once and I was good with that, but now that I was exposed to the idea of Everesting, I couldn't help but wonder if I could do it too. It wasn't long before I started making plans to make it happen. The first step I took was to begin training on my CycleOps Hammer smart trainer to complete a Virtual Everesting event, or vEveresting on Zwift. If nothing else, I figured it would be good training for the big ride around the island I was planning in the Spring.
Two months after I first learned of vEveresting, I found myself on the Innsbruck Zwift course completing 25 hill repeats on the King of the Mountain Forward segment. On that ride I continued on to 33,009 feet (excess of 10,000 meters) to join the High Rouleurs Society. The average simulated grade was 5.4% and the total elapsed time was 23 hours and 47 minutes. It was extremely difficult, but I survived and it would later serve as a good baseline to plan an actual Everest attempt on Mount Etna.
I kept the thought of Everesting Etna in the back of my mind and shifted my attention to riding the circumference of Sicily for my 40th birthday. The details of that ride are here. I built up a tremendous amount of fitness from that, but unfortunately there was no way to maintain that level of riding intensity all summer long. I also had other goals such as completing my first triathlon in May, a Half Ironman in Austria, and running a 58 mile ultra race on Mount Etna in July. Once I made it through all that, it was time I refocus on Everesting.
Selecting a Segment:
Easier said than done. The segment is one of the most important parts of the ride. Pick a route too steep and you'll destroy your legs with too low of a cadence and too high power output. Pick a ride too shallow and you'll be putting in some serious mileage to get the elevation needed which can make for a very, very long day. Somewhere between too steep and too flat is the perfect segment. Training and experience will reveal what's best.
Other factors I considered -
- The longer the climb, the longer the descent. How long of a "break" do I want to give my legs while descending? After many laps, it can be hard to wake up the legs after a long descent.
- How much water and food will I need to carry? A shorter duration climb means less supplies (and less weight) to haul up the climb.
- How safe is the road at night? Are there potholes and uneven surfaces, heavy traffic, wildlife?
- Is the route inspiring? If I'm going to be riding 24 hrs, I had better enjoy the scenery.
I knew I wanted to ride on Mount Etna, the most active volcano in Europe. It's an iconic climb featured in multiple Giro d'Italia races. I rode all three routes on the southern side of the mountain during my training rides and narrowed my segment selection down to the climb along SP92. That route has the best paved roads and I enjoyed the Piano Bottara to Etna Sud Strava segment, however, it had a few issues. The segment starts at a blind turn and finishes in the middle of the road with no easy turn-around point just shy of the summit. Neither point seemed safe for an Everesting attempt. I made my own Strava segment to shift the start to a nearby parking lot at the base of the Piano Bottara climb and shifted the finish higher up the mountain at the "Welcome to Nicolosi Nord" sign which is located at a scenic pull off area where I could easily turn around.
Once the segment was determined, I used the Everesting Cycling Calculator to determine how many laps I needed to reach 29,029 feet. Sure, you can do the math on your own, but the calculator is great. With just a few inputs, it'll calculate laps, distance, elevation, and estimated time as well as power and calories. You can also factor in break times. For my 5.8 mile segment with an average grade of 6.2%, it takes 15.2 laps to Everest.
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| My Segment - Benvenuti in Etna Nicolosi Nord |
Training:
I started training specifically for Everesting in late July. I still had a good base level of fitness from the Half Ironman training and ultra running throughout the summer, but I hadn't spent a lot of time climbing on the bike. I put in some quality hours on Zwift in August doing hill repeats during the week days and building up my ride time and elevation even more on the weekends. I completed several training rides on Etna in September and October with increasing difficulty. In the last five weeks leading up the the attempt, I had logged over 800 miles with 70K feet of climbing. The biggest ride was just over 100 miles with 15,000 feet of ascent. Not a lot really, but with my experience from the 313 mile ultra endurance ride in 2017, the vEverest on Zwift in 2018, and my big Sicily endurance ride in the spring, I knew my mind and body were ready.
Final Preps:
My last training ride on Etna was the week prior to the attempt. I did three laps along my Benvenuti in Etna Nicolosi Nord segment beginning just before sunset and going well into the night hours. This would be my second time riding in the dark on Etna and a good chance to double check my plan and gear. The ride was perfect and helped reaffirm this was the right segment for me. I took it fairly easy the rest of the week cutting back my cycling and running miles. Looking back I should've checked over the mechanics of my bike earlier in the week, but I didn't get to it until Wednesday. As I was cleaning the bike, I realized the pads on my rear disc brake were severely worn. In fact I had very little stopping power, with the brake lever squeezed I could still roll the wheel. Not good. Fortunately my wife was able to drop off my bike at the shop Thursday and they assured her it would be ready Friday afternoon (Rule #58, Support your local bike shop). I kept faith it would be done, but there was a level of uncertainty until I had it back in my possession. Thankfully the shop came through and the Bianchi was ready to roll by 5:30 pm on Friday. I packed up the car that evening, ate dinner with my family, and took a nap from 7:30 to 9:00 pm before making the drive out to Etna.
Base Camp:
I arrived at the parking lot of the segment start at 11:30 pm. It took about 20 minutes to organize the car, put on the rest of my kit, and review my ride plan and Everesting ride rules. My goal was to start rolling exactly at 12 am on Saturday. That gave me 10 minutes to relax and clear my mind...
Velominati Rule #6, Free your mind and your legs will follow. Your mind is your worst enemy. Do all your thinking before you start riding your bike. Once the pedals start to turn, wrap yourself in the sensations of the ride – the smell of the air, the sound of the tires, the feeling of flight as the bicycle rolls over the road.
Lap #1: 12:00 am - 1:22 am
I was clipped into my pedals and ready to go at 11:59 pm. As soon as the clock rolled to 12:00 am I started the Garmin Edge cycling computer and my Forerunner watch (backup computer) and away I went. I was amped up and had to consciously work to manage a light effort. It was going to be a very loooong day and I didn't want to blow up my legs right away. All was going well until about halfway up the climb when I spotted the glowing green eyes of a pack of stray dogs. There were at least 8 of them walking down the middle of the road toward me and a few had started to bark. I reached for my pepper spray in my jersey pocket and turned my headlight up to the brightest setting which is 1200 lumens. For comparison, most automobile headlights are 700 lumens on low beam and 1200 on high beam. At the same time my Garmin alarm started to beep letting me know I'd exceeded my Zone 2 heart rate. Fight or Flight mode had kicked in. I thought there's no way I could out run them while climbing up a 9% grade at that point in the segment. If I turned around, I could get away, but then I'd have to start the ride over as each lap of an Everesting must be a full lap. I decided to continue forward, popped the top off the pepper spray, and aimed toward the closest dog. Thankfully I didn't have to spray. As it turns out, they were not interested in chasing me down that night, or if they were, they changed their minds when I blinded them with my light. The dogs tucked their heads and tails down and scurried off into the lava fields. That was the last I saw of them.
The remainder of the climb was uneventful. It took a few minutes to put the excitement from the dogs behind me, settle my heart rate, and focus back on the ride. I reached the summit in 59:47, right on target pace of 1 hour per climb. I leaned my bike next to the Welcome to Etna Nicolosi Nord sign and took a picture of the Garmin screen with the elapsed time and elevation gained for evidence incase anything were to happen with my bike computer (more on that later). Then I zipped up my jacket, put my gloves on, and rode down the mountain in 17:15 to complete my first lap. Upon returning to my car at base camp, I grabbed a full water bottle and took a few swigs of iced coffee. I also texted my wife "1", meaning 1 lap done. That was our system. In addition to using Strava Beacon to track my progress, I texted her the lap number each time I returned to the car.
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| Lap 1 complete |
Laps #2-5: 1:22 am - 7:13 am
As I began lap 2 I reminded myself that to successfully Everest it would take 15.2 laps. That's too big of a number to focus on at once, so my plan was to break it down into three sets of five laps. Of course it's all the same, but it's easier to concentrate on smaller numbers and celebrate more milestones along the journey. Lap 2 started around 1:22 am and there was virtually no traffic until 5 am. I owned that 5.8 mile stretch of road and enjoyed every minute of it. Of the four laps left in this set, I completed two without seeing a single vehicle. All the tourist shops are closed and other than a few hotels at the summit, there's really no reason to be out at these hours of the night unless you're crazy, err, passionate enough to be Everesting. When I reached the summit on laps 2 and 3, I paused long enough to take a picture of the bike computer, increase the intensity of my headlight for the fast descent, and rolled back down the mountain. After 5,800 feet of climbing in a little over four hours, I was starting to get sleepy. I knew once the sun came up I'd be good as my natural body rhythm would kick in. I rarely listen to music while I ride, but for laps 4 and 5 I broke out my "Run Fast, Bike Faster" playlist on my phone that I typically use on the treadmill and bike trainer and then kept moving on. The music was a welcome distraction. I reached the summit on lap 5 at 6:49 am, just in time to see the sun come up over the horizon. One-third done!
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| Sunshine, a welcome site. Base Camp after lap 5. |
Laps #6-10: 7:13 am - 3:15 pm
With the sun up and temperatures rising, lap 6 felt great! My friend Jon met me as I was descending and after a quick turn at base camp he joined me for climb #7. We reached the summit in 59:47, perfect timing. After a few pictures we flew back down the mountain. I hit my top speed for the day at 45.2 mph. Back at base camp, Jon grabbed my headlight battery and a couple battery boosters and took them further down the mountain to his house to recharge them. Meanwhile I set out for lap #8. A few minutes into the lap I noticed that my Garmin Edge had froze. The timer had stopped and was now about 20 minutes behind what my Forerunner was showing. Even worse, I was climbing but the elevation wasn't changing. I fumbled with it for awhile and eventually held down the power button to restart it. My assumption was that I'd lose my entire ride up to that point, but thankfully when it powered back on all my ride data was still there. I hit start again and the computer resumed recording. In total I missed 25 minutes of elapsed time (most of it between laps at base camp) and about 300 feet of climbing. No big deal, that's why you carry a back-up. My Forerunner 935 watch just became the primary computer.
When I returned from lap 8, I changed my kit (Rule 53, Keep your kit clean and new) and Jon had returned for one more climb to the top. This ascent took 1:04:53. My times were starting to slow, but nothing to be concerned with, I still felt strong. When we reached the top I attached a battery booster to my Forerunner as the battery was getting low. The great thing about the Forerunner is that it will continue to record data while it's charging. This was the main selling point for me and specifically why I bought this watch. Unfortunately, I had grabbed a generic charger and not the Garmin brand charger. Looking at it now, it appears the connections are slightly different. Whatever the reason, when I connected the charger, the device abruptly ended the ride! I was pretty sure it had saved the data up to that point, but I did have concerns. There's a saying, "if it's not on Strava, it didn't happen." I wouldn't know until I was done with the ride whether or not that data was lost. Frustrating to say the least. I had to shake it off and move on. I couldn't afford to waste energy worrying about it. That's why I took pictures every lap to document this epic event incase something like this happened. With the watch low on power and no longer recording, the Garmin Edge bike computer just became the primary device again. I knew it was off by about 25 minutes and 300-ish feet of elevation. Regardless of what it was showing, I knew from my planning that it takes 15.2 laps to Everest and that's what I continued to pursue. Down the volcano and back up again. Climb #10 was finished by 2:47 pm. Two-thirds done!
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| Approaching the summit on lap 9 |
Laps #11-14: 3:15 pm - 10:16 pm
These were tough. Simple as that. Seeing the elevation roll over 20K feet on the computer during lap 11 was inspiring, but the thought of only being 2/3 done was daunting. Weather conditions were changing frequently and it was hard to determine what clothing to wear. The climbs were warm and sunny and then clouds would roll in below me and I'd freeze going through them on the descents. When I returned to base camp after lap 11, I found my fully charged headlight battery and boosters waiting for me. Thanks again Jon. I took a few minutes to reattach the battery to my bike frame and prepare for night ops. Then I grabbed a handful of beef jerky and headed back up the volcano. I was starting to run out of food at base camp. Fortunately my wife had messaged me that she and the boys were going to come out to see me and bring more food. Knowing they were on the way kept me going.
About half way up lap 12 a local rider caught up to me and slowed down to offer a few words of encouragement. He could tell I was suffering and kept saying, "legs tired, ride with heart, legs tired, ride with heart." I appreciated it and told him I'd been riding with heart for about 17 hours now. I tried to explain that I had been climbing for 6,700 meters, but I don't think he fully understood. Any other day, I would've picked up the pace to keep up with him, but not now. I really had to manage my effort and let him go on ahead. He eventually dropped me but passed by again as I was approaching the summit. He was flying back down the volcano yelling, "legs tired, ride with heart!"
Shortly after arriving at the summit on lap 12, my wife and kids arrived which boosted my spirits. Seeing their excitement as they hopped out of the car to greet me really made my day. They had brought me pizza, coffee, and plenty of snacks to get through the night. We talked for a few minutes and then they followed me back down the mountain to base camp. They've seen me race and they've seen me ride around Sicily, but they hadn't seen me fly down a volcano before. This was also a good chance to introduce them to Rule #23, Tuck only after reaching Escape Velocity.
When we returned to base camp I took a long break to warm up in the car, chat with family, and eat a few slices of pizza. My kids later said it was awesome seeing me out there and they can't believe a person can ride up and down Etna that many times. I really cherished being able to share my passion with them. If this ride does anything, I hope it has inspired them to go after big goals and relentlessly pursue their dreams.
Warm from the car heater and with a stomach full of pizza, I ventured out for lap #13 at 6:46 pm. By now it was taking me about 1:05 to 1:10 to reach the summit. My cadence had slowed and I would stop and stretch about halfway through the lap. My back was starting to get a little sore. Part of that was probably due to the supplies in my jersey pockets, and part of it was just due to the fatigue of being on the bike for so long. Other than that, I don't remember too many details about the ascents on laps 13 and 14. At that point I was in a meditative state just focused on making forward progress. I do very clearly remember how cold the descents were! The temperature had dropped to the low 40's at the summit, My whole body was shivering by the time I returned to base camp. I took longer breaks between laps to warm up in the car with the heater blasting but had to be mindful that the longer I sat in the car getting warm, the harder it was going to be to get started again.
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| Clouds rolling in |
Laps #15-15.2: 10:16 pm - 11:45 pm
This was it, the final lap. In actuality I still had to turn around and do .2 more, but I was ignoring that at the moment. I was feeling strong again from the excitement of almost being done and knew if I picked up the effort I could finish in under 24 hours elapsed time. Lap 15 turned out to be my second fastest ascent of the entire ride reaching the top in 57:40. I took it relatively slow on the way back down. I knew the fatigue was really building up and was extra cautious to get down the volcano safely. This was the only lap in which I didn't stop at the car. I rode right around it and headed back up to complete the remaining .2 lap. The climb is a little steeper in the lower portion of the segment, so it didn't take long to climb the next 300 feet to officially Everest. I stopped to take a picture of my bike computer when the total ascent rolled over 29,029 feet, but I wasn't able to unclip from my pedals in time and ended up tipping over and falling off the bike! The pedal and my left hip took the brunt of the fall. I laid there for a minute and started laughing. Rookie mistake, but it goes to show just how tired I was. I picked myself back up, took the photo, and climbed a couple more hundred feet just for good measure and then headed back to the car. Everesting complete!
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| Laps 1-7 (lap 2 pic didn't turn out) |
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| Laps 8-15.2 |
I packed up the car and headed home as quickly as I could. It's about an hour drive from the mountain to where I live. Once I got home I downloaded all the Garmin data and was relieved that between the Edge and Forerunner I was able to splice together a complete ride. I took the first 8 laps from the Forerunner before it quit recording and combined it with the last 7 laps from the Edge which was after it had froze up for those 25 minutes. Once I had the complete file, I uploaded it to Strava and submitted the ride to Hells 500 via the Veloviewer website. By the time all that was done, it was about 3 am Sunday morning.
I woke up Sunday afternoon to a message from Hells 500 stating my ride had been approved and accepted into the Everesting Hall of Fame! That's when the magnitude of the ride really sunk in. Turns out that in the great cycling mecca of Sicily, I'm only the third known person to Everest Mount Etna, and the first to do so on the short segment beginning from Piano Bottara. As such, I picked up a few Everesting badges:
- First Known Ascent: first to claim the short climb segment from Piano Bottara to the summit
- Significant: Mount Etna is categorized as an Iconic climb
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| HELLS 500 |
- Bike: Bianchi Infinito CV Disc with compact crank and Ultegra Di2 components
- Computer: Garmin Edge 1030 with Forerunner 935 watch as backup
- Heart Rate Monitor: Garmin HRM-Tri
- Lights: NiteRider Pro 1200 Headlight, Black Diamond 300 lumen Headlamp, Garmin Varia Rearview Radar, LED vest
- Saddle: ISM PN 2.1 40
- Pedals: PowerTap P1 with dual sided measurement
- Tires: Continental Grand Prix 5000 clinchers, 700x28
- Hydration: One frame mounted water bottle
- Storage: Apidura Expedition 1L Top Tube Pack
- Supplies on the Bike: Two spare tubes and CO2 cartridges, tire patches, tire levers, multi-tool with chain breaker, wet wipes, 6000mAh battery pack, iPhone and Garmin chargers, ID, 40 euros
- Supplies at Base Camp: Three additional battery packs, three spare tubes and CO2 cartridges, tire pump, chain lube, spare rear derailleur hanger, tools, rags, electrical tape, zip ties, and first aid kit
Night Riding:
Riding at night is inherently dangerous, but so is riding during the day. In my experience there are usually less vehicles on the road at night and those drivers who are out are more courteous and give you plenty of space when passing. The winds are typically calmer in the wee hours of the morning and with less people on the road, it's generally a very enjoyable and peaceful time to be out riding. Like anything new, riding in the dark can be a little frightening at first, but with the right lighting and clothing it doesn't have to be. I've experimented with a few lighting options, and this is what has worked best for me. I use a NiteRider Pro 1200 headlight with an external battery pack that will last upwards of 10 hours. When climbing at low speeds I use the lowest light power setting and increase the power as needed during faster descents. I also wear a 300 lumen headlamp which fits nicely above my eyewear and below the rim of my helmet. While the headlight of the bike always faces forward, the headlamp will light up whatever direction I'm looking in. Very useful when looking to the left or the right outside the beam of the headlight. Next, I also wear an LED vest that flashes in a variety of different colors. The main light is on the back, but it has strands of LEDs that run across my chest as well. The color pattern and unusual lighting causes people and wildlife to slow down and really focus to determine just what exactly they are looking at. On my seat post is the Garmin Varia Rearview Radar. In addition to alerting me of approaching vehicles (up to 8 at one time), it also flashes a bright red light to get the attention of drivers. And last, I wear a yellow reflective band around each ankle. More than anything on the bike, your feet make the most motion with each pedal stroke and that up and down circular movement helps drivers identify you as a cyclist.
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| Summiting in the dark |
I mixed my first 5 water bottles at home to keep the transition between laps 1-5 quick and efficient. Each water bottle had 1 scoop of Hammer Nutrition Sustained Energy and 1 scoop of Heed which is approx 210 calories per bottle. I consumed between half to 1 full bottle per lap. I also ate one small bite of a Cliff Bar or Hammer Bar every 20 minutes which is another 70-90 calories per hour. I set an alarm on my Garmin to remind me when to eat. I also took one Endurolytes capsule every 60-90 minutes to avoid muscle cramps. I did not consume anything on the descents in order to stay completely focused on getting down the volcano safely.
Nutrition off the Bike:
I consumed a variety of foods and drinks between laps. In total I had 4 liters of Pedialyte, 48 ounces of iced coffee, four bottles of Ensure, two packages of beef jerky, four bagels (two with Nutella), mixed nuts, and gummy snacks. Later in the ride my family dropped off additional supplies including pizza, crackers, twizzlers, and coffee. While at the car I ate and drank based on feel. Overall this strategy worked for me. I didn't experience any stomach issues, nor did I feel like I ever bonked. According to Strava, I burned 9,984 calories.
Transition between laps:
The transition time between laps was very short and efficient at first, but grew longer as the day went on. At the end of each lap I'd dismount my bike, unlock the car, swap out water bottles, grab a snack, lock the car, text my wife, and roll out. As mentioned above, the transition for laps 1-5 was quick in part to having pre-mixed water bottles. I would've prepared more, but with a small amount of protein and no preservatives, you can't mix too far in advance or the bottle can go bad. As such, the transition times got longer as I had to mix bottles for the last 10 laps. I also changed out my cycling kit after lap 8. At lap 10 I cleaned my chain and rear cassette (Rule 65, Maintain and respect your machine). And when the temperatures started to drop after lap 12, I spent a few extra minutes in the car with the heater on to warm up. As the fatigue built up, I noticed I was moving slower between each lap. My riding time was 20:05 and total elapsed time of the ride was 23:45. So over the course of 15.2 laps I had 3 hours and 40 minutes of downtime between transitions, taking pictures, changing my kit, cleaning my bike, meeting with family, eating, warming up in the car, and taking bathroom breaks.
Recovery and Way Forward:
Overall I fared well for so many hours on the bike. Of all things, my right shoulder was the sorest. That's probably from tucking in and pushing down on the handlebars more than I needed to on the descents. My lower back and legs were sore, but nothing beyond what's to be expected. Monday morning I completed a 25 minute ride on Zwift and went for a 4.3 mile run in the afternoon. It felt great, but I know I need to keep the effort low for the remainder of the week. That'll be a challenge, because mentally I'm ready to go. I have a few events on the horizon including the Athens Marathon in two weeks, the Malta Marathon next spring, and my first full Ironman next summer. While I'll enjoy those events and the training leading up to them, my passion lies with the big epic rides that fall way outside the norm of a standard race. The sense of accomplishment and the thrill of completing a big ride knowing all the planning, training, and preparation that went into it is like nothing else. I'm already contemplating the next big ride... perhaps an epic 10,000 meter High Rouleurs Society ride or a Double Everesting attempt. In the meantime, it's back to training. Keep moving forward.
