If you choose to do an Everest, then prepare yourself to possibly
undertake the hardest experience of your life! It’s a pretty simple concept.
You go up the hill, then down the hill, up the hill, then down the hill……..
How successful you are can be determined by your preparation. You
need to:
Realistically work out how long
you will need to complete your Everest
Have more than enough food to
last through the ride
Have a
nutritional plan
Have more than enough fluids to
last through the ride
Have portable batteries to
ensure that your Garmin lasts the distance
Bring additional comforts to
make the ride more enjoyable, i.e. change of kits, music etc.
Have adequate lighting for any
night stint
Work out how many laps you will
do in-between breaks
On the day time can really fly, particularly on your breaks. You
find you don’t really rest much when you stop as you’re constantly doing
something such as topping up water, eating, changing clothes, going to the
toilet etc. It is important to set-up your car so that everything is nicely
organised. The quicker you can get in & out of your pit stop, the more
successful your ride will be, and if everything’s cluttered, then you can also
find yourself feeling cluttered.
What sort of hill should you look for?
Here
are some things to look for when selecting your Everest:
Is there a place you can go to
a Toilet? You may know a great back street climb, but it’s no good to you
unless you can take a dump in someone’s front yard
How narrow is the road? (the
closer cars need to be to pass you the more uncomfortable the day will be, and
the higher the risk that one of them may hit you which will end your Everest
pretty quickly)
Is there any wildlife that you
need to keep an eye out for?
What is the road surface like?
Does your climb experience fog?
You should be mindful of fog when there is no wind, and this is where it is
important to know your climb in all sorts of conditions
What is the traffic like? If
you can pick a climb with virtually no traffic, you will be doing yourself a
major favour
Is there a good place to park
your car at either end of your climb? I personally prefer to park at the top,
but it’s a personal choice
Are there shops nearby?
Do you get reception for your
phone?
How well shaded is the climb?
Is the wind likely to affect
your climb?
Does your climb experience
abnormal temperatures? i.e. does it get really cold overnight?
Tips for making your Everest easier:
Know how long your Everest will
realistically take. If you’re working out your average lap time, don’t use
stats of when you are climbing fresh. You really need to know what pace you
will ride on exhausted legs & go from there. I would also advise to set-up
a climbing & descending segment to work out how much one full lap takes,
but it is better if you are able to set-up a longer segment, such as a 5 x
segment, 10 x segment etc. Once you’ve set those up, will give you a realistic
idea of how long you will need to complete your Everest.
Know your climb. Go and do a
lot of repeats before you Everest it. I can guarantee after doing an Everest you will know every bump in the road
Don’t trust the weatherman!
Pack extra clothing for any contingency
Avoid social media. It may help
improve your spirits getting support from others while you are riding, but this
will cost you time, and anyone could easily spend hours texting, facebooking,
Instagraming, commenting on Strava etc.
If you have friends ride with
you, don’t stop riding! When they say goodbye, you could easily spend 10 – 20
minutes reminiscing, and if you get to the stage where you’ve been on the bike
for 20 hours, then every minute wasted will hurt more & more
Change your kit at least once
during your Everest. May cost you a couple of minutes, but in the later part of
your ride when you’re exhausted, the extra comfort will be worth it
Don’t stop riding. Sounds
pretty straight forward, but later on, you will get really exhausted and may feel
like taking more & more breaks. For every minute spent off the bike in the
later part of your ride adds exhaustion so be smart and try & ride through
it
Make sure you keep eating &
drinking though out the day
Keep your car neat & tidy
Most important is to stay
positive throughout. You need to be as
enthusiastic on lap 60 as you are on lap 6
Preparing for an Everest:
Originally I believed the best training for an Everest was to
climb as many hills as I could. I was staggered to see a number of non-climbers
who only would climb around 2,000 vertical per week complete an Everest. In
hindsight I’ve found that the endurance &
pre-preparation is key to an Everest. The choice of your climb is also paramount to your success.
Obviously the steeper the hill, the shorter the distance, but then you need to
be able to climb really steep hills easily, or you pick an easy climb,&
then you’re looking at doing a ride of over 300 km’s, which is exhausting by
itself.
The hardest part of an Everest is by getting your head around
doing repeats. I came up with a training ride which I swear by. If you have to
do say 60 repeats of a 6km hill it would be impossible to train for that
specifically. Instead I would recommend to pick a short back street climb,
around 300 – 500 metres of equal, or preferably a little steeper gradient &
then go & knock out over 60 repeats of that short hill. The benefit of this
will be to get your head around doing 60 repeats, and will also give you an
idea of how much vertical you can push yourself to do before needing a break,
and also give you an idea of what sorts of foods your body will crave when knocking
out repeats.
At the end of the day it’s only a ride
If you commit to doing an Everest, it will be one of the hardest
things you’ve ever done, and there is no such thing as an easy Everest. There
are dangers involved which could prevent you from finishing, and you need to be
aware that your safety is worth more than finishing an Everest, and you should
never be scared to pull the pin. It’s much better to fail at 8,000vm, than to
go through to the end & screw up your knee & not being able to ride for
the following 6 months. Not everyone will be able to complete an Everest, but
for those that do you will be seen as completely badass! Make sure you plan
well, train appropriately & make the most of your Everest.
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