Everesting is all about climbing on a bike. To reach base camp, you need to climb half the height of the largest mountain on earth: Everest – a total of 4,424m (14,514ft).
Basecamp or Bust
I’ve completed both a virtual (Zwift) and a real-world Everesting (Whiteleaf Hill, Buckinghamshire). Now, it feels like the right time to earn another badge. Everesting Base Camp has become a race in itself, with riders vying for the magic sub-4-hour finish. While I’m a decent climber, I’m can’t yet aim for that sort of time. Instead, I want to capture that spirit of speed and create a race of my own as part of a challenge to get back into ‘ultra’ shape.
So, what’s the plan?
The Climb
This is a local climb for me, found just outside the Buckinghamshire town of Chinnor, and it was ridden on the 2014 edition of the Tour of Britain so it has some prestige. The climb itself has an Alpine feel with trees lining both sides of the road, providing almost complete cover and a single left-hand switchback near the top. For this attempt I will complete my rep at this point rather than continuing on.
Chinnor Hill starts with a gradual ascent out of town, beginning at the new mini roundabout over the railway bridge. The climb is just over 1km long with an average gradient of 8.5%, featuring a gentle right-hand turn before the turnaround point at the switchback junction. As a result it’s pretty consistent, if not easy, climbing.
As you’ll see on Strava, the current KOM is 1 minute 20 seconds, with my PR being 4 minutes 03 seconds – so while the hill may have the prestige I don’t…
The Challenge
While I won’t be achieving a sub-4-hour finish, I wanted to make this a race and embrace the hurt and the adventure of an Everesting.
I’m lucky enough to have incredible supporters, most recently the Biker Bean Coffeehouse in Chinnor. In partnership with Grant and Claire, the owners, this is going to be Basecamp or bust – the race to the café!
Starting at 7 am on Sunday, 11 August, I’ll be racing to complete my Everesting Basecamp before the Biker Bean Coffeehouse closes at 3 pm – giving me just 8 hours to complete 53 ascents.
Is this realistic?
Thankfully, the guys at Everesting.cc have a calculator to guide you, if your considering your own challenge this is a must as a starting point. Based on the segment and my estimated climbing times, it suggests a total ride time of around 9 hours, including a few short rest breaks.
What does this mean in reality – well I’ll need to complete each rep (up and down) in under 9mins, averaging 7 reps an hour. While this will be ok early when the legs are fresh it will become harder as fatigue sets in. I’m aiming to minimise stopping time and focus on 4 key (but short) breaks to eat real food and refill bottles etc. Fueling will be key to success as always.
So, it will be a push to get it done.
Support me
If you’re local and want to ride a few laps with me – and, of course, grab a lovely coffee from the team at Biker Bean – you’d be very welcome. Provided I finish in time, we’ll regroup at the Biker Bean for a post-ride refresh.
Find the Biker Bean Coffeehouse at 4 Thame Rd, Chinnor OX39 4QS. They are open from 8am to 4pm Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Saturday and 10am to 3pm Sunday.
Find out more about my Partners & Sponsors here and access some cheeky discounts.
Guy Stapleford Ultra 