We Dare You: Climb Mount Everest
Picture the longest hill you've ever ridden. Now imagine doing laps of it until you've climbed the equivalent of Mt. Everest (29,029 feet). "Everesting" was conceived by a group of Australian recreational cyclists called the Hells 500.
I started road biking last year and immediately found myself drawn to climbs. They put me into a meditative state. I love riding big ascents for the first time, not knowing what's around the corner. Last June, when I learned that riders around the world were posting their Everesting attempts online (everesting.cc) I put one on my calendar, two weeks out.
I picked a 2.2-kilometer stretch of road in Tilden Regional Park near Berkeley, California, and rode a steel Sycip Roadster that I'd bought used. I subsisted on water and a pizza that I left in my car. When I hit about 11,000 feet of elevation gain, 29,000 still felt far away, and I'd already been riding for hours. But when I hit 18,000, I knew I could make it.
The monotony of doing the same climb again and again allowed me to stop thinking. I did listen to music, often '80s yacht rock—the Doobie Brothers, Hall & Oates—because it makes me laugh.
After I finished, I wanted more. In August I broke the world record for most feet climbed in 48 hours, ascending 95,623 feet. As I write this, I'm in Vietnam biking from Saigon to Hanoi.
If you're prepping for a big day of climbing, here are a few tips. First, spin, spin, spin. I ride a 50/34 crankset with an 11-32 cassette. Also, eat real food. Besides using pizza to fuel my rides, I love roasted fingerling potatoes rolled in sea salt, grated parmesan, and olive oil. But if I could impart nothing else to you, it'd be this: Have fun.
Craig Cannon organizes Comedy Hack Day and cohosts the podcast Salt of the Earth.
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