I had pretty liberally replaced weekend scheduled workouts with 3ish hour unstructured outside rides with lots of climbing, but I did exactly no everesting-specific preparatory rides. I knew I was in very good aerobic shape, and my bike fit was recent and comfortable. At that point it’s primarily a matter of fueling and of staying under your wattage limit.
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100% agree with that. I did it the other day for the first time, and while I’m glad I did it, I can’t say it was terribly interesting. The other odd thing is that although it apparently averages 7.3% over the ascent, the grade indicator in the top-right of the screen never showed anything less than about 8% for at least an hour, if not more (I made it to the top in about 1h36m)…which kinda messed up my pacing as I’d decided to go a little harder when it was steeper than 7.3% and a little easier when it was less. And it never was less, at least not until about 2km from the top.
Btw you really can ride it any time you like …just create a meet-up with someone (doesn’t matter who, and it doesn’t matter whether they turn up or not either…).
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Confidence inspiring, and I think more guys who’re in decent form should look at this and consider having a go.
Think a lot of us want to do it but think we need a ton of long rides under our belts first!
Congrats!
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Yeah, I know you can do that as a work-around, but then you are basically doing a monumentally boring climb all by yourself…adding insult to injury! Even on days when France is a Guest World, the climb is sparsely populated.
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As long as you don’t check the option to hide people outside your meet-up, you still get to see other riders. But as the meet-up organiser you still get the not-very-subtle enormous arrow hanging over your head the whole time, which feels weird.
I went into Ven Top aiming to do it in under 2 hours, but annoyingly did it in 1h36m while taking it fairly steady. So now I’m torn … it was quite dull, but I now feel compelled to go back to do it under 90mins…
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You can get rid of the spinning yellow beacon above your avatar by leaving your meetup once it has started (don’t worry, it won’t end your ride or boot you out of the world). I learned that tip from one of @GPLama YouTube videos.
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Terminology is everything Chad.
I would consider anyone riding up and down a hill enough times to get 8840 metres of ascent in one ride to have done an Everest.
Quite rightly the originators of the challenge have made a few more specific rules. If you follow these then you can join the official club and buy kit etc.
Some will be happy with the first route, some will only settle for the second route.
Each to their own.
I use FulGaz a lot and occasionally Zwift. FulGaz have released an Everest suitable course, although it has not been ratified officially as yet.
I wrote a comparison in the FulGaz FB group a few weeks ago.
Everesting - Alpe De Zwift v Fulgaz Gerlospaß.
Today I did the new Fulgaz route 4 and a bit times to give me 1/4 of a full Everesting ride. I had plenty of time to contemplate the pros and cons of this version versus the one used for most virtual Everesting attempts.
AdZ 8+laps Gerlospaß 16+ laps.
Rest time on descent AdZ 12 mins Gerlospaß 8 mins
My estimate for a lap of AdZ 1:30-1:40 Gerlospaß 55 (for 17 of them)
Overall time - very similar 15-16 hours for me probably (maybe less)
Mental aspects
AdZ has 22 corners which makes it easier to count down but also can make it seem quite daunting.
The overall elevation is similar ~7% average. However Gerlospaß has small sections of between 1-4% every so often which really do help. They might only last 90 seconds but they do give some relief from the monotony.
AdZ will have riders on the slopes but actually, as most are passing me, I find that a negative point.
The 8 minute breaks per lap on the Gerlospaß downhill work well. Enough time to stretch and refill a drink but not enough to get cold or be hanging around.
With Gerlospaß uphill being relative short ~45 minutes for me - it breaks up really nicely. A restauraunt past halfway, a viewing point and another cyclist going back and forth. This give about 5 natural segments in each lap and does make the time go quickly.
Finally the scenery is absolutely fantastic, much better than a AdZ virtual climb.
I think this is a much better climb to do than AdZ if you fancy doing any sort of part or full Everesting attempt. Even better if and when it gets ratified as an official climb by everesting.cc
Because ven-top has a lower average gradient then Alpe and with the Alpe you can get off the bike and coast all the way to the bottom. WIth Ven-top there are a couple sections you need to pedal to make it to the bottom.
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Our shop has a customer who did that! He used Alpe D’uez and did 17 hours, 44 mins. Impressive feat and lots of calories. He has the Kickr with the climb and has tons of miles so far. Crazy dude.
But only as long as others have chosen to do a meet-up on the same route around the same time…I’d guess the chances of seeing anyone if doing a random meet-up when France is not a Guest World is pretty small. Maybe the random rider…not like heading up AdZ any day of the week with lots of riders.
Yeah, when I have done it it has also been when doing a TR workout, so I am around the same time…but need to have a go at it to get under 90 min. Should be pretty doable…
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That sounds interesting do you have the ride on your calendar to check it out maybe?
How long / high was one rep. ? What was your avg Cadence on the way up. And at how many % of your FTP did you ride it? And what was your HR in % from LTHR?
I agree gearing will be crucial I already fitted a 30/46 and a 34t assette on my bike.
I think i need to train to ride my hill es slow as possible but everything sub 80rpm feels not good for me.
There is a Facebook Official Everesting group, both virtual and real which is very helpful.
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After a few everestings, I have some general observations that I believe are of universal value:
- Identify your chosen hill well in advance, plan the ride and think through various scenarios. Be aware that it is always at the 70% mark that the ride is mentally toughest.
- ~70-72% of FTP in the climbs is probably sustainable for most relatively trained people, at least if you are aming for 11-15 hours. You are looking at a 500+ TSS ride, after all.
- Be disciplined about when and how long your breakes are; time flies when standing still.
- Get your clothing right. This is especially important if the climb is big and the temperature varies greatly between the bottom and the top.
- One bottle on the bike is sufficient so long SS you have access to more bottles; no need to carry 0.5 kg extra.
- Pick food that is easy to consume, and not stuff that makes it hard to breathe while eating.
- 39x23 is macho, but finishing an everesting is even more macho. Get yourself as light gears as possible. Semi compact or compact cranks help greatly.
- I have observed that disc brakes are better than rim brakes simply because they allow you to brake harder and later, saving you some time on each turn.
- Make sure to go to the toilet before starting the attempt. As previously mentioned, no need to carry 0.5 kg extra.
- Taper into the big day, and get sufficient rest.
- Carbo loading in the last 48 hours is critical.
Here reviews of my four everesting attempts, containing several thoughts and tips that may come in handly (bear in mind that Google Translate doesn’t get everything perfectly right:
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Awesome 
The climb is .2 mi long and gains about 150 feet. Avg gradient is 14.4% with max ramps over 25%, and took around 3:20 each time on the day of (my all time record is 1:09) and if I recall I did it about 170x. I used a 34t chainring and an 11-51 cassette, with a Deore MTB derailleur made to work on my tarmac with a wolftooth Tanpan adapter. Average cadence was in the 60s, and I rode it around 65% of FTP. Heart rate averaged in the 130s, my race max is about 180. I weigh about 68kg and I replaced brake pads once, but my heavier friends with me had to replace pads twice and replaced their rotors mid-ride. Total moving time for me was 11:59:02. It was quite an experience.
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Thanks for all the info. Sounds like i need a new bike 
i currently have a 46/30 34 maybe i need to speak to a mechanic or just boost my ftp i will do a few more test runs probably going to spend a morning soon on my hill and try to do 100 reps that’s about half a everest
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Make sure you use a hill with good descent lines, and no pot holes or other hazards. Suggest you go do a practice hour or two to find out roughly what pacing seems sustainable so you can calculate roughly how long you’ll be out there. Have your food / water ready to go at your base by the route. If you think you might ride after dark have lights ready to go for that section.
We did a virtual Everest where we all rode our own local hills in lockdown last year. About 40 of us took part, all starting at same time, with times from 14 hours to 26 hours.
Good luck.
I used a 34/42 also with an MTB derailleur when I did Ebbetts pass - if you have Shimano 10sp you can directly use some MTB derailleurs. I would highly encourage low gearing unless you are super fit and super hard, as was the woman who also did Ebbetts with a 39/25 and finished many hours ahead of me.
You can get your speed from the everesting calculator, then use a bike gearing calculator to get your cadence, at least an average, and this can give you some guidance as to what gearing is appropriate for your preferred cadence.
Good luck! (and just keep pedaling)