Hillary and Tenzing did it.

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It's not on Strava so it didn't happen..

I've done Greylock a few times but it's been years. They have two sides. North and South. North is harder but can be done in regular gearing. You can park on the South side (a visitor center) go down the hill a bit, climb to the top, go down North Side into the town and then climb up and then back down South side. Repeat that. I know North side gives you more elevation gain but South side gives you a break. I hope this makes sense. When my friends and I climbed we did each side once.

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14X Ironman. Still slow but working on it.

I'm certainly not planning on everesting anything but isn't the spirit of your question sort of the same as "would you do a long race on a course you've never [swam/ridden/run] before?" I think if you frame it that way, the answer is that it would be the norm for many... though you're certainly sensible to solicit local knowledge before deciding to do it!

But also, if you are close to Castle Craig, what about this segment: https://www.strava.com/segments/649016?

Thanks for the suggestion! That's not far at all and I can definitely give it a test run.

I get what you're saying about racing a course you've never done before but races are controlled, or at least semi-controlled, environments with on course support, people controlling traffic, etc. From reading Everesting threads I get the impression that being very familiar with the road surface and turns (for the descent), things like traffic patterns, gearing, where to park your car, etc. are good to know before hand rather than figuring out on the fly the day of. I was definitely happy I did a two-lap test ride of Ascutney before riding Mt. Washington. I learned a 53/39 wouldn't have been a good choice for the Washington ride (duh).

The Willis St. segment doesn't climb as much I was thinking, but 40 laps isn't bad and it's close enough that I might be able to convince some friends to join me for a few laps. Looks like there are some cross streets/intersections that would worry me on the descent. Gotta go check it out.

Granted I've only casually followed all the Everesting stuff but if I'm reading this correctly I don't think it would be allowed under the rules. I think the attempt has to be of done on one climb (up and down) and no going down the backside and around. I've also never been to this area so there is that.

Petersburg pass would probably also work well in this area if someone was looking for a somewhat shorter climb (4 miles, at 6% as I recall) in Western, MA.

We are having a virtual competition here in Oregon through our state bike racing association and thankfully we are only tasked to do a Wy'east (Mt Hood), only 11,400.

I picked a very close by Cat 3 climb that was only 1.5 miles and gained about 580', so I had to do 20 reps. This got really boring, 66 you will die of boredom before you get tired;)

You do not want to do a hill that short for an Everest, you are talking over 100 U-turns, this will start to add to serious time losses easily 30-40 minutes when you considering braking, turning and restarting. I would have preferred a 3-5 mile climb, but this was the most convenient (we had a rule where you had to do a complete climb and I have nearby Cat 1, but its 12 miles and that was too long and I didn't have the option to go halfway up per the rules of our competition).

I think the ideal grade is 7-9% for 4-6 miles, you want it steep enough so the gain adds up, but not so bad that you run out of gears when you are getting tired. Also long enough so you aren't losing/wasting momentum on more direction changes than is necessary.

Good luck, I am a good climber (I have won a state climbing championship) and the Wy'east in 4:30 was quote difficult. I cannot even fathom an Everest.

I've done an everesting and the above is terrible advice.

If you've got a problem with boredom then don't do an everesting.

It's an achievement and not a race. The object is to finish without destroying yourself. So what if you lose a few mins through extra turnarounds. No one cares.

I highly recommend agains everesting on a long climb unless you're sure. Your legs tend to lock up on prolonged descents and it can be a nightmare to restart each ascent. I'd be very wary of any climb where the descent is longer than 6-8 minutes. Additionally, you need to know each corner and pothole well and longer descents will have more hazards to learn and you're more likely to forget them in the brain fog and darkness.

Lots of people have everested on 400 ft climbs. There's a lot to be said for the convenience. Definitely prioritize safety though and avoid any high traffic hills.

Is it completely stupid? IMO, yes. The whole Everesting fad is stupid IMO. Just ride the damn hills because you like to. Forget about the whole Everesting concept.

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Yeah man,screw that lame-ass Everesting,all the cool kids know that "Trenching" is where it is at!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFQ5fVjQACc

To each their own. I like climbing, especially in scenic places. I've decided to go with Greylock. It'll require more miles than Okemo but it's a beautiful location and a nice place to ride a bike. Plus, there's a good chance I'll check off 29,029+ ft and 200 miles in one day. Seems like a fun goal.

I've gone back and forth with my thinking about many (many) repeats of a shorter hill versus fewer repeats of a longer hill. I can definitely see the pros and cons of each. The ~730 ft climb recommended above looked like a nice middle ground (40 laps), but I checked it out and there are so many residential cross streets I just know I'd be all tense with fear of a car pulling out in front of me each descent. I don't want any added stress or tension.

I've put in some good training during COVID, just finished 10 weeks averaging 16 hrs/week on the bike. I'm not looking to break any records and I'm comfortable with monotony, so I'm fine with cruising for a long time. I'm also not too worried about my legs locking up on me during the descents (see if I regret those words later...). I did the Solitary Confinement ride last month which was basically riding for about 45 min at the top of each hour for 12 hours, and the 15 min breaks were kind of nice. Last Sunday I became a Knight of Sufferlandria, which only gives you 10 min max between rides and that also seemed to go ok. Of course hopping off a trainer and walking around is different than descending on a bike, but being outside in fresh air rather than sweating my a** off on a trainer in the basement will be a welcome change.

I appreciate everyone's advice. I'm all ears.

Sounds like you're in great shape and have thought through the important points. No need to overthink it - doesn't need a lot of planning as long as you're in shape and not trying to break any records.

Best of luck and make sure to let us kow how you get on.

Hi Everyone,

Question about choosing a hill to Everest. I'm not going to do this, but am interested.

In choosing a hill for the climb, what are the things one looks for?

--Most vertical climb in shortest distance?

--a manageable climb that fits the cyclist's climbing profile ability? In this case, if a cyclist performs well on an 8% grade, is that preferable to a 15% grade?

It would seem that steeper isn't necessarily better.

Does anyone have any ideas what factors the cyclist looks for in choosing a hill?

Thanks!

Mark

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Fast-Finishes.com
Triathlon and Running Race Timing
Athletic Event Management

Keegan Swenson did a podcast on one of the TR podcasts, "successful athletes," in which he and the host discuss planning his (successful) record attempt. Basically, all of the above. Steady, manageable climb. If you're going for time you want to be able to bomb the descent, etc.

Safety and convenience should be the first factors.

Want to choose a place with little traffic and few hazards. A convenient spot to park a car for refuelling and spares, or for support to hang out.

My ideal ascent would be about 600 ft, as I feel there's a risk of legs locking up on longer descents. You'll also be descending for quite a while in darkness and need to know every pothole and turn. Can be too many to learn on longer descents.

I feel that if the grade takes you too much out of your normal climbing zone you're going to have problems. I'm good up to about 7% with short stretches above 10%. If the average grade is above 10% I'd have to adapt my position for prolonged steep climbs and train for that position, couldn't see myself completing the Everesting otherwise.

Use the descent for recovery and relaxation unless you're trying to set a record time.

The road to castle craig closes cars oct 31st so it would be easier if you wait until then.. that said, 66 laps up there seems pretty crazy to me but I’m typically running the hill not on a bike. Numerous people have died on that hard right turn before you get to the causeway so be careful and make sure your brakes are in good shape ..

 


Sorry, you lost me at "would you try to everest"

I obviously haven't done it yet so take what I say with a grain of salt, but from my perspective Carlos Flanders is right that safety and convenience should be your first priorities.

I'm planning to try on Greylock but I would actually prefer a steeper average grade both because it would net more vertical faster and because I simply like climbing steep hills. Trouble is, unless the road conditions are really good, cars are very few, and turns aren't too sharp or blind I'm more worried about steep on the way down than the way up. When climbing Ascutney the uphill can definitely take a lot out of you but I was more concerned about riding back down than going up. Maybe if I were on disc brakes rather than rim brakes I'd feel differently, but I'm not in a position to buy a new bike anytime soon.

Other than safety and convenience I found it helpful to use Best Bike Split to estimate how long each lap will take you. Of course you'll want to make sure you're using the power you should be able to average for the entire ride, not a PR attempt. Then with that info you can look at your average speed for each lap and use a gear calculator to figure out what kind of setup will allow you to maintain the speed you need within a cadence range you're comfortable riding. Probably err on the side of caution and give yourself one bail out gear just in case.

I do love riding up to Castle Craig in the late fall and early spring when there are no cars. But I don't love it enough to do 66 laps. And you're completely right, that hard right at the end is the absolute worst part of the ride. Without cars the descent is fun and fast right up until that turn.

You aren't going to find many paved roads with an average grade much above 10% for any kind of extended distance (say 1km or more). Likewise, descending really steep grades has challenges of its own (at least for me), so one thing to thing about is how comfortable you are with the descent. You really want to be able to relax, not be white knuckling something too difficult. For me, on good pavement on a road I know 6-8% is the sweet spot for both climbing and descending.

Also, you would need pretty special gearing to be able to Everest on a 15% climb, considering how low your power may be at the end. I had suggested 6-8% because this is a rideable steeper grade (shouldn't need extra special gearing) for most riders who would consider doing this. Going less steep is going to add to the mileage, and since Everest doesn't care about mileage it makes sense to economize, unless you have some personal desire to hit a specific mileage target.

These are the factors I considered, and I think I am pretty typical, but only you know how you like to ride your bike. If you have access to a 12% grade and love bombing crazy fast descents, then maybe that works for you..

But then there are the practical things, what hills do I have access to (or how far am I willing to travel), what's the parking situation for setting up your feed, is it shaded exposed to the sun, how is traffic, etc. It's going to be a long day out, so think of all the ways to make it simple and avoid anything that will add to your challenge unnecessarily.

Following up to say thanks for your advice.

I tried to Everest on Mt. Greylock about a month ago, but failed. Didn't have any issues with my legs locking up on the descent but succumbed first to the heat (weather said it hit 96, my bike computer said even higher) and then to mechanical issues. Between slowing from the heat and stopping a few times to fiddle with my derailleur the writing was on the wall by late-afternoon. I finished out 10 laps for a bit over 21,000 ft.

Decided to give it another shot on a local ~300 ft hill on the 19th. Much less scenic than Greylock but had the advantages of being a few minutes from the house, newly repaved last year and buttery smooth, consistent grade, and low traffic. Started just before 5 am and 97 laps and 29,187 ft later I was done. I broke it in to sets of 7 laps with a quick stop at the car (parked at the top) to swap out a bottle, grab some food and/or a nature break, repeat. Definitely helped with the monotony. Felt good the whole time and posted my two fastest times and highest watts on the last two climbs, but that was because my bike computer was at 1%.

Anyway, I figured I'd follow up to say that a scenic, destination climb can certainly work, but a dinky little local hill with great pavement and few cars can work just the same. And I really can't stress how much smooth pavement makes a difference in terms of comfort and safety, especially when trying to bomb descents in the dark with just a bike light.

Congrats. Excellent achievement. Well done!