2017 saw the first ever mass participation Gospel Pass Everesting challenge. It was a hot day and a really tough challenge – huge kudos to all riders who took part and especially the three riders who made it all the way – a feat which involved riding from Hay up, up, up into the Black Mountains, topping out on Wales’ highest motorable road, then whooshing back down to river level a total of 16 times!
What is Everesting?
The concept of “everesting” is simple. Choose a hill and ride up and down by the same route until you have clocked up 8,848 meters of ascent, i.e. the height of the world’s tallest mountain, Mt. Everest. Simple does not mean easy. For our chosen route, you’re going to need to repeat the climb 16 times. The Strava segment number for the route is 15172640. It’s as much a psychological challenge as it is a physical endeavour. How will you motivate yourself to keep grinding the gears and turning the pedals to achieve your goal? Everesting was invented and is “policed” by Hells 500, a group of riders who really, really like hills. For more about this elite band of climbing fanatics, see everesting.cc/hells500
What are the rules?
For a full explanation, we recommend reading the rules on the official everesting website.
The most important points are:
Please note that in order to earn a grey stripe you must complete Do Not Pass Gospel as a solo effort. In order to make this challenge accessible to more people and increase the fun factor, we are also accepting team entries. We would love you to take part as a couple, with your friends or family, your local clubmates or sports team and anyone else who thinks this is a good idea.
Practical information – If you’re climbing Everest you’re going to need a Base Camp. The start/finish point for each leg of the challenge is Drover Cycles, Forest Road, Hay on Wye, HR3 5EH. We will have ample parking, complimentary food and drink at the Drover Cycles cafe, full mechanical back-up, toilets and shower and access to our lovely shop.
