Riders ‘climb’ Mt Everest in Cairns
TWO cyclists have shown that you do not have to leave Cairns to experience the high of overseas travel.
Cairns Multisport Crew members Jane Willmott and Elizabeth Blooms took on the Everesting challenge at Copperlode’s Lake Morris Road, riding for nearly 30 hours, starting on Monday night.
The event involved a staggering 21 laps up and down the 430m summit, the equivalent of the world’s highest peak.
Ms Blooms said it had been on her bucket list “for a long time”. “I did this to remind myself that I do have strength against self-doubt,” she said.
While Ms Willmott stopped 1km short of the full distance due to safety issues, she said it was still worthwhile.
“The crew was amazing and anyone can do it with the right preparations,” she said.
Known as Cycle Everesting, the feat was first managed 20 years ago by George Mallory
Jnr, whose grandfather’s body was found on Everest in 1999 about 75 years after he went missing.
George Jnr honoured him by doing the deed in the Victorian High Country and in doing so created a demanding benchmark for every aspiring and crazy endurance cyclist.
The arrival of GPS tracker Strava has allowed cyclists around the world to compare their rides and, as a consequence, the popularity of Everesting has exploded.