BEATING THE BONK
Alex mapped out a four-week training plan, with pacing being key. “Once you bonk, it’s not like an Ironman where you can shuffle through. You’re done. It’s a wrap. You just can’t turn the pedals.”
There was plenty to figure out. Alex opted for his road bike over the tri bike for comfort and swapped in a compact crank, eventually going with a 34 cassette on the back. He recorded a mood diary and dialled in his cadence (75rpm), wattage (220-224) and heart rate (130bpm), from which he could determine the time for each lap. Calories would top 10,000.
“I think I nailed it! It wasn’t about speed, it was being able to finish and say: ‘I’ll do this again!’ I’m a big dude, 221 pounds and 6ft 3. I can generate power, but Zwift takes into account weight going uphill, and whenever other Everesters see somebody over 200 pounds doing it they bow down to them.”
There are other technicalities for a virtual attempt. The ‘trainer difficulty’ must be set to at 100%, making it feel as the gradient would on the road, and demanding more shifting. Alex also “needed” (he grins) to upgrade to a direct drive trainer. Wheel-on trainers experience slippage over 7% and Alpe Du Zwift (and the real one) rise to a 14% pitch. The tech-savvy community will call you out, too. “If you post on Facebook you did Everesting with a wheel-on trainer on Alpe du Zwift, you’ll get flak,” Alex says, noting that the community is otherwise wholly supportive. “On Saturdays, Alpe Du Zwift’s very active with Everesters. They put it as a suffix on their usernames and get plenty of ‘Ride Ons’.”
Descending was the rest time. Although the clock doesn’t stop – Everesting is measured by elapsed time on Strava – Alex could hop off the trainer for 10mins as his ever-willing avatar wended its way down the mountainside. The intermissions afforded coconut water, Red Bull, Coke and… Chinese noodles. “That’s my big nutrition tip. The amount of sodium and quick intake of carbs is mind-blowing!”
Entertainment also played a leading role. “I had to make sure I had enough for 15 hours,” Alex says. Keanu Reeves as John Wick topped the bill and towards the end of the challenge, he was joined by his son to watch Scrooged. Not that the ghost of Jacob Marley spooked him as much as the prospect of Zwift crashing. “That was my biggest fear. Every time I summited, I took a screenshot as proof. I also made sure it was the only app running on my iPad. But kudos to Zwift, the app was very stable.”
Once complete, Strava, Zwift and the Everesting website work their tech wizardry, so the Hells 500 crew can grant entry to an increasingly busy hall of fame.