Everesting: cycling the elevation of the tallest mountain on Earth

Abstract

Purpose: With few cycling races on the calendar in 2020 due to COVID-19, Everesting became a popular challenge: you select one hill and cycle up and down it until you reach the accumulated elevation of Mt. Everest (8,848 m or 29,029ft). With an almost infinite number of different hills across the world, the question arises what the optimal hill for Everesting would be. Here, we address the biomechanics and energetics of up- and downhill cycling to determine the characteristics of this optimal hill.

Methods: During uphill cycling, the mechanical power output equals the power necessary to overcome air resistance, rolling resistance, and work against gravity, and for a fast Everesting time, one should maximize this latter term. To determine the optimal section length (i.e., number of repetitions), we applied the critical power concept and assumed that the U-turn associated with an additional repetition comes with a 6 s time penalty.

Results: To use most mechanical power to overcoming gravity, slopes of at least 12% are most suitable, especially since gross efficiency seems only minimally diminished on steeper slopes. Next, we found 24 repetitions to be optimal, yet this number slightly depends on the assumptions made. Finally, we discuss other factors (fueling, altitude, fatigue) not incorporated in the model but also affecting Everesting performances.

Conclusion: For a fast Everesting time, our model suggests to select a hill climb which preferably starts at (or close to) sea level, with a slope of 12-20% and length of 2-3 km.

Keywords: Cycling efficiency; Downhill; Locomotion; Uphill.

Fig. 1

a The relative amount of the mechanical power output produced by a cyclist to overcome gravity, when the absolute mechanical power output is 100 W (dashed-dotted), 200 W (dotted), 300 W (dashed), or 400 W (solid). A greater mechanical power output will result in a higher cycling speed, more air resistance, and therefore relatively less power available to overcome gravity. b The time to gain 8848 m of elevation as a function of the slope assuming a constant power output. Note that if slope equals zero ascending time will be infinite regardless of power output

Fig. 2

Applying the critical power concept to determine the optimal number of sections. a Work capacity still available over time. b Total Everesting time as a function of the number of repetitions. c Sensitivity of total Everesting ascending time as a function of the number of repetitions with different assumptions for time penalty associated with additional repetitions and total downhill duration. d Total Everesting ascending time as a function of number of repetitions with different assumptions for a cyclist’s physiology (CP and W′) and slopes