Big White is AWESOME! Not a bad place to Everest...

"I'm gonna keep going..."

"What?"

"I'm gonna keep going, riding..."

"For how long?!"

"Dunno, I'll keep going until, I cannot."

"But for how... Wait... are you gonna Everest?!"

"I dunno, it depends how tired I get, I'll keep going... until I can't..."

"But, but, but..." there were lots of 'buts' 

And 'Why now?'

I could understand the questions - I had not planned an Everest attempt... or prepped apart from riding my bike up and down that road... Big White road. I had talked about it, I had thought about it, I had picked and ridden some routes... figured out how many laps... and the number of kilometres I would travel. 

Wait... you don't know what I'm talking about when I say 'Everesting' do you? Silly me.

Everesting - I think I came across it last, or early this year on GCN (it's a YouTube channel) interesting if you like cycling. I didn't really pay much attention to Everesting when I first came across it, riding a bike the equivalent height of Mount Everest. And then you hear about it again, pay a little more attention think about it a little... height of Everest (8848m), riding the height of it, on one ride, on the same hill (or mountain), repeat until you get to the number 8848m... no sleeping allowed.

Why would I need sleep...? I'll just start early. Ha!

They have a website, they have videos a calculator, - pick a Strava segment, plug in your expected speed, weight, bike weight... add some rest breaks... Big White road usually takes me 1h 50mins, +/- if I 'press-on' 2h 30mins if I take it easy...

I do the math in my head, the ride is 985m gain over 45kms... nine laps... 9x1h 50mins... ooh,... 400km +... ouch, add some breaks - six times 10 mins... ahh... that's 19 hours. Hmmm... maybe I'll get up really early...

I'm still not really paying attention... and it really does not appeal much. It sounds tough, it sounds brutal, it does not sound like fun... 19 hours... riding up and down a hill? Not for me thank you very much. 

...Then I see the phrase 'Earning the Grey Stripe Kit...' What is this grey stripe kit...? I find out - hey, yeah, that looks cool... What do you mean IF you have Everested you can wear it... If? IF...!?! I can wear Chris Froome's replica yellow/red/pink/green/polka dot jersey(s) from whatever Grand Tour he has won or lead... I can wear any team jersey, I can wear any race jersey... but I cannot wear, or even buy their shirt...?

Whatever you do, do not fall into their trap. It is just a scam I tell you. A Scam!

Cos I don't want this Grey Stripe Kit... do I? No, not until they tell me I can't have it... then I want it... 

So, there I am responding to my wife's but... (s) (almost forgot the 's') contemplating Everesting. It is 8:00pm (ish) I have been riding since 3pm, I have finished my second lap... at this point I'm thinking maybe another 15 hours... if I can keep going... Ha! Damn Grey Stripe Kit.

Six hours and two laps later I am still moving and everything is... perfect. Yes, it is cold (bottomed out a 6 degrees), yes I am tired, yes I am not even half way (that's a sobering thought after you have been riding for hours...) yes I don't have much light, yes I saw a grizzly (small one... you know, the slow, friendly kind... I hope) but man the night sky is perfect, brilliant, vibrant... I am just riding and looking at the sky, staring at the milky way, just... just looking. That was the best part of the ride - two laps, dark skies, no light pollution (not even the moon) milky way and shooting stars... my breathing is steady and strong, I can hear the rhythm of my carbon wheels... you know if you know...

Awesome!

Nine hours and three laps after that... not so much. I am only on lap 7... my 11am goal was gonna be closer to 4pm... if I can speed up... Ha! Temp is rising (it does get to 32...) but everything is holding up, I'm not exhausted (fatigued yes), knees, feet, back, neck all seem okay, hands are getting stiff and numb but manageable. Do I want to stop? Not really, I didn't really consider doing this; but to get this far, and then stop? If I keep going I only have three laps to do (I can do three laps can't I?) If I stop...? Well, then I have nine more laps to do... pretty easy choice really.

I finished just before 6pm... 27 hours total, 22 in the saddle - (I found out the little rest breaks were not so little...)

So was it worth it? Well, you will have to try it and find out. Will I do it again...? Yes.

Finally, I have to say thanks to my wife and son - despite the short notice they really looked after me all night. The home made, double burger, with bacon, cheese, mushrooms, sautéed onions and a coke (not home made) at 2:30am is a meal I will probably never forget.

Sólido Properties often used to write a blog about rentals, seasonal staff/work, living and doing life at Big White... and then... procrastination...