Hill climb nationals on Bank Road 🚋 thank you @matlock_cycling_club for a superb day and congratulations @therachelgshow on a smashing ride! 🚀
I had a lot of fear and doubt about this year’s race; an 800 metre ‘sprint’ is a far cry from the type of pain I most enjoy, particularly following endurance-oriented endeavours of recent months. But it’s silly to avoid things just because they don’t perfectly suit you, so I crammed in a few weeks of horrible training in an attempt to relearn (or maybe just learn) a bit of punchiness. Despite making a few mistakes, there’s certainly some contentment to be had - and I’ve learnt that negativity is a huge waste of time! More importantly, the event itself was just immense. Excited to get stuck back into it all next year⛱️
Thanks very much for the photos @optimusmaritimus@andy.smith_photo@bob.macgregor.31
Everesting World Championship 🌋
The two Everestings I’d completed in prior years had recalibrated my definition of suffering on the bike, but this one managed to surpass them both. Although only our ascents were timed, seven repeats of Mount Etna entailed 275km reach the 8848m — a ride that started at 4am and continued through to the evening. The sheer distance far surpassed anything I’d done before, but the first few hours flew by thanks to the excitement (/fear!) of riding in the pitch black followed by a striking sunrise on the second ascent. Things quite drastically took a turn for the worse on the fourth ascent as building fatigue and increasing temperatures prodded me into an overheated, nauseous slump. Mindset plummeting and head drooping, I didn’t believe there was any way it’d be possible to continue riding for another six or so hours. There’s not a chance I would’ve kept going if I’d been alone, but seeing everyone else in their own fight with the volcano provided motivation like nothing else. I managed to fool myself by creating fake ‘give up/finish line’ spots along the course and finally hit a turning point on the fifth ascent when I cooled down a bit and realised that completion might be possible. The last two ascents were still terrible difficult, and every ten minutes a new body part was starting to hurt, but it was also gruellingly wonderful. Experiencing the shift of the environment throughout the course of the day — vineyards, forests and lava fields with views of the Ionian Sea — while engaging in a battle of mind & body alongside others was an incomparable experience. Thank you so much to @andy.vanbergen@fabrizio_dolce21 and everyone at @everesting@everestingitaly for making the event happen, and @comunedilinguaglossa for hosting it. It was ridiculously difficult and I can’t wait to do it again!
Congratulations to our first ever Everesting World Champions!
On the iconic slopes of Sicily’s Mt Etna, Jack Burke and Illi Gardner etched their names into history as the inaugural Everesting World Champions.
Pitting themselves against truly brutal gradients, heat befitting the volcanic location, and the sheer mental and physical test that defines Everesting, they conquered one of the toughest climbs on earth.
Everesting has always been about more than just elevation, it’s about resilience, grit, and the will to keep pushing when everything (everything!) says stop. Today, Jack and Illi embodied that and more on Etna.
Jack Burke. Illi Gardner. Everesting World Champions.
#everestingworldchampionship
Meet Illi Gardner, Everesting Women’s World Record Holder and Everesting World Championship participant.
@illi_gardner has been hill-obsessed for years. A former road racer, she decided in 2021 to focus on the part of cycling she loved most, climbing. Since then, she’s sought out new mountains and tougher uphill challenges.
"I've been seeking out new mountains and uphill challenges, and Everesting fits into that category perfectly!" she says.
That obsession led to her record breaking ride in 2022, when Illi set the Everesting Women’s World Record: 107.82 km, 9,006 m of elevation, completed in just 8:05:15. The hardest challenge she’s ever faced, but also a defining moment in her cycling journey.
Now, she’s preparing for the Everesting World Championship in Sicily, where Mount Etna will bring a whole new kind of test: an HC mountain, a demanding climb, and the energy of the global Everesting community at her side.
"I’m far too competitive to pretend that I’m not competing... but above all I’m hoping to have a super fun experience in Sicily!"
Are you ready to join her on the start line?
Register now, link in bio.
MWARBH: a race I’ve wanted to do for years so it was a bit surreal to find myself on this year’s start line! New England’s highest peak with a reputation for erratic weather conditions, Mount Washington is a bit of a leg burner at around 12% for 12km. With a lot of unknowns lying up the road, I combated trepidation with the trusty technique of heading straight into the red which left little headspace to overthink it all. Summit conditions turned out to be great and views of the White Mountains were so spectacular that they were possible to appreciate whilst suffering (well…almost). An amazing climb, and being surrounded by hundreds of people sharing the same enthusiasm was quite awesome. Thank you to everyone who made the event possible!
Photos by Joe Viger @joevigerphoto , Albert Lew @newenglandrocks and Nick Gagnon @nick.gagnon220
🇺🇸 Loving racing a few @bumpshillclimb while in New England! Two brilliant weekends at Mount Kearsarge @mount_kearsarge_hillclimb and Mount Ascutney so far, mixed in with some great hiking in the Green Mountains and Sunapee.
📸 @joevigerphoto
Amazing week in Asturias; Angliru lived up to its reputation but it’d be hard to pick a favourite with climbs like Gamoniteiro, Lagos de Covadonga and Los Machucos in the mix. The barbaric gradients and beautiful landscape made for some of the best rides I’ve ever done - despite the daily (literal) head-on confrontation with a slight case of bovinophobia!
Three days in the French Pyrenees: a little soggier than desired but (almost) wholly successful in terms of mountains ridden and marmots befriended. Awesome start to the trip — now to be continued in Green Spain!
It’s finally the time of year to run off into the mountains again (amongst other things)! Looking forward to getting in some summer adventures ahead of going transatlantic in a few months time 😱🗻🌲
Hill climb champs! This year’s short and sharp course in Hexham was a departure from my relative comfort zone of long mountain climbs - who knew an otherwise innocuous ~1km bit of road could be so scary? - and taming the nerves at nationals is always a challenge. Had a moment of panic when I realised that the plan to start nice and relaxed had been lost somewhere in the countdown adrenaline…but the absolutely immense roadside support soon distracted from any of that! Extremely happy to be on the podium with @lizi_brooke and @abiplowman again. Big thank you to @mucklecc for organising an incredible day; a very cool thing to be a part of.
(Still testing the theory that if you scowl hard enough the finish line will move closer)
📸 @unsponsoredmedia@andy.smith_photo , Sarah Hall, Joe’s Weird Phone
It’s scary face & wobbly legs season 🎃 A less jam-packed hill climb schedule this year but have really enjoyed racing a few new ones including Great Dun Fell and @huddersfieldstarwheelers Jackson Bridge (which was its 50th anniversary event!)
The sun has yet to show up blazing but no need to fear…thanks to an ingenious birthday poncho I now have my warm up attire all sorted 😎
Thanks @steph3nsmith for brilliant photos from Jackson Bridge!
More highlights from 🇮🇹 included Zoncolan, Passo Giau and Monte Grappa. Had to briefly escape to the lower lands of Lake Garda when a patch of stormy weather hit the high mountains mid-trip — but still managed to find the peacefully brutal Monte Varagna (oxymoronic hills are the best hills?)
Reached new heights in terms of daily cappuccino consumption as well, so all in all a successful trip. Barely made a dent in the number of mountains out there…hope to head back someday!
