Hey all,
So I want to be dumb this year because why not. I would like to try and Everest at or just under the old world record time (old as in before last year’s nuclear fallout everestpolooza) which is around 8:46 and change.
I’d like some tips, motivation, and maybe a little reassurance as I continue to prep for it. Now for the context and info.
For a fast everesting attempt I’m a bit heavier than most (around 74kg, give or take). That being said, my FTP is over 360 now. My strengths are and always have been riding at a very, very high % of FTP for a very long time.
A couple weeks ago I did a recon ride testing pacing and nutrition. The climb was anything but ideal being a bit too short for a really quick time (not enough gain per lap Full Lostwood Climb | Strava Ride Segment in Sandy, UT ) but it was very fast and straight downhill. I live in Utah not far from where Keegan did his effort, but I’m not in the mood for a 500% gradient, so I’m still looking for the right climb (but I have a few ideas).
On my recon ride I only managed 12.5k feet in 5 hours. However, that 5 hours included the ride there, two stops to an area for the bathroom, and the ride home. Also, I did it on my heavy aluminum training bike (discs, 105, two saddle bags, etc). I have a very light Scott Addict rim brake I can optimize. With equipment changes I can easily cut 10 pounds off the bike/rider total weight.
On that attempt I did almost half the elevation (2k feet more is only a bit at that point) in around 4-4.5 hours on a non-optimized course, heavy bike, and having done a 5 hour ride two days before.
I managed 306 watts NP for the entire ride and stayed between 330 and 360 watts for every single ascent and ended not because of fatigue but because I had to get home (and ran out of water). My IF for the ride was .85 for 5 hours.
Based on that data (half distance, 306 NP power and 330-360 watts every climb), if I dropped the weight from the bike and optimized tapering, nutrition, and climb, does that sound possible?
I know this isn’t a huge deal given how far the goalposts have moved, but for me it would be a cool achievement to reach a former world record time. Also, it would be great training for Lotoja, which is also 8.5 hours long in September.
Let me know if you have some advice or things to consider before really attempting something like this. I’ve also got a few segments in mind, but for anyone familiar with the area, I’m open for ideas. My ideal segment would be around 1 mile and 8-11% grade, give or take. I do want to mention that I felt good at the end of the last attempt, and a reduced pace to go longer would be balanced by the lighter bike to net the same sort of pace. Cheers!
If you haven’t seen it, we have a dedicated thread with lots of useful info.
Thanks Chad. I didn’t want to hijack that thread and figured this would be easier for specific questions and info on my potential attempt 
I think it’s fine to have a separate one since you have a goal that may differ from some of the others. But there is plenty of info there that will apply, regardless of the goal. I just mentioned it since I didn’t see you say that you had reviewed it.
I’ve been lurking there since things exploded last year!
Here’s another segment I was looking at. I still think it might be too short (it seems like 500 feet per ascent is a good minimum to make it efficient). But the gain per .5 miles and straight, secluded nature seem like it might be a good fit. Thoughts?
https://www.strava.com/segments/3436672
So, you’d have to do at least 97 of those at an average elapsed time of 5m15s per lap to make 8h46m elapsed time. Can you?
Well… physically I feel up for it for sure. But man, 98 of those…oof. that’s why I said my routes are a work in progress 
I need to head over towards that segment and time a descent. I’ve never bombed it before. If I get an idea how long it actually takes and what a 5:15 lap feels like I will know.
I’m wondering if the gray area wouldn’t be more of a hindrance than the actual monotony. By gray area I mean the time during each run that you are actually turning around in circles and not making any progress towards anything. 98 times of doing a u-turn without up to quite a bit of time.
Ronan McLaughlin did 76 laps to set the current record. I don’t want to say too much about his work:rest ratio (where “work” is the climbing time and “rest” is the combination of top turnaround, descent, and bottom turnaround) but he spent a lot of time thinking about and practicing to optimize that. Your goal is 2 hours longer than his record but you can still probably learn some things by studying some of the decisions he made, and why.
Hi, various everesting calculators show that dropping 10lbs will save around 30mins and increasing watts on the climbs by 30w also as it happens saves around 30mins, so yes it sounds possible, but still very challenging!
Then it sounds like my back of the napkin estimate was fairly close. I just need to keep scouring Strava to find a perfect Hill that will match my needs. Easier said than done, obviously.
There is a pretty well used route at the base of Little cottonwood canyon, which is where the tour of Utah Queen stage usually finished. The problem with that one is it’s designed for ease, not speed. There’s a lot of traffic and a lot of turns so I don’t think that would work even though it’s pretty steep and at least a mile.