Bike
MTB
A world record for Tiago Ferreira as he climbs twice the height of Everest
The current European MTB marathon cross-country champion set an official world record when he climbed over twice the height of Mount Everest in a huge single-day riding effort.
Back in July, Portuguese MTB cross-country marathon champ Tiago Ferreira climbed an incredible 17,753m [58,244ft] in 24 hours. The amazing feat that has now been certified by the Official World Record Association, who validated the Portuguese cyclist’s ascent.
The Official World Record Association (a European-based NGO that verify, catalogue and register world records) checked all of the parameters, measurements and data of the feat and gave their approval.
Ferreira cycled for 24 hours, from 10am on July 22 to 10am on July 23 on a 1.5km course that had 214m of vertical gain in São Pedro do Sul, Portugal. In total that meant 83 laps, 247.5km in distance and, perhaps most impressively, 17,753m [58,244 feet] of total height gained. That's over twice the height of Mount Everest. And all of that with only few breaks, little rest, but a ton of desire.
Commenting on the news that his ride had now gained entry into the history books, Ferreira said it was great to have the confirmation after so much effort.
"It proves the great teamwork we did, because without the support of everyone who was on the ground with me, I couldn’t have done it. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment that proves I was able to make my goal come true.”
The 11 'S' curves of the route chosen for the challenge turned out to be a challenge for the Portuguese rider, who made his biggest advances during the daytime hours. When nightfall came it made things trickier, forcing Ferreira to readjust himself to the route. That meant that the pace slowed, but his ambition certainly didn't.
The following morning brought renewed vigour, leading Ferreira to an unbelievable milestone: a 'double Everest' – the accumulation of height equivalent to that of climbing Mount Everest twice. In the end, however ambitious the mission might have seemed, the effort paid off. Ferreira's superhuman feat will live long in the memory.
We spoke to Ferreira about the planning, preparation and sheer dedication that went into this incredible accomplishment.
This challenge is different to what you normally do. Did you prepare specifically for this, and if so, do you think you prepared enough?
Yes, I didn’t have a specific training plan for the challenge. I kept on doing my training plan I had already set for quarantine and just kept pushing on that. I had days where I did two sessions of riding, totalling about five hours. The days where I didn’t have that second session I would have one session of up to three hours and another session of weights and physical training.
The only thing I did increase was overall volume in the sense that I had one day a week where I had longer training sessions – anywhere from seven- to eight-hour sessions. This was to increase my overall strength and power for the Everest attempt.
Ferreira with his chosen Everesting machine – the Protek Victoria
© Hugo Silva/Red Bull Content Pool
Did you have to modify the mountain bike you were using or change your equipment for the challenge at all?
No. Overall it’s the same bike with a smaller chainring. I removed a piece I usually use to make the bike lighter, other than that it’s my normal bike; a bike anyone can buy almost off the rack from my bike sponsor. It’s a Protek Victoria.
Everesting times are continually challenged. We’ve seen the road bike Everesting record time change hands very quickly. If it is beaten, would you do it again to regain the record?
If someone broke my record, the challenge for me would be to try and do something different in one or two years from now. Most Everesting challenges are done on road bikes, mine was done on a mountain bike on a gravel road so it’s not really the same thing.
The rough roads of São Pedro do Sul were Ferreira's chosen Everest location
© Hugo Silva/Red Bull Content Pool
If you did it again, would you try to do it faster, or was twice in 24 hours enough?
I’m done with this one for now. I may get motivation to do another challenge, but it has to be something different. I wouldn’t be motivated in doing the same thing again but faster; I want to do something else.
How did you keep your energy up during the climb, both in terms of nutrition and mentally?
Mentally, before the Everest I knew I had to do about 83 laps so nothing was going to take my focus away from getting those 83 laps. That’s what kept me motivated.
From a nutritional standpoint, there were two feed zones on the lap, one at the top of the climb and one at the bottom. I pushed myself to eat and drink at both of them on every lap so I felt no break in energy. Even a five minute drop in energy would have maybe killed the challenge.
Ferreira made the most of feed stations at the top and bottom
© Hugo Silva/Red Bull Content Pool
What’s the best way to deal with aches and pains when climbing non-stop for 24 hours?
I got aches in my wrists and feet. When I was going downhill, the descent was very rocky, so I had to keep my feet in a certain position. By the end I was in a lot of pain in my feet and wrists. I had no choice, no regrets; I chose to ride a mountain bike on a track like that, so I just had to push on.
You got a puncture during the ride, how do you deal with unexpected obstacles like that?
I planned for it and knew this was a possibility, so I had everything prepared for if it did happen. I had a repair kit at each feeding zone. I had to change my trajectory on one of the climbs and thankfully it happened really close to one of the feeding zones so I was able to get there and do a really quick change. It took me just under a minute. The tyres were ready with the same pressure and same set-up, so it was a quick replacement.
Pushing on through the night
© Hugo Silva/Red Bull Content Pool
You said riding through dawn was the most fatiguing part. How did you push yourself to stay awake?
I wasn’t expecting dawn to be the most difficult time, I thought it would be the night. I have no explanation why the dawn was so difficult! Maybe it’s because I was worn out, and also seeing the sun rise, and still being there, climbing after cycling through the night made it harder.
The night felt normal. I was pumped up because things were going well and I was sticking to schedule. I’d designed what I was going to eat and drink. I insisted on Red Bull throughout the night, but not throughout the day. That way I would have more energy when I needed it. I had about four or five cans over the night. Myself, my wife and one of my colleagues designed the nutrition plan.
Learn more about Mount Everest with this podcast:
Wear and tear
© Hugo Silva/Red Bull Content Pool
Were there times when you wanted to give up?
No, never. The thought of giving up was never in my mind. Ever. The last two hours were especially hard but I was committed to 83 laps and I was never going to give up before then. In Portuguese we say “I would do it even if I had to be on all fours".
What have you learned from this challenge that you’ll take with you into the rest of your career on the bike?
Patience and determination. In such a challenge you have a lot of time to think, so the need to be patient and calm is super important. I know that with determination and patience I can accomplish anything I want.
Tired but satisfied at the end of the 24 hours
© Hugo Silva/Red Bull Content Pool
What are your tips for those who want to do an Everesting challenge on a MTB?
I was advised to be patient throughout the 24 hours, so I would advise people to be patient too. A lot can happen in 24 hours and people need to understand what they’re setting out to do. I’m a professional athlete, so I’m used to doing these kind of challenges and I had a professional structure around me to make sure I would be all right in case anything happened – including an ambulance on standby.
This was much more than a project, more than just a double Everest. It was an effort from a full team. I had to do 83 laps, but I wouldn’t have done it by myself.
