June 11, 2020
My Everesting Challenge Experience
What I learned and my best tips
Everesting has become the latest trend in the cycling world and I too decided to take on this crazy challenge. When I first heard about Everesting two years ago, I thought there is no way I could possibly do that. Everesting requires a total of 29,029 feet of climbing performed on the same climb (Strava segment) repeatedly. It’s an all-day and for some all-night affair (learn more at https://everesting.cc/).
About a month before my Everest ride my professional client Kevin Vermaerke went for it and achieved a time of just over 8 hours and a few minutes off Phil Gaimon’s ride time. Watching Kevin do it inspired me to take up the challenge. I also rode a third Everest (5 times up Super Flag) about two weeks before my attempt and joined Ruth Winders on one of her ascents as she went for the women’s Everesting record here in Boulder. This experience plus the fact that my weight was down about 8 lbs and my fitness was higher than ever gave me the confidence that I could do it. I chose the same climb as Ruth, which is also my favorite climb here in Boulder called Flagstaff (Strava segment Super Flag). This climb offers incredible views and scenery and it is where local cyclists test their form. It’s the most iconic climb here in Boulder.
Having my cycling buddy Pablo join me for the challenge really helped to add some extra motivation. We started at sunrise (5:10 am) and finished around sunset (after 8 pm) with 13 hours of ride time and close to 2 hours of stopping time which included some mechanical issues and lots of feeding.
The last 4 hours of riding felt 10 times harder than the first 9 hours of riding which is something I did not anticipate. Going into the unknown (over 8 hours of riding for me) was a totally new experience. The biggest challenge was keeping focused mentally and avoiding my brain from switching off. The spaced out feeling was concerning at times but thankfully it never became dangerous due to staying on top of fueling with simple sugars in those final hours. Completing the Everest Challenge after all day on the bike was a great feeling and felt very rewarding!
In this article I am going to share my experience and my best tips which will hopefully help those of you who are thinking of going for the Everest Challenge.

Training
My training had been going very well this year with a Fitness score (CTL) climbing over 100 points in TrainingPeaks and my weight had come down to 162lbs from 170lbs last year. I felt better than ever on the climbs and was breaking many of my personal records. I recently broke 30 minutes up Super Flag averaging 318W which was a big improvement. This gave me lots of confidence in my climbing ability. Prior to taking on Everest, I had done a few 10,000 feet days on the bike and one 15,600 feet climbing day on the same climb (just over half an Everest).
My longest ride prior to the challenge was 6.5 hours. In hindsight, I recommend a similar strategy of incorporating some big climbing days into your training. I also recommend adding one big day where you do approximately 70% of Everest’s elevation gain. That would have been approximately a 9 hour ride with around 20,000 feet of climbing. You really want to practice climbing (ideally on the same climb) as much as possible for a long period of time. This can be also done indoors if you are doing the indoor challenge.
For training prior to attempting an Everest, you will want to do lots of big gear training, endurance zone 2 rides, and as much climbing as possible. You want to be comfortable doing some long days on the bike (7 hours+). You won’t need to be doing any sprints or much training at or above your threshold.
I also recommend performing regular core and strength work to strengthen your back and knees and stretching regularly to improve your flexibility. Your knees and lower back take a beating. I also felt discomfort in my hands, feet, and neck in the final hours.

Nutrition & Pacing
Having watched my client Kevin Vermaerke go out too hard and spend over 5 hours above 300W (zone 3 for him) I realized that I had to be super disciplined with pacing. Using the INSCYD software (learn more about INSCYD testing we are doing with our clients here>) I was able to determine the exact power output where I burned around 70 grams/carbs per hour (around 220W or upper zone 2). At 250W, which is only 30 watts more, I would have been burning over 110 grams/carbs per hour which would not have been replenishable over 13 hours of riding.

My goal was to do the climb around 220-230W each time (over 10 minutes slower than my best time). At first this was very easy but in the final 3 hours I was barely doing 200W and felt empty.
My nutrition plan going into it was to take on 60-70 grams of carbs every hour (taking on carbs every 20-30 minutes) with a combination of diluted Skratch sports drink, Cliff bar nut butter filled bars, bananas, and SIS gels. After 8 hours I stopped to eat some rice. In hindsight, I should have had a greater variety of food and more savory foods and complex carbs. I felt like I was running out of energy towards the end. I could have done a better job carbo loading in the 48 hours before the challenge and I should have eaten more for breakfast and in the first 6 hours of the ride. Your brain will stop working well after 8+ hours of riding. Therefore having a very precise nutritional strategy prior to starting the ride is critical.
We parked our cars at the top of the climb and stopped each lap to grab a bottle and food. This worked well. We took a bottle and some food at the top of every climb to avoid taking unnecessary weight up the climb each time. I feel like I drank a little too much fluids while I did not eat enough.
Climb Selection
We chose the climb of Flagstaff which was not overly efficient from a distance point of view due to the undulations. There are parts of Flagstaff at 2-3% and then later in the climb the wall is over 15% gradient! Due to the undulations, we had to ride 139 miles in total which meant 15 times climbing Super Flag! In comparison, my client Kevin did the same elevation gain in 97 miles going up and down a steep climb 104 times!
My recommendation is to pick a climb of a steady gradient. If you are a good climber a climb of around 8-12% for 5-30 minutes will work well. If you are an average climber 5-8% will be a good choice. You will ride longer but the lesser steepness of the climb will make it easier.
The heat on the day was brutal and one of the most challenging parts of the ride. My computer read 39 C or 102 F! The heat almost ended it for me but thankfully some clouds rolled in during the final 3 hours. I recommend choosing a cooler day and, as a bonus, a tailwind day (see Epic Ride Weather app or Best Bike Split software to choose an optimal day).

Equipment
I had my Giant TCR with Alto tubular 40 mm wheels for the day weighing under 7 kgs (14.9 lbs). I chose my tubular wheelset as they are high performance plus there would be some braking required on the descent behind cars going slow and I wanted to avoid a blow out due to the rim heating up. This won’t be a real issue with disc brakes. I chose a 34 front chainring and a 34 easiest cog at the back for the wall at over 15%+. You will want to pick a gear where you can sustain a cadence quite easily over 70rpm on the climb to save your knees. Getting out the saddle often is also a good idea to help your back.
Halfway through my bottom bracket broke and I had to call my wife to bring my aero road bike, a Giant Propel with a 36 front ring. This made it much more challenging as the position was set-up for flat riding (similar to a TT bike). When I switched bikes I also lost my power data.
The bike issues were my fault as I had been having issues with my bottom bracket. My suggestion is to have your bike serviced 2 weeks out and any issues resolved. If you have a spare bike or wheels make sure you have them on hand. Have some extra brake pads available as well and a change of kit.

So that’s what I learned from the Everest challenge. Sitting here a week later I have just finished a hard interval session and feel good. My back was the biggest issue post ride (the aero road bike did not help). My knees were also quite sore. I took it super easy for 4-5 days and then felt back to normal.
I designed a 12-week Everest plan on TrainingPeaks for those who want to take on this crazy challenge (View Plan >). One thing about taking on a challenge that inspires and frightens you at the same time is that it increases your focus, motivation and overall you will feel greater energy and aliveness. That is my experience. I recommend taking on a challenge that inspires and scares you like Everest. There is no better way to build courage and confidence plus it’s a very rewarding personal experience.
Thanks for reading – Simon
Learn more about the challenge at https://everesting.cc/


May 28, 2020
INSCYD Testing Case Study
At Simon Says Cycling we use INSCYD testing to test our athletes with similar accuracy to laboratory testing but at the client’s home either on the road or on the indoor trainer.
The coaches of the best athletes in the world such as Peter Sagan, Primoz Roglic, and Mathieu Van Der Poel use INSCYD software and knowledge to plan, manage, and monitor the training of their athletes.
A recent case study with our client Markus in Austria
Markus is a high-level amateur time trial specialist. We performed an initial INSCYD test followed by a standard 20-minute power test to determine his current level. He already had a very high level of fitness having trained hard throughout the winter. Here are the results of his first test.
We then created a specific plan where Markus performed 3.5 weeks of highly specific training with the goal of increasing his VO2 max and bringing down his VLAmax (or at least not increasing it). We incorporated specific nutritional strategies combined with training to increase the training adaptations. Here are the results after the 3.5 weeks of highly focused training.
The Results
In less than 4 weeks Markus improved his VO2 max from 67 to 70, his Anaerobic Threshold from 311W to 320W, and his 20-minute power from 340W to an all-time best of 355W!
By using the INSCYD initial test as a baseline, we were able to determine the exact areas we wanted to improve with targeted training. These numbers would have been guesswork with a traditional power test.
February 13, 2020
Cycling mental tips from the pros on how to push through the toughest moments
Over the years I have had the pleasure to work with World Tour champions and Ironman winners. The mental side becomes more and more of a focus the higher the level of athlete.
Here are three mental strategies from the world tour that you can implement into your mental toolbox and apply to your next race or training ride.
Check out our Mental Toolbox for Cyclists online course here >

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February 12, 2020
How to keep challenging and growing in your cycling
Life is all about growth, learning, and change and the sport of cycling offers many opportunities to experience this. Here’s a video I did recently talking more about how we can intentionally seek out certain growth opportunities in cycling which leads to greater confidence and experiencing life at a deeper intensity.
Learn more about our Mental Toolbox for Cyclists online course >

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February 10, 2020
My daily well-being routine
A simple well-being routine is a powerful way to experience more health, vitality, and happiness in life. Even a simple thing like starting the day by making your bed and doing a few exercises to wake up the body is a great way to start the day “winning”.
When I consistently meditate, exercise, spend time in nature, eat light and healthy, I just feel better. It’s really so simple, yet many of us never implement a plan each day to increase our vitality and sense of wellbeing.
Here are some things I do each day to feel greater peace, joy, and vitality.
Learn more about my Mental Toolbox for Cyclists course >

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February 4, 2020
Plan to be your best on race day – 3 things cyclists should focus on before an event
Here are three tips on pre event planning that you can easily implement before your next event that will help you achieve personal success.
Learn more about my Mental Toolbox for Cyclists course >

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January 21, 2020
How to sync TrainingPeaks workouts with Zwift Indoor Cycling
In this video, I share my latest tips and trick on how to train on Zwift with specific training sessions designed in TrainingPeaks. I share the quickest way to have your daily training session appear automatically in Zwift each day, which settings you can change to enhance your training session, and whether I prefer ERG mode or slope mode for optimal training.

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May 21, 2019
What is a good warm-up for cycling performance
Warming up properly for training or racing depends on the type of workout or race, the weather conditions, and whether you are the type of rider who feels good to go hard right away or rather needs some time warming up before you feel your best.
In this video, I discuss the latest trends on warming up and share where you can find a good warm-up to try out.

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April 30, 2019
Best Cycling Training to Build Stamina & Endurance with Limited Time
Most of us are not pro riders and don’t have all day available for long endurance rides. If you have a busy life but still want to build endurance and stamina with limited time available, your best training option is to perform harder endurance rides which some cyclists call “tempo” or “sweet spot” rides. Here are some examples of this training session:
Ride 1.5- 2 hours at 75-88% of threshold power instead of a long, slow endurance ride of 3+ hours (50-60% of threshold)
Ride 1-1.5 hours at 82-95% of threshold power instead of 2-3 hours at 60-75% of threshold.
Do you do regular “tempo” or “sweet spot” rides? What has worked best for you to build endurance, stamina, and threshold power with limited time? Please leave us a comment. Thanks for watching!
Special Offer: here are two plans designed by me with this focus that you can purchase through TrainingPeaks. Use promo code SSC20 to get 20% off for a limited time.
6 Week Sweet Spot Build *Latest Workout Builder: Power Ranges, Part 1 (6-9 hrs/wk)
6 Week Sweet Spot Build *Latest Workout Builder: Power Ranges, Part 2 (6-11 hrs/wk)

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April 17, 2019
Training to improve your Sprinting Ability
Do you want to become a better sprinter? A lot of being a good sprinter is genetic but you can also improve significantly with the right kind of training. Here are some proven ways to improve your sprinting ability in the sport of road cycling.
What has worked for you to make your sprint better? Please leave a comment. Thanks for watching!

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