The pride of mastering this mental and physical challenge is something that will be with me forever. Chan, USA

Select a route that reflects a sufficient ratio of climb to descent/recovery time. For example, Alpe du Huez might be 60-70 up and 15 down (4:1) versus Ventaux at 100 minutes up 20 down (5:1). I've completed the challenge on each and found the shorter/more frequent recovery periods on Alpe to be less grueling.

Power/effort management is critical--avoid overdoing it early. I spent the majority of my pre-event training just doing 2-3 hour climbing sessions at 50-60% FTP in order to get used to NOT digging in on higher gradients

Plan on using MULTIPLE top quality bibs. Top bibs might remain comfortable after 8-10 hours outdoors even on a hot day, but indoor riding generates more sweat and usually less movement on the saddle. Fresh bibs provide a nice mental boost too.

Never stop pedalling. John, Zealand

Prepare...talk to the experts and seek advice; set up a nutrition plan during the day; lots of fluids ( drinking water) and hydration tablets.

Support...I did my first challenge via Zwift but my wife prepared all my food and my friends kept watching me online and also rode with me.

Thirdly...commitment, just enjoying the pain and patiently ride up to the top.

8,848m climbed in one ride on one day. Why? Why not? Duncan, UK

Plan, plan, plan! Pre-ride the hill so you can plan the number of reps required to achieve that iconic number, 8,848. Plan your training, plan your gearing, plan your rep pattern, plan your nutrition and fluid intake, plan where you are going to the toilet, plan what your going to do if you have a puncture, have a mechanical, plan changes of clothes, plan for rain, plan for sun, plan how you are going to deal with the monkey that sits on your back after 6,000m, when you still have 5 or 6 hours to go!

Break the ride down…However many reps you need to do to Everest, it’s going to be a long day. For the average person (like me) probably somewhere between 18 and 24 hours. That is simply too daunting to consider when you are sitting on the start line at 4am. So break the down - how many reps between breaks do you plan to do? When is breakfast? When is lunch? When is dinner? When is the post ride beer?! How might the rep pattern change as the day progresses? That way, all you really need to think about is the set of reps that you are riding and the rep itself.

Measure and measure again...Everesting is all about the reps complete and the meters climbed. Most of us will be riding with a decent head unit mounted on the bars. The trouble is these head units can be unreliable - they rely on barometric pressure changes to measure elevation change. But weather and temperature impacts pressure, so the meters climbed that you see may well not be the meters you have actually climbed! Given this, it’s actually better to rely on the number of reps (yes, you need to know how many meters vertical each rep is worth). So, assuming as part of your planning, you rode the hill, you will know the length of the segment, but more importantly, the precise length of each repeat (up and down, or down and up, depending on where your base camp is, including the turns). You then simply set a lap on your head unit to that distance and it will automatically counts your reps! Oh, and the other thing to consider is if the head unit is reliable. For my last Everesting I ran two…!

8848 is one of the silliest and best things at the same time I have ever done. Thomas, Germany

Good preparation...not only physically, that’s obvious, but you need a hill/mountain where on top or at the bottom you can park your car and where you can fill your bottles whenever you need.

Nutrition...plan with a lot of drinks and food. At my last Everesting I had a pizza from the day before in the car and it worked very well :D of course I had also gels, bananas, cake, nuts, waffles. Everything I might would eat during that day. I did in every second bottle a knife point of salt and in every bottle some electrolytes to prevent me from cramps.

Prepare yourself...that it will be not only a physical but also a mental challenge. You would like to stop at some point but with the right mindset or even better a group you are Everesting with it’s much easier und you will overcome that point.