Hops and Handlebars, September Edition

A few months ago, I began brewing an idea to marry my love of bikes and beer, to sit down once a month with another cyclist over a pint glass and chat about his or her experiences on two wheels. For my inaugural edition of Hops and Handlebars, Paul and I had the pleasure to sit down with our Local Lord of the Gravel, Whitney Stanbrough. Most of you probably know Whitney as one of the men behind the counter at MOAB, working tirelessly to make sure our bikes are all in tip-top shape when they come back into our stables from a trip to the shop. We chatted with Whitney about his life on two wheels, and his recent successful attempt at Everesting.

Yes, he climbed the elevation of Everest in a single sitting.

A couple of IPAs and a sour ale later, and this is what I have for you...

Life on the Big Chainring: How long have you been riding?
Whitney: Around 14 years. I raced as a junior all over Texas. I would finish my football game on a Friday night, and hop in the car to travel from my home in southwestern Louisiana overnight to a race. My parents have always ridden, both mountain bike and road. Bikes are important. They can be anything to anyone. It's important to our society.

LBC: It's flat in that area, right?
Whitney: Super flat. It's mentally challenging in that aspect.
LBC: I can imagine. I always feel like flat routes are the hardest, because you never get a break.

After we continued to chat about Whitney's experiences on the bike in college and thereafter, the conversation invariably turned to his two Everesting attempts, the history of the challenge, and the glorious afterburn of such an epic ride.

LBC: How did Everesting get started? What are its foundations?
Whitney: It was started by a group of riders in Australia who call themselves the Hells 500. They pride themselves on doing epic rides. Before they began the challenge (initially shrouded in secrecy), a mountain climber (Mallory's grandson, George, in preparation for his expedition to trace his grandfather's footsteps) used cycling as his crosstraining preparation for climbing Everest. He would do repeats up and down the mountain, eventually up to the elevation of Everest. A rider can only Everest on a segment that has already been claimed. The collection of riders who have Everested is growing quickly, so it is important to get out and do it.

LBC: Is this challenge facilitated by Strava?
Whitney: No, it isn't on Strava yet. Veloviewer is the medium Hells 500 uses.

LBC: So, your first attempt... tell us about it.
Whitney: It all started sitting in the basement with my roommates, Logan and Ryan, early in the year. We planned to attempt it on the Fourth of July, since we would have an extra day off from work. We would do the ride together, and prepare together. Inevitably, things fall apart, and things don't work out like we plan. Logan got injured, so it ended up being me and Ryan out there on the Fourth. I was too amped up to sleep, so I started the attempt with no rest. The weather was terrible. The rain was the hardest on the third trip up; I remember riding behind Ryan and watching his wheel cut a wake in the water on the road. I got to my parents' car, and my mom tried to get me to change kits so I would be warmer. I just waved her off, because I couldn't even think about it. Eventually, I climbed into a car to warm up, and broke down and said I couldn't do it.

LBC: But you didn't give up.
Whitney: I knew the next possible date for an attempt was Labor Day. I started doing sleep deprivation rides. I would find fun things to do during rides, to keep myself going. A burrito and margarita were my drive through one ride. Set a goal, go get a drink, make it fun. Train, train, and train. And use the haters for my motivation. But quitting on my Everesting attempt stung more than any race I ever quit. It's tough because you can't just fail at Everesting and go attempt it next week.

LBC: What was the hardest portion of your most recent attempt:
Whitney: The time from 2:00-3:00 AM was the worst. You can't sleep, and I started hearing things, like people snoring in the woods. I had amazing support from friends, but this was the toughest time. No one else was out there, it was just me and my bike.

LBC: Why this particular climb?
Whitney: I thought it wasn't a bad climb, I think the grade is around 5% average. I also used to ride that road a lot in college, and really like it, so it's a special road. The ride ended up being a lot longer than I expected, though, as the laps added up and the elevation change was shorter than I had calculated. It was 90 miles longer than I had planned, and was my longest ride ever.

LBC: Tell us about your support.
Whitney: I had friends streaming in to ride with me often. Kurt and his daughter showed up and painted the road, Dave brought me donuts and told me I needed to eat them. Tony rode with me, then checked in on me via text in the dark hours, because his wife was worried about me. He asked me if I needed anything, and I told him a towel and warm coffee. It was so chilly and damp out that I was shivering. When he brought me those things, he rode 83 miles with me. Later, Bill came in his truck, and then I summitted with Mark, Sam, and Corey. With only six laps to go, I started feeling crazy, and my body wasn't regulating my temperature. I couldn't eat and drink on the final laps. That last lap was mentally the worst place I've ever been. It's a legit ride or die effort. You're never going to be in that place again.
Mark took good care of me afterwards at his house.

LBC: How have you recovered?
Whitney: I was eager to get back on the bike and mentally test myself after Everesting.  My pinkies and a couple of toes are still numb.

Just so you guys know, when Whitney says he's eager to get back on the bike, he doesn't mean a twenty mile recovery ride. He means a century. After a few days of rest, he not only completed a century, but also just finished his 52nd century of the year. He just keeps going.

So, what are the take-aways for the rest of us? Keep your riding and training interesting. When you're in the moment, and things feel tough, stay focused. A missed attempt can be a stepping stone to your greatest performance.

Go, friends. Ride your bikes, drink some beer, and be happy.