On The Bike:

You’re preparing for what is probably the most physically and mentally demanding challenge of your life.

The physical can get you 80% there but the remainder is purely mental.

You will be pedalling for anything from 12 to 20+ hours and ignoring the elevation for a second, the actual distance covered may well be the longest ride you’ve ever attempted – anything from 150km to 300km – so you need to train your body and mind for this amount of time in the saddle in addition to this amount of climbing.

That said, you are not going to build up your training to the point where you cycle uphill for 18 hours on a training ride and say “3 more hours and that’s it done”.

Training is very individual and depends on numerous factors including your base fitness coming in to the training period, the length and incline of the hill to be attempted and the geographical weather conditions you are training in and training for.

With this caveat, here’s the summary of the programme I used with meteorological conditions included for each ride where available:

Date of Everesting:

Date “formal” training started: TBC

Average Number of Rides Per Week: 3

Average Duration of each ride: TBC

Average Distance of each ride: TBC

Typical ratio of hills to flats: TBC

How many rides on the Everesting hill: TBC

Off The Bike:

We’re not professional athletes. There will inevitably be periods when training on the bike is not possible – business trips, holidays, illness, extended periods of inclement weather… – and it’s important to remember that this is not a normal bike effort.

Do not fall into the trap of thinking that it’s all about the legs.

As cyclists, we tend to ignore all other muscle groups which is what causes imbalances which subsequently lead to injury.

The chances are your legs will be the least tired part of your body at the end so focus your preparatory training instead on conditioning the rest of your body starting with the neck muscles that will support all 5kg of your head in that unnatural descending position, the shoulders and upper back muscles that will take the brunt of your frame on the hoods and the drops for 20 hours, the core and lower back muscles that will stabilise your body, the forearms and wrists that will pull on the bars with each pedal stroke and guide you down the descent, the balls of your feet that will ache from the constant pushing, the balls of your hands that will ache from their time on the bars.

Bear in mind too that as you go further into the attempt, you will get more tired which means that your technique and posture are going to head south rapidly, thereby exacerbating any tweaks and aches (and creating many more).

You’re going to slouch, your head will drop, your hips will rock like Elvis on acid, you’ll stab the pedals, your head will lollop from side to side in slow motion and you’ll discover muscles you never knew you had when they start aching.

This is going to happen, just accept it.

Make sure you include in your training programme some non-bike essentials focussing on your core.

Start doing 15 minutes of pilates and 20 press-ups every day when you wake up. You’re not looking to bulk up but rather you’re looking to fine tune and strengthen what you have.

I live on the 37^th floor and ran from the ground floor to the 37^th up the fire escape then back down and back up a second time.

It was over in a flash and I have never felt the burn like that. If you live in an apartment or are staying in a hotel, run up the fire escape steps a few times.

Stop taking the escalator and elevator and take the stairs instead and you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to walk up 3 storeys after just 10 days.

My training programme plus my rides since 16^th Feb TBC