On Saturday morning, Isle of Wight cyclist Tim Wiggins set out on a mammoth challenge, cycling from Ventnor seafront to the top of St Boniface Down as many times as needed to reach the equivalent height of Mount Everest, at least 8,848m.
He managed that and exceeded it. Here’s how …
Up at 4am, and after a bowl of porridge and cup of coffee Tim set off on the empty roads and in dark skies to the start-line.
He was met with fog, wind and rain and the summit of St Boniface Down – which he planned to reach and return to several times in the following 14 hours – was shrouded in cloud.
Undeterred, Tim rode solo for the first few hours, but was joined by supportive friends for a handful of rain-soaked repetitions of the climb and descent of the Downs.
By lunchtime he’d reached the height of Mount Kilimanjaro, but with still some way to go to hit the Mount Everest total of 8.848m, a bowl of chili and tortilla chips at the Spyglass Inn, provided some much needed sustenance.
Tim was joined for the afternoon stint by a good friend and as the clouds cleared and the roads dried out he said the 25% gradients were finally starting to require less ‘tiptoeing’ down.
As he reached the final hours, Tim says that his body was starting to feel fatigue (starting!), but his bike kept going.
After 14 hours of riding up and down from the Ventnor seafront to the top of St Boniface Down, Tim made his final descent.
In 14 hours and 43 minutes he’d climbed the equivalent elevation of 10,905m, a distance of 255.5km, with an average speed of 17klm per hour.
The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust
We’re sure you’ll all agree this is an outstanding achievement, but let’s not forget why he was doing it.
Tim hoped to raise as much money as possible for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust.
Since the Trust’s inception 14 years ago, they have supported 1,559 young people in recovery from cancer. However, for every one young person the Trust can support there are nine they cannot.
Fundraising efforts like Tim’s go some way to helping the Trust support more young people.
If you wish to show your support, however small, you can donate via the Just Giving Page.
And don’t forget to visit Tim’s Blog to find out more about his activities.
