Cyclist Francis Cade has completed a Double Everest on Zwift, helping raise over £16,000 for the NHS in the process.
He climbed 17 laps of “Alpe du Zwift” to reach the magic 17,696m of elevation. The effort took him 27 hours and 28 minutes and he covered 435km in total.
Francis set off just before 9am on Saturday April 11 alongside virtual riding partner Alex Hill. Unfortunately due to a knee injury, Alex was forced to pull out at the 11,000m mark after putting in an incredible effort.
However Francis was able to go on to complete the epic task, with the pair raising thousands for charity in the process.
DONATE TO FRANCIS AND ALEX'S FUNDRAISER HERE
Francis stopped for just two hours’ sleep across the entire event, plus the occasional food and comfort break. According to his data, he burnt roughly 13,500 calories in the process of the ride.
The Hells500 official rules on virtual Everesting state that riders are allowed to sleep for two hours during the challenge, and only after they have completed the first virtual Everest. They can take as many breaks as they want to.
The ride was to raise money for NHS Charities Together, which provides vital funds and support to the heroic staff and volunteers of the NHS.
Francis completed the ride in just over 27 hours
On their fundraising page, they write: “We're going to put ourselves through a whole world of hurt, but it is nothing compared to the selflessness and day-in-day-out dedication of our frontline NHS staff that are helping us all in our time of need.”
At the end of the ride, Francis said he was feeling good, although understandably pretty tired. He says he’s now looking forward to having a sleep… and eating some pizza.
He said: “I’m really tired, a little sore, but feeling good. It’s weird, it hasn’t quite sunk in yet.
“I can’t believe how much we’ve managed to raise. I just want to thank everyone who tuned in and donated, it just goes to show how much the National Health Service means to all of us and how valuable it is.
“I’m looking forward to having some recovery time now - having a shower, a long nap and maybe some pizza.”
In a vlog announcing the event, YouTuber Francis said: "Myself and AJ actually wanted to do the Everest outside this summer. We’ve been talking about it for a while. He’s the first person in the UK to have done a Double Everest and I think he was going to go for a triple while I did the double…
Alex put in a fantastic effort despite his injury
"Circumstances have obviously changed, and we’re now mainly indoors. But we thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to still do it indoors on Zwift and raise a ton of cash at the same time."
