Tech writer Luke attempts to rack up 8,849m of downhill while chasing former World Cup champ and Madison Saracen factory racer Matt Walker
Words Luke Marshall Pics Jack Tennyson
NOT ONE PERSON WE’VE SPOKEN TO – WHETHER PRO PRO RIDER, SEASONAIRE OR MORZINE LOCAL – HAS DONE THIS BEFORE, and not one of them thinks it’s a good idea to try and smash out nearly 20 laps of Le Pleney in a day. That’s the challenge Saracen Bikes have set us – to descend the equivalent height of Mount Everest, 8,849m, before the lifts close. To put that in context, that’s 37 laps of BikePark Wales!
We’ve come to the Alps in order to get enough elevation and a sufficiently speedy lift back up between runs. And, also, so we can use our secret weapon – Madison Saracen factory racer Matt Walker, who’s in town for the Les Gets World Cup and has agreed to help us with our challenge.
If this all sounds a bit familiar, then you may remember that our then-features editor (now BikeRadar’s tech ed) Alex Evans did his own Everesting challenge on this very same French mountain a few years back. However, his goal was to rack up 8,849m of ascent, rather than descent, so he did it on an e-bike and it took a lot longer than the lift operating hours we’re going to be restricted to. While our challenge is different, I know from Alex’s experience that it isn’t going to be easy.
Best-laid plans
According to my Garmin GPS, Le Pleney’s lift stations have an elevation difference of 486m. So, if all goes to plan, we’re going to need to squeeze in 19 laps in eight-and-a-half hours, or an average of two-and-a-quarter laps per hour. That doesn’t sound too bad, but I know that once lift queues, mechanicals and stopping for photos, food and drink are taken into account, we won’t have the luxury of any spare time.
To prepare my borrowed Saracen Myst downhill bike for the beating it’s about to receive, I fit a new rear tyre, complete with insert – bot to ward off punctures and so I can run the tyre at a lower pressure for as much grip as possible on the fast and steep slopes. It goes on easily. Having travelled light, I don’t have a pump, and now everywhere’s shut for the night. Not a problem, I think – I’ll pop into the bike shop at the bottom of Le Pleney as soon as it opens in the morning and use theirs.
Sod’s law
The day of the challenge dawns and it transpires that we’ll need to finish an hour-and-a-half earlier than planned, so that our photographer Jack can catch his tran
