The Weird & Wonderful World Of Virtual Cycling

A lot of strange things happen in the dark corners of the internet, and the world of VR cycling is no different. Vern Pitt grabbed a torch and a router and went rummaging to find the most amazing and bizarre things on the web

1 The man who rode Everest nine times in his office

Doing an Everest (climbing 8,800m using the same climb repeatedly) is a mentally trying experience at the best of times but doing it on a trainer would be tantamount to torture for most. Not for James Hodges though — he’s done it nine times on Zwift’s Alpe d’Huez (Alpe du Zwift) and was the first person to Everest the virtual Alpe on the platform.

“It’s enjoyable for the first two to three hours, but after that you have to dig in mentally. As long as you refuel properly it’s physically fine,” says Hodges, who explains he started doing them just as base training and because doing one outside where he lives in north London was difficult due to a lack of suitable hills.

Of his nine Everests he cites the most recent as his favourite because he fuelled the entire thing on his own home-made chocolate, of which he estimates he consumed “around half a kilo” during the 6,000-calorie burning ride.

One of the advantages of doing such a ride on Zwift is there are plenty of people around to give encouragement. “After a while people realise you’re doing a long ride and pop on to ride with you at times,” he explains.

Hodges, whose best time for an Everest is 7:51, adds that he usually grinds along at 60-70rpm for most of the ride using a mountain bike crankset with 28 teeth along with his 11-28 cassette.

He says he’ll probably attempt a 10th one around his birthday at the end of the month.

2 The man who has ridden 100,000km indoors

All cyclists know the feeling of fatigue: the head drops, the legs slow, your body feels like it’s shutting down. Tim Searle, the first person to clock up over 100,000km on Zwift, knows it better than most.