Shock as Emanuel Buchmann Everest Challenge Denied!

7 hours 28 minutes, 162 kilometres, 6870 kcal, 7 bars, 6 gels and 11 bidons, were needed to complete the total 8848 metres of climbing

Bora-hansgrohe's Emanuel Buchmann smashes Everest Challenge unofficial record!

The goal was set and the challenge accepted. The charitable cause behind the event also remained in full focus. Ultimately, 7 hours 28 minutes, 162 kilometres, 6870 kcal, 7 bars, 6 gels and 11 bidons, were needed to complete the total 8848 metres of climbing. With this astonishing performance Emanuel Buchmann smashed the unofficial record for the Everest Challenge and proved once again to be one of the most gifted climbers in cycling.

7 hours 28 minutes, 162 kilometres

"That was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I didn't think it would hurt so much towards the end. At the beginning I found a good rhythm and then decided to push hard. After 7000m of climbing completed, I started feeling my muscles. I am not used to this amount of workload and it started to hurt a lot. The last 1000m have been cruel. But there were also some fans out there and their support pushed me toward the finish. It’s a great feeling now to have broken the record here in Ötztal. As a pro, normally there is no time to do such crazy things, somehow, I enjoyed it. This is not comparable to racing at all, but I think it was still a strong performance and it definitely shows we are on track for the Tour. But it is also important to me that people don’t forget why I did this – the charity."

"I have now done my part and would like to encourage the donation of further funds to the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk (German children’s fund). The project will therefore remain online." - Emanuel Buchmann

Link to the crowdfunding campaign:www.gofundme.com/EmanuelBuchmannsEverestChallenge

Everesting Record Denied

Emanuel Buchmann’s new Everesting record has been deemed invalid by the organisers of the challenge, despite the German thinking he’d smashed the best-ever time by 12 minutes.

The Bora-Hansgrohe climber undertook the challenge in the Alpine valley of Ötzal in Austria, with the WorldTour outfit saying their rider had ascended 8,848m, the height of Mount Everest, in just seven hours and 28 minutes. If valid, this time would have been more than 10 minutes faster than the previous best time of seven hours and 40 minutes set by American Keegan Swenson.

However, Hells 500, who oversee Everesting record attempts, have said Buchmann’s effort will not count as his first climb was on the other side of the mountain he mainly used for the effort, which means his ride didn’t solely take place on one climb as the rules stipulate. Also, the time of 7-28 is moving time, not elapsed time, and he actually hit 8,848m in 7-51-42, more than ten minutes slower than Swenson.

“An amazing ride, truly amazing,” Hells 500 said, “but unfortunately, no record falls today!”

As a pro, normally there is no time to do such crazy things, somehow, I enjoyed it.