3R vEveresting Academy FAQ’s

  1. I am late joining can I still take part.

Yes – the full programme is 12 weeks but there is no reason that someone with experience of climbing the Alpe could not join in part way through the programme.

  1. How do I sign up

Sign up is either by joining the 3r vEveresting Facebook Group or by emailing 3Rveverestingacademy@gmail.com 

There will be sign-up sheets posted into the group and emailed to those without Facebook during the month of May (likely two weeks before the event) so that people can sign up to the individual challenge that they want to complete at their chosen start time

  1. How much training should I do?

The ride schedule provides a number of different rides on different days/different time zones to try to cater for as many people around the world as possible. The real cornerstone of the training programme are the Alpe repeats as these will build the necessary endurance / mental fortitude for the challenge. The idea is that people will join one repeat session a week and one (maybe two) other rides. Generally the rides follow the same pattern and will be group or meet up rides mainly using Alpe du Zwift. The exception to this is the 6am UK time Volt ride on a Wednesday which will be a hill interval session

  1. When does the ride schedule come out?

The ride schedule will be posted out on Friday lunchtime for the coming week (Saturday – Friday to tie in with the challenge date)

  1. How do I sign up for rides?

For group rides sign up in the companion app or via Zwift in the usual way. Links to the group rides will be posted at the same time that the ride schedule is posted.

For meet up rides you need to:

  1. follow the ride leader on the companion app. There is a picture of them and their companion app name on the relevant sheet to help you find them; and
  2. input your companion app name on the ride list sheet on the relevant tab on the ride schedule. The ride leader will then invite you to the meet up ride. If you have any problems inputting your name please email 3rveverestingacademy@gmail.com (but please give 48 hours notice of your request to be added to a ride list)
  1. What pace will the training rides be?

Group rides – the first ascent on a Saturday (Mountain Madness ) and Thursday (vEveresting Academy) will be at around 3w / kg. On days when we are tackling reps of the Alpe the repeats will be ridden at 2.5 w/kg.

Wednesday 6am (UK time) Volt ride is a hill climbing interval session. Riders will finish with an average of 2.8 – 3.2 w/kg over the one hour ride but there will be intervals above and below the average during the ride

Meet up rides – these will be at the pace set by the ride leader – which will be between 2.5 – 3.0 w/kg

  1. Will rides be at the same time each week in the programme?

Yes – the only exception to this is that we are going into a period where clocks in different time zones change for summertime. Rides will be kept at the local time zone for the ride leader where there are clock changes – so may move an hour forwards.

  1. Will there be set times for the challenge on the day?

Yes – the idea is that we will take over the Alpe for a 24 hour period. The first group will be setting off at 7am British Summer time (GMT + 1) with successive groups setting off at six-hour intervals. The idea is that people who are taking on a basecamp ride will be joined by those who are doing a full vEverest ride. The groups will not be expected to stay together for the duration of the challenge as climbing is a very individual discipline – but there will be hundreds of people on the Alpe completing the challenge so there will be plenty of company and support!

  1. Will it be a closed / invite only event on the day?

No – we will convene at the start of the Road to the Sky route in Watopia at the challenge start times (groups setting off every six hours). This means that supporters can join in on the day by following individual riders and selecting to ‘ride with them’. This means that friends, family, club members etc can all come along and be a part of the challenge by lending a wheel, getting involved in the chat etc.

  1. How do I raise sponsorship?

https://give.worldbicyclerelief.org/3RMountainMadness

Join the 3R vEveresting Academy Team! Click the link and choose “Join the Team” on the left-hand side of the page. Set up your fundraising page and share your story and be a part of our effort to change the world with the Power of Bicycles

  1. Is there a time limit?

There is no prescribed time limit for the challenge. Those who want to be recognised by the Hells 500 in their Everesting Hall of Fame need to comply with the Hells 500 rules. The rules can be found here: https://everesting.cc/virtual-everesting-rules/ 

  1. I have a wheel on trainer – can I take part?

Yes – you can join in the training programme and the challenge. A wheel on trainer would not meet the requirements of the Hells 500 rules so you would not qualify for their Hall of Fame – but you would unlock the Everest badge in Zwift if you complete the required ascent.

  1. Are there any rules that I need to follow for the event itself?

https://everesting.cc/virtual-everesting-rules/ please see the Hells 500 vEveresting rules. You will need to comply with these to meet their requirements for the Hall of Fame and to order real life Everesting kit.

  1. The Companion App only has 1 lap for the Saturday/Thursday group ride - I thought it was repeats?

The group rides in the companion app will only ever be set up as one lap. We will then ‘free ride’ the repeats once the group ride has finished. A few reasons for this:

  1. it gives us the opportunity to practice u-turns at the top of the Alpe segment
  2. we do not want to be locked in to doing the whole Road to the Sky route as laps - it is only the Alpe segment we need to repeat (no-one wants to do the jungle mud more than once!)
  3. Free riding on the Alpe for the repeats will allow riders to chat and see other riders not in the group on the Alpe. Particularly on a Saturday there are bound to be people vEveresting and it will give the group some experience of the atmosphere!
  1. I saw there was a discount code for Veloforte nutrition – what is it?

Enter code 3RAcademy at checkout.

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