Lee Rosie used lockdown to climb Mount Everest – without leaving his native Aberdeenshire.
Stonehaven cyclist Rosie completed a feat known as Everesting, in which cyclists ascend and descend a particular hill until they have achieved a cumulative tally of 8,848 metres, the elevation of Mount Everest.
He chose the Cairn O’Mount in Laurencekirk earlier this month, which – with an elevation gain of 320m – would require 28 ascents and descents.
After he was furloughed from his job at the start of the coronavirus pandemic and the cycling season was effectively wiped out, the 19-year-old decided he needed a new challenge to focus his mind on.
He had already got 11,000 miles worth of training in his legs and felt his base fitness was there. Cairn O’Mount made sense for the Stonehaven Cycling Club rider, given its popularity and proximity to his home.
Finishing in a time of 10 hours 11 minutes, with a total distance covered of 187km, the teenager rates it as his best achievement in cycling.
“I had seen a few people do it before and said it was an incredible experience,” said Rosie. “I thought ‘now is a better time than ever’.
“I was excited but nervous, as I knew it was going to be torture. You never do that long a ride normally, so I didn’t know what it feels like. When it does set in, it’s all in the head. Your legs are going to keep going, it’s your head that wants to stop.
“In my head I knew I could finish it. It was going really well until just after half-way, between 14 and 18 (ascents), when it started to get really hard. The bottom bit is the steepest and I didn’t think I could get up there anymore. I had to take a few minutes extra at the top to get food in.
“I turned up late to competitive cycling. I used to swim but found a love for cycling I didn’t have in the water. I put all my focus into cycling and that’s definitely the best feeling and achievement I have ever had. All that work for that moment just feels amazing.”
Rosie’s accomplishment is logged on the Everesting Hall of Fame, listed on its website – everesting.cc – and he hopes it can help his ambition of becoming a professional cyclist.
He added: “It’s just trying to get myself noticed a bit more and keep climbing the rankings. Everyone wants to be a professional and it’s super hard to get there, but you don’t know unless you give it a go.
“The Tour de France is the pinnacle of our sport and that would be nice, but you have to build up to that. You can see what other people have been doing (during lockdown), but it’s not the same as racing them.
“I’ve done the best I can and fingers crossed I get some decent results. If not, it won’t be for lack of trying.”
