A MONMOUTH cyclist was one half of pair who rode the equivalent hight of Mount Everest this weekend to raise money for charity.

Tom Cooling, age 31 from Monmouth, and Mike Walsh, age 25 from Winscombe, completed 23 climbs of the notorious ‘Tumble’ on Abergavenny’s Blorenge on Saturday 29th April.

The Tumble, a three mile long eight per cent climb has total elevation gain of 1,265ft for one climb, meaning 23 climbs were required to reach the 29,000ft elevation of Mount Everest.

The two started the ride at 5am to give them a chance of finishing before darkness, and each rode at their own pace before regrouping for the final ascent together,

During the ride the pair faced constant challenges, Tom said: “As the ascents ticked by, our emotions swung from euphoria to despair as we urged our heavy legs to keep spinning.

“I learned from Ironman racing that you need to keep focused on the little things like staying hydrated and to keep eating. Mike had a really dark patch early on around climb six where he was rescued by two ice creams from a well place mountain top ice-cream van.

“After climb 18 it was into what I like to call ‘rocky land’, where everything hurts and you just need to keep fighting through.”

The pair were able to fight through and finally finish as the sun set, 12 hours, 21 minutes and six seconds later.

This was a new record for ‘Everesting’ 132.2 miles of the Tumble which added both riders to the ‘Everesting’ Hall of Fame and has set a new benchmark for anyone wishing to take on the challenge in the future. 

Tom added: “We were supported by my partner Jo and Mike’s partner, Sam. Also I would like to thank Rhys Knight for keeping me going in the middle of the ride and for Wild Trail Snacks for providing the nutrition to fill the 12,500 calorie hole that we both created.”

In total they were able to raise £1,082.03 for Cancer Research UK. To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/MICHAEL-WALSH17