Tasmanian professional Nathan Earle becomes third-fastest cyclist to complete Everest Challenge
Nathan Earle has obliterated his target time to complete the Everest Challenge — becoming the third-fastest cyclist to scale the 8848m height on a single climb.
Local sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
IT won’t be official until he uploads his time and receives verification, but Nathan Earle has become the third-fastest cyclist to complete the Everest Challenge.
The Tasmanian professional rider hit the Lea on Mount Wellington on Monday to tackle the most gruelling climbing challenge in the world.
And he obliterated his target time of seven and a half hours, completing his 8848m ascent and descent of a single climb — a 1.38km stretch with 188m of altitude gain averaging 13.6 per cent — by more than 15 minutes.
Earle finished his 47 laps in about seven hours and 12 minutes, placing him behind only American Sean Gardner, who became the first person to break the seven-hour mark (6:59:38) last weekend, and Irish professional Ronan McLaughlin (7:04:41).
“It’s not official until you load it up and get it all verified but it was definitely sub seven hours 15, maybe seven hours 12 minutes, which is 18 minutes quicker than my target time and definitely top five in the world,” Earle said.
“I’m really pumped with that.
“All in all it went really well and I managed to lift a bit at the and I only had one mechanical which almost was disastrous, nearly ripped the rear derailleur off.”
“Luckily my mate was there with his bike and I jumped straight on that, did a lap on that, got back to the bottom and changed bikes.”
Spain’s Alberto Contador — a two-time Tour de France winner and one of only seven cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours — completed his Everest Challenge attempt in 7:27:20 in July.
While thrilled at his personal achievement, Earle was also overwhelmed by the response he’s received in raising funds for the Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania.
Nearly $4000 has been donated to a cause close to Earle’s heart, with his sister-in-law’s restaurant Dana Eating House also supporting the organisation.
“It has been way bigger and better than I expected and it is really special how everyone gets behind you.
“The Migrant Centre are putting together food boxes for temporary visa holders who are without work and stuck in Tasmania and I’m here doing this because I’m really fit but don’t have any racing due to COVID-19 as well.
“I’m doing something due to COVID, helping people because of COVID.
“Having lived in foreign countries for so many years, I couldn’t imagine being somewhere without work, not getting any government assistance and not being able to get home.
“It would be terrifying. It is nice to help out as well as doing something I have wanted to do for a while.”
‘Shows where we need to go’: How Devils plan to bounce back
After going down to Port Melbourne on Saturday, Tassie is readying itself for their biggest test yet. One of the key players points out where her side needs to improve.
WSL star opens up on return from ‘heartbreaking’ injuries
After playing just 27 minutes over the past three seasons, Launceston United striker Montana Leonard has opened up on her emotional journey through two knee constructions as she made a perfect return to the pitch.