Sean McFadden, the veteran cyclist from Co Donegal, has put in a fantastic ride on Mamore Gap in his native county to blast into the top 3 in Ireland's all-time Everesting list.
Fellow Donegal man Ronan McLaughlin broke the world record recently and also has the 6th fastest time in the world. That means, obviously, he holds the top two placings for the fastest Everesting times in the Irish record list.
And now McFadden is next on the Irish all-time list; his time confirmed in the early hours of this morning by Hells 500, the Australian group that invented the Everesting concept and which is the official keeper of the record books globally.
McFadden chose the same climb as McLaughlin for his Everesting effort, which requires riders to climb an elevation of at least 8,848 metres - the height of Mount Everest - all in one ride and all on the same section of climb.
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McFadden recorded a time of 10 hours and eight minutes as he rode the same stretch of Mamore Gap, up and down, a whopping 76 times; an absolutely fantastic ride by the former racing cyclist turned triathlete.
He completed his effort on Monday – August 24th – and it involved an elevation gain of 8,892 metres on a stretch of climb with an average gradient of 14.2 per cent.
It was his first ever Everesting attempt and he completed the required elevation gain during a 126km ride.
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He was helped by McLaughlin, who is still the world record holder having knocked Alberto Contador off the top of the global all time list last month.
In mid July McLaughlin shattered the then Irish record held by Dermot Kavanagh when he recorded the now 6th fastest Everesting in the world, with a time of 8 hours 13 minutes.
However, two weeks later he went back to the scene of his first ride on Mamore Gap and used all his experience, and his climbers’ legs, to break the world record with a time of 7 hours 18 minutes.
Those two times now occupy the top two positions on the Irish all-time list, with McFadden – a former Rás Tailteann rider who has also been competing in triathlon – now having record the 3rd fastest Irish time with his 10hours 8mins.
After him in the Irish record time list comes former Irish record holder Diarmuid Kavanagh (Bray Wheelers). He recorded a time of 10hrs 42mins on Slieve Mann in Co Wicklow on July 11th, the day before McLaughlin’s first ride.
After Kavanagh comes Peter McLean, the Ards CC rider, who recorded a time of 10hrs 59mins on the Drumgoff climb in Co Wicklow at the end of June.
Benny Cassidy of Killarney CC is next on the Irish all time list, in 6th, with a time of 11hrs 13mins recorded on Ballaghasheen Pass back in June.
More later on the brilliant Everesting ride by McFadden, which is the 51st fastest Eversting ride in the global all-time list.
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