Porte and Wurf complete birthday 'Everesting' attempt

Fresh off the Tour de France, Australian Grand Tour star Richie Porte found an unusual way to celebrate good friend Cameron Wurf's 36th birthday, climbing 9,012 metres of altitude in an over 14-hour ride.

Richie Porte. Source: Getty

Wurf's birthday was just six days removed from the final stage of the Tour de France, where Porte battled to a disappointing 11th place overall. Porte backed up for the ride with former professional rider Wurf, who now competes in Ironman and set the record for the fastest bike leg during the Hawaiian Ironman in Kona.  

They picked the Col de la Madone, a favoured training climb for many riders based out of Monaco, a tough climb at 13.1km in length, averaging seven per cent gradient.

The Strava file from Richie Porte and Cam Wurf's Everesting ride Source: Strava

The height of the summit of Everest stands at 8,848m, with the rules of 'Everesting' stating that it must be one hill that is ascended and descended with no loop in riding the climb. It also must be completed as a single activity without, though there is no time limit and short breaks are allowed.

This meant that Porte and Wurf had to ride up and back down the Madone ten and a half times to match the elevation in a marathon ride that lasted 14 hours and 22 minutes.

The Aussie duo averaged a solid average speed of 18.8 kilometres per hour, maxing at 68 kilometres per hour, in a ride that saw the pair cover 270.95km to complete the challenge.