American cyclo-cross racer Lane Maher climbed 100,000ft (30,500m), the equivalent of Mount Everest almost three and a half times, in order to raise money for the Black Lives Matter movement.
The 19-year-old from Harwinton, Connecticut, who rides for the Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld Development team, took to the Strava segment 'Millstone to Lookout', for a ride that covered 585 miles (942km), comprised a moving time of more than 60-hours, and an elapsed time of 72 hours and 40 minutes.
'Millstone to Lookout' is a category four climb near the Barkhamsted Reservoir on the northern border of the state. The ascent is 1.83km in length, averages seven per cent gradient, and tops out at eye-watering grades of over 40-per cent. According to Maher's Strava data, he completed the climb 183 times on his road-adapted Cannondale SuperX cyclo-cross bike.
Throughout the ride, Maher averaged 126 watts with an average heart rate of 105 beats per minute, with maximums of 911 watts and 240bpm respectively. From this data, Strava calculates that Maher burned over 26,000 calories.
With everything that is going on these days in our country, it can be difficult to express how we’re feeling. Recent events and countless others in our nation's history surrounding inequality and racism must not be tolerated and we all MUST seek change. Personally, I cannot relate to the suppression and fear that so many Americans experience on a day to day basis, and it is clear to me that this is the reason it has taken so long for me to open my eyes to see that I need to help too. I have always been disgusted by the racism and general hate I see in the news, but I have never done anything about it because I never knew where to even start or what I could do to help. …this is where I start. I am embarking on a personal cycling challenge to raise awareness of & funding for the Black Lives Matter Foundation. On the morning of Wednesday, June 17th, I will be starting my personal challenge to climb 100,000 feet of elevation on my bike in a single ride. My hope is to complete the ride in 48 hours; however, it is possible it will take longer. I know this sounds like a crazy idea, but I guess crazy ideas are a part of brining change. Rain or shine I will continue riding until I climb 100,000 feet. So, please share this with friends, family, teammates, and anyone who can help. I will be doing this ride on a local climb in Harwinton, Connecticut. Please reach out to me if you want to come ride with me for a part of the challenge! 100% of the funds raised will be donated to the Black Lives Matter movement. For those who would like to donate, the donation link is in my bio. Please share this post and spread the word with the hashtag #100k4BLM ❤️🖤 Lane Maher
A photo posted by @lane_maher on Jun 4, 2020 at 8:23am PDT
Maher was joined for a third of the ride by Nick Marti, who rode with Maher to 'Everest' the climb, covering 10,000m of elevation over 305km in a little over 17 hours.
