Fiona Cockburn Sets New Scottish Everesting Record

Last weekend, on 11th July, Scottish cyclist and Director of Scottish cycling Fiona Cockburn set a new Scottish Everesting record, besting both previous male and female records.

Fiona Cockburn Sets New Scottish Everesting Record for both Men and Women

Last weekend, on 11th July, Scottish cyclist and Director of Scottish cycling Fiona Cockburn set a new Scottish Everesting record, besting both previous male and female records.

Everesting has boomed during lockdown, with records falling globally each week, with the simple concept allowing riders to ‘compete’ without any official competitions running. The goal is to ride 8,848m elevation gain in one ride as quickly as possible.

With no racing or events in the calendar, Fiona and coach Kevin Henderson, Blackzone Coaching, decided to tackle the Everesting challenge just 6 weeks ago giving them a short period of specific presentation. “Training involved a focus on long specialised sessions working on getting the right wattage for the attempt, and also practicing fuelling plans,” explained Kevin.

After an early start and a strong, controlled ride Fiona smashed both the women’s record, which stood at 18h52, and also the men’s record of 14h38, eventually hitting 8,848m in a time of 12h48. “Fiona did a great ride and could probably even have gone faster on analysis but to take both the men’s and women’s records in one go was awesome,” Henderson added.

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Fiona completed her attempt on Coulport Hill, north west of Glasgow, which is 1,700m in length at an average gradient of 7.8%, equating to 142m of elevation gain each ascent. Riding the hill 63 times in a ride that totalled 214km was what was required to complete the total elevation gain required.

As well as a huge personal accomplishment, Fiona also used the challenge to raise vital funds for two charities supporting children and adults living with congenital heart defects – The Scottish Association for Children With Heart Disorders, and The Sommerville Foundation. Fiona is looking to raise £8,848 and on writing is well over halfway to her target with an impressive total of over £5,700.

Find out more about the challenge and fundraising effort over on Fiona’s Virgin Money Giving page here.