Andy Van Bergen is the founder of Hells500 and Everesting, the cycling and running challenge that exploded in popularity in 2020 (on the bike, the top seven fastest women’s times and top 14 men’s were all set last year).

As they say on the website:

The concept of Everesting is fiendishly simple: Pick any hill, anywhere in the world and complete repeats of it in a single activity until you climb 8,848m – the equivalent height of Mt Everest. Complete the challenge on a bike, on foot, or online, and you’ll find your name in the Hall of Fame, alongside the best climbers in the world.

We spoke with Andy about:

• The genesis of the idea

• His own background in running and cycling

• Some of the most inspiring and/or most difficult Everestings

• Why they added the “Basecamp” or 1/2 Everesting and other challenges

• The different badges you can accumulate and what they mean

• Finishers gear

• Future tweaks and additions to the concept

• What it all means to him

If you enjoyed this episode with Andy, check out our other cycling-focused episodes, including:

• Alan Grant - Conquering a different kind of Everest

• David Lloyd - founder of Velo Vietnam

Hosted by Ultra Endurance enthusiasts Scott Pugh and Ric Stockfis.