To satisfy his ambitious thirst for endurance and mad challenges, Sims is tackling the Alpe over an estimated 18 hours to become only the third recorded person to climb an accumulated total of 8,858 metres of the mountain pass consecutively.
During his Tour climb in July he explained how three of his friends on road bikes rode the 21 hairpin bends with him – but Sims and his Chopper were too quick.
His fond memories, he hopes, will be conducive to a successful Everesting this weekend.
“I know the climb well and I did it in 1.15 during the Tour with my friends holding me back!” he told Cycling Weekly.
“I’m aiming for 18 hours which is one-and-a-half hour ascents and 30 minute descents, though that’s not allowing for mechanics.”
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He is breaking his ride on the yellow chopper down into three segments to make the mental challenge more simple to compute. Forever the optimist, the 36-year-old added, “It’s only one day, no matter how bad it gets. It makes it seem so much easier.
“[Bradley] Wiggins said in the Hour Record that you get the first half-an-hour free and then after that it starts to get to you and the legs drain. That’s going to be my approach also – the first half is the easiest.
“The first five [ascents and descents] are doable, the next three will be the serious ones and the ninth one I’ll thrive on the adrenaline.”
Speaking on a break from riding his mountain bike, a few hours before jetting off to France, the Help for Heroes fundraiser's fitness going into the colossal challenge is not at its peak.
Dave Brailsford and Dave Sims (right), 2015 Tour de France. Photo: Dave Sims
(Image credit: Dave Sims)
Yet he may even go for another record, energy-permitting. “I’ve lost a bit of fitness but did I finish my Tour ride on July 25.
“Since then I’ve been doing interviews and just riding locally without power meters or heart rate monitors.
“I’ve enjoyed riding organically but also missed the routine of training for a goal.
“My form wasn’t going to last forever unless I was riding up mountains every day and there aren’t many of them in Southport!
Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
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