This story goes up. Way up. It’s an event called the Everest Challenge. Cyclists from all over have come for the event this

everest_challenge

Photo by Randall LeFebure

week-end. They will make total vertical climbs of over 29,000 feet throughout the Sierra. Bishop’s Dr. Tom Reid founded the event and Steve Barnes of Rim Forest has now taken on the task as director. Barnes is a physics professor by day and now an extreme event organizer.

He compared the Everest Challenge to the Tour de France. Barnes said that event includes some epic climbs of three or four thousand feet. “We go up 6,000 feet and we start at 4,000 feet in elevation.” Barnes said the amazing beauty of the Eastern Sierra and its remoteness adds to the experience, but he said the difficulty of the Everest Challenge attracts cyclists.

The event starts Saturday at Millpond, goes through Round Valley, up Lower Rock Creek to Mosquito Flat, back down and finally ending up at Millpond.
Sunday starts in Big Pine goes up to Glacier Lodge, back down and up Death Valley Road, back down and up to Schulman Grove in the Bristlecones. The 29,000 feet in climbs equals Mt. Everest from sea level.

Some 350 have come here for this amazing event which was founded by local physician Dr. Tom Reid.

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