Everesting Sa Calobra: He did it again - Everesting record with 1.5 kilos of Haribo

On 21 March 2024 Frederik Niessen set an Everesting record on the Sa Calobra climb in Mallorca. In 13:29 hours, he had covered 8904 metres in altitude and 253.2 kilometres. His refreshments consisted of 1.3 kilos of jelly babies and 13 slices of toast. The ascent had to be climbed 13.5 times and on each lap he was given 100 grams of jelly babies, a slice of toast and water with salt.

Challenge accepted

Just under a year later, on 18 January, the German Christoph Fuhrbach set a new record. His Everesting was completed after 12 hours and 47 minutes. He had already discussed topics such as turning points with Frederik beforehand. Frederik had already tasted blood. If his record was taken away from him, he would do it again. Another Everesting on Mallorca, another gummy bears and toast as refreshments.

Self-optimisation

At the beginning of December, before he found out about his potential record loss, Frederik Niessen started a self-optimisation programme. For years, he had wanted to lose 10 to 15 kilos on the assumption that his performance would remain the same as his body weight dropped. From the beginning of December to mid-February, he lived in a large calorie deficit. During this time, his training consisted of commuting to and from work and strength training. His diet: high quality and well thought out.

By mid-February, his weight had been reduced from 83 to 71 kilos but his energy levels were low. In order to adequately prepare for the upcoming Everesting in April, he had to pause his diet and intensify his training. The previous performance levels quickly returned. With the reduced body weight, this meant More watts per kilo.

The masterplan

In principle, the master plan for the Everesting was similar to the previous year. Of course, each of the 13.5 laps was to be significantly faster than a year ago.

• Car parked at the top of the turning point
• portioned catering is available
• Timetable is set (approx. 53 minutes per round)

The Everesting

Then it arrived, the day of Everesting. Frederik Niessen, who also works as a coach, had a window of five days in which to carry out his record attempt. He let the weather forecast decide.

8.16am, the start button is pressed. The first few laps go like clockwork, but it gets tough towards midday. "Maybe it was the heat, although it wasn't as warm as last year," says Frederik. He had to fight for a few laps and force himself to eat, because the carbohydrates had to come in. From lap 10 onwards, he was back on track.

The nutrition strategy

He has tightened up his nutrition strategy from last year. Instead of 100 grams of carbohydrates per hour, it was now 120 grams of carbs. That meant a slice of toast and 120 grams of jelly babies per lap. And water with salt. There was no water bottle on the bike, water was always available at the top at the turning point. Before the start, he drank half a litre of beetroot juice and coffee.

The new Everesting record

And then there it was, the new record. Niessen pulverised last year's time of 13:29:44 hours to 11:14:33 hours and also beat Christoph Fuhrbach's time by around 1.5 hours.

• Distance: 252.6 kilometres
• Time: 11:14:33
• Altitude metres: 8906
• Average speed: 22 km/h
• Average performance: 224 watts