Watch: The world’s hardest gravel climb
The Vegan Cyclist and Jeremiah Bishop take on 'the Impossible Route'
Tyler Pierce, better known as the Vegan Cyclist, makes YouTube videos about cycling. His typical posts include cycling tips, amateur race breakdowns with power overlays, and race day vlogs (although he’s called the Vegan Cyclist, he doesn’t focus much on his diet). His informative videos have gained him more than 126K subscribers.
The Vegan Cyclist recently posted a video longer than most of his other content. The 1h and 15 minute documentary follows Pierce and Jeremiah Bishop as they attempt to ride a gravel road up to the top of Mauna Kea, the world’s largest volcano.
The paved climb up Manua Kea is called the world’s hardest climb by many. On the other side of the mountain is a gravel route that goes to the top. Pierce and Bishop dubbed the route ‘the world’s hardest gravel climb’, and would be the first to attempt the segment. The road is rough, long and high. It starts with two miles at 20 per cent gradient, the United States’ steeped paved road, and continues mostly on steep gravel roads. At the peak elevation of 14,000 feet, the oxygen is only 12 per cent. The two cyclists estimated it would take nine to ten hours to reach the top of the volcano.
