On Saturday October 6th we will attempt to set a new World First by riding Mont Ventoux completely out of the saddle; no sitting, no stopping and definitely no saddle ....one continuous out of the saddle effort. Is it possible? I don't know because no one has ever tried. We've been told it's not possible and a crazy challenge.... we shall see.

After three previous Boris Bike challenges (Boris vs Ventoux - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUWCeAzkc2Q , Boris vs NYC - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfneUUh_1ko , Boris vs The Hour - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsnSW9amOQo ), for this one I will ride a standard road bike (no Boris Bike this time!) up the world famous climb of Mont Ventoux, from Bedoin to the weather station at the top. And as usual we will produce a short film to document our efforts.

The Challenge:  This unusual challenge is to test the endurance limits of continuous cycling whilst out of the saddle.  Continuous means pedaling out of the saddle, with no sitting or freewheeling, so no resting or sitting on the top tube....a pure single standing effort. 

Why?  We’ve heard the debates, we’ve read the articles and we are fascinated by the likes of Contador and Quintana ‘dancing on the pedals’ for long durations. But what really is the limit to riding out of the saddle? And do we even need a saddle at all?!  There is no documented record or similar challenge that we have been able to find. We believe therefore this will be a world first. 

We are also raising funds for Prostate Cancer UK and because we want to support our friends who are living with some form of cancer, including my friend Colin, a keen cyclist, who is receiving ongoing treatment for prostate cancer. We want to raise awareness about prostate cancer and encourage all men of our age to get tested regularly.

Sponsors & Support:  We would like to thank the excellent Sigma Sports for once again supporting us on this new and unusual challenge, supplying the following brands: 

- Cannondale Synapse bike

- Knight Composites wheels

- OTE Performance Nutrition

- Garmin Vector pedals

- S-Works shoes 

- MET helmets 

We also thank the support of Le Col cycling apparel, Mizuno Footwear, RPM Coaching (Rob Mortlock), VeloVentoux.com cycling holidays, and Mark Walker at Writtle College (for the research paper).