Interview: Margaux Elliott on Climbing 1 Million Feet in 2020

Jan 14, 2021
by Sarah Moore  
Photo by Mike Thomas
Photo by Mike Thomas


Margaux Elliott rode 6,292 miles (10,125 km) in the past twelve months, a distance that you don't often see from someone who isn't an accomplished roadie. While the mileage alone is impressive - it's further than biking back and forth across the United States - to make it even more incredible, Elliott rode the entire distance on her 140mm trail bike, on flat pedals, and she didn't exactly ride on easy terrain.

Most of the time Elliott was out, roughly 1,000 hours throughout the course of the year, she was climbing, accomplishing her goal of climbing one million feet (304,800 m) in a calendar year on December 20, 2020. This makes her the first woman to accomplish the feat on a mountain bike, joining the one million feet club alongside the likes of Mark Weir and Henry Quinney.

Let's let all those numbers sink in for a minute. It's worth checking your recent Trailforks or Strava stats to help comprehend the enormity of the accomplishment. Let me do some of the math for you: 1,000 hours is roughly equivalent to 42 entire days riding.


photo


Elliott isn't a professional mountain biker and that actually plays in her favour when attempting this challenge. This is not a number you'll see professional mountain bikers attempt. They follow strict training plans, focusing on quality over quantity since their careers depend on peaking for important race days. Rebecca Rusch, the Queen of Pain herself, congratulated Elliott on her accomplishment on social media as well as Jill Kintner, Caro Gehrig and many other professional riders. Even ultra endurance nerd Ben Hildred, who climbed and descended 21,635 meters in three days, was impressed, saying: "So, so good Margaux! That focus for a whole year, incredible goal."

Elliott works a full time job as Giro's Apparel Product Manager and, when I talked to her the day after she accomplished her goal, she said she only started riding seriously five or six years ago a couple of years after she met her partner and former downhill racer Evan Turpen. "Before I met him, I definitely looked at mountain bikes, but I had so much sticker shock even for hardtails. I was like, 'Holy shit.' I also didn't really know anyone who did it. It's one of those things that's a little bit overwhelming to get into." You get the sense that Elliott doesn't do anything halfway though, and in the five years she's been riding, she's already done more than a dozen races, finishing second in the Trans New Zealand in 2019.

bigquotesThat was a huge achievement for me, because that was so far from my physical abilities prior to that. I was so unfit when I started riding. I would try to do a basic trail and at times I'd just be hyperventilating, trying to get up the climb. I was like, "I really have to train to do a six day race with so much climbing." Getting ready for that race was the first time I really trained properly so that I could gain the endurance I needed to do it. Then I went and had so much fun.Margaux Elliott


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Just think about trying to climb Everest (29,032 feet) over 34 times...


The idea to attempt to ride one million feet in a year came up when she was driving home from a tough day competing in the EWS 100 race Northstar. "I totally mentally crumbled at that race. I was super embarrassed and sad. I was just really disappointed in myself. It was around that time where I was already mentally committing to it. Then I researched a bit more about how Mark Weir did it back in the day. And then, I'd say, by end of September, I was like, 'That's what I'm doing. That's my plan for next year.'"

She didn’t start talking about her goal publicly until March when she was about a fifth of the way into her challenge. She realized she couldn’t find information about any other women attempting the feat on a mountain bike and when she did tell people what she was trying to do, they got really excited about it. "If it's doing that for the people I know, maybe some girl out there will hear about it. She'll do two million feet or something.' I thought, 'Okay, maybe I should start talking about this more. This is kind of a big deal.'"


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Despite some pretty serious hurdles along the way, including a global pandemic, California's wild fires, a particularly painful saddle sore, and a car crash that resulted in both a broken bike and an umbilical hernia, Elliott was able to push through and stick to her demanding schedule. She split the climbing over five rides every week, three rides at 3,000 feet (914m) a day during the work week and then two 6,000 foot (1828m) days on the weekends. She took Mondays and Fridays off to try and give her body the time to recover before and after the 12,000 feet of climbing on the weekend. In total, she rode 253 days in 2020.

bigquotesI did have a time period in February where I was super fatigued. I had three crashes in a week. I probably had five crashes in the whole year. So those three were super clustered, because I was getting used to the volume and my brain stopped working. That was the timeframe where I took my first real day off. Like taking two days off in a row just trying to recover because I was so blown out.Margaux Elliott

Photo by Mike Thomas
Photo by Satchel Cronk

Riding a million feet uphill means riding a million feet of trail downhill, which is why Elliott chose the 140mm Juliana Maverick. I wanted it be all on one bike, the type of bike that I enjoy riding, and that it was all mountain biking and incorporating trail riding." Elliott made rules for herself. She wasn't going to go out and do road repeats or even go out and do laps on the fire road descending down the fire road. She really wanted the challenge to be about biking in the type of riding that she likes doing. She also rides flat pedals, riding 100% of the year on flat pedals.

bigquotesEven though there was as much descending as climbing, I always referred to it as a challenge to climb one million feet because climbing was the thing I was always bad at. Focusing on something that had always been a weakness of mine and overcoming the challenge has been empowering and gave me confidence both on and off the bike.Margaux Elliott

photo

Photo by Satchel Cronk
Photo by Satchel Cronk
Juliana Maverick Details:
Frame: Juliana Maverick Carbon CC 2020, Size Large
Fork: Fox Float 36 Factory Kashima, Grip2, 160mm travel, 44mm Offset
Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate with MegNeg air can, 210 x 52.5mm
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XT 12-speed
Shifter: Shimano XT 12-speed
Crankset: Shimano XT M-8100 170mm length with Stages Gen-3 power meter
Chainring: Shimano XT 28-tooth
Bottom Bracket: Shimano XT
Cassette: Shimano XT 10-51 tooth 12-speed
Chain: Shimano XT 12-speed
Chainguide: MRP AMG
Headset: Cane Creek 110 Series
Stem: Renthal Apex, 50mm length, 31.8mm clamp
Bars: Easton Havoc 31.8mm diameter, 30mm rise, 5-degree upsweep, 9-degree backsweep, 760mm width (with grips)
Grips: ODI Elite Flow Lock-On
Brakes: Magura MT7 4-piston with 203mm MDR-C Rotors
Wheels: Santa Cruz Reserve 29” laced to i9 Hydra center lock hubs, 30mm internal rim width, Tubeless
Front Tire: WTB Vigilante TCS Light/High Grip, 23 psi
Rear Tire: WTB Trail Boss, 29” x 2.4” TCS Light/Fast Rolling, 27 psi
Tubes: Tubeless with Orange Seal sealant
Seat Post: Bike Yoke Revive, 31.6mm diameter, 185mm travel
Saddle: WTB Deva with Cromoly rails
Pedals: Anvl Tilt v3 Flat Pedals

Other than a creek swim in June that led to a golf ball sized saddle sore under her sit bones that made riding painful for a stretch, she was able to stay mostly unscathed on the trails. A car crash in July however almost derailed her attempt at one million. A week after the crash, riding a borrowed demo bike from Juliana since her rear triangle was smashed when the car flipped on its side, she found out she had an umbilical hernia. "It was irritated and getting progressively more painful. You have to operate on those to fix and so that was probably the least confident that I was that I would finish. If you have to operate, you have to do nothing for five weeks, basically. But then it went away. I think it was aggravated because of where the seat belt was and the stress from the accident. So again, I got super lucky."

She tried not to think about the massive goal on a daily basis, although she tracked everything using a bike computer (Stages Dash or Garmin) and Strava as a backup. "I feel like I turned my brain off a little bit. I had my plan. I knew what my plan was. Each day it was just about chipping away at it." She realized quickly how important that schedule was. "In April, they closed the state parks here because of Covid. It was a full week where I couldn't ride. It took me two months to make up that time. After two months of making up that time it was June, and I realized, 'Okay, I really have to be good about the schedule the rest of the year, or else I really won't make it.'"

Recovering was always a challenge Elliott said. "I wouldn't sprint up super steep climbs I didn't need to do, because that would have just totally screwed me for the long haul. But at one point, it felt like my body had adapted. Then it was about the perseverance of it and just putting in the time." On the ride where she hit 300,000 feet, she briefly thought, "Yeah, I'm doing this. I'm making it. I'm getting there," before realizing she still had a very, very long way to go. "I realized in that moment that I wasn't going to feel very confident about it probably, until the last week. If even then, maybe not even the last ride."

Photo by Mike Thomas
Photo by Mike Thomas

bigquotesThere were times when I was jamming. At at one point, my endurance just got really good. I felt like May was a really good month, looking back. I was able to stick to my plan and do extra because I had the energy and motivation for it. I think I had always expected the end to be easier, because I'd be close to the finish line. But there was a phase in November where I was a little discouraged... Or maybe more worn out than discouraged. But I was so close, and it felt so far away. Once I hit 750,000 I was like, "I still have like a year's worth of normal riding to do."Margaux Elliott

Photo by Satchel Cronk
Photo by Satchel Cronk
Photos by Satchel Cronk

In some ways, the Covid pandemic made her challenge more difficult because she wasn't able to change up her training loop as much as she had initially been planning to. "I was thinking I'd spend a month up in BC, because I've never really explored out there." She told me she had a whole spreadsheet that has different loops she was looking at to include and ride in different places.

In other ways, it made it easier because she didn't feel the pressure to go out and be social like she would have in a more normal year. She was also able to work from home which allowed her to ride during the day. "Initially, before the pandemic, I was waking up at 4:30 in the morning and riding by 5:15. I was in the dark for about an hour and a half. Looking back, the coolest part of the whole experience was that time, before I had the flexibility to ride whenever." No one joined her on the 4:30am rides she said. When Elliott started working from home, she could ride whenever she wanted to, getting up early to work instead of getting up early to ride. Her colleagues at Giro were understanding when she shuffled meetings around her riding schedule.

The challenge also helped centre her in a difficult year and she had a lot of time to think since upwards of 80% of her riding was done on her own.

bigquotesA lot of people this year have been struggling to find some normalcy, especially early days when things were kind of chaotic and we were all struggling to go to the grocery store and feel safe. I am really grateful that I had so much time outside, and an excuse to get outside. It gave me time and space to process different things that happened this year. For that, I'm super grateful.Margaux Elliott

Ride snacks kept Elliott motivated and fuelled, with PB&J, granola bars, dried mangoes and peanuts, and her favourite, a Snickers bar being the go-tos. She drank Skratch Labs on almost all the rides, even on the three "shorter" three to four hour weekday rides, since that helped her energy levels stay even and her mood brighter. She also had two stash spots of bubbly water and beer that she buried in the ground in the woods. After a flat tire that couldn't be fixed with her malfunctioning plugs and regular pump, she started carrying CO2 and, after getting a tick, she started to bring tick tweezers with her on every ride as well.

She also commented that she was lucky to be locked down in a place like Santa Cruz with favourable weather conditions most of the year. "Honestly, I think that's part of why this isn't like a super popular thing, because most climates you couldn't ride this much throughout the entire year. You do have to be kind of climate specific. I know the guy who did it Henry Quinney and he started in New Zealand and he spent half the year in New Zealand and then the other half in France, to skip the Southern Hemisphere winter. I do think part of me being able to achieve this was being located in Santa Cruz."

Although of course, there were the wildfires to contend with in 2020. "My having to deal with that, as far as riding goes pales in comparison to the people that were losing their homes and everything. But it definitely did throw a wrench into the plan, into the spreadsheet. There was about a week of really bad smoke and air quality. I did go up to the Sierras at one point to keep riding, when the fires were really bad. I had to flee Santa Cruz for a little while. Then I just had to take time off and wait for it to pass and then had to make up that time."

Another thing she was grateful for was her understanding partner, friends and family. It ended up taking up most of her spare time for the entire year. "Evan's such a huge part of supporting me to get there. Everything from working on the bike to bringing me coffee in bed, to suggesting a bubble bath when I came home crying because I was so tired. Having understanding from family and friends was really important, because I didn't have a lot of free time. I was either riding, sleeping or eating or working."

Photo by Mike Thomas

Photo by Mike Thomas
Photo by Mike Thomas
Photos by Mike Thomas

I asked her what the accomplishment means to her and she said that she's mostly proud of the commitment it took to achieve it. "I don't think that it's necessarily because I'm a woman or the first woman, it's just a huge endurance achievement to have accomplished. The coolest part of it is that some people have been inspired by hearing about what I've done. Someone reached out and said that they were inspired to climb 500,000 feet in the year, because they heard about what I was doing. Realizing that I had helped inspire them to do that was unbelievable and ultimately why I started sharing this story. I think stories like this are important because you never know who might hear about it and go on to do something even more incredible."

Once people started paying attention to what she was doing, she was really excited but also really uncomfortable with the attention. She chose to divert the attention into something positive. When the Grow Foundation launched, it was a the perfect fit. "Through the grapevine got put in touch with Elliot, and he was immediately super excited about it and so supportive. He just said, 'Yes, of course, this is great.' The thing I didn't expect when I started talking to him was that he really saw what I was doing as part of the Grow Cycling story. He said, 'You're someone super unexpected doing something totally insane.' To have him say that, and to see it in that way, is just really rewarding."

bigquotesI'm excited about just the story getting out there and inspiring other people to maybe set a goal for themselves. It's nice to have a goal and a plan and something to focus on consistently.Margaux Elliott

When I spoke to Elliott before the holidays, she was excited about some down time to nap, cuddle with her cat, watch holiday movies, and drink cocktails. Although she did say she was excited to spend more time on the pump track and that she'd like to race Dual Slalom at Sea Otter.

Author Info:
sarahmoore avatar

Member since Mar 30, 2011
1,319 articles

182 Comments
  • 192 2
 Damn and I did 400,000 ft this year thinking that was good. About 250000 was on a chair lift though lol.
  • 153 6
 For the rest of the world, that's 304800m or 304,8km.
  • 9 0
 Thanks
  • 66 0
 900m uphill per day, every day, for one year. holy sh..
  • 45 3
 what size feet did you use to calculate that? I'm a size 42, which is 26cm? Guessing you have big feet, like 46.5? Strange they always talk about feet here...
  • 1 0
 It does say that in the second paragraph though Wink
  • 17 4
 @Monkeyass: username checks out.
  • 2 2
 Sorry @NinetySixBikes I work in miles, can you translate...
  • 5 2
 @landscapeben: stone age haha
  • 3 2
 That's very impressive! A couple of people I know surpassed 100,000 - 150,000 meters of elevation gain in my area for 2020 and they ride all year round. If only foothills and the mountains of Alberta were snow free, I'd have over 100,000m (I only have 55,000m from April to end of December). But having 304,800m that's a incredible feat! I'm surprised she's not skin and bones by 200,000m of elevation gain!
  • 2 0
 @vhdh666: when you say it like that, its insane.
Don’t think my knees could take it!
  • 4 3
 @BiNARYBiKE: and yours must relate to your man love of Gottfried Leibniz? Or is that illegal in your State?
  • 2 0
 @Richt2000: yes it indeed is insane.
and the bike she used, is not a "fast uphill" bike
  • 2 0
 @vhdh666: This puts into perspective!
  • 1 0
 @Monkeyass: They're using the SRAM metric conversion Wink
  • 4 0
 And for the rest of the world, I'm sure they read that in the first two paragraphs Wink
  • 1 0
 @Monkeyass: Careful, without Gottfried we wouldn't even be able to have this conversation!
  • 2 1
 @Monkeyass: This is California USA
  • 2 0
 @Monkeyass: laughs in metric
  • 1 0
 @NinetySixBikes: Do Belgian MTB websites convert their metrics as a courtesy to their British Commonwealth and former Colonial brethren?
  • 1 0
 @suspended-flesh: if only... Judging by the down vote I received just for mentioning it earlier!
  • 66 0
 This is an awesome accomplishment! I'd love to hear a report on how all of the components held up on the bike, how much service was required and how many tires, chains, etc were used. Also, would love to know what results you've personally noticed in your personal fitness?
  • 13 0
 She spent all her money on drivetrain probably
  • 7 0
 how many chain and derailleurs spent also
  • 1 0
 This. Would be cool to hear what she was doing on bike mx through the year.
  • 2 0
 Yeah, tires, brakes, chains, cassettes, etc. I imagine she completely ignored the shock and fork service intervals or maybe just scheduled a rebuild so it only took a day? The metal and physical aspects are interesting but i too am curious about the mechanical issues.
  • 237 0
 Thank you so much!!

Here is a breakdown of bike parts I went through:
3 Cassettes
2 Chain rings
2 Derailleurs
5 Chains
3 Shift Cables & housing (1 because of the car accident)
Replaced Bottom bracket
Replaced Rear Brake replacement
2 sets of rotors
11 sets of Brake pads
8 sets of grips
Replaced rear axle & hub bearings
7-8 tires
5 bottles of chain lube
2 32 oz bottles of orange seal

Items that had to be replaced because of the car accident:
Swingarm
Wheel & spokes
Handlebar
Saddle
Dropper lever
Shift cable & housing

Personal fitness wise, I feel like I have the endurance to do as many big days as I want. But during the year I was so fatigued most of the time it was hard to feel really strong and powerful. Looking forward to getting some of that quick power back now that I have a ridiculous amount of base endurance Smile
  • 28 0
 5 bottles of chain lube, im not even drained my 30ml lube in 2 years lol
  • 2 0
 @Noeserd: pretty much, yea haha...most of it anyways...
  • 4 7
 @margauxjo:
hub bearings? I thought I9 are more reliable
  • 5 0
 @nickmalysh: i9's are known for eating bearings as far as i know
  • 2 0
 @margauxjo: With the base you just built, you will probably find that getting your short power back will be difficult mentally. It will come back fast if you pursue it (real fast), but you'll feel weak with the short efforts.

But once it comes back, combined with that base, you'll be able to hit some great power numbers over and over and over and...
  • 4 0
 @margauxjo: Hats off, that gear list gives me a good idea of how immense that was when I compare it to my normal season (easier for me to compare this than miles as I don't track those). Kudos.
  • 3 0
 @JSTootell: That's a really good point and I definitely have not been putting the effort in yet. I better get on it before I miss a great window and I lose the great base fitness too hah
  • 2 0
 @margauxjo: that's quite the boneyard! That's got to be about $3000 CAD retail in parts, and probably a good chunk of depreciation on the frame, wheels, and suspension for those contemplating this. A neat goal in a pandemic year!
  • 36 0
 @racerfacer: Later when the bike goes up for sale..."lightly used" Wink
  • 6 0
 @racerfacer: Keep an eye out for a “gently used” Juliana Maverick in the buy/sell... lol
  • 3 0
 @margauxjo: dang, beat me to it
  • 3 0
 How many laps up Sulphur Springs? aks Suffer Springs?
  • 2 0
 @margauxjo: Hmmm. I think it should go on the wall at Giro...
  • 3 0
 @Evo6: Less than you'd think...I would usually climb up Corral to get back to Aptos Smile
  • 3 0
 @margauxjo: I think this bike needs to be a charity auction of some kind. Please don't just let it go to a private party that doesn't understand its heritage thanks to your efforts. Use its wear and tear for good!
  • 4 0
 @margauxjo: Just awesome! thanks for the details on the parts, interesting data. Well done!!
  • 6 0
 @margauxjo: Margaux? More like More-Go.
  • 2 0
 @margauxjo: concrats and my deepest respect. I failed at 100'000 last year
  • 6 0
 @margauxjo:
Biker of the year, for sure !!!
Pinkbike where you at !?!?
  • 1 0
 @margauxjo: great job. Super impressed. ????
  • 1 0
 @margauxjo: Amazing achievement. You've inspired me to ramp up my goal for this year. Enjoy your down time.
  • 1 0
 @Noeserd: bet she didn't. having lived the last four years living and riding in and around Santa Cruz, I can tell you components last a long time. I would get an entire year, or 4000mi and 500K in climbing out of a single XX1 chain. the secret is clean/dry/lubed.
  • 1 0
 @Noeserd: how many chains have you gone through? lol
  • 1 0
 @conoat: I don't climb much, so far 1 chain. Just installed the new one
  • 1 1
 @margauxjo: Super impressive and inspiring, Margaux! I realized after the first week of this year that I was on pace for a million feet. Of course, that was on my e-bike! Pretty sure I've seen you a few times up around Santa Rosalia. Keep up the good work.
  • 2 0
 @margauxjo: So awesome and inspirational! On a side note I just sold a Pivot 5.5 with almost the exact specs. We all know these things can play out, but the first guy to test ride it said with a snotty scowl, "I'm really more of a climber" and got in his car and left. I kind of want to find him now, show him this article, and punch him in the face. LOL. I'll be ready for future punters like this. Oh I'll be ready. Thanks to you. Wink .
  • 40 0
 “She really wanted the challenge to be about biking in the type of riding that she likes doing.”

So much respect for taking this approach.

Congrats!
  • 14 0
 "Let's let all those numbers sink in for a minute. It's worth checking your recent Trailforks or Strava stats to help comprehend the enormity of the accomplishment. Let me do some of the math for you: 1,000 hours is roughly equivalent to 42 entire days riding."

Me in 2020
Distance: 7,619.5 km
Time: 470h 0m
Elev Gain: 67,135 m
Rides: 234

I totally understand the enormity of the accomplishment. There was times where I had to take 2 or 3 days off because I was just too tired. Doing more than twice that is some serious time on the bike!
  • 4 0
 it's more then 3x Smile crazy
  • 7 0
 @PatrikPrielozny:

Distance 3,502.6 km
Time 243h 24m
Elev Gain 101,569 m
Rides 175

So three times my elevation, oh wait I spent all summer on a chairlift... And the rest of the year on an ebike. (And was still exhausted the whole time)
  • 2 3
 2020:
22000 km
1200 hours
271000 meters

(some of that is running, but mostly on the bike)
  • 4 1
 I don't use Strava, but I rode 224 days in 2020, probably around 550 hours. I was really happy with how much riding I managed, but what Margaux achieved just blows it away. Chapeau Margaux!
  • 2 2
 I was surprised at mine, but I guess I shouldn't be - I spent the year in Nelson, NZ and there's no off season here and I coach, so 'ride' for a living. Mind you, 90% of this was on a 17kg SC Nomad...

867hrs 35 minutes
5695km's
140553m climbed
  • 1 0
 Couple of years ago I made around 3500km and 155.000 vm of uphill, human power only.
All of my riding was allmountain/enduro, without bikeparks.

It was fun!

This days I do around 1200km and 45 - 60.00vm of uphill per year.
Still fun! Smile
  • 14 0
 "She split the climbing over five rides every week, three rides at 3,000 feet (914m) a day during the work week and then two 6,000 foot (1828m) days on the weekends"

absolutely insane, man thats hardcore
  • 14 0
 I'd do it just for the GREAT year of eating.
  • 12 0
 So worth it...though now I need to be really careful because I want to eat the same amount but I'm not riding nearly as much hahah
  • 3 0
 a whole year of permahunger, mmmmmmmmm, nom nom
  • 5 0
 This makes me more inspired to buy a 140ml rig for my next bike. Southeastern xc, I was leaning toward a more xc bike but heck, maybe these newer longer travel bikes really do climb that well. All I know is older full suspension 26ers with mad pedal bob and modern hardtails. Awesome stuff
  • 5 0
 Damn, I know difficulty level depends a bit on on the local terrain, but the North Shore equivalent would be 508 days of pedaling up Fromme to 7th. That's madness to accomplish this in one year, with some off days thrown in there for recovery.
  • 8 0
 This is super inspiring, what a legend!
  • 7 0
 So inspiring! Thanks for this story on a bleak January day. It has me dreaming about what I can do in the year ahead.
  • 7 0
 That's 19.2 hours per week! On top of a full time job! Unreal!
  • 1 0
 Wow, and that's just riding time. Transport to trails, bike maintenance, ride prep/nutrition etc. adds a lot of time as well. Mind-blowing commitment.
  • 7 0
 That's damn impressive, good on you!
  • 7 0
 1 million divided by 365 is over 2700 feet per day- bonkers
  • 1 0
 Right, but as stated in the article, she only rode 253 days.. So, in reality it's more like 3950/ride, and 25mi/ride Smile
  • 3 0
 I intend to try to do this at some point (though I'd just include all human-powered activities, there's no reason not to count BC skiing or running vert), but it'll have to wait until all my kids are in school.

So basically, when I'm even older and more feeble. Hmm...
  • 5 1
 @margauxjo it’s awesome to think that this is inspiring to a little girl somewhere. But I think some of the comments prove this is inspiring to everyone.
  • 4 0
 Do you still have fun after riding that much ?
Does the fact to have an objective this high remove the pleasure of just riding ? I really wonder
  • 9 0
 Of course riding is still fun! Especially on the descents. I definitely had some days where I wasn't motivated to get out and ride, but usually by the time I was pointed downhill I was happy to be riding...most days I was happy and enjoying it as soon as I left my house. But, it is nice to just ride now that I don't have the huge goal looming over me, and knowing I don't have to save my energy.
  • 3 1
 what about a woman, a mother, with 2million in one year and a year after almost million and a half?

ohh, wait, she is from Slovenia, thats not interesting! Wink (joke)

@margauxjo your effort is still really nice! i know that you are proud and you should be!
  • 3 0
 Saw her a couple times grinding it out here in Aptos......serious grit and determination. Congratulations on this incredible feat!
  • 1 0
 @margauxjo Simply amazing on so many levels! Keeping it going through the "pandemic" & fires! I had friends running here from SC to get out of the fires and the lockdown was real there! What was your recovery regiment? Daily Epsom salt baths? Yoga? What did you eat pre & post ride? Sleep? How did you keep your head up to work on a daily basis? For a year? Wow! So many challenges! I love it! Really impressive! Thanks for sharing a bit of your journey!
  • 1 0
 So impressive! well done! @margauxjo did you play around with seat angle and seattube angle (saddle rails)? Considering the amount of time climbing steep trails it would make sense. What did you learn about this?
I've done everestings and have been regularly doing 100,000M a year (in Alberta Canada), but you just tripled that. I have not heard many people mention seat angles when doing these insane feats. But the picture of your rig looks like the seat is well forward and tilted a bit.
  • 4 0
 Very impressive accomplishment. I admire your perseverance. Congratulations!
  • 4 1
 That is very impressive! CoCo Sullivan did a million by the end of November, not sure what he ended up with but that dude was hitting some gnar on the way down.
  • 4 0
 This needs more recognition! Cory is an animal!!
  • 1 0
 I hit 1.1M in 625hrs and 6k miles. Did not replace any drivetrain parts (time was split between 4bikes) ???? and only 4 sets of brake pads. Broke 2 helmets. And got 147 KOMs ???????? And didn’t get coronavirus
  • 1 0
 And found out you can’t put emojis in PB forms
  • 5 0
 Dale Stone will have this done by labour day lol.
  • 3 0
 Awesome stuff Margaux, thanks for the list of parts you went through, based on that data i am able to calculate the parts I will need for the next 204 years.
  • 1 0
 Sweet! So many folks putting in big vert! Our local endurance pro, she put in 2 million ft of climbing last year and over 200,000 ft of climbing in the last month of the year to reach the goal! Regardless, 200K or 1M ft is still badass! Props!
  • 1 0
 I Need just less than three years to do this climbing, I am really impressed! This year I will try to increase! You are motivation for me. I just don't get why don't you use spd to achieve climbing, but these are personal choice!
  • 1 0
 Glad to see some dollar figures attached to this. Although, if you add service costs and nutrition it has to be at least double the 3k CAD/2,400 USD mentioned.
Guess I won't be attempting any time soon. ????
  • 3 0
 Well done! I did 290,000ft and I ride more than any of my mates and thought that was pretty good.
  • 3 0
 That is solid! I recently saw on Strava a gal pal of mine did 395k last year which is insanely strong. My goal is 120k or 10k/month.
  • 2 0
 wow. just, wow. so much respect for single tracking it down... that makes it's a million times more fun, but also makes it a lot harder physically.
  • 2 0
 Margaux... amazing work. Mentally that is a massive achievement. Day in, day out. Congrats on finishing. Probably had some good time for product testing in there. Ha!
  • 2 0
 Thank you so much...AMAZING product testing and time to think about it Smile Maybe too much time hahahah
  • 3 0
 Nice work Margaux, and to the best guy in MTB Cory "COCO" Sullivan for riding 1million feets as well!! ya'll are savage
  • 4 0
 I can barely climb out of bed shesssssh
  • 3 0
 If it makes you feel better, now that I'm done with the goal I'm also having a hard time climbing out of bed Smile
  • 1 0
 That’s really impressive! I did 4900 miles and ~525k feet last year and I thought that was a lot, can’t imagine doing a million! Now you need a sponsorship from Chamois Butt’r!
  • 2 0
 This is super cool; to stay focused over that amount of time, just wow! Great job!
  • 1 0
 Nice! My stats are Distance 6,445.7 km Time 562h 56m Elev Gain 53,447 m on 16kg plus-tire full-sus trail bike. It's pretty flat where I live.
  • 1 0
 Inspiring to set such a big goal for a year and achieve it! I set some big goals for myself this year. Oh and 11 sets of brake pads! You had some fun on the downs!
  • 1 0
 Amazing record. Im, 49 and I got in 4,779 miles and 389,000 ft of climbing all on a mountain bike using flat peddles. And Jan 01, 2020 was 3.5 months after ACL surgery.
  • 3 0
 I bet a decent from 1 mil would be rad
  • 4 0
 Way to go Margaux!!
  • 3 0
 How many drivetrains did she go through?
  • 7 0
 The teeth on my cassettes were so worn down before switching them out...all in all drivetrain wise I went through...
3 Cassettes
2 Chain rings
2 Derailleurs
5 Chains

Full list of components on one of the comments above Smile
  • 2 0
 Maybe not that many, that 28t chainring would put her on low torque most of the time.
  • 6 0
 @DavidGuerra: 28t was a knee saver
  • 1 6
flag alexisfire (Jan 14, 2021 at 18:05) (Below Threshold)
 @margauxjo: doesn't lower chainring size generally mean more knee problems. that seems to be the general concensus in all the roadie circles i've been around.
  • 2 0
 Geez, I was stoked I got 500,000 feet last year, can't imagine doing twice that! Really really impressive!
  • 2 0
 She's amazing! And with my climbing skills, that's 10.86614173091948 inches...
  • 2 0
 @margauxjo I am so glad this is being posted. I am so excited to share this. This is an amazing accomplishment. Thank you.
  • 3 0
 What a legend!
  • 2 0
 I just find this inspiring as all get out! Way to dream big.
  • 2 0
 This is a new meaning of someone actually being "Built Different"
  • 3 0
 impressive
  • 2 0
 That’s just beyond impressive!
  • 2 0
 Congrats, Margaux! Incredible!!
  • 2 0
 Getting tired just thinking about this lol
  • 2 0
 Damn, and I thought 2,162 miles on my MTB was an achievement last year.
  • 1 0
 I really want to know how the swim in the creek generated such a gnarly saddle sore...
  • 8 0
 This is just a theory because I have never had issues with saddle sores until after that swim...I swam with my chamois on and still had about 30 minutes to ride home. I had ridden back from a swim a couple times before and didn't have an issue, but I think maybe something funky got in there and riding on it for 30 minutes was enough to cause the irritation...started showing up a few days after then BAM! ping pong ball under my sit bone. Sorry, probably TMI hah
  • 2 0
 @margauxjo: I hope you named it, all saddlesores need a name. Smile
  • 1 0
 Did you use the power meter to gauge your efforts and keep yourself to a certain wattage? @margauxjo
  • 5 0
 At first I used the power meter because I was curious what my output would be over the year, but it ended up being really useful to gauge how rested or tired I was. Then later in the year when I had more energy and endurance, I used it to try training a bit to get faster and through that learned how much I could push it and still be OK for riding the next day.
  • 2 0
 Impressive achievement. Congrats !
  • 2 0
 I love that she did it on a regular bike.
  • 2 0
 Congrats!! Superb effort!!!
  • 1 0
 Holy wowsers! This is 100% awesomeness Margaux, aboslutely incredible achievemnt, well done!
  • 2 0
 I too agree that one million severed feet is gross.
  • 2 0
 Well done! Especially with a saddle angle set to 750,000 feet at best.
  • 1 0
 Amazing effort wow....I can't even comprehend the dedication required to achieve that.
  • 1 0
 Nice work. I also hit a million vertical feet, though it was BC skiing + mountain biking combined.
  • 1 0
 Absolutely amazing, @margauxjo! Thank you for the inspiration and for sharing your story!
  • 2 0
 Huge effort! Congrats!
  • 1 0
 Wow, a truly inspiring story, just epic, ????
  • 1 0
 Absolutely unreal, awesome job!
  • 1 0
 Anyone that rides black mountain regularly- Me too!
  • 3 2
 With that seat tube angle? Fake news!
  • 1 0
 And flats!!!! This is fake.
  • 11 0
 @learningcycles: Seriously, I love that flats are brought up multiple times as if it's just ludicrous to imagine anyone doing any serious climbing on flat pedals.
  • 1 4
 @BiNARYBiKE:

It's not that it can't be done, but with clipless you're using both legs and not just one at a time. Simply more efficient use of your energy.
  • 1 4
 @87vr6: simply proven to be more inefficient to use clipless. this kind of ultra endurance stuff would be better with flats since it is more efficient.
  • 3 0
 So then why do professional road cyclists who do a lot of climbing not use flats? Because they use everything to eke out every ounce of power/efficiency, and eschew things that get in the way of that pursuit. I don't see tour-de-France riders using them, and they have a pace much higher than hers (granted, only two~ weeks), but still...
  • 3 0
 @alexisfire @87vr6 oh great, here we go. The great debate. Popcorn popped.
  • 1 1
 Missing info like number of tyres, drivetrains, brake pads, and suspension services
  • 6 0
 I replied to a comment above with the info if you want to check it out Smile
  • 1 0
 may content product placement
  • 2 0
 Bravo Margaux! Bravo!
  • 1 0
 Wow, what an incredible effort. Huge respect for such an achievement!
  • 1 0
 My buddy in AZ also climbed over 1mil ft in 2020!! its absolutely mental
  • 2 1
 It doesn’t sound as cool in metres
  • 2 0
 I mean it still sounds epic, but there’s something about the word million that is just special
  • 1 0
 Amazing! Wonder how many mid ride snacks.
  • 2 0
 @TahoeEbikes you know I'm a big snacker...so much so I need my friends to stock up cooler stashes so i can re-supply half way through a ride Smile
  • 1 1
 Margaux- how many chains and cassettes did you burn up?
  • 1 1
 Wow, that's 3.2217385e-11 light years.
  • 1 0
 Farther*
  • 1 1
 Imperial Meter system, i don't care, useless measurement.
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