WITI Team

Quick programming note, some loyal WITI readers have mentioned they haven’t been getting our emails (despite looking in spam). If you are having any problems, drop us a line and let us know. We’ll work with Substack to get to the bottom of the mystery. As always, try to drag our editions into your inbox if you are using Gmail, lest your favorite daily editorial product get filtered! Thanks and onto today’s edition. -Colin (CJN)Mark Slavonia (MJS) is an investor, a pilot, and an avid cyclist.  He wrote about kitchen ballet in the time of COVID-19 for WITI in April. He posts other things that are interesting on his website and on Twitter.Mark here. When faced with the cancellation or postponement of the international bike racing calendar, some of the world’s best cyclists turned to a new do-it-yourself challenge—Everesting.  Once an obscure pursuit, Everesting refers to climbing the vertical height of Mt. Everest (8,848 meters or 29,029 feet) by bike or on foot by repeating the same route over and over again. Top male and female riders have broken the speed records for Everesting repeatedly since the Coronavirus crisis began, garnering attention and sparking enthusiasm among cycling fans who are missing the traditional racing calendar. Emma Pooley on her way to an Everesting World RecordEveresting as a cycling challenge emerged from the efforts of George Mallory, grandson of the eponymous climber, who trained for a successful 1994 Himalayan Everest summit by cycling the vertical distance of Mt. Everest on a mountain near Melbourne, Australia. A decade later his friends, inspired by his story, organized a group effort to repeat his feat and codified the idiosyncratic rules by which they govern Everesting attempts worldwide.  This was a minor niche in cycling and simply completing an Everesting ride was a notable achievement that was duly logged by Everesting’s organizers. Speed records for Everesting didn’t garner much attention before the shelter-in-place demands of 2020. This spring, as riders in top form were stuck at home, the challenge of Everesting took off, and the records of riders like Tobias Lestrall of Australia (8 hours, 29 minutes) and Alice Thompson of the United Kingdom (12:32) came under challenge.On May 11, U.S. rider Phil Gaimon, who has made a specialty of setting GPS-based speed records, set a new best time of 7:52 by doing 60 repeats on Mountaingate Drive, a short, steep road in Los Angeles that’s familiar to anyone who regularly drives the 405 freeway. His record would stand for just four days.Katie Hall on the day of her record (photo credit: Kate Courtney)An Everesting speed record requires a combination of a top rider and a suitable climb. Riders who were scattered around the world had to improvise on the best climb they could reasonably reach, cobbling together support from a friend, a spouse, or a parent. An ideal Everest climb is very steep, so that a rider’s full effort goes into climbing, not overcoming wind resistance. It also should allow a very fast descent. As the summer of Everesting progressed, records were set on steeper and steeper climbs, increasing from Katie Hall’s already quite steep 9% to Alberto Contador and Emma Pooley’s 13%. Part of fans’ interest in Everesting has come from watching the climbs that riders are selecting for record attempts. Aided by suggestions from fans, Phil Gaimon is already scouting new climbs to challenge Contador’s record.Why is this interesting?Before the Coronavirus crisis hit, cyclists were already starting to rebel against the structure of traditional bike racing. Professional racers like Ted King, Alison Tetrick, and Phil Gaimon opted out of structured racing to pursue and document adventures, set new speed benchmarks timed by GPS, and participate in less formal, mass-participation races. This made them more accessible to fans and more valuable to sponsors. In the absence of traditional racing in 2020, riders continued this trend of taking their efforts directly to the fans. Everesting requires no TV cameras, no officials, no teammates or following cars. Riders record their efforts on GPS devices and post them for fans to see, usually on Strava, the most popular ride-tracking app. They post their own pictures and videos on social media. Amateurs can get directly involved, riding the same roads, attempting the same challenges, and recording their own Everest attempts.  Accounts of these efforts have been very popular. Caley Fretz, Editor-in-Chief of CyclingTips, an enthusiast website, tweeted: Everesting has driven more traffic for us in the last month than the classics normally would in March/April.  It’s not even close...It’s this sort of perfect storm between well-known names and zero TV coverage so you have to read the story.  In a sport where lots of fans are participants...it’s approachable.Traditional racing is set to resume on an abbreviated calendar in Europe this fall. Immediate interest in Everesting will probably wane in the near term as top riders focus on other goals, but the barriers between professional and amateur riders are being broken by riders who are using new technology, new media and new challenges to connect to their fans. (MJS) Photo of the Day: Notebook entries kept by Katie Hall’s husband, recording the time of day as she completed each lap in her Everesting world record attempt. (MJS)Quick Links:Hells 500 Cycling Club, organizers of EverestingAn early reference to Everesting as a cycling challenge (2012) including George Mallory’s account of his trainingMany top pros, including some of those freelancers mentioned above, share their rides with cyclists on Strava, a GPS ride-tracking app.  Through the links below you can follow along with: Ted KingAlison TetrickKatie HallPhil GaimonAlberto ContadorEmma PooleyThanks for reading,Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN) & Mark (MJS)Why is this interesting? is a daily email from Noah Brier & Colin Nagy (and friends!) about interesting things. If you’ve enjoyed this edition, please consider forwarding it to a friend. If you’re reading it for the first time, consider subscribing (it’s free!).

Why is this interesting? - The Everesting Edition

Colin and Noah here. From Spotify Wrapped to Netflix’s most popular TV and movies list, ‘tis the season for year end lists of what we consumed. We decided to tap into our very interesting contributors to have them share their Top Three (or thereabout) lists of new (mostly) things they loved this year. Hopefully there is something in here that can fill in some of the much deserved downtime. Thanks for all your support this year. A plug for Noah’s new project: BrXnd is a new project at the intersection of brands and AI. Have a play with the first experiment: AI brand collabs. Try it now.Onto the picks:FILMSChris EricksonEverything Everywhere All At OnceRRRThe Banshees of InisherinASVVEverything Everywhere All At Once - healing generational trauma through the multiverse. Turning Red: Pixar makes taking on period taboos adorable.Triangle of Sadness: For the Balenciaga / H&M moment alone - but so much more. Matt LockeLivingEverything Everywhere All At OnceAftersunTodd OsbornFunny PagesOn the Count of ThreeAftersunRussell DaviesTop Gun: Maverick - it’s been an honor, CaptainBoiling Point - one shot kitchen tensionLiving - beauty, restraint and teaEric MatthiesOfficial CompetitionNopeTárLindsay TuchmanEverything, Everywhere All at OnceTriangle of SadnessElvis (I’m a sucker for a musical biopic, so runner up Weird: The Al Yankovic Story)TELEVISIONChris EricksonReservation DogsThe RehearsalThe BearASVVWhite Lotus: Anything I say would be a spoiler. Derry Girls Season 3: The perfect ending to the perfect show about growing up in the midst of historyPachinko: Beautiful, multilingual, multigenerational and sorely overlooked drama about Japan, Korea and AmericaMatt LockeSeveranceStation ElevenThe TraitorsMark SlavoniaStation ElevenBob’s BurgersSouth SideTodd OsbornTokyo ViceThe RehearsalThe BearGraydon GordianStation ElevenDerry GirlsAndorRussell DaviesSherwood - real-life crime drama in East Midlands mining communityTaskmaster - funny, happy, silly tellySlow Horses - MI5 dumping ground makes for drama with the jokes you actually get in real lifeEric MatthiesJeen-Yuhs: A Kanye TrilogyTokyo ViceRaised By WolvesLindsay TuchmanThe RehearsalSeveranceAbbott ElementaryALBUMSChris EricksonKing Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard “Omnium Gatherum”The Pixies “Doggerel”Kid Cudi “Entergalactic”ASVVBeyonce “Renaissance”: Dancefloor-as-healingKendrick Lamar “Mr Moral and the Big Steppers”: Kendrick goes to therapy. Sault - 5 album drop: still working my way through but damn what a prolific, expansive, generous experiment. Matt LockeSault 5 album dropHarry Styles - Harry’s HouseLianne Le Havas - S/T (2020, but I listened to it a lot this year)Todd OsbornMonophonics - Sage MotelJimetta Rose - The GiftDelvon Lamarr Organ Trio - Cold As WeissGraydon GordianMondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy - Jeff ParkerStep on Step - Charles StepneyThe Forever Story - JIDRussell DavieDerya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek: DOST 2 - Anatolian psych folk pop mixed with gentle Berlin funkWarpaint: Radiate Like This - Moody, lush, tuneyHart: Moon Jazz - Hiphop meets jazz in South WalesEric MatthiesSudan ArchivesAdrian QuesadaDanger Mouse w Black ThoughtLindsay TuchmanI listen to almost exclusively 80s New Wave so nothing new…BOOKSChris EricksonIncredible Doom, vol 2 by Matthew Bogart & Jesse HoldenClandestinity by Antonio Moresco After The Revolution by Robert EvansASVVMy Los Angeles, Edward W. Soja - a collection of preeminent geographer/planner’s post-modernist writings on Los AngelesWilding, Isabella Tree. Escape to the rewilding of the countrysideThe Data Detective, Tim Harford. Touring data with  real data enthusiastMark SlavoniaOver the Edge of the World: Magellan by Laurence BergreenSeven Games: A Human History by Oliver RoederThe Tim Tebow Chronicles by Jon BoisGraydon GordianLate Victorian Holocausts - Mike DavisThe Years - Annie ErnauxThe Bond King - Mary ChildsRussell DaviesThe Candy House - Jennifer Egan - fascinating ideas and sentences on every pageWays of Being - James Bridle - the most coherent, important artistic response to the climate crisisFen, Bog and Swamp - Annie Proulx - an essay of bog facts punched up with great writingSteve BryantBad MexicansThe Filing Cabinet: A Vertical History of Information BlindsightEric Matthies (Read this year, not necessarily published this year)The Castle Of Crossed Destinies - Italo CalvinoDrive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead - Olga TokarczukUnderland: A Deep Time Journey - Robert MacFarlaneLindsay TuchmanTomorrow and Tomorrow and TomorrowAlone With You in the EtherThe AnomalyARTChris EricksonTyler ScullyHermann Josef HackLee EllisASVVUmair Rashid - post-colonial pop culture maps and mash-upsVictoria Gitman, Everything is Surface at Francois Ghebaly - the most intricate miniatures of the most pretty little thingsJulian Rosenfeldt, Euphoria at Park Avenue Armory - an hour and a half journey through capitalist thought.Matt LockeCornelia Parker retrospective at Tate BritainThe Horror Show! at Somerset HouseEric MatthiesSam Szafran - Musee Orangerie, ParisSabine Weiss - Peter Fetterman Gallery, LA (photography)Belonging - Blue Lapis Light, ATX (aerial dance)LIVE MUSICASVVGrace Jones at Hollywood Bowl - an epic piece of performance art as well as a killer music show Polo & Pan / Parcels at Hollywood Bowl - pretty much anything is incredible at the Hollywood BowlAutomatic at KCRW Studios  - My first intimate indoor show since the pandy did not disappointEric MatthiesPaulo Cangalhas - Porto, PortugalChannel One Sound System - Porto, PortugalKhruangbin - Austin, TXFOODASVVKato, Taiwanese bar tasting menu in Los AngelesNobelhart & Schmutzig in Berlin. Quiadaiyn, hearty Oaxacan food in LAVIDEO GAMESMark SlavoniaElden RingThe Return of the Obra DinnZwift racingPODCASTSMark SlavoniaThe Memory Palace5-4Triple ClickRussell DaviesThe Curiously Specific Book Club - a warm, funny podcast about dates and locations in booksThe Briefing Room - a panel of experts briefs you on stuff in the newsBetween The Ears - experimental radio and soundSteve BryantBehind the Bastards5-4La Verdadera Historia de México PLAYLISTSSteve BryantGraydon’s Jazz in JapanVangelisHerb Sundays —Thanks for reading,Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN)—Why is this interesting? is a daily email from Noah Brier & Colin Nagy (and friends!) about interesting things. If you’ve enjoyed this edition, please consider forwarding it to a friend. If you’re reading it for the first time, consider subscribing.