One Million Feet Of Climbing In 2026: First-Quarter Update – Travis Engel

Travis Engel, a prominent voice from The Radavist, recently provided an update on his ambitious 2026 goal: accumulating one million feet of climbing within a calendar year. As of the first quarter, Engel is tracking his progress toward this monumental target, which he admits has eluded him in previous attempts, with his closest prior achievement being 670,000 feet. The update signals his serious commitment to this long-held personal challenge, framed by looming obligations and the onset of arthritis.

This pursuit is more than just a personal fitness quest; it resonates with a growing segment of the cycling community fixated on quantifiable achievements and "Everesting" style challenges. Engel's transparency about his past failures and current physical realities adds a relatable dimension, highlighting the increasing difficulty of such feats as riders age and life commitments mount. It taps into the enduring allure of the "big number" in cycling, a testament to endurance and dedication that transcends competitive racing.

Engel's undertaking is a familiar narrative for many amateur cyclists: the grand, perhaps slightly mad, personal goal. Whether he hits the million or not, the journey itself, shared publicly, is the real story here.