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Cyclists

A celebration of women cyclists who push boundaries on two wheels — from classic endurance routes across Britain to world-record rides that inspire adventure, resilience, and freedom.

Cycle from London to Paris in 24 hours

A popular endurance route connecting two iconic capitals, London, UK and Paris, France. The challenge draws cyclists from around the world, testing stamina and speed over roughly 300 miles, often completed in just one day.

Cycle from London to Brighton

 A classic UK cycling challenge covering around 55 miles (88 km) from the capital to the south coast. It’s a favourite first long-distance route for many women taking up endurance cycling, offering a rewarding mix of scenic countryside and coastal views.

LEJOG – Land’s End to John o’ Groats

The traversal of the whole length of the island of Great Britain between two extremities, in the southwest and northeast. There is no continuous long-distance path from Land's End to John o' Groats. 

  • Fastest woman to cycle Land’s End to John o’ Groats — Christina Mackenzie (Scotland) — 51 hrs 5 mins 27 secs — 30 July 2021.

    • Christina broke the women’s record for this historic ride, averaging remarkable speed and consistency across the 874-mile route. Her performance stands as a modern benchmark for endurance cyclists in the UK.

  • Youngest girl to complete Land’s End to John o’ Groats on her own bicycle — Evangeline Towers (UK) — age 10 — 14 August 2020.

    • Evangeline completed the 1,020.74-mile (1,642.72 km) journey over 22 days, cycling alongside her father and uncle. She covered the distance in 110 hours and 5 minutes, becoming the youngest solo girl to achieve the feat.

  • Youngest to complete Land’s End to John o’ Groats on a trailer bike — Rhoda Jones (UK) — age 4 years 4 months — 2 September 2018.

    • Rhoda, cycling on a trailer bike with her parents Katie and Tom Jones, finished the journey in 22 days, 3 hours and 26 minutes. Her sister Ruth Jones (UK), aged 5, completed the same journey earlier and became the fastest on a trailer bike.

 

Famous Routes & Endurance Races

  • First female to win the Transcontinental Race — Fiona Kolbinger (Germany) — 2021

  • First woman to ride the Everest equivalent elevation in 24 hours by bicycle — Sarah Hammond (Australia) — 2014

  • First to cycle the length of the Alps and climb the 8 highest Alpine mountains — Sophie Radcliffe (UK) — 2014

 

More Female Cycling Achievements

  • First woman to win the inaugural Tour de France Femmes — Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands) — 25 years old — July 2022

  • First French woman to win Tour de France Femmes — Pauline Ferrand-Prévôt (France) — 33 years old — 3 August 2025

  • First American to win the Tour de France Féminin — Marianne Martin (USA) — 1984

  • Oldest female to cross the USA east-to-west solo by standard bicycle — Lynn Salvo (USA) — 73 years 359 days — 15 September 2023

  • Fastest female solo 200 km road record by recumbent bicycle — Sandy Earl (USA) — 6 hrs 39 mins 50 secs — 12 March 2023

 

Community & Inspiration

Pushbike Girl – Interviews with Solo Female Cyclists

An inspiring collection of stories from solo female cyclists around the world who travel vast distances, explore new cultures, and challenge what’s possible on two wheels.

Related Tough Girl Podcast Episodes

Tegan Phillips

Adventure Cyclist and Cartoonist. Currently preparing for a second attempt at being the fastest woman to cycle from Cairo to Cape Town.

Maddy Collinge

Runner and running coach. Mother of 4 and Nana to 3. Trying to fight off ageing and prove that we can go on doing stuff long after we thought we couldn’t...

Dr. Carla Benton

Clinical Psychologist, queer vegan and a lover of all things outdoors. Awarded the Ultra Distance Scholarship in 2021 which is aimed at increasing representation of BAME cyclists in ultra distance cycling.

Nirjala Tamrakar Wright

aka "Mountain Queen” - The Mountain Biking National Champion of Nepal from 2001 to 2012!

Julia Goodfellow-Smith

An ordinary woman doing something extraordinary. She has decided to live her life to the fullest by living her bucket list, one dream at a time.

Kate Strong

3x cycling world record holder, high performance coach & climate advocate. In June 2023, Kate will start a 3-month cycle (on a bamboo bike) around mainland Britain.

Vedangi Kulkarni

Adventurer and endurance athlete moving into mountain biking and crossing Svalbard on skies.

Abby Popplestone

Novice cyclist - Bikepacking the GB Divide solo & unsupported. Raising money for Ovarian Cancer Action.

Laura Massey-Pugh

Laura Massey-Pugh - Her Inspiring Journey Around the World - 180 days on the back of a tandem with her husband. Persevering in the face of challenges and setting a new Guinness World Record.

Annijke Wade

Adaptive Athlete & Community Advocate. Passionate about making the outdoors and mountain biking a safe space for all.

Meaghan Hackinen

Ultra-endurance cyclist - Trans Am Bike Race, NorthCape4000, and Paris-Brest-Paris brevet finisher, as well as the 2019 24-Hour World Time Trial Champion.

Anisa Aubin

Experienced ultra cyclist competing events such as the Transcontinental Race, the Transatlantic way and GBDURO Adventure Challenge.

Women Who Have Cycled Around The World

Kiko Matthews

Kiko Matthews - KIK PLASTIC 2019 - Cycling 6,900km around the UK and Ireland’s coasts, beach cleaning and building a community against plastic!

Juliana Buhring

Juliana Buhring - Ultra-endurance cyclist & Guinness World Record for Fastest Woman to Cycle the World!

Loretta Henderson

Loretta Henderson - quit her normal life at 36, and having never cycled before, set off to cycle around the world!

Sami Sauri

Exploring the World Through Multi-Sport Adventures and Creative Storytelling

Christine Armstrong

Christine Armstrong - Has just returned from 2 years cycling the world!

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