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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

Emma Kingston

Teacher, Outdoor Adventurer and Author of Bikepacking England 20 multi-day off-road cycling adventures.

Denise Mueller-Korenek

Goal Setting, Overcoming Performance Anxiety and becoming the fastest cyclist on earth!

Jessie Leong

Award winning filmmaker, brand ambassador for Montane and current Ordnance Survey #GetOutside Champion

Sue Barrett

First ‘Adventure Queen’ Grant Winner - A mother and daughter human powered mountain adventure of 1,300 miles, through 8 countries along the spine of the Alps.

Vera Ngosi-Sambrook

Endurance Cyclist & Engineer - Competing in her first 2,000km self-supported endurance cycling race, The Pan Celtic Race 21.

Krystal Salvent

Her passion for cycling and being a co-leader of Black Girls Do Bike Denver. Helping to promote cycling among a community of BIPOC women, femmes, and girls in Colorado.

Frankie Dewar

Writer, speaker and content creator, cycling 3,175km around the UK. Host of the Extraordinary Ordinary You Podcast.

Renata Chlumska

Adventure athlete who became the first Swedish and Czech woman to climb Mount Everest and in 2005 did a circumnavigate of the lower 48 States of the United States by her own power.

Jessica Hatcher-Moore

Journalist & author living on a hillside in North Wales, writing about improbable things; most recently, childbirth. AFTER BIRTH: What nobody tells you – How to Recover Body and Mind.

Angela White

aka The Running Granny, Completing JOGLE (875 miles) at 60 years old in 18 days, 10 hours and 3 minutes!

Cadi Lambert

An Adventurous Girl - Blog on adventure, travel, fitness & mental health!

Susan Doram

Covert Adventurer, Pfaffing & spending 2.5 years cycling around the world!

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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