I don’t often write about myself on The Locals, but a few months ago, I made the decision to take on what will probably be one of the toughest challenges of my life so far.

Three years ago I was invited to cycle from Paris to London with a group called Techbikers. While I was a passionate cyclist at the point already, I had never ridden a road bike before, and most of my cycling was just about town on my little single speed. But from the moment I figured out how the gears actually worked I was hooked. I did the ride 3 times and the seed was planted and I started to dream about longer rides… across continents.

So this year when inquiries opened for the Trans America Bike Race I signed up.

The Trans America Bike race is a 7081 km, unsupported race across America that I hope to finish in about 30 days. Riders can access commercial services along the way, but there’s no support crew or team car tending to bike issues, handing out bottles and preparing a bed to sleep in. You have to find their own food and water, fix bike issues out in the wilderness, carry all the equipment and spares need to be safe, and find places to catch a few hours of sleep in a bivy bag (a waterproof sleeping bag shell).

So like I said, it is definitely going to be the hardest thing I have ever done.

Cycling is typically a male dominated sport, with women representing only about 20% of the cycling market. When it comes to these types of ultra endurance events, the numbers get even lower. Last year only two women took part in the Trans Am, and both scratched before completing the race. Cycling has massively changed my life for the positive, and it is something I am passionate about sharing with more women. I hope that by taking on this challenge I can inspire more women to ride.

So over the next few months I will be documenting my journey in the Health and Fitness section here on The Locals. If you have any questions for me about training, nutrition (vegan) etc, please leave a comment and I will make sure to include answers in a post.

As you can imagine an undertaking like this is quite expensive, and while I am self funding the majority of the ride myself I have also set up a Go Fund Me campaign here.

I can’t thank those who are supporting me to achieve this crazy dream enough, and hope that one day I can repay the favour!