'There's only so much food you can force yourself to eat at 2am': Meet the women daring to ride further

At 58 Audax UK events in 2025, there were more riders named Dave than there were women. The association's female membership stands at just 15%. Among the female contingent, most stick to shorter distances of 50km to 150km, with far fewer lining up for rides of over 200km.

The imbalance isn't unique to British audaxing. At Paris-Brest-Paris, one of Audax's most prestigious events, women have historically made up around 5% of entrants, and were even banned from participating when the event first launched in 1891. The race did not record a solo female finisher until 1931.

An Audax is a timed, self-supported ride paced at an average speed of between 15 and 30kph (9-19mph). It's not a race: finishing within the limit is the aim.

Distances range from 50km to UK epics of up to 1,400km. This year, as Audax UK celebrates its 50th anniversary, it has introduced 50:50 events designed to encourage more women to take part.

Change is already under way. Across the country, more women and younger riders are discovering Audax. Here, four women share what drew them in, what keeps them going, and how they train for such extraordinary rides.

LUCY CHOULES
Age: 26
Hometown: London, UK
Longest ride: 1,004km - London-Edinburgh-London (cut short by Storm Floris)

Lucy Choules only learned to ride a bike in 2020. Since then, she has completed the famous London-Edinburgh-London (LEL), and now has her eyes on qualifying for Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) in 2027. "I thought LEL was so great, why not do the original one?" she laughs. "And there are no women doing it; why are all these middle-aged men getting to experience this fun event? I can do it as well, and better than most of them."

Introduced to Audaxing by one of her dad's friends, Choules knew little about LEL when she signed up. "It was like nothing I'd ever experienced," she says, recalling the old-school dinners at the control checks and the bubble of riders. "You make friends, and now, they're the reason I know about certain Audaxes. It's such a niche environment. If you're not into them, you don't understand which ones are good. I got a ticket to one in May, and it was like getting Glastonbury tickets."

Next up for the 26-year-old are the Knock Ventoux 300 and the 1,000km Ardnamurchan and Back in Scotland, fitting them in around her job as a tax accountant.

In fact, her goal is to do an Audax every month. "It gets me out on the bike," she says. "Would I have gone out and done 200km on the bike in December if I hadn't signed up to an event? Probably not."

It takes more than long training rides to build for success, Choules cautions. "You have to mentally know that it's going to be a slog. There are going to be moments when you're not enjoying yourself, but you've just got to ride that out. You've got to keep thinking, 'I'm enjoying myself. I'm so lucky to be cycling in the rain, in winter, covered in mud."

Fuel, too, is key. "I think it's about constantly eating something," she adds. "I want to finish feeling like I could ride that 200km again. I'm never thinking, I've only got 30km left, I won't eat anything. If anything, I am fuelling right until the last five minutes... It's a very different mindset from always being told to eat less."

The lack of female visibility on longer Audaxes hasn't deterred Choules, but has instead shaped her motivation. Spotting only the odd woman at controls or start lines, she has begun documenting her PBP qualifying journey online in the hope it will encourage more women to give it a try.

Follow her on Instagram, @lucychoules, to see how she gets on.

LAURA MASSEY-PUGH
Age: 39
Hometown: Derby, UK
Longest ride: 28,968km - around the world

A Guinness World Record holder for the fastest circumnavigation by tandem bicycle, with her husband Stevie Massey, Laura Massey-Pugh is no stranger to big days on the bike. Her introduction to Audaxing came in February 2016-again, on a tandem - when her husband persuaded her to join him on a 200km ride. "I was kind of like, are we going to survive?" she laughs, recalling a day when the weather only seemed to get worse. "But by the time we got back, had a cup of tea, and a few biscuits, I looked back on it more fondly. It was a bit of a rough start, but I got the bug."

Massey-Pugh went on to complete the Super Randonneur - a series of 200km, 300km, 400km, and 600km rides in a single year - both tandem and solo. Alongside other Audax events, she's found the community very welcoming, even when outnumbered by male riders. "Historically, Audax has had some strong female riders, and there's a lot of respect for women."

Now part of Audax UK's women's strategy group, launched in September 2025, Massey-Pugh hopes to broaden participation. "There's an Audax stereotype of old, bearded men," she says, "and there's a joke in the community about how there have been rides with more men called Dave than women riding. That just shows there's a very narrow demographic."

The strategy group is helping to spread the message of Audaxing while showcasing what women are capable of. "I think a lot of people think you've got to be riding hundreds of miles," Massey-Pugh says of the training. "But that's not the case. It's more about consistency."

To build mileage, the 39-year-old recommends commuting by bike and using it for transport as much as possible. "I avoid driving," she says. She is self-coached, and her training is a mix of joining local rides, heading out solo, and alternating longer days with shorter spins.

As for food, her advice is to eat for enjoyment rather than performance. "You've just got to keep it going in," she says. Most Audax controls offer food such as beans on toast, cake, and soup - a world away from the gel-laden approach of sportives and other endurance events. "It's not the kind of sport where you're shovelling down gels and not stopping," she adds. "I think cake makes a big difference."

SOPHIA ATTWOOD-APPERLEY
Age: 29
Hometown: Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Longest ride: 2,000km- Trans Pyrenees Race

Talk to anyone in the Audax community, and chances are they'll have heard of Sophia Attwood-Apperley. In 2025, she became only the second UK rider, and the first woman, to complete the Super Randonneur Round the Year (SRRtY): a 200km, 300km, 400km, and 600km ride every month, all 12 months of the year. "I'm this little person who always has to push things too far," she laughs.

Her Audax journey began in 2020 after meeting a woman in the bike shop where she worked. At the time, Attwood-Apperley was familiar with 200km days, but that chance encounter persuaded her to give Audaxing a try. "We did our first DIY together, then I got f***ing addicted," she says.

With Covid-19 bringing calendar events to a halt, Attwood-Apperley began building her own rides to learn the "nitty gritty" of Audax, suspecting it'd soon become her "entire universe". Her first official event, the 100-mile Chapel Century in the North Pennines, was "incredibly welcoming", she says.

And does she mind women being in the minority? "I've always embraced it. I feel like I'm in the minority anyway, in the sense of what I do, not in the sense of who I am," she says. That perspective also shaped Attwood-Apperley's motivation for SRRTY. "I wasn't necessarily thinking I wanted to be the first woman to do this thing. It was more, I'm doing this thing, and it's cool. I'm not trying to be a pioneer."

As well as riding 1,500km a month, she keeps up training by commuting to work, completing an additional 40km each working day. "Without sounding blasé, most fit people could ride 200km if they have the base level of fitness. When you start getting to the bigger distances, it's a mental game."

Managing sleep, knowing when her body's hungry, rather than tired or cold, and riding through the night, are all part of the challenge. "It's not a sport anymore, it's a lifestyle," she says. She has also worked out hacks to help her keep the pedals turning. "I figured out ways of managing [riding at night] by putting energy powder in my bottles, so I was still taking in calories even if I didn't fancy a McPlant and chips," she says. "There are only so many of those you can force yourself to eat at 2am."

With 30,000km clocked in 2025, Attwood-Apperley's 2026 plans are still in the making. The only thing firmly on her list is continuing to ride a Super Randonneur every month. "It's something to do, isn't it?" she smiles.

JESSICA CONNER-BURMAN
Age: 50
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Longest ride: 1,200km - Paris-Brest-Paris

"Five-pound entry? You just show up on the day? No need to be there hours before the event starts?" These were Jessica Conner-Burman's first questions about Audaxing after moving to the UK from the USA. Stunned by the simplicity of it all, her curiosity was piqued. "I failed my first attempt," she admits. A previous back injury, the "wrong type of knobbly-tyred bike", and minimal preparation saw her turn around at 20 miles. But determined to experience Audaxing properly, she returned a year later.

"It was a different type of cycling folk I hadn't experienced before," Conner-Burman says. Not everyone was as welcoming as she had hoped, but she took it as part of the charm. "I wanted to crack these characters," she laughs. Another part of what she loves is the humility in the community. "Have you heard of the Audax understatement?" she asks. "I was doing Brimstone, a 600km in the Wessex Series, and you come up on other cyclists, and they ask, 'Have you been out long?', and we just say, 'We're out for the day.' You don't have to advertise and flex."

In keeping with that philosophy, Conner-Burman rarely posts her stats on Strava. For her, Audaxing is about adventure and self-discovery. Only occasionally does she share her achievements to inspire others. "I do it because I want to say, I'm a totally normal person, and I can do this, and if I can do it, so can you," she says.

At events, she's noticed a growing number of younger people, but the number of female riders still remains low. She believes this might be because she hasn't completed many of the more popular events, instead opting for remote Audaxes, some of which have as few as eight participants.

Turning 50 in 2025, Conner-Burman challenged herself to complete all four Audaxes in the Wessex Series: Dorset Coast 200, Hard Boiled 300, Porkers 400 and Brimstone 600. She's now eyeing a second tilt at PBP, and is curious about a DIY Audax or an Arrow team event.

What does she do by way of structured training? "I don't," she says. "I've been cycling for a while; I just go off muscle memory." Efficiency is another focus - learning not to pedal downhill and sticking to a comfortable pace. Only in the week before an Audax event does she monitor her sleep, hydration and diet. "Just before, you get all nervous and frazzled, but if I know I've slept well all week, that will be enough," she says.