Photo: Wooter Roosenboom

German-born Monika Sattler (aka RAD Monika) is on a mission to inspire more people, especially women, to take up cycling. Her plan: to be the first woman in history to ride the entire course of this summer’s professional road cycling race, the Vuelta a España – one of cycling’s toughest Grand Tours – just hours ahead of the pro cyclists. The brutal 3300km route is designed to test even the most seasoned of professional riders and includes 21 days on the bike, notoriously difficult climbs and the searing heat of a Spanish summer. Phew!

I caught up with Monika over the phone from her home in Mallorca, Spain, to chat about her cycling background, her brief stint as a pro cyclist, and how she’s preparing for her record-breaking Vuelta Ride challenge.

The Women’s Adventure Expo is back with two June events which bring together some of the most inspiring women speakers from the world of adventure and exploration. Get your tickets, pronto!

If hearing stories about women doing courageous things in adventure and endurance is your thing, the Women’s Adventure Expo will be right up your street. On top of their big yearly event in October, this month they’re hosting two events which give you the chance to hear from, and about, some of the most inspiring women in the world of outdoors and adventure.

This year’s special event marks the Centenary year of women’s suffrage and encompasses two events on the same day, Thursday 21 June, at the Royal Geographical Society in London.

Photo: Charlotte Barnes

With a raft of impressive endurance cycling titles to her name (including World 24-Hr Time Trial champion), you might assume Jasmijn Muller has decades of bike racing under her belt. In fact, she only got into cycling aged 31. Seven years later, in 2017, the 38-year-old ‘Dutchie’ took on the immense challenge of breaking the speed record for cycling from Land’s End to John o’ Groats (850 miles), and was on schedule for success until illness forced her to withdraw. This year she’s back to settle the score.

In the first instalment of this two-part Q&A, Jasmijn chats through her cycling background, LEJOG attempt and learnings from last year. Plus, don’t miss her clothing recommendations for comfort on the bike – if anyone knows what works over long distance cycling, it’s Jasmijn!

Dutch-born endurance athlete Bonnie Van Wilgenburg has dabbled in pretty much every endurance sport you can imagine, from extreme distance triathlons and mega swimrun events to ultra-trail and skyrunning races. A regular on the podium, the 30-year-old’s wins include the XMan XXX Triathlon and Breca Wanaka swimrun, plus a podium on the crazy Ultra Tour des 4 Massifs run – 160km and 10,000m of ascent!

I put twenty questions to Bonnie about swimrun, triathlon and ultra-running – and shortly after answering she broke her shoulder! Wishing you speedy recovery, Bonnie.

Ultra-runner Debbie Martin-Consani has completed some of Europe’s most notorious ultra-distance events, including the unrelenting 330km Tor des Geants, and has numerous ultra-running podiums to her name. She’s also represented Great Britain several times at the World 24-hour Championship (yes, such a thing exists!)

Based in Scotland where she lives with her husband and son, Debbie fits running around a full-time job and is currently in training for the Bob Graham round next month (66 miles and 26,000ft of elevation). Despite a packed schedule, the Montane athlete kindly let me quiz her to find out about her training, bucket list running events and her sleep-deprived Tor des Geants experience.

As Co-owner of the OCR community’s favourite hangout, The Camp at Mike’s Gym in Marbella, training and racing with Europe’s leading OCR athletes is all in a day’s work for Sorrel Lewis. When she’s not putting athletes through their paces or racing them through the notoriously tough course, she’s flipping tyres and raising atlas stones in the dedicated combat area. Phew!

For an insider peek behind the scenes, I persuaded the OCR athlete and trainer (who has competed in everything from Europe’s Toughest Mudder to the OCR World Championship) to share a typical day in her life.

Photo: DW Photographer

With last weekend’s Trail Running World Championship all wrapped up, it seemed like the perfect time to get to know fell and trail ultra-runner Sally Fawcett, who donned her GB vest for the fourth time in Spain to cover the 54-mile course and 5000m of mountainous elevation.

Fresh from the world champs, the 37-year-old Montane ultra-runner and physio chats about her Penyagolosa experience, clocking up Win Hill ascents in training, and ticking off the Bob Graham round last year.

Photo: Anthony Ball

When 37-year-old Kiko Matthews set out to break the solo speed record for rowing the Atlantic in January, she’d already faced death at least twice in the form of two brain surgeries and time in intensive care whilst deeply ill with Cushing’s disease. Her experience inspired a quest to raise money for King’s College Hospital who treated her, and fostered a positive mindset that meant that even the 80ft waves she encountered during her record breaking 49-day row didn’t faze her.

In fact, Kiko completed the 3280-mile Atlantic row without any dramatic tales; she didn’t missed anyone or anything, liked her own company and genuinely enjoyed the experience. Truth be told, I was expecting tales of hallucinations, naked rowing and life-changing moments of facing fears, loneliness and total exhaustion, but Kiko’s positive approach to life meant that, save the brief low moment, she literally sailed through it. As she said to me, “You don’t have to do a big challenge in order to find yourself or to be happy – for me, these revelations have come from everyday life, from all the experiences I’ve had, good and bad.”

Enjoy the rest of our chat.

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at the Commonwealth Games? Soigneur, massage therapist, and founder of Roadside Therapy, Tierney Maude, was part of the team treating and supporting the Team England mountain bike athletes during their medal-winning performances at the Gold Coast this year.

Here, Tierney shares an insight into what a typical day at the Games involved.

Olympic silver medallist and former Modern Pentathlon world champion, Samantha Murray joins me on the blog today, talking through how she manages to train across five sports (swimming, fencing, show jumping, running and laser shooting!).

Sam also gives me a crash course in the basics of Modern Pentathlon. Spoiler: It’s busy!