For this woman in her 50s, endurance cycling is quietly radical – and about much more than sport

Saskia Beudel, a woman in her late fifties, has written a book about her training for one of Australia's most grueling cycling events, The Peaks Challenge. This 111-day journey pushed her body to its limits as she covered 235 kilometers and climbed over 4,000 meters in a single day. While the book is primarily about endurance cycling, it also explores themes of ageing, resilience, and the psychological challenges of long-distance cycling.

Beudel's reflections on her experience are often raw and vulnerable, revealing the uncertainty and fatigue that come with such an undertaking. The Peaks Challenge is a radical event for anyone, but especially for someone in Beudel's age bracket. Her story challenges the notion that age is a barrier to physical challenge and self-discovery.

The book also touches on the historical significance of women's cycling, referencing Simone de Beauvoir's cycling through wartime France as an example of physical and intellectual liberation. However, the author notes that women are still underrepresented in endurance cycling events like The Peaks Challenge, but does not delve deeply into the barriers that women riders face today.

Beudel's book is more than just a sports narrative; it is a meditation on attention, persistence, and the willingness to confront uncertainty. It offers a thoughtful reflection on what it means to inhabit a changing body while continuing to test its limits. The final ride through Victoria's alpine country is a testament to the beauty and resilience of the natural world, as well as the human spirit.