MILLIE GIBBONS doesn’t make plans because it’s fun to say you did something – Millie makes plans because it’s fun to do things. While this fun thing isn’t new, the plan itself is a little different. Let’s hear how it went down (and up, and down, and up…), and how Millie got there in the first place.
I’ll always remember the first time I rode 100k. I was with my brother, and when I looked down and saw 95k on my computer, I thought: that’s crazy. I’m so tired. I can’t believe I've come this far. The last 5k felt like it went on forever. Now, whenever I have a 100k left of anything, I remember that time and think, isn't that crazy?
The first time I did an Everest was after Lost Dot’s Trans Pyrenees Race [where Millie was the first woman to finish, riding 1918.6km in 6 days, 12 hours and 50 minutes]. I wanted to do something for the winter solstice. And I thought, why not give it a go? It's one of those things in the ultra world – it's on the to-do list, isn't it?
I love climbing. It's one of the coolest ways to experience riding – I think it's the purest form.
I’ve done a few Everests now [Millie holds the world record for the fastest double Everest, so this is a mild understatement]. Overall, it's pretty simple: you're just riding up and down a climb. It's safe, yet you're doing something really epic, really big. You don't have to put much thought into the route, where resupply is – all of the things that can make big, long rides scary. You can just go to a climb that's right near your house and be there all day. I love it.
If you have a car, it's different – you can have all your snacks and supplies in there. But if you don't, you obviously need a water source. That's key. If you want to do it as fast as possible, you want it to be super steep. But… just pick something nice. You're gonna be there for a long time. Might as well enjoy the view.
Sunrise, sunset – you’re there all day. It's given me so much confidence and empowerment. It’s an amazing experience. It's such a safe space to try something and push your limits.
And I just want to share that – especially with women.
Every ultra race you do, every long ride you do solo, self-supported, is really cool. You make it to the end, and you're like, damn, I did that all on my own? I love riding on my own, but there's something about women joining together and getting each other through something that’s just incredible. So this time I thought: why don’t I invite everyone?
I have friends who have loads of ultra experience who haven’t done an Everest before, some friends who have seen me do it and wondered what it’s like, and friends who just like hanging out and having a good time. I invited them all. No expectations. Try it. See how you go. It’s fun. We’re here to enjoy ourselves, together.
The idea is that you can always do one more. That's what I always think. It's just one more. We kept chanting that at the bottom. We had a leaderboard where we wrote everyone’s names, and for every climb you got a sticker. I’ve been counting up how many reps we did – I’m going to work out how many metres we climbed.
Almost everyone who came to support, or to see what was going on, ended up riding more than they had originally planned. Not only did the one more climb mantra help the women doing it, it also helped the supporters as well. People would come and say, yeah, I’ll do one. The next thing you know, they're on number three saying, I was gonna go home, but I’m still here because it’s just so good.
The idea is that you can always do one more.
We started in the morning. Every other ride I've ever organised, it’s rained. I manifested so hard that there was gonna be good weather. I guess I manifested too hard, and it was 37 degrees when we started. But sun makes everything better. If you’ve never ridden all night… when the sun comes up, it’s amazing what that can do when you’re tired.
We had a speaker and a playlist – everyone could add their favourite hype track. At night we stay as a group, listening to each other’s songs. When yours comes on, it’s impossible not to start dancing. And then the next song comes on, and the next person's on the vibe. It's really cool, just another thing we can share. One more tune? One more climb.
“It was never just about the numbers. It was about showing up for each other and making a local climb feel like something special.”
– Laura Alonso
You could make something like an Everest seem really hard, or you can make it really fun, you know? I'd rather make something really fun than do something hard just for the challenge, taking it all too seriously.
Everything I do… It’s all for fun.
It's not a short thing. You're there 24 hours. There’s a lot of opportunity for people to come at different times. We’re riding along merrily in our little group, and someone turns up excited to see you. Ride a couple of laps, hang out a bit at the top. A few hours later, someone else you weren't expecting pops up. It's super cool.
Another benefit to riding in the same place is you can have a full outfit change. You can be full diva. However many bib shorts you've got, especially when it's hot, you can change. It makes you feel like a new person. You don't need to sleep. It’s only one night – it’s not like a multi-day race where more and more the sleep really matters.
Change your kit, brush your teeth. Do those things, and it feels like a new day.
Seeing others achieve something – the look on their face, the way that they talk. Going through that uncertainty, thinking you can’t do something but trying anyway, maybe even reaching the realisation that you can do it after all. That’s the coolest thing to witness. All I want is to make space for more women to experience that, to try something they maybe wouldn't have thought was possible.
“Different stories, different strengths. At every turn there was someone cheering, laughing… just getting it. That energy carried me.”
– Kate Iakovleva
I'm really fortunate that if I think I want to do something, I’ll just go and do it. I've always been like that. And I learned that it’s really cool and empowering and fun when you do it. As the years go on, I’ve done a few things with groups of women, and I’ve started to see those times where a little extra encouragement can make a difference. We all know when we want to do something, and I think we all know that it’s possible. We just need that space and the opportunity to achieve it.
Eleven of us started. Three finished. Together we climbed 52,000m.
We’ll be doing it again next year. See you there?
With special thanks to:
MAAP Ambassador: Millie Gibbons
@milliegibbons
Photographer: Twila
@twilcha
Words: Stuart Downie
@circlestu
