On the 10th of July Phoenix member Lucie took on the mammoth Pan Celtic challenge. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Lucie without a smile on her face. She’s calming and quietly spoken with a fantastic French accent. Yet under this affable exterior Lucie is as hard as nails!
The Panceltic 2022 challenge is a self-supported, ultra-endurance race.
As her first ultra-endurance event Lucie wisely went for the shorter route, but when I say shorter route, make no mistake we’re still talking 1,020miles and 41,325ft of climbing. A difficult challenge for any hardened cyclist. The route starts in Wales and heads back into Ireland and back again to Wales for the finish. (Pembroke – Rosslare, Tarbet and Dublin – Holyhead)
Lucie managed this race in an incredible 6 days and 14 hours. Here’s what she had to say –
“I showed up to the start line with not much confidence in myself and my ability to finish such a race. But with the days going by I got in the rhythm of it and started to enjoy being on my bike all day, every day, more and more. The landscapes, the people met on the road and the feeling of freedom overcome the pain and tiredness. I finished the route in less time than I could have dreamt of and even though I was exhausted I was still dreaming of the places I’d seen. I will spend the next year preparing for the next edition of the Panceltic race and trying to talk more women into ultra distance cycling!”
What a legend! 💪🏻
