The Cadence Collective Classic: Women Redefining Ultra-Endurance

Guest

Thanks, Alex! I'm beyond excited to be here. Honestly, people keep saying it's scary, but I just see it as the ride of a lifetime. I've been training my whole life for this.

Guest

Yeah, a lot of women riders avoid carbon for long distance. It's not just about weight; it's about comfort, durability, and feel. My Lightning Bolt is steel, it's springy, it soaks up road buzz. I've got a 10-speed groupset with a 26-38-48 triple crank, because having that bailout granny gear is non-negotiable when you're climbing Mount Baldy at 3 a.m.

Guest

Oh, it gets better. I've got wide Rene Herse 42mm 650b tires—supple, fast—and a custom Rando bag that's actually incredibly aero. People laugh, but it's been tested. It's like a little fairing. I'm not out there to look pro; I'm out there to finish.

Guest

It's a reverse split, Alex. I start slow, let the front group go, and then I ramp up. The first loop I'll be conservative, maybe even stop for a nap early. Then I build. By the last loop, I'll be fresh while others are shelled. The sleep thing—I've trained my body to function on minimum. Weekly century-plus rides, plus long weekend doubles, all with sleep deprivation.

Guest

Every Saturday, rain or shine. It's my baseline. The headwinds out here are worse than any climb, and you need that mental toughness. The Classic will have brutal headwinds through the high desert, and I'm ready.

Guest

I'd argue it's still unsupported between loops. You're out there for 200, 300 kilometers at a time with only what you carry. But having a hub is smart—it's a safety net. And it builds community. The Cadence Collective mantra is 'Ride Slow, Bring Snacks, Take Naps.' That's literally on a banner in five languages. It's not about suffering; it's about sustainable endurance.

Guest

It's insane! And they're all coming to my backyard. But here's the thing—older women dominate ultra-endurance. The data shows that as the distance goes beyond 48 hours, the gender gap flips. Women become consistently faster than men. And me, at 58, I'm in my prime.

Guest

It's muscle physiology. As women age, we shift to a higher percentage of slow-twitch fibers, which are fatigue-resistant. Plus, our mitochondrial networks become denser, not just with age, but compared to men. We're literally built for endurance. The pro peloton is all about 3-to-6-hour explosions; we're talking 105 hours of steady, relentless forward motion. It's a different sport.

Guest

Well, the Classic is women-only, but yeah, if I finish within the 105-hour brevet limit, I'll be proving something. A lot of these women have already beaten men in open events. The cadence collective started as a pandemic-era online community for 45-plus women in SoCal, and it exploded. Now we've got riding crews from France, Germany, Spain, South Korea—all here because they know this is where the real endurance happens.

Guest

I think it's brilliant. People need to see what women endure. Imagine interviews about being told it's not safe to ride at night, or that you're not tough enough, while the footage shows you spinning into sunrise on day three. It's going to be raw, and honestly, it might change the whole perception of female athletes.

Guest

The headwinds. I'll take a 10% grade over a relentless headwind any day. At least with climbing, you get a reward—a descent. Headwinds just sap your soul. That's where my aero rando bag and aerobars will earn their keep.

Guest

I get that a lot. But it's shaped like a teardrop, and it sits right behind the handlebars, smoothing airflow. A friend at a wind tunnel confirmed it. It's not just a bag; it's a fairing. In ultracycling, tiny gains add up over a thousand miles.

Guest

Absolutely. Every woman on that start line has earned it. The Cadence Collective isn't a charity ride; it's a summit of the world's most accomplished ultra-endurance athletes. And yet, it's also welcoming. The mantra—'Roule doucement, apporte des snacks, fais la sieste'—it's in French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean. It's a global sisterhood.

Guest

I just hope I'm conscious enough to dance! But seriously, it's about honoring the effort. The women who finish won't just be athletes; they'll be legends. And the younger riders will see that a 58-year-old woman can still throw down with the best.

Guest

Exactly. I've been riding for 30 years. I know exactly when to eat, when to push, when to nap. Younger riders might hammer the first 200k and blow up. I treat it like a job—a really, really long job. The reverse split is my mental edge. I start slow, I finish strong, and I pass people when they're suffering.

Guest

The Cadence Collective started as a pandemic group chat among 45-plus women in SoCal who wanted to ride long. Corporate money is just amplifying that voice. Lifetime's documentary will show the world what we've been doing quietly for years. I think it's a net positive, as long as the core values—ride slow, bring snacks, take naps—stay intact.

Guest

I have a lightweight bivy and a tiny inflatable pad. I'll find a quiet spot, set an alarm, and crash for 20 minutes to 2 hours. The trick is to sleep before you're desperate. I'll take my first nap around hour six, even if I feel fine. That's the reverse split—sleep early, ride hard later.

Guest

Real food, mainly. I can't do gels for days. I'll have burritos, PB&J, boiled potatoes, salted nuts. At the hub, I'll grab a hot meal. The event provides meals, but I'll carry snacks. The mantra's got it right—bring snacks. I've got a bento box full of gummy bears, too.

Guest

Maybe a little. I know where the wind shifts, where the pavement gets rough, which water stops are reliable. But these women are pros; they'll adapt. Jana Kesselhaur rode through the heat of the TCR in 2026 without flinching. Still, I'm banking on my local knowledge to save energy.

Guest

Reliability. A 10-speed drivetrain is bombproof. Fewer gears mean less finicky shifting, and I can fix it with a multi-tool. Electronic shifting is great until the battery dies in the middle of nowhere. I'm not racing for a podium; I'm racing to finish. My triple crank gives me a wider range than any 1x setup.

Guest

Actually, wide tires at lower pressure have less rolling resistance on rough roads. They float over chipseal and potholes. The Rene Herse tires are supple; they're faster than most 25mm racing tires on real-world surfaces. Plus, comfort is speed over 1400k.

Guest

I do night rides, alone. I've ridden through the mountains at 2 a.m. with only my headlight. I've learned to embrace the dark, the quiet, the weird thoughts. You have to be your own best friend out there. I also practice mindfulness—when the pain gets bad, I focus on my breath, or I count pedal strokes. It's almost meditative.

Guest

For me, it's about finishing within the limit. I'm not competing with Jana Kesselhaur; she's in a different league. But I'm racing against my own expectations. The reverse split is my plan to ride negative splits, so I'm passing people in the last 300k. That's a mental victory, even if I'm not on the podium.

Guest

It started with a few women posting on social media, looking for ride partners over 45. Suddenly, 50-plus women were finding each other. We'd do long rides, share tips, and then during the pandemic, it blew up. Post-pandemic, we're dominating ultra racing. The collective gave women permission to be tough, to take up space, to ride all night. Now we've got crews from France, Germany, Spain, Korea—all connected by the same mantra.

Guest

Exactly. It's permission to be smart. Ultracycling isn't about who can suffer the most; it's about who can manage their energy the longest. The older women get that instinctively. We're not trying to prove anything by riding ourselves into the ground.

Guest

Over 30,000 feet, I think. It's relentless. The first loop hits the mountains, and the last loop is a coastal grind with brutal headwinds. I've ridden parts of it, but never all at once. The high desert has miles of nothing, just wind and sun. I'll be using my aerobars a lot there.

Guest

I'll have fresh clothes, extra lights, batteries, and specific food I know works. I'll swap out my base layer, maybe change socks. That's a morale booster. I'll also have a bag with my favorite snacks—dark chocolate, salty nuts. The rest I'll grab from the village.

Guest

Tools, tubes, pump, rain jacket, arm warmers, sunscreen, first aid kit, and a lot of food. The bag is waterproof, so I don't worry about storms. It's heavy, but I've trained with it. I know exactly where everything is in the dark.

Guest

I am. The science is on my side. Women's mitochondrial density increases with age, and our slow-twitch fibers become more dominant. We're literally built to go longer as we get older. The Cadence Collective is full of women in their 50s and 60s who are crushing records. I'm not just competing; I'm proving that our best years are ahead.

Guest

In events shorter than a day, men are faster on average. But as the distance increases, the gap narrows. By 200 miles, it's nearly equal. After 48 hours, women are consistently faster. It's a combination of physiology and psychology. Women are better at pacing, at managing pain, at using fat as fuel. We're not as explosive, but we're steadier.

Guest

Meagan is a beast. She'll likely go out hard, and she might not stop much. But the cloverleaf format means she'll have to pass through the hub multiple times, which could tempt her to rest. I'd love to see if she can maintain her usual pace with that structure. It's a different kind of race.

Guest

Probably the heat. She's from Switzerland, and while she's raced in hot conditions, the SoCal desert can be relentless. But she's a pro; she'll manage. Honestly, the biggest threat to all of them is the headwinds. That's the great equalizer.

Guest

I want them to show the moments of doubt, the tears, the camaraderie, the sheer grit. I want them to capture the sunrise on day three with a rider still spinning, still smiling. And I want them to interview the women who were told they couldn't, but did anyway. That's the heart of the Cadence Collective.

Guest

It started as a joke. We're a bunch of older women who refuse to quit. We're terminators, but with a twist—we're the Terminatrix. We're relentless, we're unstoppable, and we're not going anywhere. Plus, it sounds cool.

Guest

Just that if you're a woman, and you've ever thought you couldn't ride that far, or that you're too old, come watch. We're proving that age is just a number, and that women can do anything. Ride slow, bring snacks, take naps, and never give up. Thanks, Alex.