After completing a solo Everesting, Millie Gibbons returned for a second attempt with a new objective: to turn a monumental personal challenge into a collective endeavour. She rallied three other women to tackle the 8,848-meter ascent as a team. What unfolded was more than just a cycling achievement; it was a powerful testament to the energy, resilience, and pure joy that emerges when women support each other through the most demanding endeavours, proving that the toughest climbs are better conquered together.

It started when Maia approached me, knowing I had done one already. We immediately wanted to make it cute, cool, and fun, and to do it as a pair. Then we had the simple but powerful thought: why not invite more women to join us? Nothing beats women doing hard things together. We set a date with not much notice, and two other fabulous ladies, Dana and Anna, agreed to join us on this mission.

It was the best feeling. The four of us rode together the entire time, and we were surrounded by supporters all day and night—some joining for a climb, others bringing snacks and pizza, or just meeting us at the summit with hand-painted signs for a morale boost. It was the strongest community of women I have ever felt. As someone who usually embarks on these crazy challenges alone, having that female company the whole time made it so, so special.

They were profoundly different. With Maia, Dana, and Anna, I didn't once think about the act of riding; I was just having a great fun time. While I love the mental roller coaster of a solo ride, here it was never a question of if it was hard. We were together, singing and dancing, so it was just fun! The meters and the climbs just ticked by so quickly.

The weather at the start meant we were literally riding in a cloud but finally, we were gifted with the most amazing sunrise. I always love a sunrise after riding all night; it feels like the reward and energy boost you need. But this one was extra special, because after 18 hours without seeing the sun, it finally appeared and it was beautiful!

Managing our collective tiredness and emotional ups and downs was the hardest part, especially as they hit each of us at different times. But we stuck together - descending and ascending as a group, and always taking the same breaks together. We made a playlist with each of our favourite hype songs for when it was dark. So when your song came on, it really gave you that extra lift which in turn gave the rest of us a boost, we were singing and dancing throughout the night.

If you want to do a big challenge or something crazy, get the girls together, go do it, and make it fun. Hard things don’t seem as hard if you do them with amazing women, good vibes, and plenty of glitter.

I would love to plan more big challenges like this for women, I already have a bunch of ideas and we will definitely be doing a Women’s Everest again. The vibes were unreal, and it proved to us that anything really is possible when women come together!