Sarah Hammond is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

ultra-endurance bicycle racer who in 2014 became the first woman to

Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heigh ...

by riding the equivalent of the height of Mount Everest in a 24-hour period and has won the

Race to the Rock The Race to the Rock is an annual unsupported ultra-distance bicycle race through the Australian Outback organized by Jesse Carlsson. Unlike stage races, such as the Tour De France, ultra-distance races start and run continuously until the compet ...

for three consecutive years.

History

Hammond is from

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, where she was associated with a local cycling group known as Hells 500, the group that created the Everesting challenge. After her first Everest in 2014, she attracted the attention of ultra-endurance cyclist,

Jesse Carlsson Jesse Carlsson is an Australian BMX age-group world champion, theoretical physics PhD, ultra-distance cycling competitor and businessman. Ultra-distance racing Tour Divide Carlsson placed second in the 2013 Tour Divide. Trans Am Bike Race In 20 ...

, who suggested her endurance would have indicated a proficiency in the sport. In 2016, she entered her first endurance race, the 7,000 kilometer

Trans Am Bike Race The Trans Am Bike Race (TABR) is an annual, self-supported, ultra-distance cycling race across the United States. The route is about long and uses the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail that was developed by the Adventure Cycling Association for the Bik ...

. She was the first woman to lead the race, and did so for over a week, before lost time due to a wrong turn left her in a sixth-place finish. A few months later, she won the inaugural Race to the Rock, a 3,000 kilometer ultra endurance race from

Adelaide, Australia Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The demo ...

Uluru Uluru (; pjt, Uluṟu ), also known as Ayers Rock ( ) and officially Gazette#Gazette as a verb, gazetted as UluruAyers Rock, is a large sandstone geological formation, formation in the centre of Australia. It is in the southern part of the ...

(also known as

Ayers Rock Uluru (; pjt, Uluṟu ), also known as Ayers Rock ( ) and officially gazetted as UluruAyers Rock, is a large sandstone formation in the centre of Australia. It is in the southern part of the Northern Territory, southwest of Alice Springs ...

). She was the only female participant, and was in the lead at

William Creek William Creek, Australia is located halfway on the Oodnadatta Track, north west of Marree and east of Coober Pedy in South Australia. The town has a permanent population of 10. William Creek is in the federal Division of Grey and the state ...

. When she became aware of the conditions ahead at

Oodnadatta Oodnadatta is a small, remote outback town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia, located north-north-west of the state capital of Adelaide by road or direct, at an altitude of . The unsealed Oodnadatta Track, an outback road ...

, she continued through the night without sleep. Due to this effort, she managed to cross flooded roads and mud pits before they became completely impassable. Conditions continued to deteriorate, and Hammond was the only participant to complete the race. In 2017, once again the only female participant, she again won the race, being one of five cyclists to overcome the difficulties of the trail and complete the race. She won the race, billed by Carlsson as "the race so hard no man has ever won it", for the third consecutive year in 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammond, Sarah Living people Australian female cyclists Ultra-distance cyclists Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people)