At 4am I find Phil in a layby at the bottom of a hill just outside of Bath. It’s pitch black as she puts on a high vis vest, turns on bike lights and boots up her GPS - though not the one which is somewhere in the verge having bounced off when she scouted the hill earlier in the week. We manage a brief hello and she promptly sets off on her first lap.

To say lap is slightly inaccurate as the rules of Everesting are strict and an actual loop runs the risk of each descent providing momentum for the return journey. Instead it is an out-and-back; up the hill, turn around at the top, ride down, turn around and repeat. Only 5.3% of Everesters are women and while on an Adventure Syndicate camp with her friend Alice, who holds the record for the fastest woman, a plan was hatched. Lee Craigie, Jenny Graham and Philippa all agreed to do an Everest - before Spring to keep it out of their race seasons - and do their small part to redress the balance.

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