Episode 150: Harriet Gruen

From Long Distance Touring to Record Breaker

From Touring to the Three Peaks

When Harriet Gruen first set off to cycle from Europe to China, she didn’t think of herself as a cyclist. She isn’t sure what sparked the idea to do so back in 2017. Five years later she would be putting that thought into action and setting off for what would become a 10,000km odyssey right up to the Chinese border. Initially this ride was going to be shared with her brother, but he pulled out shortly before the date of departure, and instead of cancelling the idea, Harriet decided to go ahead. Solo.

That four-month ride for Harriet became The Unlikely Adventure, a journey which shifted how she saw the world and herself. Harriet shares, she want from zero to one hundred in terms of throwing herself in at the deep end. By the time she returned back to her home in London, she also came away from it with a newfound love of cycling.

The Unlikely Adventure

Harriet shares, she want from zero to one hundred in terms of throwing herself in at the deep end. She set off from France and for the first few weeks actively avoided any hills on her route. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to ride them, and was very much seeking out the flatter roads. Then came Slovenia and the famous Virsuc pass would be where she realised that she was more than capable of riding up gradients. It took a lot of effort, but the reward of self confidence afterwards was worth it.

“Cycle touring gives you this beautiful freedom of time. You can change your route, follow a suggestion, or just see where the road leads.”

Her brother eventually would join her for part of the journey and they cycled together through Turkey and Georgia. Later on in her journey as she made her way through Central Asia, Harriet would team up with two other bike travellers – Ed and McKenley. In Uzbekistan they they each shared a mad day of cycling where they rode together as a group for almost 300kms between Bukhara to Samerkand. That ride is perhaps the birth of Harriet as an ultra-cyclist?

There was also the nightmare of a train journey to cross the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekhistan. 14 hours, crammed in like sardines in 40 degree heat. No seats or air conditioning. This discomfort perhaps hardening the group up for what would be some grim riding in Tajikistan. Over the Pamirs on the most beat up roads – on bikes with 32mm tyres no less – to withstanding a horrendous time with unimaginable food poisoning. One day was so grim Ed and Harriet tried to cycle through it and managed only 10kms for the entire day.

Reaching the end of the Whakan Valley the highlight for Harriet was leaving the dirt and reaching the tarmac. A memory which still triggers goosebumps when she thinks back to it. The Pamirs were challenging, the road conditions a struggle but of course the cliche of being surrounded by energising vistas no doubt helping spur them on to the Chinese border.

The Transition to Ultra Cycling

Speaking to Harriet, I gained some good insights into how she made that shift from long distance touring cyclist to ultra racing. She says she has always been a bit competitive, and there was always a drive to see what she could achieve. She also realised that she enjoys the routine of being back in London, and with the constraints of maintaining a steady job, she knows that taking another 5 months off work to go cycling to the other side of the world isn’t something she can easily do. That is where ultra cycling came in.

As Harriet mentioned, it was a way that she could combine the thrill of what she enjoyed so much about cycle touring, pushing herself, seeing new places, the emotional ups and downs, into a short period of time.

“You can cross a small country in a day and the landscapes change both slowly enough to absorb, but quickly enough to remain interesting.”

Harriet has since raced a few different ultras, with a mix of off -road and road events. These have included the Dales Divide, Trans Pyrenees as well as her favourite event, Badlands. When we spoke she was just days away from taking on the new ultra event Marseilles to Napoli, and in 2026 she is registered for the Atlas Mountain Race in Morocco. She has very much thrown herself right into the ultra-racing world.

A Challenge Close to Home

Then came her next goal. The Three Peaks challenge is well known in Britain: climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon, usually in under 24 hours with a car and support crew. Harriet chose to do it differently, by cycling the entire distance between the mountains and summiting each on foot. It was a way to combine two things she loves: moving through landscapes by bike, and spending time in the hills on her own terms.

“I thought I’d try and combine my two loves — cycling and hiking — and set the FKT for the Three Peaks by Bike.”

She also decided that perhaps it would be an opportunity to really push herself and go for the women’s Fastest Known Time (FKT). She needed to balance her training for the event with her full time job and while she says perhaps the lead up to the event itself meant she wasn’t able to train as much as she’d have liked, she still managed to take 10 hours off the record and set the new FKT for the route.

It’s a pretty awesome achievement and yet when I speak with Harriet she isn’t overly boastful. That isn’t in her personality, but I can also see where her mind is already looking towards her next challenge. She did say something that she particularly enjoyed about the event was the supported aspect, having her partner, family and friends be there as her support crew was a real mental boost. In the world of ultras where staying in a positive mindset can make or break you, this was definitely something she didn’t take for granted.

When I first went to interview Harriet I was intrigued about how she had somehow turned from going on long distance tours, to then racing bikes at the other end of the spectrum with ultra events. Now I totally get it. She has found a way to condense the experiences of touring, into a matter of days, suiting her lifestyle, and injecting a good bit of competitive adventure in a long the way. I can’t wait to see what lays ahead of her next.

Be sure to follow Harriet’s future adventures for yourself via her instagram – @anunlikelyadventure and her personal blog An Unlikely Adventure.

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