Sabrina Peng on Everesting in the Rain and a Second Crack at Worlds

Sabrina Peng came to cycling on the back of a running injury. She was a long-distance runner throughout school and into university, and in 2020, with a history of overuse injuries behind her, friends talked her into buying a road bike at the peak of COVID.

"I didn't realise how much I would really start to love it," she says. "And also how much money I would eventually spend over the years," she added with a laugh.

What hooked her was the ease of access and freedom only a bike can offer: roads she could never have reached on foot, the friendly competition of racing mates up climbs, and the camaraderie and motivation that come with a coffee stop.

Things turned serious in mid-2024 when she set herself an Everest Challenge on the Sydney climb of Berowra Waters West. It rained without stopping, with more than 40mm recorded on the day. Despite the deluge, Sabrina achieved the incredible 8,848m Everesting goal.

Structured training followed, with her lofty targets being Peaks Challenge and her first Tour de Brisbane in 2025, along with Grafton to Inverell, Thunderbolts Adventure and the Mudgee Classic for good measure.

Finishing 16th at Tour de Brisbane in the fiercely competitive 19–34 category, Sabs qualified for the 2025 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Lorne.

She loved racing Lorne, and it left her wanting more.

"It made me motivated to do more targeted training and qualify for the 2026 Worlds in Japan," she said.

"I've heard a lot about Japan as a mecca for cycling, and the mountainous regions of Hokkaido seemed ideal for the type of riding and exploring that I love," she told us.

But racing in Japan meant qualifying again at the UCI-ranked Tour de Brisbane, and this time carrying the pressure of having done it before and knowing what she was in for.

Sabrina's race was harder than the men's on paper, with only around 50 riders in her category. This meant working in a small group of three for most of the day rather than sitting in a bigger group.

Finishing 8th overall among the women, she was 4th in the UCI qualifying rankings and was thrilled to see her name on the live results moments after crossing the line. The first person she told was Tommy, who had qualified alongside her.

Sabrina's home roads these days are in the NSW Northern Rivers.

"I moved up to the Northern Rivers as a medical student doing placement in Lismore in 2024 and fell in love with the local cycling scene. The cycling community was so welcoming, and I started joining rides with the local crews, who showed me around the area and took me to the best coffee stops.

"The guys from the 'DTR crew', who have now formed the Northern Rivers Cycling Club, are a lovely bunch to ride with. They've been a great encouragement to my climbing adventures, as well as my expenditure on coffee and pastries."

"There's no shortage of hills," Sabrina told us. "An average one-hour ride will likely have 400m elevation at a minimum, which definitely conditions you to become better at climbing and descending. It's basically a climber's paradise — and it's hard to get lost because the roads seem to always eventually lead you back home."

She typically trains 10 to 14 hours per week, precious bike time that's fitted in around shift work. This includes structured indoor sessions midweek; three- to four-hour Zone 2 and climbing efforts on weekends; one active recovery or easy-run day; and gym strength training as well.

Coaching-wise, Sabrina switched from TrainerRoad to Xert last year and likes how its AI forecasting flexes around a busy roster that changes week to week and adapts training forecasts based on previous efforts and cumulative fatigue.

Sabrina says the right kit makes all the difference for a great day out on the bike, and she's thrilled to have discovered SOOMOM.

"Feeling comfortable with the right kit for long days on the bike is really important to me, especially because I've had significant saddle issues before from wearing bibs that don't have enough padding," she said.

"The SOOMOM All-Round SOM and OFF STP bib shorts are hands down some of the comfiest bibs I've used so far. I especially love the cargo pockets on the SOM ones, super handy on long days out.

"For jerseys, the All-Round Disarray Magenta is a favourite, along with the OFF STP Hyperblush, because the pops of colour are so nice and they make you feel fast."

Spending three weeks in Furano in the lead-up to the 2026 Worlds has involved acclimatising to the heat and humidity and learning the roads.

"It almost reminds me of a Japanese version of the Northern Rivers," she said.

"Plus, Tommy and I have been chasing local Strava segments as de facto intervals, and we climbed Mount Tokachi, which includes 13km at 7%."

As far as the 2026 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships go, the lesson from Lorne is the plan for Niseko.

"I went a bit too hard in the first half and didn't leave much left in the tank. This year I'm aiming to race a bit smarter," she added.