The 41-year-old redefined what it means to leave some epidermis in the game after her marathon effort to win her age group (40-44) at the world 24hr solo mountain bike championships in Italy earlier this month.
The event is exactly what it sounds like. You start pedalling at 10am and you stop the next day at the same time.
Cook, who works at Moana Pool as a bookings co-ordinator, knew exactly what she was up against because she won her category when the race was staged in New Zealand last year.
However, this time the back-to-back champion suffered terrible chafing, which made the last four hours very uncomfortable.
"I did it the year before so I had half an idea what to expect," she said.
"I knew by about 3am I was going to get really tired and want to get off my bike, so you just prepare yourself for that.
"I guess you just turn your brain off and tell yourself to keep riding."
But about 6am Cook hit a new wall. She had not experienced chafing before but, gradually, her seat felt more like an orbital sander.
"I lost all the skin," she said with a chuckle.
"And I still had to sit down for four hours. It wasn’t nice," she added, still laughing.
The 10km circuit offered something for everyone. There was a gravel section, some technical sections, which got hairy when the sun went down, and flat stretches as well.Cook ended up completing 27 laps and lapped her nearest rival.
"Everyone asks why," she responded when asked what it was about the endurance event she liked.
"I just love riding my bike. I love racing and I like winning."
She took up mountain biking "seriously" about six years ago. Initially, it was to stay fit but "it just stuck".
Cook plans to head to Scotland next year to defend her title.
