‘The Ride of My Life’: Lael Wilcox Sets Women’s Around-the-World Cycling Record

Lael Wilcox isn’t one to slow down. The fourth-generation Alaskan cyclist has scored her share of accomplishments, setting new records on the Continental Divide, the Trans Am, or just every major road in Alaska.

Apparently, those epic rides still weren’t long enough. After three and a half months, Wilcox has set a new women’s record for fastest global circumnavigation by bicycle.

Her 18,125-mile trip began in May, when the 38-year-old set out from Chicago. After riding east to New York, she flew to Portugal and began her trek across Europe, ending in Georgia. Then she traversed Australia and New Zealand before finishing off the epic journey by cycling from Alaska back to her start point in Chicago, where she arrived Wednesday.

In total, the trip took her 108 days, 12 hours, and 12 minutes, shaving about 16 days off the previous Guinness World Record set by Scottish cyclist Jenny Graham in 2018. On Instagram this week, she called the trip “the ride of her life.”

“It’s the best I’ve ever felt at the end of a long ride,” she wrote. “I can’t believe I’m writing this, but I already want to get back on my bike — mostly, I’m just soaking up this incredible adventure.”

14-Hour Days in the Saddle

The rules for successfully cycling or running around the globe are a bit complicated — as you might imagine for a planet that’s mostly covered in water.

To be eligible for the world record, a cyclist must start and end their journey in the same place. They must also travel continuously in one direction, and cover more than 18,000 miles on the bicycle. In addition, the total trip distance, including flights, must amount to at least 24,854 miles — roughly the circumference of the equator. Once started, the clock does not stop during the attempt.

To break the previous record set in 2018 by Scotland’s Graham (124 days, 11 hours), Wilcox spent up to 14 hours per day in the saddle. She often covered distances of more than 186 miles. Sometimes, Wilcox even covered more than 248 miles in a single day, according to Strava, where she logged her months-long ride.

Users of the popular cycling and outdoor app will notice that Wilcox set plenty of smaller records on her way around the world. In fact, she racked up more than 110 course records over her 108 days on the road.

As for Wilcox’s immediate plans for the future, they still involve — as you might guess — more cycling. She’s headed next to North Carolina to visit her sister, where she’s “hoping to squeeze in a little bike trip with my family,” she said on Instagram. After that, she’s got her first board meeting in Missoula, Mont., with the Adventure Cycling Association.

For this master cyclist, there’s no slowing down.

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