Will she break the world record?: Lael Wilcox aims to become the fastest person to cycle around the world

Cycling around the world: Lael Wilcox aims to set a new world record for the fastest round-the-world bike ride. The American already holds the women’s record for cycling around the world. Now she is setting off from Chicago in an attempt to beat Mark Beaumont’s previous men’s record from 2017. To do so, she would have to complete the route of over 29,000 kilometres across four continents in less than 78 days, 14 hours and 40 minutes. Wilcox plans to cycle 386 kilometres a day.

Lael Wilcox, a 41-year-old endurance cyclist from Anchorage, Alaska, already holds the women’s world record for cycling around the world. In September 2024, Lael Wilcox covered 29,200 kilometres in 108 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes. She cycled an average of 269 kilometres per day and climbed 192,000 metres. Now she is aiming for the absolute record, regardless of gender.

Route in seven stages

The route is divided into seven stages with six transfers. Lael Wilcox will first travel from Chicago to Halifax in Nova Scotia. After crossing the Atlantic, the European leg will take her from Lisbon to Istanbul.

The journey continues through Kazakhstan in Central Asia to South-East Asia, where she will travel from Bangkok to Singapore. In Australia, the route takes her from Perth to Brisbane, followed by a leg through New Zealand. The final leg takes her from Anchorage back to the starting point in Chicago. She must reach the finish line before 18:40 on 24 August.

Lael Wilcox Material

Lael Wilcox rides a Specialized S-Works Roubaix with Future Shock suspension. The drivetrain consists of SRAM RED AXS with a 48/35 chainring combination and 170 mm cranks. A power meter records the power data. The cassette offers a range of 10–36 teeth, with shifting controlled via wireless Blips. The wheelsets used are the new Zipp 202 NSW and 454 NSW. Zipp Vuka Evo aerobars with clip-on extensions and Zipp Service Course CX handlebar tape complete the setup.

Lael Wilcox plans to spend 16 hours a day in the saddle

Lael Wilcox plans to cover 386 kilometres a day over the 29,000-kilometre route. She intends to spend 16 hours a day on her bike. For the first time in her ultra-racing career, she will be riding with full support. Her crew includes her wife, Rue Kaladyte, and three or four support staff.

They travel with him in a campervan, check in on Wilcox several times a day and take care of everything – from finding campsites and cooking meals to adjusting the route due to the weather and monitoring the wear and tear on his bike components.

Wilcox emphasises the significance of the experiment: ultra-endurance cycling is one of the few sports in which women compete directly against men. Yet women’s ability is constantly called into question.

The record would inspire women and communities around the world. She had already shown in the run-up to the event that she was prepared to give it her all: she cut her hair short to save time on hair care.

Career since 2015

Wilcox began her career largely as a self-taught cyclist. After tearing her Achilles tendon whilst working a shift in a restaurant, she borrowed her mother’s bike to take the strain off her foot. Since then, she has competed internationally in all disciplines: road, gravel, mountain biking and fat biking.

In 2015, she set the women’s record at the Tour Divide. In 2016, she became the first woman and the first American to win the Trans Am Bike Race. Wilcox is committed to promoting women in cycling and organises mentoring programmes for children, adventure grants and bikepacking meet-ups for women.