Lael Wilcox is an ultra-endurance bike packer from Alaska. In racing, she’s excited to compete against the whole field and sometimes wins overall. She’s extremely motivated to encourage more women & girls to try bike packing.
She organizes a girls cycling mentorship program, women’s adventure scholarships & bikepacking challenges.
Lael started bicycling in 2008 at age 20, when she and her partner decided to tour the world. Working stints to collect money, the two set out on a bicycle tour of over thirty countries. They started in North America, then traveled in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, logging over 100,000 miles.
Lael entered the Holyland Challenge, a 1000-mile unsupported race across Israel. She was both the youngest rider and the only woman. She led the race by 25 miles the first day, and although she did not win the race, she became hooked on endurance racing.
In 2016, Lael participated in the 4,400 mile Trans Am Bike Race that crosses the United States from west to east. Lael averaged 235 miles per day for 18 days, averaging less than 5 hours of sleep per night and ending up winning the race outright.
In 2018, Lael became only the second female to complete Switzerland's Navad 1000 bikepacking race, finishing in second place. The race features 627 miles distance and 99,770 feet of climbing. Lael's race was commemorated in the film I'm Not Stopping produced by Rugile Kaladyte (who is now her wife!)
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - Hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out.
To support the tough girl mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Please sign up as a patron www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast Thank you.
Listen to Lael Now!
Click here if you can't see the link below.
Show notes
Who is Lael in her own words
What was it like to grow up in Alaska
Being obsessed with sports
Starting to cycle at 20
How her passion for bikes started
Her travel and biking journey in the Middle East
Talking about her first race
Getting a job as a bicycle taxi driver
Working in a restaurant
Saving up money and getting back on her bike
Not expecting bicycling as her lifestyle
Riding in the US, traveling to Europe, Africa, Middle East, etc.
Seeing more remote places and meeting interesting people
Expecting to go to medical school and become a doctor
Working hard organising girls scholarships and mentorship programs while doing another job
Feeling stressed out for about 3 years
Getting worried about not having enough time to do everything to live a healthy and happy life
Getting support from people within the industry
Talking about the 1400 km bike race in Israel
Taking on the challenge as a woman
Utilising only the equipment she has to win the race
"I didn't know I'd love it until I did it."
Why does she love bike packing
Riding the Tour Divide in 2015
Her breathing experience in the Tour Divide race
"I don't have to quit; the race will keep going, but I can just rest and see how I'm doing."
Becoming sick and being diagnosed with asthma while on the race
Finishing the race and breaking the women's record
Experiencing tough situations and how she deals with it
Recovering from exhaustion physically and mentally
What is Trans Am and its history
Road racing is not as easy as it seems
Sleeping in a sleeping pad or sleeping bag
Averaging 183 miles per day for the Tour Divide and 237 miles per day for 18 days for the Trans Am
Eating while on the race
Talking more about her bikes
Getting into detail about the film I'm Not Stopping
Meeting her wife Rugile Kaladyte
How Rue asked to marry her in 2020
Her wedding and how it felt
How she encourages girls to get into bike packing
Starting a program in Tucson in 2022
Hosting 2 women's bike packing challenges with Komoot
Hosting 3 women's scholarships
Final words of advice
"It doesn't have to be the biggest goal or the biggest achievement but start doing some part of it."
Social Media
Website: https://laelwilcox.com/
Instagram: @laelwilcox
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lael.wilcox
Feeling inspired week after week?
You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!
Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love.
Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!
Want to do more?
Please become a Patron and donate US$5 a month to help fund the runnings costs. Thank you.
