New world record for circumnavigation of the globe: Lael Wilcox has done it!
Sandra Schuberth
· 14.09.2024
It all started at 7 a.m. on 26 May 2024 in Millennium Park in Chicago. She was on a record-breaking mission on her Specialized Roubaix: to cover over 29,169 kilometres in 110 days. The previous world record was 124 days, 10 hours and 50 minutes, set by Scotland's Jenny Graham in 2018.
Eastbound - A film about Jenny Graham's record-breaking ride in 2018
Back to the present, back to Lael Wilcox. The world-famous endurance athlete from Alaska arrived on 11 September at 18:14. Wilcox recorded daily podcasts with her partner Rue Kaladyte, a photographer and videographer. In the first episodes, she talked about route planning, setup and preparation. Then it started and there were daily updates. The podcast "Lael rides around the world" can be listened to on Spotify.
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The podcast was also a loyal companion for Wiebke Lühmann. Wiebke Lühmann does not want to set a record on her journey from Freiburg im Breisgau to Cape Town (South Africa)She wants to gather experiences, discover new things, meet people and more.
Riding along was desirable - just don't provide a slipstream
Lael Wilcox wanted to allow encounters and invited the world to accompany her for a while. Many people didn't need to be told twice and joined the record-breaking rider for a while. One rule was that slipstreaming was forbidden - at least for Wilcox. Everyone else was allowed to slipstream, because everyone else didn't want to set a record.
The route
She planned some of the route herself, and others she asked friends for help. This was a great help, especially in Europe, as she reported in the podcast. This required a lot of dialogue. Which highlights should be included? How should the route be organised? What needs to be taken into account for the world record to be recognised as such?
In total, Lael Wilcox covered 29,169 kilometres in 108 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes and climbed 191,987 metres in altitude.
She also travelled through Germany
At komoot you can view the complete route planning in different collections. This is the planning for Europe.
Goal achieved!
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A few facts about Lael Wilcox
- How many cups of coffee? 200 - and probably between 300 and 600 colas
- The best day on the bike: The first day back in Alaska, where she grew up.
- The most challenging day: Day 4, it rained, food didn't stay in and one flat tyre followed another
- Number of countries: 22
- Average kilometres per day: 262 kilometres
- Average speed: 23.3 km/h
- Average calorie consumption per day: between 6,000 and 8,000
- Estimated number of passengers: at least 3000
- Nights in hotels: most of the time, sometimes she stayed with friends
- Nights in a tent: 3 weeks
Sandra Schuberth
Editor
