Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, Lael Wilcox is the best female ultra-endurance cyclist in the world. Her most notable accomplishments include winning the 4,300 mile Trans Am Bike Race outright (after passing the lead male rider in the final miles) and setting the record for the 2,750 mile Tour Divide (after riding thousands of miles to the race start from her home in Alaska). She has spent the past eleven years traveling the world on her bicycle, logging over 100,000 miles in 35 countries. In addition to racing and riding, Lael puts a lot of effort into getting more women on bikes. She organizes a teenage girls bicycle adventure program in her hometown and has hosted two international women’s scholarships. Payson sat down with Lael the day before Dirty Kanza, where she went on to win the DKXL. They chat about redefining mental limits of endurance, the wacky logistics of ultra racing, her epic duel in the final miles to win Trans-Am, and getting more women on bikes. They end their conversation with some questions that were sent in by her fans and some legends of the sport, such as Rebecca Rusch.
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