Want to get in touch? Send Claire a message!

Welcome to Episode 47 of the Eat for Endurance Podcast, featuring ultra endurance cyclist Lael Wilcox. 

Lael is one of the best if not THE best ultra endurance cyclists in the world. After years of bike touring around the world, she began racing in 2014 and immediately made a huge splash.

In 2015, she smashed the Women’s record in the Tour Divide, a 2,745 mile event, despite getting bronchitis and having to get medical treatment in the middle of her race. Not long after her finish, she raced the entire Tour Divide all over again by herself, because she knew she could ride it faster, and she did. In 2016, she was the overall winner of the Trans Am, a 4,200 mile bike race that crosses the US. In 2017 (and again in 2020), she cycled 4500 miles across Alaska, her home state. In 2018, she finished 2nd overall in The Navad 1000, a 1,000 kilometer race with nearly 100,000ft of climbing through the Swiss Alps. And in 2019, she finished 2nd overall in the Silk Road Mountain Race, an 1800 km event in Kyrgystan. Since then, she has continued to crush countless other races.

The logistics of planning and executing nutrition for such demanding self-supported,  solo endeavors is just mind boggling. We break it all down for you and include plenty of fun stories too, including: 

• Lael’s early days as a XC and later, marathon and ultra runner
• Her food and travel adventures while bike touring around the world
• Everything you ever wanted to know about her nutrition for ultra endurance bike racing 
• How Lael recovers after a hard racing effort
• Lael's everyday eating between races
• Her GRIT (Girl’s Riding into Tomorrow) bike mentorship program

Lael is my first ultra endurance cyclist on the podcast, and was SO much fun to interview. Whether you cycle or not, I know you will be inspired by her nutrition story. 

Thank you so much Lael for your time and the many laughs that we shared! 

Links & Resources:

• Follow Lael on Instagram
• Anchorage GRIT Program - article here
• Videos: 
  • 2021 Tour Divide
  • Lael Rides Alaska
  • I Just Want to Ride - Lael Wilcox and the 2019 Tour Divide
  • I’m Not Stopping - Lael Wilcox Races the Navad 1000
• Articles:
  • Lael Wilcox Is the Best. Why Does Anyone Else Bother?
  • How Lael Wilcox Crushed the Tour Divide
  • Divide and Conquer - Lael Wilcox Plots her Next Course

Other Announcements:

• Please show your support by leaving a rating and/or review on iTunes or wherever you enjoy listening to podcasts
• Music Credit: Joseph McDade
• Photo Credit: Rugile Kaladyte

Support the show

Thanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram and Facebook (@eatforendurance).