Lael Wilcox (born July 18, 1986) is an
ultra-endurance bicycle racer who won the
Trans Am Bike Race in 2016, and set
Tour Divide's women's course record on an individual time trial (ITT) in 2015. She was the first American to win the Trans Am.
She also set the overall course record with her time on the Baja Divide route.
Early life and personal life
Wilcox was born on July 18, 1986, and grew up in
Anchorage
Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolita ...
,
Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
. She graduated from the
University of Puget Sound in 2008 with degrees in natural science and French literature.
Wilcox started bicycling in 2008 at age 20, when she and her then boyfriend, Nicholas Carman, 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 .
Wilcox and Carman separated in 2017. In May 2021, Wilcox married Rugile "Rue" Kaladyte, a photojournalist who has documented many of Wilcox's rides.
Initiatives and sponsorships
In the 2015–2016 winter and spring, Wilcox and Carman co-developed the off-pavement
bikepacking Baja Divide route, which runs from
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
through
San Jose del Cabo and on to
La Paz, Baja California Sur,
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
.
As of 2016, Wilcox and Carman, along with Wilcox's mother, Dawn Wilcox, taught biking skills and repair bicycles for elementary school children in Anchorage. They also ran a program to collect bikes to donate to schoolchildren.
As of 2018-2019, Lael co-leads Anchorage GRIT
[ to get more local girls on bikes, and talks about it and other programs. In 2018 Wilcox began the Lael Rides Alaska Women's Scholarship.]
Racing
Wilcox first became interested in racing in 2014 when she and Carman were in Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. The pair heard about and entered the Holyland Challenge, a 1000-mile unsupported race across the country. 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 was firmly focused on endurance racing.
Trans Am
In 2016, Wilcox participated in the Trans Am Bike Race that crosses the United States from west to east. As a small woman dressed in non-cycling clothes and with very little road-racing experience, she was not expected to compete, much less win. She averaged 235 miles per day for 18 days, averaging less than 5 hours of sleep per night. On the final morning, she trailed Steffen Streich by 40 miles. That morning, Streich awoke and mistakenly started riding west. Wilcox met Streich in Bumpass, Virginia. Streich suggested they ride to the finish together, and Wilcox responded, " is is a race," and sprinted the final to the coast to become the first woman and the first American to win the race. Wilcox sprinted the final hours to win the race in 18 days and ten minutes.
Tour Divide
In 2015, Wilcox, still considered relatively inexperienced at road racing, broke the women's record on the Tour Divide by more than two days. She covered the race in 15 days, 10 hour and 59 minutes in an individual time trial.
Baja Divide
In 2015, Wilcox set the women's record for the fastest time on the Baja Divide route. In 2017, she broke the men's record as well.
Navad 1000
In 2018, Wilcox 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.
Westfjords Way Challenge
In June 2022, Wilcox became the inaugural winner of the Westfjords Way Challenge.
Round the world
On 26 May 2024, Wilcox started an journey round the world, starting in Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, which she intended to complete in about 110 days, beating Jenny Graham's record by a fortnight. She finished on September 11, 2024, having taken 108 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes to cycle 18,125 miles, beating Graham's record by more than a fortnight.
References
External links
"Official website"
"Alone Enough"
March 24, 2023 Radiolab podcast episode, featuring Lael Wilcox
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilcox, Lael
Living people
American female cyclists
Ultra-distance cyclists
University of Puget Sound alumni
Sportspeople from Anchorage, Alaska
21st-century American women
1987 births