Lael Wilcox

Lael Wilcox (born July 18, 1987) is an ultra-endurance bicycle racer who won the Trans Am Bike Race[1] in 2016, and set Tour Divide's women's course record on an individual time trial (ITT) in 2015.[2] She was the first American to win the Trans Am.[3][4] She also set the overall course record with her time on the Baja Divide route.

Personal

Wilcox grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. She graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 2008 with degrees in natural science and French literature.[5]

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 100,000 miles.[6]

Wilcox and Carman separated in 2017.[5] In May 2021 Wilcox married Rugile "Rue" Kaladyte, a photojournalist who has documented many of Wilcox's rides.[4][7][8]

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 through San Jose del Cabo and on to La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.[9][10][11]

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.[6] As of 2018-2019, Lael co-leads Anchorage GRIT[5][12] to get more local girls on bikes, and talks about it and other programs.[13][14] In 2018 Wilcox began the Lael Rides Alaska Women's Scholarship.[8][15]

As of 2018-2020, Wilcox has general sponsorships from Specialized and Revelate Designs.[5][15][16]

Racing

Wilcox first became interested in racing in 2014 when she and Carman were in Israel. 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.[17]

Trans Am

In 2016, Wilcox participated in the 4,400 mile 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, "This is a race"[18] and sprinted the final 130 miles 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.[3]

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 2,745 mile race in 15 days, 10 hour and 59 minutes in an individual time trial (ITT).[19]

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.[10]

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.[20] Lael's race was commemorated in the film I'm Not Stopping produced by Rugile Kaladyte.[7][21]

Westfjords Way Challenge

In June 2022, Wilcox became the inaugural winner of the Westfjords Way Challenge.[22]

References
  1. Shilton, AC (February 1, 2018). "6 Myths About Women's Cycling That Need to Die". Bicycling. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  2. "Lael Wilcox completes Tour Divide ITT in 15:10:59". gypsy by trade. August 24, 2015. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  3. Watts, Logan (June 24, 2016). "Lael Wilcox: A Trans Am gear list and post-race Q&A". BIKEPACKING.com. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  4. "Grit: Long-distance endurance cyclist Lael Wilcox '08 is an unexpected champion. Now, she's helping to build a culture of adventure and perseverance among girls in Alaska". University of Puget Sound. Archived from the original on 2021-01-16. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  5. Braverman, Blair (January 11, 2019). "Lael Wilcox Is the Best. Why Does Anyone Else Bother?". Bicycling. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  6. "What dozens of cyclists did for these 3rd-graders". Anchorage Daily News. Apr 26, 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  7. Watts, Logan (September 20, 2018). "The new film, "I'm Not Stopping," follows Lael Wilcox as she races the Navad 1000 across Switzerland. Watch it here, plus find a nice gallery of photos from the race by Rugile "Rue" Kaladyte…". BIKEPACKING.com. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  8. Welch, Betsy (January 8, 2021). "'Lael Rides Alaska': the new film and scholarship from ultra-endurance cyclist Lael Wilcox". VeloNews. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  9. "History". Baja Divide. 2016-08-18. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  10. "Lael Wilcox Establishes Baja Divide FKT in 11:13:02". gypsy by trade. March 15, 2017. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  11. "Tales On Tyres: Riding The Baja Divide". Bombtrack Bicycle Co. Apr 28, 2017. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  12. "Anchorage GRIT". Anchorage GRIT. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
  13. Roca, Russ (January 30, 2018). "PLPTalks – Lael Wilcox – The Path Less Pedaled". The Path Less Pedaled. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  14. "Lael Wilcox at Adventure Cycling's Montana Bicycle Celebration 2016". Adventure Cycling Association. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
  15. Wilcox, Lael (2018-02-01). "Lael Rides Alaska Women's Scholarship". Lael's Globe of Adventure. Archived from the original on 2021-11-19. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
  16. "Ambassadors | Revelate Designs LLC". Revelate Designs. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
  17. Huntsberry, Will (January 5, 2018). "High Miles And Heartbreak: A Story Of Ultra Endurance Cycling". Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  18. Townsend, Lori (June 23, 2016). "Anchorage woman wins Trans Am bike race; first woman, first American to do so". Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  19. "Lael Wilcox completes Tour Divide ITT in 15:10:59". gypsy by trade]]. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  20. "Divide and conquer" Lael Wilcox plots her next course". September 21, 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  21. Ord, Cynthia (November 25, 2019). "All the Feels Watching Lael Wilcox in - I Just Want to Ride". Adventure Cycling Association. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  22. Jóhann Páll Ástvaldsson (4 July 2022). "970 kílómetra hjólreiðaaflraun lokið á Vestfjörðum". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 21 June 2023.
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