American Lael Wilcox becomes fastest woman to cycle around the world

American Lael Wilcox has broken the world record for the fastest woman to cycle around the world, traversing 21 countries and 18,125 miles in three and a half months.

Arriving back in Chicago at 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday – 108 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes after she set off – Wilcox beat the previous best time of 124 days and 11 hours set by Scottish cyclist Jenny Graham in 2018.

“I had so much fun — felt like I could’ve just kept riding forever,” said Wilcox on Instagram following the conclusion of her journey.

The 38-year-old Alaskan is an experienced ultra-endurance cyclist, having become the first woman and first American to win the TransAm, a 4,200-mile race across the US, in 2016.

Wilcox has also set records in the Tour Divide, an annual race along the Rocky Mountains, and even won the 350-mile Unbound XL in 2021 having already cycled 600 miles to the start of the race.

For her around-the-world record attempt, Wilcox began in Chicago before cycling to New York.

Right from the start of her journey, she was battling testing conditions. “On day 4, I was throwing up all day, it never stopped raining and I was getting multiple punctures. I still rode 139 miles, but it was a tough one,” she told her sponsor, SRAM, according to Cycling Weekly.

From New York she flew to Portugal, from which she set off for the Netherlands, eventually coming back down through Germany, the Alps, the Balkans, Turkey and Georgia.

After a flight to Perth in Australia, she cycled along the southern coast to Brisbane before flying to New Zealand, which would be her last stop before returning to North America.

From hometown Anchorage, Wilcox cycled south to Los Angeles, before finishing along Route 66 to Chicago.

According to Guinness, a cyclist must travel in the same direction, start and end in the same place, and rack up at least 18,000 miles – the total circumference of the globe – for a round-the-world attempt to be successful.

As she approached the finish, she thanked those who had come out to support her.

“Sometimes I forget that I’m riding around the world – it just feels like the most fun pop-up group ride I’ve ever been on. The signs & the cheering & the jumping up and down on the side of the road means the world to me,” she said on her Instagram, which is managed by her wife, filmmaker Rugile Kaladyte.

Despite having just been set, Wilcox’s record may soon be broken. Indian cyclist Vedangi Kulkarni is about 4,800 miles into her own attempt, which she hopes to finish in a similar time to the American.

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