How Lael Wilcox Kept Her Bike Rolling While Riding Around the World

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There may be no better way to test cycling gear than an 18,125-mile ride around the world.

That’s what Lael Wilcox just did, becoming the new female Guinness World Record holder for fastest circumnavigation of the globe by bicycle.

Wilcox, 38, pedaled her way to the record in 108 days, 12 hours, and 12 minutes, departing Chicago, Illinois on a drizzly spring day in late May and returning to the city under golden evening skies on September 11.

Naturally, the world has many questions for Wilcox, from a surprising interest in how many Coca Colas she drank along the way to wondering how often she did laundry or where she slept at night.

As cycling editors — and cyclists ourselves — we get the Coke thing (it provides a great hit of sugar, sodium, and caffeine before, during, or after a ride). We wanted to know what she did to keep her spirits high and bicycle running efficiently as she traveled across the US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and back to the US, averaging 175 miles per day.

“I had so much fun out there!” Wilcox said.

Wilcox has done many long rides before, both as races and bicycle tours. But nothing compared to spending 109 days — with a few transcontinental flights as ‘time off’ — in the saddle. Day after day, Wilcox had to make sure that both mind and body were sound — and that her bike didn’t give her any trouble.

One way she kept her spirits high was by meeting up with friends and fans along the way. Wilcox estimated that over 3,000 people joined her as she made her way around the world, some pedaling as little as a mile and others as many as 100. The company made it so she didn’t spend much time plugged into podcasts or audiobooks (which she often is during bikepacking races)

“I probably had people riding with me about half of the total time. It was so nice to have company and hear their stories,” she said.

The only exceptions were during the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes, when she listened to podcasts to follow along. “I also listened to some of Bill Simmons’s interviews and the Rewatchables – just light stuff on long straight roads through Australia,” she said.

In terms of kit, Wilcox wore the same shoes and helmet for the whole trip (Rapha Pro-team shoes, Specialized S-Works Prevail helmet).

“I sent myself a fresh kit to Australia and Alaska to change out. I sent myself new sunglasses to Alaska too. I bought more merino wool layers in the airport in New Zealand for the cold.

According to Wilcox, temps plummeted to 19F for a few days in New Zealand, where the merino base layers, possum/merino buff and gloves, and a merino hat under her helmet helped quite a bit. It was also cold during parts of her stretch across Australia.

“I bought some cheap shoe covers there — that definitely helped,” she said.

Despite challenging wintry weather in the Southern Hemisphere, three weeks of poison ivy welts, and two weeks of a bad gut, Wilcox’s lows were not very low — “there were a few setbacks, but nothing that really held me up,” she said.

As for her equipment?

“My bike was flawless,” Wilcox said. “I’m really impressed with the durability of the Specialized Roubaix – I rode the same future shock for the entire 18,125 miles.

“Ultimately, I changed out equipment at fairly frequent intervals, just to make sure it would keep functioning at the highest level. Honestly, most of it would probably have lasted a lot longer — maybe even the whole trip.”

Wilcox estimates that she replaced the chain and tires about every 2,000-3,000 miles. She replaced front chainrings three times total.

And somehow, she kept track of every other repair or refresh as well as the bike shop that helped her with it. Here, we dive into the timeline.

Day 7/Mile 1,147.06

Location: New York City, USA
Shop: NYC Velo
Repairs: Swapped tires (from Specialized Mondo 35s to Roubaix 30/32 with heavier casing)
Chain replacement

Day 17/Mile 2,934.15

Location: Düsseldorf, Germany
Shop: SRAM Office
Repairs: Chain replacement
New tires
New cassette
Re-taped front rim

Day 36/Mile 5,966.84

Location: Tbilisi, Georgia
Shop: Salty Works Bike Shop
Repairs: Packed bike for the flight to Perth, Australia

“I packed my bike in Tbilisi, Georgia at Salty Works bike shop for the flight to Perth, Australia. It was a little shop about a cafe owned by four Russians – super sweet guys that packed my bike into a tiny box, so it wouldn’t jiggle around.”

Day 38/Mile 5,966.84

Location: Perth, Australia
Shop: Wembley Cycles
Repairs: Full bike overhaul: bottom bracket, headset, chainrings, chain, cassette, derailleur jockey wheels, brake pads, rotors, tires, cleats, and water bottles replaced

“These guys were fantastic – they completely stripped the bike and rebuilt it, even pulling parts off of bikes on the floor to make sure I could get rolling quickly.”

Day 52/Mile 8,333.54

Location: Adelaide, Australia
Shop: Bike Society
Repairs: New tires
Chain replacement

Day 67/Mile 10,534.26

Location: Gore, New Zealand
Shop: CrossRoad Cycles
Repairs: New tires
Chain replacement
New water bottle cages

“From pulling my bottles in and out of the cages so many times, the tops of my aluminum cages became sharp like a shank and actually scored holes into my water bottles causing them to leak out the sides.”

Day 74/Mile 11,669.05

Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Shop: Speedway Cycles
Repairs: Chain replacement
New cassette
New chainrings

“The owner of the shop, Greg Matyas, came in and worked on the bike himself. Locals found me at the shop and about 40 of us rolled out together to ride the Chester Creek Trail – my local path that I’ve been on hundreds, if not thousands of times. Such an incredible way to start the final leg.”

Day 85/Mile 13,791.35

Location: Squamish, BC, Canada
Shop: Fluid Function
Repairs: Tires
Chain Replacement
New cassette
New chainrings
New ear wheel bearings and free wheel (first time replaced during the trip)
New brake pads

“I had just planned on swapping the chain and tires, but the mechanics said they had all the parts and figured it would get me through the last 4,000 miles to the finish. Locals came with donuts and fresh fruit. From that point on, I had riders with me for most of my time through the rest of North America.”

Day 98/Mile 16,078.77

Location: Kingman, Arizona
Shop: Spokesmann
Mileage (approx.): ~18,000 miles (during I-40 stretch)
Repairs: Tires
Chain Replacement

“I rolled into town and a guy was there to meet me. I told him I was trying to get to a bike shop and he said his friend had one around the corner. It was a tiny little building and the owner swapped the tires out right away. An older guy was hanging out and he asked me about my nutrition. I told him it was going okay — he went across the street and bought me some fresh squeezed beet juice. I’d never met them and they didn’t know what I was doing, but the kindness blew me away.”

Day 102/Mile 16,754.63

Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Shop: Friend Dallas’ garage
Repairs: Tires