Lael Wilcox covers over 29,000 kilometers in 108 days on the saddle of her racing bike and sets a new record with her trip around the world.
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- Extreme cyclist Lael Wilcox has circumnavigated the world on her bike in 108 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes, setting a new record in the process.
- The start and finish of the world tour is Chicago, and Wilcox also cycled through Switzerland in between.
- Once she reaches her destination, the 38-year-old is delighted: "It was so much fun. I could just keep cycling forever."
Extreme cyclist Lael Wilcox has done it. The American has cycled around the world in 108 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes, pulverizing the previous record of 124 days and 11 hours held by Scotland's Jenny Graham. She is currently being considered for inclusion in the Guinness Book of Records.
"I could just keep going forever"
Wilcox crossed 21 countries on four continents on her world tour and covered more than 190,000 meters in altitude. After starting in Chicago, she went to New York, where she traveled by plane to Portugal. From there, Wilcox made her way to Amsterdam before cycling along the Rhine through Germany to Switzerland.
The rules for circumnavigating the globe
A circumnavigation does not mean that you have to cycle around the entire world. Rather, a distance of at least 28,970 kilometers must be covered by bike and a total distance of 40,075 kilometers including transfer by plane or ship. The route must circumnavigate the globe in either an easterly or westerly direction.
The extreme athlete then cycled via the Balkans and Turkey to Georgia, where she took a plane to Australia. And after circumnavigating Australia and New Zealand, she flew to her home town of Anchorage, cycled along the Pacific coast to Los Angeles and then took Route 66 back to Chicago.
Once she reached the end of her tour, Wilcox says enthusiastically: "It was so much fun. I could just keep driving forever." The personal highlight for the 38-year-old is the drive through Alaska. "After riding through the winter in Australia and New Zealand, it felt incredible to cycle through my home country in daylight until 11 pm."
