Lael's ride around the globe

Last year I remember hearing about Lael Wilcox's ride around the world and how she was gunning for the fastest known time for any woman who has ever done it. Every couple weeks I'd check in on her dot as it shifted around the globe and when I was at the XOXO conference last August, I heard someone at the event say she was on the Oregon coast as we were talking and I kicked myself for not staying up to date on her progress so I could meet up and ride with her a bit.

The film embedded above is about 90min long but every minute is worth watching as Lael takes off from Chicago, heads to NYC, then to Madrid, across Europe, then to Australia, New Zealand, then up to Alaska to ride back to Chicago. It was filmed by her wife as she did daily check-ins and it's gorgeous to look at and amazing to watch as the scenery changes.

This really is a big, big deal

As a longtime cyclist myself, I can't describe just how hard what she did was. Personally, I've done half a dozen century rides and my longest day ever on a bike was around 120 miles.

The thing is though, like marathon running, you run out of glucose and calories and energy before you hit the 100 mile mark even if you stop for lunch and take lots of breaks and I used to have a lot of fun on long event rides up until about 80-85 miles. After that, every minute on a bike was pain and exhaustion and wasn't so fun.

I never got the hang of taking in enough calories to replace everything going out and it's why I stopped running marathons after completing my first, and I probably won't do a century again for the same reasons. They're painful and you end up feeling completely wrecked by the end.

I've had friends ride the Race Across America race as well as the Continental Divide race that goes from Canada to Mexico along the Rockies. Those friends typically did 150-200mi consecutive miles in those events, day in and day out, and Lael did something similar but for even longer.

She rode 18,000 miles in barely more than 100 days, meaning she had to average about 175mi per day for over three months straight. And if you watch the film, she's smiling almost the entire way, even when the roads suck and freezing rain is pelting her for hours a day.

Back to the film

Her joy is infectious and I found the movie really uplifting. I was in awe of her physical accomplishments but also loved seeing the beautiful landscapes as well as how she deals with everything. I was practically brought to tears any time she got to see a friend along the route, because I remember being on long runs or rides and getting that small injection of joy when someone you know came out to cheer for you. It's remarkable when you're otherwise suffering all day alone.

You can tell it was an incredible thing she did, but she also slept enough, ate well, and rode with and talked to as many people as possible. She's clearly enjoying it even though it's one of the toughest things I've ever seen a person do.

I've heard rumors she's going to try this feat again someday soon, and go for the fastest known time ever by anyone on earth, which I think is around 78 days. That's about 230mi/day and it's certainly possible for her with a few extra hours on the bike each day.

I can't recommend the film above highly enough. It's chill, it's gorgeous, it's uplifting and I came away from it inspired to ride my bike a bit more this week.

Add it to your Watch Later list and pull it up the next time you're in front of a TV.