Anchorage’s Lael Wilcox smashes women’s record for cycling around the world

Lael Wilcox signals to Greg Matyas, right, that her bike is in great shape at Speedway Cycles on Aug. 7, 2024. Matyas performed maintenance and tuned up Wilcox's bicycle as she prepared to start the North American portion of her round-the-world cycle. (Anne Raup / ADN)

Anchorage cyclist Lael Wilcox wrapped up her record-setting ride around the world this week — with plenty of time to spare.

The 38-year-old arrived in downtown Chicago on Wednesday, completing her trip as the fastest woman to cycle around the globe.

Wilcox, a top endurance and bikepacking racer, finished the ride in 108 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes, smashing the previous record of 124 days, 10 hours, 50 minutes by more than two weeks.

“I can’t believe I’m writing this, but I already want to get back on my bike — mostly, I’m just soaking up this incredible adventure. So grateful for the opportunity,” Wilcox wrote in an Instagram post.

In total, Wilcox completed 18,125 miles with nearly 630,000 feet of elevation. She started in Chicago on May 26 and headed east to New York City for a week before taking a flight to Portugal. She rode through Europe and the Balkans, ending in Georgia. From there, she flew to Australia and rode through that country and New Zealand.

The criteria put in place by Guinness World Records included traveling at least 18,000 miles in one direction only and passing at least two antipodal points. Traveling through Spain and New Zealand accomplished that goal for Wilcox.

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[Previously: On a world record attempt, Anchorage cyclist Lael Wilcox makes hometown pit stop before the final stretch]

Wilcox passed through Anchorage last month, however briefly, before heading through Canada. Her list of riding accomplishments includes wins at the Tour Divide and the Trans Am. While this ride covered significantly more mileage, she said it was less grueling than many of those races.

“It’s a lot longer, but that means I’m taking care of myself a bit more,” she told ADN. “I’m sleeping a bit more and eating pretty well. It feels good. Sometimes I’m out there and I forget I’m in the middle of this big trip. It’s just super long days every day.”

A group of family, friends and fans gather at Speedway Cycles on Aug. 7, 2024 to ride with Lael Wilcox. (Anne Raup / ADN)

Wilcox also took the ride as an opportunity to connect with friends, family and fans. She was regularly joined by other riders during portions of the trip and launched a podcast to keep fans updated regularly on the trip.

While many of Wilcox’s races are unsupported, there was no such mandate for the record attempt. Wilcox’s wife, photojournalist and filmmaker Rugile Kaladyte, joined and documented the trip for a film to be released in the future.