2 Things on a rainy night: Lael Wilcox and bike trip planning

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

It has rained all day. I did “rage cleaning” and my friend said “Why is it rage cleaning?” and I said “Because it sounds better than just cleaning.” 

And I did rage cleaning and I did cooking and I was in a mood. And my husband said, “Did you get on your two-wheeler today?” And I told him no and he gasped and said with feigned horror, “OH NO A LOST DAY!!! DOES THIS DAY EVEN COUNT FOR ANYTHING?” 

So I am ignoring him and sitting here, trying to plan a bike trip that my college boy doesn’t want to take with me. He has the wanderlust and when he finishes summer classes he is taking his Clem, the Backabikes I gave him, the camping gear that dear Julian W from this List gave him, and he is OUTTA HERE. I want to go with him and also to amend his route so it does not include 1 million bad ideas and for some reason he is objecting. I mean, I’m not like a regular mom. I can hang! But I guess it’s not a grand adventure if your mom and her Platypus have to come.

Anyway! I came across this video of Lael Wilcox riding around the world and I started it and doggone it, she is just so winsome and the footage so lovely that I had to stop and put this link here for you. https://theradavist.com/lael-rides-around-the-world-film

And now I will get back to staring at the iPad and being overwhelmed by planning a big bike trip that I’m not invited on.

Leah

[Doug H.]

Lael is an amazing person. Living vicariously through people like her gives me joy. Some dream and plan but never do. She is a doer.

Doug

[Leah Peterson]

I only just stumbled upon her. And what you say is true. The two things I really think are awesome about her world trip:

1. She put a tracking device on her bike that allowed people to come and ride with her. Cycling can get lonely, and being in the saddle would be hard for 108 consecutive days. The presence of other riders is energizing. That was SMART. Plus, they celebrated her and brought her food. You can’t quit when people are coming out to cheer you on.

2. She planned her route to be “safe, beautiful and interesting.” She did not choose the most direct, fastest route. She chose beauty - and that meant mountains and climbs and detours. And she STILL broke the record.

On Jun 5, 2025, at 8:07 AM, Doug H. <dhansf...@gmail.com> wrote:

Lael is an amazing person. Living vicariously through people like her gives me joy. Some dream and plan but never do. She is a doer.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/bzw9iHjckjs/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/3beeea98-90a1-41be-bb4a-6202bff2df46n%40googlegroups.com.

[J]

Her accomplishments aside, Lael is a very kind, unassuming person. I feel fortunate to have met her and ridden with her a couple of times over the years. Lael was treated rather poorly years ago by some high profile athletes and folks involved in the ultra distance bike packing community for a Tour Divide attempt where she was filmed, because they felt it violated the "unsupported" rule of the race. I don't give a lick about these races or FKTs or Strava bests, but the way that little spark of controversy spread so quickly into a wildfire of prejudice and nastiness was quite sad to see in this little bike world. It seams bike nastiness only pops up when there's competition involved so I'm mostly spared from it thankfully. Fortunately Lael and her partner Rue (who is also very nice and talented) seem to have taken it all in stride and keep on doing what they do, inspiring people to be kind and ride. If I were still in Tucson I'd like to think we'd become friends.

Justin

[Ryan]

@Justin is right; Lael does appear to be a very modest , unassuming individual as the video makes clear. 

@Leah..."rage cleaning"...I love it...unfortunately for me I don't love cleaning, no matter how artfully anyone spins it on insta et alia  :(...but good luck getting your son to welcome you on his bikepacking trip. OTOH he may just need to go his own way and make mistakes that hopefully won't have disastrous consequences...he sounds like a very nice young man and might be more level-headed than you think.

[Jay]

I do like the sound of "rage cleaning".  I think I know what you mean; you're in a mood, doing a task that you would rather save for later and be riding instead, so your jaw is clenched and you're getting the task done, maybe even better than if you were calm.  Dust bunnies watch out!

I did an indoor workout this morning when it was raining.  I was okay with this as I had ridden last two days and Friday to Sunday looks like nice weather, so that will be three outdoor rides.

I also like any form of ride/bike trip planning.  If you don't mind me sharing a recent experience on your thread, might be inspiring?  So I'm going for a walk a few nights ago and pass by a guy on the street who I've never spoken too, but I know he bikes as I've seen a mountain bike on a rack attached to his car.  This time as we pass I ask if he rides, he does, and then we stand there talking for 20 minutes.  The conversation was amazing.  He likes to leave the car at home and ride out from his front door on all day, or multi-day journey's.  But what he does, that I've never done, is he uses transit (bus, commuter train) to head into Toronto, or up north (sometimes taking multiple trains, to explore areas not easy to ride to, but within an hour car ride).  He hits up cool riding spots (look up Don Valley Trail) and scenic spots to chill and have a beer (look up Tommy Thompson park; east of Toronto, where he catches the sunset over the Toronto skyline before heading home...riding to the train station, chill ride back to town, then ride home or uses a bus after the train if necessary).  This really inspired me to plan some similar rides.  To me I would never think riding into the city would be fun, or taking two trains to get far out to areas I've never ridden.  I live in a mid-sized burb with rural areas west and north (where I always ride).  But his riding style sounded adventurous.  Going to plan a ride, find good train times, and give her a go!

[Leah Peterson]

Jay - what a fabulous story. Gosh, would that guy be put out if you wanted to tag along on some of his adventures? Because I DREAM of having someone in my life like that. I always wish Pam Murray lived near me because she comes up with all these ideas and nothing scares her off - if she wants to do it she will find a way! But it’s overwhelming and intimidating to do solo. What I wouldn’t give for a local RivSister so we could ride off on our pair of Platypuses to bike trails unknown…

Also, rage cleaning. Calling it that makes you really feel like you are REALLY DOING SOMETHING AROUND HERE. And don’t think about it too hard because you’ll realize you’re just scrubbing the toilet again. No, you are RAGE CLEANING! I made a new rule that I would not waste nice days on housework; I would enjoy the nice days and clean on the rainy ones. (I can waste entire beautiful days doing tasks and cleaning.) Today was a bonus rage cleaning day because our air quality from Canada’s wildfires was unsafe. I really got into my front loader washing machine and cleaned it but good.

On a side note, I did hear from my son today and we are planning a bike trip that is probably a bit more than we’re capable of, not that that will stop us.

L

On Jun 5, 2025, at 7:41 PM, Jay <jason....@gmail.com> wrote:

I do like the sound of "rage cleaning".  I think I know what you mean; you're in a mood, doing a task that you would rather save for later and be riding instead, so your jaw is clenched and you're getting the task done, maybe even better than if you were calm.  Dust bunnies watch out!

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/dc4d3ea1-2043-4213-8380-90c142584d95n%40googlegroups.com.

[Ted Durant]

On Thursday, June 5, 2025 at 8:02:46 AM UTC-5 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:

2. She planned her route to be “safe, beautiful and interesting.” She did not choose the most direct, fastest route. She chose beauty - and that meant mountains and climbs and detours. And she STILL broke the record.

So true. I rode with her on day 109, her last day, on her way into Chicago. Northern Illinois is what we call "the flatland", and for good reason. Lots of straight roads, very little elevation change, not many trees in sight. It's a good thing she had the finish line in sight because she would have been bored stiff. She was doodling along at ~19-20mph, chatting away like it was an easy walk. I noted for her when she was climbing the last hill she would see on her entire ride, about 10' of elevation gain, about 100km from the end. She laughed and said she would absolutely prefer to be going slow up a beautiful mountain than moving fast on a long, straight, featureless road, but she was kind of enjoying that last day. She also said she didn't feel at all worn down ... after 109 days of 300km per day. And now she says she think she can beat the mens' record, which will require over 400km per day. She's got gumption.

Ted Durant

Milwaukee, WI USA

[Leah Peterson]

Oh, how cool to ride with her at the end, Ted. I would have loved to. I didn’t even know about her then. I was wondering how fast she is - 19 to 20 and it was easy for her is shocking to me. After 108 days of pedaling! And also, the documentary tells us she has moderate to severe lung disease! She looks elegant on her bike, like it’s easy for her, maybe even a part of her. Really gorgeous documentary.

On Jun 5, 2025, at 8:36 PM, Ted Durant <tedd...@gmail.com> wrote:

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/bzw9iHjckjs/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/c5db6807-2167-4380-af06-fb55998e5f13n%40googlegroups.com.

[Ted Durant]

On Jun 5, 2025, at 8:12 PM, Leah Peterson <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

 She looks elegant on her bike, like it’s easy for her, maybe even a part of her.

Yeah, she’s got her 10,000 hours in and then some :-)  Super relaxed looking while riding, nothing seems to faze her. A shorter version of Eddy Mercx but with a smile instead of a scowl. _Always_ a smile.

I assumed that Rue was doing all the logistics for her, which involved making hotel reservations on the fly, typically same-day as they figured out where she’d want to stop at night. Nope. Lael did all that from her bike. iPhone in a holder between her aero bars. Air Pods in her ears. Searched maps for hotels, called, made booking, all at 20mph, barely needing to look down.

[Jim M.]

I am hearing some understandable feelings of loss over your son's preference. I hope you can also feel pride in raising him to be able to do a trip on his own. And have your own great trip!

Lael is awesome. There is also a shorter video on her Tour Divide race in 2019 that is quite enjoyable, https://youtu.be/AEEGIt6FC34

cheers,

jim

walnut creek

[Jason Fuller]

As a big Lael fan, I joined her ride through Vancouver (and into the suburbs) along with a bunch of friends, and the pace was absolutely remarkable for someone who was riding hundreds of miles every day. It really contextualized her incredible strength as a fast endurance rider for me. I could barely keep up for 20 miles. 

I am also in the middle of 'rage cleaning' for a trip out of town because we have a dog-sitter staying in our place. This trip, plus the other thread about Bromptons, is really making me miss mine! 

[Tim Tetrault]

I was wondering about that, Jason. How often was it that a bunch of weekend warriors like me joined in, to be met quickly with a "Hi, thanks!" and then being rightfully left in her dust. Or how many "Alright, gotta go!"'-s were offered during off the bike greetings...

[meti...@gmail.com]

Like Lael, my great friend Tracy Burge has also ridden solo around the world, though Tracy took a year to complete that dream…she didn’t consider that one a race but an experience.

Also like Lael, Tracy completed the Tour Divide race, and at the age of 50, she was then the oldest woman to complete it…a record that has now been broken. But Tracy’s now in her mid 60s and still riding, y’all. 

Bike for life. 

Liz in Cincinnati

[Patrick Moore]

I don’t think this is a thread derailment but simply a reminder about another wonderful woman cyclist who left the men behind. Old-time working class Yorkshire lass, complete with accent, who picked rhubarb and other produce to help the family income, rode to the hospital on her bike to deliver her one child, a daughter; down to earth and human: Beryl Burton. She died of heart failure at age 59 while out on her bike delivering invitations for her 59th birthday party.

A new video courtesy of CR: https://youtu.be/6wTBaW6hcGw

[Ted Durant]

On Jun 7, 2025, at 4:36 PM, Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:

I don’t think this is a thread derailment but simply a reminder about another wonderful woman cyclist who left the men behind. Old-time working class Yorkshire lass, complete with accent, who picked rhubarb and other produce to help the family income, rode to the hospital on her bike to deliver her one child, a daughter; down to earth and human: Beryl Burton. She died of heart failure at age 59 while out on her bike delivering invitations for her 59th birthday party.

Another amazing rider … she did 4-hour 100-mile time trials !

Ted Durant

Milwaukee WI USA

[Patrick Moore]

Leah: This could be you if you just got a drop bar (and dt friction shifters).

Aside: There is the wonderful anecdote about Burton competing in a regional 12-hour time trial in 1967 against top male riders. After 235 miles she overhauled the men’s favorite and, as she passed him, offered him a liquorice allsort, which he accepted, saying, “Ta, luv.”

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2019/aug/26/beryl-burton-liquorice-allsorts-shake-up-cycling

Her scientifically selected training diet: "“fruit salad, peaches, rice pudding, fruit and honey cake, egg and milk, peppermint and blackcurrant, coffee, glucose, malt bread, bananas, four bits of steak and some cheese”.

On Sat, Jun 7, 2025 at 3:36 PM Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:

I don’t think this is a thread derailment but simply a reminder about another wonderful woman cyclist who left the men behind. Old-time working class Yorkshire lass, complete with accent, who picked rhubarb and other produce to help the family income, rode to the hospital on her bike to deliver her one child, a daughter; down to earth and human: Beryl Burton. She died of heart failure at age 59 while out on her bike delivering invitations for her 59th birthday party.

A new video courtesy of CR: https://youtu.be/6wTBaW6hcGw

--

Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Executive resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, letters, and other writing services

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When thou didst not, savage, know thine own meaning,

But wouldst gabble like a thing most brutish,

I endowed thy purposes with words that made them known.