‘It’s just insane. It’s so far…’: Lael Wilcox on her record-breaking attempt to be the fastest woman to cycle round the world

Halfway through her 18,200-mile journey, Lael Wilcox calls in (from her bike) to talk about being in the saddle for 14 hours a day – and why she has no intention of stopping any time soon

“I’m not in pain, which is unusual!” laughs ultra-distance cyclist Lael Wilcox over a patchy WhatsApp call from somewhere in rural Serbia. She is almost a month into an attempt to be the fastest woman to circumnavigate the globe on a bicycle and, despite being able to follow her mile-by-mile progress online, it’s surprisingly hard to track down and actually talk to the 36-year-old Alaskan.

When we finally do speak, I expect her to call from a hotel, or between mouthfuls of porridge at a roadside café. But when she comes on the line, a little out of breath, with the occasional sound of passing cars, she is clearly in-saddle, on the road and heading east. “I’m on my bike!” she laughs gleefully, noting how she aims to cover just under 190 miles by the end of the day.