Lael Wilcox has just finished her epic circumnavigation of the globe in a time of 108 days, 12 hours, and 12 minutes, which is roughly two days ahead of her 110-day target. This incredible performance will earn her the Guinness World Record for “fastest circumnavigation by bicycle (female)” once it is officially verified.
Over the course of 108 and a half days, Wilcox pedaled a mind-bending 18,125 miles with 630,000 feet of climbing. While she could have opted for an easier route by trying to minimize climbing and maximizing speed, that’s never been Wilcox’s style. “[That] sounds really boring,” Wilcox said on her podcast. Instead, she toured through interesting countries and landscapes that she personally wanted to investigate and experience, while still following the guidelines required for a world record. For more on exactly which boxes she had to check, be sure to read this previous article written during the early days of her attempt.
The five legs of her epic journey were:
- Chicago to New York City (United States of America): 1,147.06 miles
- Porto, Portugal to Tbilisi, Georgia: 4,819.78 miles
- Perth to Brisbane, Australia: 4,667.52 miles
- Invercargill to Auckland, New Zealand: 1,034.69 miles
- Anchorage, Alaska to Chicago, Illinois: 6,456 miles
Upon crossing the finish line in Chicago, Wilcox posted on Instagram, “Thank you to Chicago and thank you to everyone at my finish (especially my parents and Rue’s family ❤️). I had so much fun — felt like I could’ve just kept riding forever.”
