21 Questions With The World's Best Ultraendurance Cyclist, Lael Wilcox

[@kak93]

Her energy is infectious! Lael is such an inspiration.

[@SOCMTBR]

What a great personality and such a humble person. She’s such an inspiration for all cyclists!

[@soloist777]

Yes, I think I'm falling in love with Lael.

[@lisagraham943]

Thank you speaking about the Highway if Tears! As a Native American women, and a cyclist, we know about all the missing and murdered indigenous women (mmiw) but many non natives have no idea about it. Again thank you.

[@jbratt]

She seems like a person that has never complained about anything.

[@carlose6010]

Yes, not even when she was unfairly treated in her last continental devine race.

[@gonkula]

I couldn't stop smiling and grinning as she answered each question. What a fantastic human being. The drive that propels her forward through the hurdles fo an ultra-endurance race is absurdly amazing. Absolute great find, godspeed Lael.

[@bkxc]

That was so cool! I've only seen cool pictures of her and never actually heard her talk!

[@MikaelEtienne]

You should check her documentary "I Just Want To Ride - Lael Wilcox and the 2019 Tour Divide" . So beautiful!

[@gilbertnarley9081]

Hi! Brian... I think she is my favorite female biker and she is a athletic legend. On the man side. You Alex and Seth are kind of all the same person. Deffently the best ones out there. Just got my bike and right after I got it the China Virus hit. So after it's over if it ever is. I will get on it and ride after not riding for 35 yrs. SEE YOU ON THE TRAIL.

[@CoreenMazzocchi]

"I can't drive any cars at all. Zero." So awesome.

[@elephantjournal]

the best

[@benrushingsr6056]

I'm blown away by the quality and sincerity expressed in this documentary. As a minority who looks forward to racing the Tour Divide, I thank you for being so transparent and focused on your idea and interpretation of of what it is to experience riding the Tour Divide, even with all the obstacles you encountered. I wish you well on your next ride.

[@md6397]

I am curious what referring to yourself as a minority has to do with anything in this video?

[@IXIskarfaceIXI]

@@md6397 white are 25% of the worl pops, i bet he isn't a real minoritie.

[@prime8nate]

@@md6397 Wilcox has had some issues with discrimination in some of the heavily majority male races she has ridden. The famous one was on the Tour Divide (which this guy is going to ride) where a male rider complained that she was going to be filmed and they made her agree to all these weird restrictions like taking away her phone (she was the only one riding without a phone) while another male rider was being filmed and didn't have any restrictions. All these alt-right guys started attacking her on the tour's Facebook page and she eventually just dropped out of the official part of the race. The rider that instigated this was eventually dropped by Salsa, his sponsor.

[@lautoka63]

Does this woman ever not smile? Her irrepressible outlook would seem to be her fuel. Well done her!

[@bikedawg]

She's so animated--love her! ❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜

[@jonriordan649]

I love everything about this human

[@mathewrose2951]

The idea of listening to audiobooks on long rides is kind of genius if you can do it safely.

[@SamirMishra6174]

Which audiobook did she say she was listening to ?

[@silveride02]

@@SamirMishra6174 ??

[@Jobother]

ive been going through all my favorite childhood books on the bike during my training rides. it really makes the lone easy rides go by quickly.

[@Grabme777]

Lael is an awesome human being!!!

[@BikeTall]

Love her energy and laugh 😂

[@icebear389]

She is a legend!! Inspiration in a true sense who live, breathe her passion.

[@Stu-ky5ut]

OMG I love this lady 🤟🏻

[@royevans4581]

Well, there I was thinking I should really be getting back on my bike. I watch this and thanks Lael, I did not know who you were before this vid, but you are probably the best friend I have right now because you got me off my sofa and out onto that road again. You are an awesome person, the drive you have is amazing. I'm on a bit of a 'road of tears' myself at the moment, it creeps up doesn't it. It's time I rode to the end of that road. I know what to do. You are a star lael, and perhaps I was meant to see this vid. Glad I did. All the best in what you do.

[@royevans4581]

@@skydivemaniac Thank you for your kind words Remco, crazy but just when you need a word or 2 to keep you on track, some awesome person comes along and hits you with a few. ))))) Beaming from ear to ear. Lovely people, they exist. 😃

[@rathnasamuel976]

Wow! She is the best in inspiration for me and other cyclists.

[@meech7520]

0:28 That's when you know you've chosen the right career.

[@nrapiera]

This is the best interview I have ever seen. What a story!

[@richardvanwijngaarden4732]

so you havent seen many interviews than I guess?

[@derekalbertson1311]

Lael is an amazing person. Such a warrior. Such a great example of humility. Role model.

[@jlk7107]

She’s awesome and inspirational. She’s doing what she loves

[@AlotlikeArham123]

What a great personality! Her and interviewer are hitting it out

[@michael7324]

A side note about her. For her 2019 Continental divide race, she rode from Anchorage Alaska to the start of the race just to warm up for the race. She is amazing.

[@BuffsVintageBikes]

Very entertaining, hard to believe she's so ruthless on a bike. Certainly a multifaceted woman of many talents 👍🏼

[@reidmartin3479]

Such a great video!! Lael is so funny and has some great stories. Love it :)

[@marcusrose9066]

Lael, Thank you for your positive impact on ultra-distance cycling. You are so kind and sweet, it is a great contrast to your badassness on the bike. Cheers to you and your endeavors.

[@johndorian7564]

Omg the highway of tears is actually really scary, like I am scared right now

[@polyushkopole5292]

A femicide alert must be released already, I mean last year a woman was murdered again wtf Canada? pople must take action, being worried doesnt help too much

[@Falcos01]

@@polyushkopole5292 I bet its much worst in the US with guns allowed etc...

[@festyguy7405]

Love you Lael, from suburban Philadelphia PA!

[@tommorris2050]

Wow, only driven 4 hours in the last 8 years. We could all cut down on our driving a lot more and spend more time going places on bikes. She’s proven that distance isn’t an obstacle to overcome on a bike

[@mrsmartypants_1]

Tom Morris: Um it sounds like she travels all over the world. Which means jets, other folks driving her etc... Not exactly a small carbon footprint. A small carbon footprint is a little old Italian man/woman living in his/her little village his/her entire life and never driving/owning a car and venturing outside their region maybe once or twice in a lifetime lol. (That imagery brought to me by the NYT best selling book “Heat” - about restaurant life in NYC - and especially learning Italian cooking from the source - small village Italians cooking the same way for 100’s of years). Do you really want to live so provincially? Additionally she makes her living on a bike - not exactly a major source of employment.

[@tommorris2050]

Pete West I didn’t say anything about carbon footprints and neither did Lael. Riding a bike is fun and we could all do it a lot more. A lot of times we get car keys at 16 and hang up our bikes for good. I venture to say we’d be happier riding more

[@midi510]

@@tommorris2050 I'm with you, but I prefer skis and skins.

[@mrsmartypants_1]

Vincenzio VonHook Of course there was. A little comprehension goes a long ways Vinnie. You’re jumping to absurd conclusions. There is little doubt I put in many more miles per month on my bikes than you. Both for pleasure - downhill mountain biking and trail riding (about 25 miles in the afternoon/early evening today) and about 20 per day round trip biking to/from work. I also put on about 30k miles per year on my truck traveling around the continent to ski, backpack, whitewater kayak, hunt, fish, mountain bike... Cause life is short. And I’m not afraid to drive. Get a clue Vinnie.

[@mrsmartypants_1]

Vincenzio VonHook: You really have a difficult time following and comprehending a multi-post discussion Vinnie. RE: “Wow only driven 4 hours in the last 8 years...” The conclusion of the poster is obviously absurd as I pointed out. The biker obviously has driven/flown many 1000’s of hours. The fact that she may be a scared little school girl and not be behind the wheel and instead demands being a passenger is immaterial.

[@ronbenjamin4351]

Love it! She got her license in my home town Key West!! What a small world!

[@Squiderrant]

That highway of tears story was fantastic!

[@dot789666]

I love how she involves everyone behind the camera!

[@steffenandersensahl9443]

She is the greatest. I grew up in Denmark, and when she mentioned how Danes like their licorice, I could not stop laughing. What she described is my favorite kind lol.

[@gyroeye]

This was so good! Didn't want the questions to end. You're amazing Lael.

[@ana-marijadraskovic9268]

you just solved my last problem with sleeping bags on bikepacking with down pants! I was like wtf are those so I searched it and now I finally have a small volume solution! Thank you!

[@dalezapple2493]

Lael is beyond amazing! For riding as much as she does I would think she would be a better mechanic

[@mtblover]

What an amazing woman!!!!

[@kennyobrien]

Lael has the best laugh!

[@hawkrider88]

Indeed, so cute.

[@ericpitt3876]

Angel, absolute angel.

[@TheDrWhac]

Personally it would be an honor to be Lael's mechanic.

[@markschneider3915]

So down to earth, she's amazing.

[@johnf9614]

Pure positivity here you gotta love it

[@jorisjanssen12]

lets make that happen oprah bikepacking

[@eveanddell]

Legend!

[@lesleykenwood2715]

Awesome and entertaining.😂

[@grecci]

Never underestimate introverts!!!

[@richardvanwijngaarden4732]

Never over-estimates them either. She's not a typical introvert anyway....AT ALL. Quit the opposite, a typical extravert.

[@johndorian7564]

I agree, but she seems an extrovert to me

[@gttim]

Lael is a machine and seems to be a very funny person with a great attitude! Yes on milk! I will get milk on long bike rides, and people look at me like I am nuts. It is the perfect energy drink for me. Plus, my Ironman PR was done with milk (with powdered Carnation Instant Breakfast) and Gatorade.

[@thrawn0r]

this was so fun to watch!

[@REMAX_CCA]

She's awesome!

[@evelasq1]

She is so funny with a great personality.

[@ardnfast]

Awesome! How has this video not got a million views?

[@jasonwest3283]

She really is absolutely my hero! Absolute legend. It would be a dream come true to get to ride with her. I thought the milk thing was all my own, well, actually for me, I go for a quart of half & half, and damn do i get the looks from people. :)

[@johngrasing1715]

She is the Luna Lovegood of bicycling. Luna is my favorite character in Harry Potter.

[@chris_noswe]

She's so chill and... awesome.

[@valarietolle8583]

Awesome interview.

[@fullgasjaxon7572]

Just laughed all the way through that 😂😂👏🏻👏🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🚴🏻‍♂️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 ok now 3 things you need to get 1st a Tailfin bikepacking rack 2nd a bottle of scotch whiskey & 3rd a box of Tunnocks caramel wafers Hubba Hubba just watch the Pearl Izumi twice today in my taxi 😂😂👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻All the best to you & your family for 2020 🚴🏻‍♂️🚴🏻‍♂️🚴🏻‍♂️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@cbenn93308]

Lael is a legend

[@redmasc]

I love this lady! If I had a choice to bike with anyone, I'd pick her!

[@SE-qb9jv]

I think what your doing is super Amazing and inspiring. Lots of Love!!!!!! ❤️🚴‍♀️❤️

[@bgrm1029]

I have so many questions! 1- What does she do if her bike breaks down in the middle of nowhere?! 2- How did she listen to audiobooks or other stuff in the middle of nowhere!? My phone barely has signal at my workplace,... if she has them downloaded, how does she keep her audio device running for 40hours+ 3- How does she know where she's going without a gps\phone service or a map? She showed her packing stuff and it didn't have a gps or physical map. 4- How does she sustain her lifestyle?! I wish I had enough time to go do long distance anything, always working to pay bills and stuff. 5- What bikes are taking her to over 20k miles a year?!

[@MKDon-di6yd]

Great inspiration for all of us ❤️ 🙏

[@alansmithee183]

There is no way you can not like this woman

[@shanhonglumd1]

You are awesome

[@tomassoejakto]

I would listen to HER audiobooks 😇

[@Amanda.c91]

love the no driving cars! she aint missing out on much! i love riding my bike to work. ill use my car for groceries and such but much rather prefer to be on my bike! everyone in their cars are so angry, honking, usually overweight, probably constipated lol especially in Houston. they need some breath, movement and fresh air!

[@vswick]

Amanda Carlson I’m in Dallas. I want to ride to work, but am afraid due to all the aggressive SUV and pickup truck drivers. Even on short jaunts, they honk and swerve around me. I admire your courage! 🇨🇱

[@semounaful]

She must give a Ted talk

[@KingoftheJuice18]

That's a good idea.

[@emilythompson1139]

lol, I always cry on airplanes too, I thought I was the only one haha

[@zestfulprawn]

Shouts out to Tucson

[@litchoutside9812]

Lael is amazing! lol

[@davemoore843]

Jenny Graham, Emily Chappell, Lael Wilcox. If any girls need further proof that girls are amazing role models .... All my cycling heroes are women!!

[@trumanrodgers3798]

She seems like a highly athletic version of ellen degeneres

[@steveholmes5814]

LOLOLOLOLOL

[@alanmiller4122]

Exactly

[@carlose6010]

Haha.

[@TheJamesWB]

Except she's actually super nice in person!

[@anadesign7168]

Same,I was thinking,can you read minds .?😂

[@jamiecox2506]

Guy Martin should've interviewed this chick.

[@faridelfadani5404]

Isn't they really similar?! I mean come on, they like really similar, the way she talks, and move, and humbleness, it's like seeing guy Martin

[@johnmulhern2833]

Guy would build a bike for her while doing the interview.....legend

[@faridelfadani5404]

For some reason lael really remind me of guy Martin, and I keep imagine they meet up, and fall in love and have a kid, and that kid will be hell of personality and really2 crazy on a track, with lael endurance and guy response, mark Marquez wouldn't stood a chance

[@reddaB]

Omg this needs to happen. The kids would be absolutely insane and crazy fit with NO FEAR.

[@gavinhiggins231]

Stranger "i judge books by there cover" Lael "hold my beer"

[@Motoguy94]

She made me laugh so hard 😂 I'm crying

[@Merkeuroney]

I really want to know how do she handle carrying all this water on those long ride?

[@rodrigoantoniorojo2725]

Better woman ultracyclist should be Lael or Fiona Kolbinger, the absolute winner of TCR. Should be great a race among both

[@magnus9165]

Look at those quads. I bet they get pumped on long rides.

[@bob-ny6kn]

Gosh. A star in my heaven. Burn bright and forever.

[@wescheslak9408]

Love some Lael ❤

[@dodginglions5163]

what a hoot

[@arcoulant87]

Chapeau

[@mrsmartypants_1]

There are A LOT of true crime podcasts etc... concerning The Highway of Tears. Search any of the common podcast apps and you will finds tons of info (Apple, Stitcher, Tune-In...) The tv show “48 Hours” did a fair summary in 2016: www.cbsnews.com/video/highway-of-tears-3/

[@onerty1]

A person laughing like this cannot be a bad 😊

[@revan552]

Ultra-endurance athletes are generally the most grounded, down to Earth, enthusiastic, and happy fitness demographic I've seen.

[@JasonDBike]

This is the highway of tears. "is that a good thing?"

[@bironbrunelle5186]

Did she say she rode down from Alaska twice that summer? Lol, before breakfast?

[@rileytuplin269]

Lael, your kinda nutz. 😂

[@kane19832006]

her jeans must have stretch to them 'cause her quads are massive! : )

[@nimitacademy]

Lonsone Dove audio book

[@jamesdunn6868]

Hold up there gym shoe I'm 76 and love to ride and with training I can go lol 😆

[@onelove8062]

How do you not have permanent nerve damage in your hands from ultra cycling???

[@Daventhemermaid]

Would you do the IPWR or have a crack at the Ausie lap?

[@Daventhemermaid]

or Race to the Rock?

[@SandervV555]

she would probably match quite good with Guy Martin.

[@faridelfadani5404]

I agree, totally, they almost identical

[@grzegorzchomka72]

I am in love X-)

[@deuterateddad5989]

Laughing about the Trail of Tears highway...psycho axe in the background...

[@vm4473]

Loved this.. and also, she said she hasn't hallucinated but then proceeds to explain how she hallucinated haha

[@timtaylor9590]

she reminds me of my hs gym teacher, is that a fair assumption?

[@tonygriffin6144]

Ambition extroirdinare.