Lael Wilcox, Breaking All the Rules of Extreme Athletics

Lael Wilcox isn’t a name you probably recognize. She happens to be one of the best athletes in the world, but not in a sport most people pay attention to. This is because long distance competitive cycling is barely a sport, at least to hear Lael explain it. REI caught up with her during her preparations for the Arizona Trail, an 800 mile singletrack through all kinds of climates, terrains, and elevations. There’s no formal start time, and no one to check that participants are following the rules; races like these tend to draw people who take part for personal reasons, not for temporary glory.

All the same, Lael wants to break the women’s record. At the time of filming, only 4 other women had ever completed the Arizona Trail, the fastest of whom took twice as long to complete the Trail as the fastest man. Compared to many extreme cyclists, Lael has only been competing for a short amount of time. She discovered her talent for long and fast riding during international cycling travels, none of which were intentionally competitive. After she discovered how much faster she was than the average rider, she started setting records around the world.

Lael doesn’t fit the part of the consummate cyclist. She doesn’t have all the most impressive clothes; she doesn’t wear sunscreen; she eats junk food during the races. But her personal drive is unmatched, and it carries her to achievements others can’t dream of. As she carries her bike through the Grand Canyon at night (the cyclists aren’t allowed to ride here), she explains that she has grown comfortable being alone. Her journey is a personal one, not directly related to how she might place in the formal competition. In the end, her Arizona Trail ride doesn’t go as expected, but it’s just another challenge of the many she seeks out in her life. No matter the outcome, it’s the ride that counts.