Round the world record attempts 2024

[quixoticgeek]

Two women are going to make two separate attempts to break the women's round the world cycling record this summer.

Lael Wilcox is leaving from Chicago this weekend. And Vedangi Kulkarni is leaving soon after (not sure her start location).

They are both aiming to beat Jenny Graham's 124 days.

To complete the route, they need to pass through two antipodean points (Jenny did Spain and New Zealand), and cover a minimum of 29000km, and must continue in the same direction (so you cant so 28999 laps of a 1km track in Spain, fly to Nz, and ride 1km.). Non human powered transport (i.e. flights across oceans, or buses/taxis across borders) is allowed, but don't count towards the distance, but do count towards the time.

I'm not sure what route each rider is doing, Mark Beaumont and Jenny Graham (current Mens and women's record holders) both went across Russia. But given the current war going on, that's probably not wise to include. Esp for Lael, American Lesbian Athletes have not had a great experience in Russia of late (see Britney Griner). Verengi has made an attempt before but had issues with visas (she has an Indian passport), and she got mugged in Spain which ended her attempt.

Laels tracking is at : https://followmychallenge.com/event/767/

I'll add Vedangi's when she publishes it.

J

[JonBuoy]

Are they doing it supported or unsupported?

[quixoticgeek]

Are they doing it supported or unsupported?

I don't know. Guinness do not differentiate supported Vs unsupported. Only male Vs female.

They also don't differentiate based on style of bike or number of wheels. So the guy who did it on a unicycle didn't get a record. Neither did the guy who did it on a recumbent. As in records for fastest circumnavigation on a unicycle record, and fastest on a recumbent record respectively.

J

[Lightning Phil]

Are they doing it supported or unsupported?

Lael outlines how she intends to approach it on her website. Very much unsupported by her description.

https://www.laelwilcox.net/timeline

[Pickled Onion]

She mentions Turkey, Georgia, South-East Asia. The traditional (non-racing) round-world route avoiding Russia involves the cargo ship across the Caspian between Azerbaijan and Aktau, Kazakhstan. But logistics means that can take a week, not a luxury she will have at 300 km a day. So I'd guess she's intending to fly over Iran to/from Pakistan or India.

[quixoticgeek]

Flying out of Baku and into Atyrau, would keep the continuous west to east, and could then do Kazakhstan, China, Perth, Sydney, NZ.

Aren't things a bit bouncy around Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenian borders ? Van ferit melen airport looks to be the furthest east airport I can easily see in Turkey...

J

[Mr Larrington]

Georgia is busy protesting about being pro-EU and anti-Russia while Azerbaijan and Armenia are carrying on their long-established tradition of fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh.

[liam_whippet]

[I don't think 'the guy on a unicycle' was going for a record, he was going for an adventure.]

[[I actually drove past him on my way home from work, wide, slow and incredulous [me, not him!]; then he popped up the local news the following evening, having just unicycled round the world ...]]

[fimm]

Thank you for this QG. I knew about Lael Wilkox's attempt, but not Vedangi Kulkarni.

[Pickled Onion]

Aren't things a bit bouncy around Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenian borders ? Van ferit melen airport looks to be the furthest east airport I can easily see in Turkey...

J

Armenia is fine, but it doesn't go anywhere, borders closed on East and West, and Iran is tricky. Georgia to Azerbaijan as far as I know is still closed on land to foreigners since covid restrictions haven't been lifted*. Georgia itself is OK including land border with Turkey so flying somewhere from Tblisi (or v.v. depending on direction) looks likely.

* maybe only W-E direction, not sure.

[Phil Hears A Who]

She mentions Turkey, Georgia, South-East Asia. The traditional (non-racing) round-world route avoiding Russia involves the cargo ship across the Caspian between Azerbaijan and Aktau, Kazakhstan. But logistics means that can take a week, not a luxury she will have at 300 km a day. So I'd guess she's intending to fly over Iran to/from Pakistan or India.

From the page on the rapha website about the attempt: https://content.rapha.cc/us/en/story/laels-ride-around-the-world?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZDiD-Kvuay1ixTcuvtoGuzP_7AwXJNlXrz8JsskFYYw2U-E--hi2XCjhU_aem_AYRDNYSwrla90bgihymTvtsVbhX2v-6TN9FwLtt21gWSsOr3JWEHiY4dH-7vjIka0_DhDmBnSPgNMtCuc_Mr8i1U

Chicago to NY, Portugal to Tbilisi via the Netherlands, across Australia, up both Islands of NZ, then Anchorage AK to Los Angeles, and back up to Chicago. An interesting route - not particularly adventurous (totally skipping out Asia with the exception of turkey/Georgia), but I'd imagine more practical for a self supported attempt - mostly English speaking, easy resupply/repair, straightforward navigation. Excited to follow along.

[morbihan]

if she needs some route planning for the Netherlands section Im happy to assist.

[Lightning Phil]

if she needs some route planning for the Netherlands section Im happy to assist.

[Pickled Onion]

Chicago to NY, Portugal to Tbilisi via the Netherlands, across Australia, up both Islands of NZ, then Anchorage AK to Los Angeles, and back up to Chicago. An interesting route - not particularly adventurous (totally skipping out Asia with the exception of turkey/Georgia), but I'd imagine more practical for a self supported attempt - mostly English speaking, easy resupply/repair, straightforward navigation. Excited to follow along.

It's completely within the rules, and it's by no means a small achievement to cycle 29,000 km in 110 days while going round the world, but it does stretch the description of "cycling around the world" a little. There's a lot of North-South and South-North in that route.

Regardless of that, it's going to be exciting following the two riders, good luck to them both!

[JonBuoy]

Chicago to NY, Portugal to Tbilisi via the Netherlands, across Australia, up both Islands of NZ, then Anchorage AK to Los Angeles, and back up to Chicago. An interesting route - not particularly adventurous (totally skipping out Asia with the exception of turkey/Georgia), but I'd imagine more practical for a self supported attempt - mostly English speaking, easy resupply/repair, straightforward navigation. Excited to follow along.

It's completely within the rules, and it's by no means a small achievement to cycle 29,000 km in 110 days while going round the world, but it does stretch the description of "cycling around the world" a little. There's a lot of North-South and South-North in that route.

Regardless of that, it's going to be exciting following the two riders, good luck to them both!

Agreed.  The rules are rubbish.  This is the route.



Roughly 7550 miles through US/Canada
4750 miles across Europe (with a bit of Asia)
4800 miles in Australia
1000 miles in New Zealand

I can't blame her for playing the rules but...

[morbihan]

Late to  the party delving into this, and frankly gobsmacked to see that she's riding the Middleburg section I just encounterd on RatN, albeit in the opposite direction, hopefully the wind in same direction for her though! Then the funnel down the Rhine that I rode on TCRno5 followed by the Switzerland zip into the Alps and using the well beaten (TCR again) route through the Dolomites to Leinz (TCRno6) and on to Slovenia. Inland across Croatia and down to Sarajevo before cutting east at Pluzine. it's all so weirdly familiar. Maybe when it comes down to it there ain't really that many options?
Im a bit puzzled as to why she wouldn't drop out of the Alps and cross the Po valley? Perhaps traffic or heat, or maybe just comfortable with climb, or maybe for the views!
Thats it, I'm dialled into this event now...

[teethgrinder]

Lael's podcasts about it are worth a listen 
https://open.spotify.com/show/0IpuMPtH7Ofi3MAjs7kZbc

It looks like she's riding to Guinness and WUCA rules simultaneously, so a kind of mixed breed of rules.
I'm glad that WUCA are involved because Guinness are inconsistent. IIRC, Mike Hall rode around the world unsupported under Guinness rules faster than Mark Beaumont but Guinness changed the rules and didn't give Mike his due.
I also remember Guinness changing the rules (and then changing them back again) when Kajsa Tylen was doing the women's year record.
I reckon Lael has a brilliant set up and a very good chance of getting the record. She's one of my favourite racers and riders and if anyone would ask me who could get this record she would be one of the first, if not the first I would think of.
I don't know about the other rider. But I don't follow these things that much.

[grams]

I don't think 'the guy on a unicycle' was going for a record, he was going for an adventure.

If we're talking about Ed Pratt he was following the Guinness rules but gave up because he ended up in Kazakhstan in the depths of winter and decided it was too dangerous to continue until spring, and there's a rule that you can't stop riding for more than 14 days.

He also (later) skipped finishing via Madrid which he'd have had to do to satisfy the (slightly silly) antipodean points rule.

[Lightning Phil]

https://www.bicycling.com/racing/a60925830/lael-wilcox-aims-to-set-record-on-18000-mile-cycling-journey-around-the-world/

[mrcharly-YHT]

IIRC, Mike Hall rode around the world unsupported under Guinness rules faster than Mark Beaumont but Guinness changed the rules and didn't give Mike his due.

I remember that well and will never forgive Guinness for it.
from wiki

The 91 days and 18 hours for the 2012 World Cycle Race does not include transfer and flight times, which is how Guinness World Records measured it at the time, and this was faster than the current around the world cycling record,[7] but his attempt was never ratified by Guinness.

Also from wiki

The record criteria requires the rider to cover 28,970 kilometers by bike, in an East to West or West to East direction, wavering no more than 5 degrees off course. The total journey distance must be a minimum of 40,075 kilometers, to include all transit by flight or sea.

How does Lael's route fit the 5degrees rule?

[Lightning Phil]

First part of North America complete for Lael

[Pickled Onion]

I'm intrigued that she's heading through the centre of Madrid, Paris, many other major cities. In my experience that was always the worst way to make decent progress, but maybe things are different with GPS and turn-by-turn directions?

[morbihan]

I believe that she wants to involve lots of people and make an event of it, so Im guessing she has chosen a route to fulfil that mandate rather thane the most efficient.
Her wife is documenting the trip too.

[quixoticgeek]

I believe that she wants to involve lots of people and make an event of it, so Im guessing she has chosen a route to fulfil that mandate rather thane the most efficient.
Her wife is documenting the trip too.

That is my understanding too. She had some spare time before her flight from NY, so did some laps in central park with fan's.

I notice she passes within 3km of my home. If she is riding to her target time, being in Switzerland by the 13th, then hopefully I can go and wave to her as she goes by.

She's on day 8. And is showing about 50% faff to forward ratio. I hope that's gonna improve.

J

[Lightning Phil]

Lael making good progress through Spain and should reach France today.