I AM ONE: Lael Wilcox

Tell us about yourself. What makes you unique?

I didn’t really start riding my bike until I was 20 years old to get to and from work at a brewery. I’ve never owned a car and never learned how to drive. The bike was my first vehicle. Before that, I used to walk everywhere. I lived in Tacoma, Washington and started riding all over town. I had a fixed gear and thought it was the nicest bike in the world. My first long ride was 45 miles to visit my sisters in Seattle. I didn’t have the $2.50 for bus fare, so I printed out a stack of directions and rode there instead. I really didn’t know if I could make it. It was during that ride that I realized, if I could ride to the next city over, I could ride across the country. Within a couple of months, after saving some money, I went on my first bike trip from Portland, Maine up to Montreal, Canada and down to Key West Florida. I had no idea what I was doing– what to eat, where to sleep, but it was an incredible adventure. I thought the trip would be a one-off and I’d go to medical school and become a doctor. I never stopped riding. That was in 2008. I traveled the world by bike for the next 7 years before entering my first race. I never saw cycling as a sport. It was a means of transportation and travel. I started racing in 2015 and everything changed– I love the challenge and excitement of racing. I love getting my heart rate up and I love that we never know how it’ll end.

How has your uniqueness been statistically represented in cycling or in sport in general? How has that affected you? 

A lot of the time, I’m the only woman that shows up to bikepacking races. Or at most, we are 10-20% of the whole field. I want women to feel capable of taking on challenges. I want them to feel welcome. I dedicate a lot of my time and energy to encouraging more women and girls to ride with a girls mentorship program, women’s bikepacking challenges and scholarships. 

I started Anchorage GRIT and now run Tucson GRIT, my middle school girls cycling program. There have been 4 seasons in Alaska and we had our first season in Arizona this spring. We ride with 11-14 year old girls for 6 weeks to build up to a final camp out ride. We start with 5 mile rides and build up to 45-60 miles. The riders carry their own camping equipment and we spend one or two nights out– often their first experience camping. Many of the girls come from low opportunity backgrounds. At the end of the program, the girls earn their bikes and can come back in future seasons. All of the mentors are female volunteers.

In collaboration with Komoot, I’m hosting women’s bikepacking challenges. We recently finished one on the Montañas Vacías route in Spain and had one on the Torino Nice Rally last September. The rallies are open invites for women to meet and take on a route together. It’s not a race, but more of a community ride with the goal of making it to the finishers’ party in a week. Participants are self-supported and ride at their own pace, finding food, water and places to sleep along the way. Registration is free, but limited to 50 to maintain an intimate experience and not strain resources along the way. We end up leapfrogging each other, small groups form, lifelong friendships are made and it’s so fun to catch up, hear stories and share experiences. 

I also host women’s bikepacking scholarships– 1 in Mexico and 2 in Alaska so far. Generally, women design a 1,000 mile adventure route, tell me who they are, why they want to do it and what their budget is. The winners receive a bike, all the gear they need and a travel stipend to make their trips happen. I’ve had over 500 applicants from 14-76 years old from all over the world. Incredible to read their stories!

How/when did “gravel” become a part of your cycling story? 

I started bike touring on dirt roads in Baja, Mexico in 2010. There are really only a couple of paved roads on the peninsula. While beautiful, they’re narrow and scary to ride in traffic. I wanted to ride the dirt, but quickly realized that my narrow tires weren’t capable for the sandy roads. I went back to Baja in the fall of 2016 and ended up helping to design a 1,700 mile bikepacking route down the peninsula called the Baja Divide. It’s exceptional!

My first real dirt tour was on Adventure Cycling Association’s Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (often referred to as the Tour Divide) in 2011. This is a terrific route and great for beginners. I immediately loved gravel touring because it takes you to more beautiful, remote places, it’s easier to find places to camp and there’s much less traffic.

I heard about gravel events like Unbound and Midsouth, but never considered participating because I wasn’t a racer.

I started guiding for The Cyclist’s Menu in the spring of 2018. Kristi Mohn came to a camp in 2019 and asked if I would come race Unbound XL and if I would ride to the start. What a great idea! That May, I rode 600 miles from Boulder, Colorado to Emporia, gave the keynote speech at the women’s forum and raced a few hours later. I loved it!

If there was one thing you wish people understood about you/what makes you unique, what would it be?

It’s not all about me :) I’m really grateful I get to do what I love. For the first ten years, I worked in restaurants and bike shops, often double shifts for half of the year to save money to travel and race for the other half of the year. I’ve been sponsored since 2018 and now get to dedicate more time to riding and encouraging more people to get on bikes, spend time outside and follow their dreams. I can’t believe it worked out and am thankful every day.

How has Gravel/Cycling made you a better version of yourself?

These challenges have helped me gain confidence and become tougher. I love pushing myself. I love how unpredictable it can be. Spending so much time moving outside keeps me feeling positive and hopeful. It’s where I have my best ideas. Chasing goals and dreams motivates me to keep working hard.

What is your favorite/funniest/most inspiring Gravel Worlds Memory? If never been to Gravel Worlds, your favorite Gravel story.

That’s the best part– I haven’t ridden Gravel Worlds yet. Excited for it! I rode for at least 8 hours with Robb Finnegan at Unbound XL last year. He said he designed the course for the Long Voyage and asked if I could come. I couldn’t make it last year, but am thrilled I can this year.

What gives you hope for the future? What can us promoters continue to do to help promote inclusion in gravel? 

I love how the gravel community is so open and inviting. Keep encouraging people from all backgrounds to show up. Keep encouraging people to be the best versions of themselves. Thanks for inviting me!

Closing. If you had a younger version of yourself standing in front of you. What would you say to them to encourage them to be a part of the gravel/cycling community?

I would tell my younger self to lighten up. I was way too hard on myself and took things too seriously. You can challenge yourself and have fun at the same time.