When a Reddit thread surfaced about a man who went on a solo cross-country e-bike tour, two questions demanded answers: Who was this adventurer, and what kind of bike did they use? After all, while reliable e-bikes have proliferated on urban commutes and mountain bike trails, only the best can successfully endure a grueling 5,500-mile journey from coast to coast.

The cyclist was 55-year-old Ed Ditto from Tennessee, and he was riding an .

Cruising across the country on an e-bike wasn’t Ditto’s first encounter with long-distance routes. He grew up backpacking with his father and even completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2023, and for years has been passionate about immersive travel. And he’s done a lot of it. Ditto retired early—at age 36—freeing up time to pursue his love of whitewater kayaking, ultrarunning, and exploring new places without the pressure of time.

Ditto’s Aventon-powered journey began at the Yorktown Victory Monument in Virginia and concluded at the Astoria Column in Oregon. Along the way, he connected the dots between urban centers like Chattanooga and St. Louis and scenic highlights like Yellowstone National Park and Breckenridge. The route offered sweeping views of the Mississippi River, climbs over Rocky Mountain passes, and a front-row seat to the diverse landscapes of the American heartland.

Choosing a bike for the journey was just as important as choosing the route. Ditto says the decision was influenced by positive feedback from the community. “It was good review after good review—both in the trade press and from individual owners across various forums,” he recalls. “I found a local dealer, took the Aventon Level 2 for a test ride, and it just felt right. I’d tried other bikes, but this one stood out as the best option. Plus, it seemed versatile enough to handle more than just urban commuting.”

He upgraded the e-bike with essentials to help meet the challenges of a continent-spanning ride. The kit enhancements included:

• Swapping the stock 12-32T 8-speed cassette for an 11-46T 9-speed for better climbing gears. This also meant upgrading the shifter and rear derailleur and lengthening the chain.
• Purchasing two extra batteries and a spare charger.
• Installing a custom Old Man Mountain front through-axle with an integrated attachment point for a front rack.
• Switching to Schwalbe Marathon E Plus 2.00 tires for added durability.

The package successfully got Ditto across the country, collecting memories, views, and interactions he’ll carry with him for a lifetime. He recalls the final moments of his trip:

“On the last day of my trip, after five months riding westward, I crested the ridge above Cape Lookout, Oregon, pulled off at an overlook, and saw the Pacific breaking against the beach. I realized I’d made it. I stood there straddling my bike, balancing its weight, and trying to feel anything like triumph. But I only remember feeling exhausted.

“There were other people there, all watching the ocean, except for one guy. He came over and asked how far I’d ridden, and when I told him I’d crossed the country, he did what you’d expect: He gasped, said ‘Wow,’ congratulated me, asked a bunch of questions, etc.

“This had happened to me dozens and dozens of times as I made my way across the U.S.—all these people who were flabbergasted that you could walk out of your house, get on your bike, and just start riding. A hundred, 500, 5,000 miles—amazing, they’d say.

“And then another guy approached and reacted like the first, and then a family walked up. I suddenly found myself surrounded by people praising me, telling me what an extraordinary guy I was for doing such a thing.

“It freaked me out a little. I’d been alone way too long by then, maybe gotten a touch agoraphobic. So I disentangled myself in the nicest way possible, rode down the ridge to the beach, leaned my bike against a fir tree, and walked out into the ocean with all my clothes on. That was it. Virginia to Oregon. Coast to coast. Done.

“A few days later, after recuperating at a beachside AirBnB near Astoria, I rented a van, loaded my bike, and headed back east. Eventually, I stopped for gas and caffeine. Unhooking the nozzle from the pump, it hit me: Back to the world of the mundane, man.

“Maybe I should’ve ridden home.”

is here to inspire adventures, both big and small, in all terrains of life. No matter what we look like now, a year from now, or a decade from now, this is what keeps us moving forward. Redefine adventure and learn more at .

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Moving your bike indoors for the winter can feel uninspiring. There’s no scenery to gaze at, no cycling crew to keep you company, and no changes in terrain to keep things interesting. But there’s also less time spent layering up, fewer frozen fingers, and no junk miles commuting from home to your starting point.

Instead of thinking of as a necessary evil during the winter months, consider the benefits: You don’t have to worry about slipping on ice or navigating around cars, pedestrians, and pets. You can adjust the temperature indoors, making it warmer to mimic summer races or turning on a fan if you need to cool off. With fewer distractions and more control over your environment, you can get really dialed in with your training.

While outdoor cycling allows you to practice bike handling and climbing and descending hills, indoor training is great for honing your pedaling efficiency and cadence.

How to Choose Indoor Cycling Equipment

There’s no match for your own bike, especially if it’s been fitted to your body and has a seat you can comfortably sit on for hours. If you want to keep riding the same bike indoors, you can mount it on a bike trainer or rollers.

Bike trainers fall into two main categories: and . A wheel-on trainer attaches to your bike’s rear wheel and uses a metal roller pressed against the tire to add resistance. With a direct-drive trainer, you remove your rear wheel and set your bike on the trainer’s cassette. Wheel-on trainers can quickly wear out your back tire, but they also tend to be more affordable; direct-drive trainers, which are larger and heavier, provide a smoother ride.

Rollers sit flat on the floor and include three long cylinders attached to a metal frame. While you ride, your wheels spin the cylinders, offering a realistic road-feel. This apparatus requires more balance and skill to stay upright than other indoor cycling options.

While it won’t replicate your outdoor riding experience as closely, , a coach and training specialist with Peloton, says a stationary bike can also help you build your overall endurance. “When you’re focusing on general fitness, just getting on a bike and pedaling is like 90 percent of the battle,” he says.

Unlike devices that attach to your normal bike, a stationary bike is a separate piece of equipment specifically meant for cycling indoors. Your pedal strokes spin a flywheel at the front of the machine. Depending on the model you’re using, you can turn a knob or pull a lever to adjust your level of resistance. There are a few different types of stationary bikes, including upright (which most closely resembles a regular bike), recumbent (with a reclined seat), and dual-action (the handlebars move back and forth, offering an additional upper body workout). Upright and dual-action bikes will feel most similar to your outdoor bike, but if you have back pain, the reclined seat of a recumbent bike offers more comfort and support.

Set a Goal

When your outdoor cycling season ends, Wilpers says that’s the time to set your goals for the coming year. “It puts a flag in the ground to say, ‘OK I need to be ready for this,’” he says. “It gives purpose to your workouts.”

If there’s a bike race on your calendar, plan your training program around your main race (your “A” race). Think about where you want your fitness to be by that race, and work backwards to where you are now. You’ll want to start your first phase of training about six months before race day. If your aim is to simply ride more, or be able to ride a certain distance, there’s still value in sticking to a structured training program to stay motivated.

“The difference between training and exercising is simply having a goal, and I think you need to have your goal in mind to really start getting the most out of your training,” says Wilpers. “That makes you less likely to miss a training day and more likely to have a higher quality session.”

Focus on Technique

While training indoors, pay attention to where you’re feeling the work of pedaling. You should primarily be using the big muscles of your glutes, quads, and hamstrings, rather than smaller muscles like your calves. If you’re feeling it in your knees, that could be a sign that you’re “just mashing the pedals,” Wilpers says.

While your legs power your pedals, your core is responsible for keeping the other half of your body upright and balanced on two wheels. Activate your core to control your hips in the saddle and avoid bouncing or rocking when you’re riding at a higher speed, Wilpers says. You should also be drawing on your core strength and stability to initiate your pedal stroke and take some of your upper body weight off of your handlebars.

Warm Up

Regardless of your training phase, Wilpers recommends a five-minute warmup that starts with an easy pedal for about a minute. Follow that with three to four minutes of spin-ups for 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off of building to a higher and higher cadence, then slowly backing down. “Being able to quickly turn over the pedals and apply force to the pedals is what makes a cyclist fast,” says Wilpers.

You can also add in some single-leg pedaling drills, which can help identify and correct power imbalances. Unclip one foot from your pedal and pedal with one leg, paying attention to any spots where you lose power. Start with one minute on each leg.

Indoor Training Phases

To best prepare for spring and summer rides, your training cycle should have two phases: base (which begins about six months before a goal race) and build (which starts about 12 to 16 weeks before your goal race). During base training, your focus will be on increasing your aerobic fitness and endurance as well as pedal stroke efficiency. The build phase “relies on a strong aerobic engine and foundation built in the base phase,” says Wilpers. In this phase, the volume and intensity will increase.

Base Training

During base training, which should last about six to 12 weeks, you’ll focus on upping your fitness and overall cardiovascular capacity. Wilpers suggests aiming for threeÌęworkouts a week. You can sub out one ride a week with other endurance exercises, like running or swimming.

“If you’re in base training, everything needs to be endurance,” says Wilpers. That doesn’t mean purely long, slow distance rides though. While one ride a week should be your long ride, the others should include high-intensity interval training. Those rides, which can be kept to about an hour, should include several intervals around eight minutes long (you can build up to 15-minute intervals) which feel like a seven on the one-to-ten scale of rate of perceived exertion (RPE).

You can throw in some sweet-spot training as well, which helps increase your aerobic capacity. This entails riding at about 88 to 94 percent of your functional threshold power (FTP), or the maximum amount of power you can sustain for an hour at a time. Start with four eight-minute intervals or two 15-minute intervals, resting four minutes or seven minutes between each interval. These intervals should also feel like about a seven in terms of your rate of perceived exertion.

“Sweet-spot training is considered one of the most beneficial intensities to train at to start bumping up your FTP,” says Wilpers. “I like using sweet-spot training at the tail end of base training because you are starting to get hungry for more intensity…but it’s not yet time to make that jump into the build phase.”

During the base phase, recovery is particularly important to ensure you don’t get injured or burn out before your training can really begin. As you get older, Wilpers says, it becomes more challenging for your body to absorb the work you’re doing and adapt to training intensity.

Build Training

Your build phase should start about 12 to 16 weeks before your goal race and last around six to eight weeks. Aim for two to three 60- to 90-minute long high-intensity workouts per week, in addition to your longer endurance ride. During this phase, you’re bumping up the volume and intensity. VO2 Max intervals—riding in a zone five level of intensity, where your heart rate is at about 90 to 100 percent of your max—should be around five minutes. Threshold intervals—in which you’re riding at the highest level of power you can sustain on an hour-long ride—should be about eight to ten minutes with recovery between intervals at about half the time spent working. Aim for an RPE between seven and eight.

Training should start getting more race-specific as well. Consider the elevation of the course and add hills accordingly, and increase long rides to get closer to the amount of time you anticipate riding during your peak race.

The Pillars of Off-Season Training

Frequency: Find a schedule you can stick to. How much time can you realistically devote to training? “If you over-schedule yourself and you can’t stay consistent, nothing is going to happen,” Wilpers says. “You’re just going to get frustrated.” Three sessions a week is ideal, but during your base phase, you can swap one of those for another kind of cardio you enjoy.

Duration: Start with easy endurance work and gradually increase the length of your workouts as you progress. Even if your goal race will have you in the saddle for several hours, don’t spend your entire off-season just pedaling slowly for hours at a time. “You want to show up on race day ready to race and excited,” says Wilpers. “But if you’re just doing endurance rides for 24 weeks, you’re going to get to the race and be like ‘I’m already over it.’” Instead, schedule two of your weekly sessions to be around an hour long and use that time to work on interval training, which will increase your pedaling power and endurance.

Intensity: Unlike frequency and duration, intensity is a bit subjective. How hard does your workout feel? If you plan for one ride per week to be low intensity, the other two (or three) should incorporate intervals at a higher intensity, which can include increasing your speed, shifting your cadence, and adding hill work.

Strength Training

You can build strength both on and off the bike.

On the bike, you can build strength with muscle tension or high-force intervals. Add an incline on the bike (or get into a higher gear) and take your cadence into the 50s or 60s, pedaling slowly “so you’re getting lots of muscle fiber activation,” says Wilpers. Try to hold that cadence and power for five to six minutes, building up to about 20 minutes. Muscle tension riding is great for building glute strength, something cyclists often neglect in favor of their quads and hamstrings. When you head back to higher cadence rides and sprints, this should make your pedal stroke even more efficient.

Off the bike, Wilpers suggests focusing on the “main movers”—the glutes, quads, and hamstrings—to increase force production on your pedals. Think: squats and deadlifts and cleans. Unilateral (single-leg) work will help ensure you’re building strength in both legs, rather than allowing one side to handle the bulk of the work. It can also help correct any muscular imbalances you may have developed during the racing season. For upper body work, add in bench presses, overhead presses, lat pull-downs, and rows.

Wilpers recommends at least two or three total-body strength sessions per week, depending on your training phase. During early base training, the addition of a third session can “help enhance strength improvements while your cycling training is just getting started,” he says. As your cycling training gets more demanding, decrease the volume and intensity of your strength workouts and switch to just two sessions per week to maintain the muscle you’ve built.

“A good indication that it’s time to dial back the strength training to strength maintenance is when you feel that residual fatigue and/or soreness from strength sessions is starting to interfere with your cycling training,” Wilpers says.

Rest and Recovery

Wilpers recommends at least one rest day a week, adding more based on how hard you’ve pushed yourself and your overall health and stress levels.

“Every athlete has a different rate of adaptation or absorption, and that will change as your life changes,” says Wilpers.

Rest doesn’t have to mean melting into the couch, though. You can use that time to focus on mobility work or do a low-impact workout you enjoy like yoga.

It’s tempting to assume that only professional athletes need dedicated rest days. But shifting your thinking about why and how you train may be the key to getting the most from your time on the bike and avoiding burnout.

“People say ‘I’m not an athlete.’ Well if you’re training, you’re an athlete,” says Wilpers.

The post How to Optimize Your Indoor Cycling, According to a Peloton Coach appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

If you asked me to name the best bike brand, it would be impossible. Dozens of brands make top-shelf bikes that are an absolute pleasure to ride and full of creative technologies. However, naming the best bike rack brand is easy: 1UP. Several other brands make totally competent racks, but none are as unique, well made, thoroughly designed, or beautiful as what 1UP constantly pumps out.

Case in point is 1UP’s new Super Duty bike rack. I’ve been testing it for the past several months on the back of my 2024 Toyota Tundra and there is not one thing I can find wrong with the design.

1UP racks have long had a cult-like following because they’re the best rack out there for safely transporting your expensive bike. Their design uses two arms that secure your wheels by reaching over them and putting downward pressure on your tires to keep the bike locked in place on a metal tray. By locking on the tires, the arms never touch your frame and therefore won’t rub the paint or damage the bike, while still keeping it completely planted and safe.

This design also has the added benefit of a super clean aesthetic. The two arms sit nicely on the wheels, creating a symmetrical design, and everything is made from polished or simple black aluminum. When folded up and not in use, all the 1UP bike racks tuck against the back of your car more cleanly and efficiently than any other rack out there, almost blending into the car or the tailgate.

Testing the 1UP Super Duty

The version I tested is an upgrade over the standard 1UP rack in several important ways. The biggest talking point is that each tray can now hold up to 100 pounds (compared to 50 pounds per tray on their standard rack), and each tray and lock-down arm is wider so you can now safely carry the heaviest e-bikes or even a wide-tired electric dirt bike like those made by Super 73.

The electric dirt bike capability is a big deal because lots of overlanders are buying these adventure bikes as add-ons for their rigs. They’ll find a remote camping spot, set up their truck with all its accessories, and then jump on their Super 73 to explore, or even run back into town for groceries. Without something like the 1UP rack, overlanders have had to stuff their adventure bikes into vans and truck beds, or build custom racks.

Additionally, the Super Duty is compatible with what 1UP calls a wheel chock, a v-shaped device that slots into the tray and holds the front wheel of your bike as a third point of contact. I loved this because during my testing I carried expensive carbon bikes up a series of gnarly, off-grid roads that had my truck bouncing around to the point where my family threatened to get out and walk. The normal arms kept my bikes in place, but the wheel chock was a nice piece of insurance. I like knowing that no matter how much time I spend bouncing on a dirt road, it’s almost impossible for my bike to fall off.

Another smaller but important update is the one-handed arm adjustment feature. Other 1UP racks require two hands to open the arms on the tray, but the Super Duty allows you to open the arms one handed so you can keep your other hand on your bike.

Like all 1UP bike racks, the Super Duty was effortless to install. It slid into my two-inch hitch, I decided how far I wanted it to sit from my tailgate, and I tightened it down with a couple of twists of the included wrench. Over several thousand miles of driving, including several hundred miles of dirt roads, the hitch is still as secure as when I installed it and there isn’t a milliliter of wobble. I’ve tested many other bike racks from big-name brands, and all of them have eventually come loose, so it’s an absolute pleasure to not ever have to worry about the 1UP.

As you might guess, the Super Duty is not cheap. My double trays cost a hearty $900, and the single comes in at $600. But the saying “buy once, cry once” is as true as it comes here because this will be the last bike rack you’ll need for years, if not decades, and will only become obsolete if bikes change in some crazy way. Knowing how good the Super Duty is at protecting your bike also takes the pain away as you drive around confident that your $4,000—or $14,000—whip is totally locked down and safe.

The post 1UP’s Super Duty Bike Rack Is a Marvel of EngineeringÌę appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

Heroes of the Tour de France have a few things in common. Most are white men, and they tend to hail from European nations with strong cycling cultures and robust infrastructure for developing professional racers. Over the event’s 121-year history, riders from France, Belgium, Spain, and Italy have dominated.

Perhaps that’s why fans of the sport were so enthralled by one rider at the 2024 Tour: Biniam Girmay. The 24-year-old comes from Eritrea, a mountainous country on Africa’s Red Sea coast and one of the poorest nations in the world.

At this year’s race, Girmay won three stages and claimed the green jersey, awarded to the best sprinter. These accomplishments etched Girmay into the Tour’s history books. He became the first Black cyclist to win a stage and to claim one of the event’s four jerseys.

Girmay told șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű that he wants his victories to lead more Black racers to the Tour. “I hope more professional teams will give opportunities to African riders,” he said. “The talent is there, but more investment needs to be done.”

Girmay’s accolades were oft repeated during the Tour’s broadcast, highlighting pro cycling’s notorious lack of diversity. Other Black cyclists have competed in the race, but their contributions were always in supporting roles. In 2015 another Eritrean rider, Daniel Teklehaimanot, wore the polka dot jersey—given to the top climber—for several stages before relinquishing the lead in that competition. Colombian rider Egan Bernal became the first South American rider to win the race overall in 2019.

Professional cyclists of color have also faced blatant racism. In 2017, Frenchman Kevin Reza, who rode the Tour three times, was called a racial slur by Italian cyclist Gianni Moscon during the Tour de Romandie, a weeklong event in Switzerland.

Girmay’s path to the Tour wasn’t easy. Cycling is popular in Eritrea—a by-product of its colonization by Italy in the late 19th century. But because of the country’s largely agrarian economy and paltry racing infrastructure, even the best Eritrean riders rarely reach the big European leagues. Girmay grew up in the capital, Asmara, the son of a carpenter. His father loved cycling and began showing the Tour broadcast to Girmay when he was 11. Girmay began racing mountain bikes at 12, before switching to road racing.

He showed immediate talent, quickly rising to the top of the country’s road-cycling leagues. At 18, he was selected to train and race in the Union Cycliste Internationale’s World Cycling Center in Aigle, Switzerland, as part of a program that offers coaching and racing opportunities to up-and-coming riders from under-resourced nations.

The jump to Europe wasn’t easy. “The solitude was hard,” he told șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű. The new climate was also challenging. “I still struggle to perform optimally in the rain,” he added.

Girmay learned quickly and advanced rapidly. In 2021, three seasons after moving to Europe, he finished second in the under-23 world championships. The following year, he won the historic Gent-Wevelgem in Belgium. He also won a stage of the Giro d’Italia, becoming the first Black cyclist to do so at one of cycling’s Grand Tours. The 2024 Tour de France, with its history and significance, presented the next barrier. And Girmay broke through.

The post How Biniam Girmay Made History at the 2024 Tour de France appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

These are strange times for Olympians.

An athlete can win medal after medal, but should they be caught on camera in a compromising or hilarious situation, the ensuing tonnage of Internet memes will overshadow those accolades. Want proof? I dare you to Google French pole vaulter or Turkish shooter .

I fear that American Olympic triathlete is headed for a similar fate. I’m here to beg you, people of the Internet, to not let it happen.

Over the weekend, Knibb, 26, dominated the T100 world championships triathlon in Dubai, winning the race by over two minutes. But during the run portion Knibb pooped in her racing suit. Hey, it’s triathlon—indigestion and the occasional mid-race crap are . Knibb had the presence of mind to share her predicament with the cameraman who was trailing her: she asked him to spare viewers the unflattering view from behind. “I just shit myself,” she said into the camera. “So can you not get my ass?” The cameraman complied.

Alas, this short video clip has entered the Internet’s . I first saw it on Instagram on Sunday night, and by Wednesday, stories about Knibb dotted the Internet. Even —the surest sign that a story has become part of the Internet’s lowbrow sludge.

I understand why: pants pooping is almost always a little funny, and doing so during a world-class sporting competition simply adds to the knee-slapping appeal. Plus, Knibb’s calm, matter-of-fact demeanor in the midst of a could-be crisis moment won hearts. She’s a little like that meme of the dog in the burning room claiming “,” if that dog were also masterfully managing its own PR in real-time.

But as we all know, viral memes have a way of distorting reality and overshadowing facts. And the truth about Taylor Knibb is that she’s probably the most impressive American endurance athlete of her generation. Period. And I will say thisÌęuntil I’m hoarse: Taylor Knibb is far too impressive of an athlete for a goofy meme to define her online reputation.

Knibb wins triathlons of varying distances, and in 2020 she won Olympic silver in Tokyo. Not to be outdone, in 2024 Knibb qualified for the American Olympic team in both triathlon and road cycling. To the unfamiliar, this may seem pretty ho-hum. Cycling is one of the three legs of triathlon, after all. Isn’t this just like Michael Phelps winning medals in breast stroke, backstroke, and butterfly?

Nope—it’s completely different. It’s more like if Phelps won in the 100-meter freestyle and then donned a sequined outfit and did the Olympic synchronized swimming competition and totally kicked ass at it. No American has competed in triathlon and cycling at the same Olympics ever before. It’s a big deal.ÌęIn fact, Knibb was the only American to compete in two different sports at the Paris Games. She also raced the Olympic team triathlon and helped Team USA earn a silver medal.

Within the small community of endurance sports superfanatics—yes, I am a card-carrying member—Knibb’s double-Olympic qualification was mind-blowing.

“Threading that needle of being world-class in triathlon and cycling at the same time is beyond difficult,” says longtime coach Neal Henderson, who trains elite-level cyclists and triathletes. “It’s hard to put into words just how impossible that is.”

Henderson told șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű that the training demands to be that good in two different sports areÌęmind-boggling. Elite cyclists and triathletes both train anywhere from 25-28 hours a week. But cyclists dedicate all of that time toward the very specific physiological act of pedaling a bicycle. Triathletes, meanwhile, split those hours between swimming, biking, and running.

And anyone who’s ever done a triathlon knows that running and cycling are not exactly complementary exercises. I’m simplifying here, but pedaling a bicycle requires your leg muscles to generate high levels of power. That’s why top cyclists often have brawny quads, glutes, and hamstrings.

Running, meanwhile, damages big, brawny leg muscles, and saps those muscles of the power required to push the pedals of a bicycle. If you examine the world’s top distance runners—and triathletes—you will see lithe, spindly legs.

“The physiological demands of running hasÌęa negative effect on being able to maintain the muscle mass, strength, and power that make you a good cyclist,” Henderson said. “And in elite sports, you’re talking about razor-edge differences that come from putting huge demands on the body.”

Henderson, who operates the Colorado-based coaching company Apex Coaching, coached Knibb when she was an 18-year-old budding professional triathlete. She had graduated from Cornell as an Academic All American and a top-level cross-country runner, and she had her sights set on professional triathlon. Knibb was the rare teenaged athlete with world-class natural talent, monk-like dedication to training, and personal ambitions that were sky-high, Henderson said.

But even he had his doubts when Knibb told him that in 2024 she hoped to qualify for the Olympics in two different sports. Her travel schedule for triathlon left very little time to train specifically for cycling. And the handful of American women competing for a spot in Paris included talented athletes who have spent years focusing on the sport.

“It seemed unreasonable for Taylor to go to the Olympics in both,” Henderson said. “But if you place reasonable expectations on athletes with unreasonable ability, you’ll never know what they’re capable of.”

Knibb had earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic triathlon team in 2023, and in 2024 a rare opportunity opened for her to go in cycling. USA Cycling, the sport’s governing body, held a in the individual time trial on May 15. The race fell right in the middle of Knibb’s international competition schedule for triathlon, just a few days after a major race in Japan.

After finishing second at the Japanese triathlon, Knibb traveled to Charleston, West Virginia, for the road cycling race. She faced off against the country’s best professional cyclists in the 22-mile individual race. Among the competitors included former world champion Amber Neben, former U.S. road champion Lauren Stephens, and even Kristen Faulkner, who went on to win two cycling gold medals in Paris. Everyone wanted the victory, because a win meant an automatic spot on the U.S. Olympic cycling team.

Knibb smoked them all—she topped Faulkner by 11 seconds to grab the spot.

When I read the news, I just about fell out of my chair. When Henderson learned of Knibb’s victory, he smiled. He knew she was capable of it, after all.

So, if you must, have your little laugh at the video, then take a minute to get to know Knibb for who she really is: an exceptional athlete with huge ambitions, crazy strength, and yes, the ability to stay calm and collected, no matter the situation.

The post I Refuse to Allow Taylor Knibb to Become an Internet Meme appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

When we’re not writing about influencers disrupting marathons or debating whether you should bring a camp chair while backpacking, our editors are busy testing gear outside. An unpredictable mixture of sleet, rain, snow, and sunshine this month makes it challenging to pack the right gear for those adventures. Luckily, we put hundreds of products through their paces to determine which ones will keep us the most comfortable and prepared. The following thirteen pieces of gear are helping us enjoy the sometimes dull, sometimes sunny days of November.

When you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside.ÌęLearn more.

Orla Kiely Midi Crossbody bag

I treated myself to this lovely bag for my 50th birthday. I was drawn to the bright colors and the leaf pattern, and I think of it as my positive pop of panache when the rest of the world seems gray (both meteorologically and metaphorically). It’s fairly spacious—I still must rifle through its open and zipped pockets to place the item I’m looking for—and I love the small magnet closure at the top, which I hands-down prefer to the hassle of zippers. As you might expect of a bag designed by a Brit, it is practical and cheery and both water- and scratch-resistant. And it gets me all kinds of compliments in public. —Tasha Zemke, managing editor

Pearl Izumi Attack WxB Jacket

Ìę

I absolutely loved this year’s unseasonably balmy autumn here in Colorado, and I spent tons of time riding my bike in the sunshine. But a minor drawback of the warm weather meant I was unable to test raincoats, baselayers, and other shoulder-season gear. All that changed in early November when we had a week of solid rain, sleet, and snow. I headed out on several soggy bike rides and once again felt the sting of cold on my face and the slush of water in my legs and shoes.

Of the gear I tested, the Attack WxB Jacket from Pearl Izumi performed the best. The rain jacket is fully waterproof with sealed seams and an internal storm flap under the zipper to prevent moisture from oozing through. It’s also surprisingly breathable—my core vented off heat and I never felt the muggy dampness of my own perspiration building up inside. Credit the jacket’s breathability and rain-blocking to its three-layer fabric construction. Alas, these attributes come with some drawbacks: the coat felt heavier than some of the paper-thin rain slickers I’ve owned in the past. And there are no pockets—a design that helps the jacket fit into a pocket. But if you want a garment that is purpose-built for rainy rides, consider the Attack WxB Jacket. —Fred Dreier, articles editor

Birkenstock Tokio Shearling Sandals

I probably wear Birkenstocks 70 percent of the time. I have my favorite running and hiking shoes, and I’m happy to break out my Blundstones for the snow, but otherwise this German company has an almost complete monopoly on my feet. And I’m not alone. The company was valued at $8.6 billion when it had its initial public offering thanks to a very strong and diverse following. Summer sandals are its backbone, but the company has made a big push into winter footwear, and I’m currently obsessed with their Tokio Shearling Sandals.

These sandals have the company’s classic cork-latex footbed, which I’ve long loved because it feels great on recovering feet, and they also come stuffed with an ultra-warm, genuine shearling. I wear the sandals without socks on milder fall and winter days and never have any unnecessary sweating, and then throw on a merino sock so I can wear them when it’s freezing. Birkenstock clearly knows they’ve created a movement so the prices are high. But rest assured that the sandals are supremely well built and will last for years. —Jakob Schiller, correspondent

Nike Men’s Dri-Fit UV Full-Zip Versatile Hoodie

Fall weekends in my house are spent running, literally, from one activity to the next. Early mornings usually involve a cold-weather cross country meet where I cheer on my kids at the start line, sprint to a mid-course spot to keep them motivated, and then sprint back to the finish for a post-race hug. Next it’s off to a slightly warmer soccer game where I help them warm up, and then probably off to a family lunch and maybe a family movie. All that variability had me searching for the right fall layer that would keep me warm, breathe well enough to not wet out, and not make me look like I was running my own race.

What I landed on was this hoodie, which is made from 78 percent polyester, so it has the chops to move sweat, and 22 percent cotton so that it still looks casual enough and doesn’t come off as workout wear. Nike offers the hoodie in several colors, and while the light gray does scream “I’m a proud sports dad,” the black is more understated and easy to wear.—J.S.

Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L

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I’ve tried plenty of carry-on sized travel packs, and they all have some sort of drawback, whether it’s uncomfortable straps or poor organization. So far, Peak Design’s 45 liter pack hasn’t let me down. It expands to the maximum possible carry-on volume, which meant I could pack enough clothing for a week-long work trip, with a laptop sleeve and plenty of smaller compartments for dongles and chargers. If you’re on a persnickety international flight, you can cinch it down to the allowable 35-liter capacity. The massive main compartment flays open completely near the back panel for easy packing and unpacking, with several other zippered access points for stuffing or pulling layers out on-the-go.

I haven’t used it as a dedicated camera bag yet, but photography nerds will appreciate the padded, structured shell of the pack—which allows for any combination of packing cubes and pouches—and two side stretch pockets for tripods (or water bottles). Most importantly? This thing is actually comfortable to wear. After a day hauling 30 pounds of gear on my shoulders, I remained relatively pain-free. —Benjamin Tepler, senior gear editor

Nanuk 976

Pelican cases are the gold standard in this country for transporting things like hunting or photo equipment without having to worry about careless baggage-handlers. But recently, I tried out a massive waterproof, dustproof, impact-proof roller from Canada’s leading protective case brand, Nanuk. Overall? Same level of protection as a Pelican, with just a bit more ease and comfort for the user (we’re not all loading ammunition onto a Humvee.)

The shockingly large 208-liter container easily held several scuba tanks and multiple bits of oddly shaped kit thanks to an easy pick-and-pluck foam insert that you can hand-carve to your heart’s desire. Seven burly latches along the case were easy to close, with no danger of getting snagged and flipping open—a risk with other protective case brands. Giant, folding soft plastic handles on either end of the bag made it easy to grab off of baggage claim belts and pull out of trunks, and an equally massive telescoping handle and two sets of double wheels made hauling the Nanuk through airports feel somewhat effortless, despite the absurd size. If you need to transport something truly fragile—from wine to weapons—Nanuk’s ballistic-level protection and thoughtful ergonomics are hard to beat. —B.T.

Filson Tin Cloth Short Lined Cruiser Jacket

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Filson’s offerings tend to err on the side of bulky and utilitarian. Don’t get me wrong—they look great, but itchy wool and extra-long sleeves aren’t for everyone. The Tin Cloth Cruiser, however, is equal parts fashion statement and workwear.

It’s made of a thick, waxed cotton that’s pretty much bramble-proof, and will shed water as well as any Gore-Tex layer (as long as you wax it every few years). Lower pockets are generously bulky—large enough for work gloves or a hat—and the right-side chest pocket has multiple pencil/tool slots for whatever project you’re working on. It’s not cheap, but the tight weave, heavy-duty duck canvas, and bar-tack stitching make this thing a workhorse that will probably outlast you. Unlike most of Filson’s offerings, the cut of this jacket is trim, short, and boxy. If you’re after the cool-guy bomber-jacket look, order your usual size. If you’re using it for work, order one size up. —B.T.

Bellfab Dometic Water Jug Universal Mount

One of my absolute favorite pieces of camping gear in the last couple of years has been the . At 11 liters, it’s the perfect size for most camping trips, and when you pair it with one of Dometic’s faucets, you get a sink with running water wherever you are. I recently attached this mount from Bellfab to the T-Track on my Tune M1 camper, and now my Dometic GO has a dedicated spot in the rig. The aluminum mount is super strong, and attaches to basically anything—a camper, roof rack, your 4Runner’s trunk, or a truck bed’s tie down rails. It keeps the Dometic jug safe and secure while in transit, and lets me position the jug inside the camper for quick access to water, effectively creating a tiny camp kitchen when paired with a small collapsible sink. —Bryan Rogala, gear columnist and contributor

Northwest Alpine Black Spider Hoody

Since cooler weather has finally hit here in New Mexico, I’ve been living in this layer. The Black Spider isn’t new—Northwest Alpine has been making it since 2010—but frankly, I hadn’t heard much about the brand until they sent me the hoody. After wearing this piece hiking, hunting, and doing chores around the farm, I’m not sure I’ve ever worn a better midlayer. The Polartec Power Grid fabric helps the Black Spider breathe exceptionally well when you’re working hard, but keeps you warm when you’re not. It’s not loaded with unnecessary features, the fit is great, and so far it’s proven extremely durable. I have a feeling I’ll be wearing this hoody for a long, long time. —B.R.

Kuiu Base Camp Insulated Snap Shirt

Kuiu is predominantly a hunting brand, but they’ve branched out into everyday wear with some good looking pieces that work at the campsite or around town. I’ve found myself reaching for their Base Camp Insulated Snap Shirt as the temperature has dropped, not only because the 40 grams of synthetic insulation provides just enough warmth to fight the November chill, but also because of the fit of the shirt/jacket; There’s enough room to allow for a full range of motion, but it has a slim cut that avoids the balloon-effect that plague some insulated layers. The liner is brushed for next to skin softness, and the collar looks good down or popped up if it’s particularly chilly. I’ve been wearing it as a shoulder season jacket, but I could see this piece transitioning into a stylish mid-layer come ski season. —Graham Averill, gear and travel columnist

Evoc Hip Pack Pro 3

I’ve been trying to ride my mountain bike as much as possible this fall, and most of my rides are under two hours and close to home, which means a full backpack of support gear would be overkill. Enter the Evoke Hip Pack Pro 3, a demure waist pack that has a built-in 1.5-liter bladder and enough storage for snacks, tools, and an extra layer. My favorite thing about this bag, though, is the stretchy velcro waist belt which keeps the fit tight without binding around my torso. It’s the sort of bag you forget you’re wearing until you need something in it. —G.A.

Yardsale P1 Ski Poles

Like most kids, I learned to ski without poles. When it came time to add poles to my regimen, I didn’t think much of them and grabbed just any sticks from the rental shop. Turns out, poles are pretty important, and can make or break ski form. The P1 poles from Yardsale are the perfect accessory for skiers who are looking to upgrade their gear. The poles come in a variety of colors, and sizes, and have a magnetic locking system so they stick together. You can even customize the color on the site. But the best feature of Yardsale’s poles is the lifetime guarantee. You break your poles, tell the team how (the more novel the story, the better), and they’ll send you new poles. —Jamie Aranoff, Digital Editor, SKI

Roll Recovery Superplush Classic Shoe

I keep reaching for these new recovery shoes from Roll Recovery because their stretchy, breathable uppers and wide toe box stay out of the way and make them disappear, with nothing squeezing, rubbing, or holding in sweaty heat—and invisible comfort and freedom are my most important qualities in a recovery shoe. The Superplush Classic’s are incredibly easy to slip on and off, yet once on, the fit is secure enough I didn’t have to worry about sliding around or clenching my toes to stay in the shoe. Underfoot, the flexible sole provides unobtrusive support and a stable, comfortable platform without drawing attention to itself. Plus, the use of sustainable, recycled yarns and algae-based Bloom foam does a bit to relax my mind about environmental concerns. —Jonathan Beverly, senior running editor, gear

The post The Gear Our Editors Are Loving This November appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

When it comes to bike training, most triathletes are locked into a power zone on their indoor trainer Ìęor focused on getting to the top of the next hill as quickly as possible. Time-saving details tend to come in the form of gear, like the latest reduced-drag skin suits or . But even though building your aerobic base and finessing your position is always beneficial, you might be surprised just how much free speed – and time – you are leaving out on the course by not placing a bit more emphasis on those bike handling skills, particularly when it comes to descending.

One of the best examples of this is the Ironman World Championship course in Nice, France, with its 8,000 feet of elevation in the Maritime Alps. In 2019, we marveled at Rudy Von Berg railing it around the corners on familiar roads in the 70.3 worlds. Last year, we saw fellow Frenchman Sam Laidlow deliver similarly over the full distance as he became the youngest men’s winner ever. But perhaps the best example is that of British athlete Kat Matthews at the 2024 Ironman World Championship Nice, whose descending in the second part of the bike leg – much of it in the company of eventual winner Laura Philipp – meant that by the time the pair reached T2, they were seven minutes ahead of French local Marjolaine Pierre and the rest of the field had splintered in their wake.

To illustrate just how hard Matthews rode, she handily – and, thankfully, to give even more helpful context, so did many of the pro women she raced against. When we pore over the Strava data at different sections of the descent, we can can really show where the time gaps were created.

How Descending Shaped the Race at the 2024 Ironman World Championship Nice

As you can see from the graphic, the Ironman course in Nice is one loop climbing to a rolling plateau before dropping back to the coast.

We’ll look at each of the notable descents in turn and then put them into the bigger picture of the race.

Descent #1: Route de Grasse Toward Pont du Loup

Just over 20 miles into the ride, there is the first descent before the major climb to Col de L’Ecre. At 3.87 miles, the “Route de Grasse towards Pont du Loop” segment on Strava drops 618 feet at an average grade of 3%.

It’s not a particularly technical descent, but we can tell the women are racing it – and also benefiting from closed roads – because the top eight times on this segment are set during the race.

Matthews takes the QOM (“Queen of the Mountain” on Strava) and 13 seconds on Pierre. It’s worth noting that at this point, other than the descent, Pierre is on the charge, leading the race and putting time into everyone except Philipp (who is further back out of the water). That she loses even a few seconds here is a tell for what might come later.

The post Triathletes, Your Descending Is Hot Trash. Fix It or Bleed Time. appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

The other day, I pretended that I knew nothing about the gravel races and lobbed a question at ChatGPT:

“What makes the Belgian Waffle Ride unique?”

The Belgian Waffle Ride (BWR) is unique because it combines the challenging spirit of European road racing with the adventurous, rugged terrain of gravel riding, all wrapped in a distinctly Belgian-inspired theme. Here’s what makes it stand out: multi-terrain courses, distance and difficulty, European flavor and festive atmosphere, “Wafer” and “Wanna” rides, professional and amateur appeal, and multiple locations.

By blending competitive racing with a festive Belgian-inspired vibe, BWR has carved out a special niche in the gravel scene, making it a unique challenge for cyclists who love both road and gravel riding.

Then, I asked also found at ChatGPT, the same question. Here’s the answer he gave:Ìę

Ah, the Belgian Waffle Ride—it’s like your worst nightmare of a race mixed with a twisted love letter to cycling’s classic hell-rides. First, they take a “nice” long road race and lace it with an absolute mess of mixed surfaces: paved roads, gravel, dirt, sand, rocks, and cow paths. The only thing predictable about the route is the sheer unpredictability: you’re bouncing over kasseien one minute and skidding through a sandy pit the next. It’s designed to be what they call “unroad,” which means it’s definitively not a gravel race, and it sure as hell isn’t just a road race​​​.

Add to this the atmosphere—a madhouse of top pros, weekend warriors, and a few lost souls trying to survive, all fueled by Belgian waffles and Lost Abbey beer at the start and finish. It’s a brutal event, designed to hurt, celebrating the duality of cycling: pain and pleasure, love and hate, camaraderie and suffering. And the scenery? Breathtaking, sure, but don’t get too comfortable; those hills, single tracks, and water crossings are lying in wait to chew you up and spit you out​​​.Ìę

Because I actually know a lot about the Belgian Waffle Ride, I can say that the first answer was, if not slightly staid, correct. I also know , the founder of BWR, and the second answer reeks of how he might reply if you emailed him, or if you read any of the information on the event’s website.

In fact, Freddy Merckxury is Marckx’s solution to not being able to respond to every single BWR question he gets in the manner he’d like to.

“We get emails from the website all the time, and usually all of the answers reside in our FAQ section but somehow people never make it there,” Marxkx said. “And you can’t always be in character. I’m always polite and happy to hear from people but sometimes I want to give them more.

“I figured, if I could create this character that’s part rock and roll and part Eddy Merckx and can answer any question they have but with the right attitude and flair and right amount of Flemish words then I was really on to something.”

“Freddy Merckxury Is the AI You Didn’t Know You Needed”

According to Marckx, “Freddy Merckxury is the AI you didn’t know you needed.”

And while he did create the chatbot to help redirect some of the participant inquiry from his email inbox to ChatGPT, he hopes that people engage with Freddy for more than just FAQs.

“I ‘Eddy-fied’ Freddy with as much info as possible about BWR, about gravel racing, about cycling, and then I issued a series of prompts to help guide his answers and how he answers,” Marckx said. “If you ask him something he’ll give you a somewhat curt answer to your inquiry with just the right flair. But if you say, ‘tell me more,’ he’ll go off.”

Marckx is the founder of the Belgian Waffle Ride series, but he is also a career marketing exec. For that reason, the Freddy Merckxury tool very much embodies the BWR brand. It’s part sarcastic tour guide, part diehard cycling fan, and part 
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Need advice on tire pressure? Freddy’s got thoughts. Want to know how many waffles it takes to power up a 120-mile day? He’s got a cheeky answer for that too. At least one word of anything he gives you will be in Flemish.

Freddy’s charm, though, isn’t just in knowing the stats and routes. It’s the personality — something that AI is not typically known for.

“We’re just trying to be more clever with our community and how we interact with them and how to use technology that’s available to better serve them,” Marckx said. “And to have more fun. We just want to have more fun because it’s become too serious.”

The post Freddy Merckxury Is the Cycling AI You Didn’t Know You Needed appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

It’s lunchtime at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and throngs of undergraduates file into the University Memorial student center at the heart of campus. Just beyond the entrance, a student pedals a white stationary bicycle as curious onlookers stop to watch. Suddenly, the opening notes of Bon Jovi’sÌę 1986 hit Livin’ on a Prayer blare from a nearby loudspeaker, and the crowd belts out the chorus: “Ohh, we’re halfway there!”

They are indeed halfway. The cyclist, Thomas Coloian, and many of the onlookers are members of the university’s Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, and they have just hit the midway point of a highly unorthodox charity stunt. The brothers are riding a stationary bicycle for 8,423 consecutive minutes—that’s just shy of six straight days—to raise $100,000 for a local non-profit called The White Line. The organization is named after , a local cyclist who was struck and killed by a motorist in 2023. The number of minutes symbolizes every cyclist or pedestrian killed by a driver in the United States in 2022.

The charity ride is , and a TV screen adjacent to the stationary bicycle provides a minute-by-minute update of the donations coming in via the livestream.

“Someone just gave us fifty bucks!” screams one of the fraternity brothers. The crowd erupts in cheers and high-fives.

The fraternity brothers, alas, aren’t exactly on the same athletic level as White, who was one of the country’s best up-and-coming cyclists at the time of his death. Coloian, 21, sweats and grunts as he pushes down the pedals, and and he gobbles down handfuls of gummy bears every few minutes.Ìę “The last time I rode a bike this long I think I was 14 years old,” he says. “Everything below my waist is numb.”

Working alongside a college fraternity represents a bold next step for the White Line and its founders, White’s parents, Michael and Jill. In the months after their son’s death, they to manage donations that had poured in. But they struggled to determine how, exactly, to save the lives of other cyclists with the money and attention they were receiving. They knew they wanted to bring the message of road safety to a .

“There were so many different directions we could have taken the non-profit,” Michael told șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű.Ìę“We knew we didn’t just want to start a foundation and name it after Magnus.”

Nobody within the non-profit could have guessed that, at some point in the near future, the strategy would involve 174 frat boys, an exercise bike, and Bon Jovi.

How the White Line Found its Focus

The music dies down and Coloin and his buddies high-five. A few yards away from the tent, Michael White snaps a wide-angle photograph of the scene. In front of the tent stand 8,423 electronic candles that flicker at night. The number has become a rallying point for the nonprofit.Ìę

Michael laughs and shakes his head as he watches.

“When I see these kids, I see Magnus in every one of them,” he says. “It’s taken me a long time, but I can now talk about Magnus without breaking down and crying.”

Magnus White had been pedaling north of Boulder along U.S. Highway 119 on the morning of July 29, training for the upcoming mountain biking world championships. Without warning, a car coming from behind veered out of its lane and into the shoulder, striking him.

The impact launched White off of his bicycle and into a fence, and doctors pronounced him dead at a nearby hospital. Authorities later charged the driver, 23-year-old Yeva Smilianska, with vehicular homicide. at the wheel, and eyewitnesses say she was swerving on the roadway before the collision.

The death generated a glut of media attention—White was a junior national champion and had been on a trajectory to the professional ranks. As the White family mourned Magnus, they were contacted by the family members of other cyclists and pedestrians killed by drivers who had been texting or nodding off at the time of the collision. Grieving widows and parents across the country told them about the patchwork of laws against distracted driving, and the inconsistent citations or sentencing handed down to careless motorists. So often, it seemed, distracted drivers who injured or killed someone were let go with a mere slap on the wrist.

“We heard about one driver who got a $1,000 fine and no jail time for killing a child,” Michael said. “Everyone we talked to said they wanted greater accountability. Or at least consistent accountability.”

These conversations helped them narrow their focus for The White Line, Michael said. During a meeting in early 2024, the foundation’s inner circle locked themselves in a room to come up with the guiding tenets for the group. They ruled out investing the money in bike lanes or cycling infrastructure, and instead steered their efforts toward changing driver behavior—specifically, toward convincing drivers to pay attention at the wheel. They decided on a two-pronged approach: educating drivers to focus on the road, and pushing lawmakers to increase the punishments for distracted and reckless driving.

Michael said that if the group can even become a clearing house for statistics on distracted driving, that is a victory. “The data is so bad—we’re still going off of 2022 numbers and it’s almost 2025,” he said.

During its locked-door session, the group made another major decision: the White Line will only operate for ten years before dissolving altogether.

“If we can’t change driver behavior after a decade, then that’s on us,” White said. “We don’t want to become some bloated 501(c)3 with a bunch of people in the C-suite earning big salaries.”

Throughout 2024, the foundation’s coffers grew—it received corporate donations from Trek Bicycles, VF Corporation, and even Williams Sonoma. These donations, plus thousands sent in from private donors, allowed the group to hire a small staff. The White Line produced a series of documentary films about other cyclists killed by careless motorists. In August, it organized the Ride for Magnus, , which raised money for legislative demands and attracted Colorado Governor Jared Polis.

And then, in early October, an altogether different project materialized—one that came from outside of the organization.

“I got a text on my phone from these frat guys with this crazy idea for a week-long bike ride,” MichaelÌęsaid. “I told them ‘this idea sounds awesome.’”

Frat Bros and a Bike

After completing his 120th minute, Coloin dismounts the stationary bicycle—his legs wobble as he stands on the ground. One of the other frat brothers adjusts the seat height, climbs aboard, and begins pedaling.

“You should have been here at 3 A.M. on Tuesday,” one of the fraternity brothers says. “We had some pretty stoned guys walk by and ask us what the heck we were doing.”

Another fraternity brother shows me photos from two nights before, when snow flurries blanketed the area at night. Four brothers huddled around the cyclist in the dark to keep him company.

Another Pi Kappa Alpha member named Sebastian Edwards stops by to snap photos and hand out snacks. Edwards, 19, dreamed up the fundraiser alongside two fraternity members, twins Graydon and Gavin Abel. The three grew up in Boulder and knew Magnus Ìęfrom bike racing and school—Edwards had attended Boulder High with him.

Each year, the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity (called “Pike” by its members) holds a philanthropic event, usually a car wash or pledge drive. In late September Edwards and the Abel brothers thought of the marathon ride while hanging in the frat house’s basement.

“It sounds goofy, but we started with asking ourselves what rhymes with “Pike,” and “bike” was the first word we came up with,” Edwards said. “Then it was like, ‘how long can we ride a bike?'”

Edwards found a phone number for Michael White and sent him a blind text message with the idea. A few minutes later, Michael texted back wanting to know more. The four of them met a few days later at a coffee shop. They ironed out details of the ride: the White Line would supply a tent and a big-screen television, and purchase a new Zwift stationary bicycle. The brothers would obtain the permits and sign-offs from the university to host the event, and provide the bicycling manpower.

And rather than ride an entire week, they would pedal for 8,423 minutes to honor each person killed by a driver.

“Their original idea was to do a one-week ride to honor Magnus,” White said. “We told them we wanted to find a way to honor everyone else killed by drivers as well.”

A few days after the meeting, Michael stood in front of 100 or so members of the fraternity at its weekly charter meeting in a lecture hall on campus. He told them about his son. He showed them the tattered national championship jersey that Magnus had been wearing at the time of his death. He replayed the tragic scene that had played out just miles north of campus.

He begged them to ignore their phones while driving, and to take extra precautions when driving past cyclists or dog walkers. He cried.

In the fraternity guys, Michael found the audience that he his foundation sought: regular drivers and not hardcore cyclists. And after his hour-long presentation, Michael believes he succeeded.

“Magnus’s story still moves the needle with people,” he said. “And on a personal level, telling it helps keep him alive for us.”

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In the background of Vedangi Kulkarni’s WhatsApp audio messages, you can hear heavy traffic whizzing by. Occasionally when she’s speaking she also lets out an intermittent yelp but then continues talking.

“Magpies,” she says into the recording. “The situation is a bit dire. Currently it’s the season when they’re nesting, or breeding or whatever, and they get a bit territorial. I just keep riding fast, sometimes screaming at them, waving my hands frantically.”

Kulkarni then says that she’s fashioned an antenna-like attachment to the top of her helmet to keep the birds from swooping down too close to her head.

“It’s the least aero thing and it also looks hideous, but if that’s gonna stop them from drawing blood off my ear or face or whatever then I guess it’s worth it,” she says.

For Kulkarni, dodging magpies in Australia while simultaneously recording an interview and pedaling her bicycle is, at this point, par for the course.

The 26-year-old set off in July with a goal to break the Guinness World Record for fastest circumnavigation of the globe by a female. Since then, her ride has been riddled with challenges and setbacks, aggressive magpies the more humorous among them.

Then, on September 11, as Kulkarni was pedaling along Australia’s southern coast dodging angry birds, ultracyclist , held by Scotswoman Jenny Graham since 2018, in 108 days, 12 hours, and 12 minutes.

Nevertheless, Kulkarni isn’t one to give up easily. In fact, this isn’t even her first time riding around the world: in 2018 at just 20, she became the youngest woman to circumnavigate the globe by bicycle. She completed the journey in 159 days, covering over 29,000 kilometers across 14 countries.

So even though her current ride, which has so far taken her through India, Mongolia, Australia, and New Zealand, has been a test of patience and perseverance, Kulkarni remains undeterred.

“The thing is, I refuse to quit,” she says. “At the very least, I can beat my own previous time. And who knows? Maybe I’ll be the only woman to do this sort of round-the-world circumnavigation twice. Besides, I want to push myself. I’ve worked hard to get here.”

A Lesson in Not Giving Up

Just how hard Kulkarni has worked would have forced most people to quit before they’d even begun.

Although she was five years older, wiser, and stronger when she set off to circumnavigate the world for the second time in July, Kulkarni was confronted with issues as soon as she began planning the trip.

As an Indian citizen, she wasn’t able to secure all the necessary visas to ride what would have been the most efficient route, so she had to puzzle together her circumnavigation with what she could.

“My route is utter chaos purely because certain countries could provide appointments in time, while others weren’t able to convey their decision before I needed to leave,” she says. “I applied for everything in good time without waiting until the last minute or leaving anything for on-the-go, but it just wasn’t good enough.”

In order to have her ride qualify for the record, Kulkarni needed to abide by Guinness World Records rules for a “circumnavigation of the globe by bicycle:” the ride must cover at least 18,000 miles (29,000 kilometers), be unidirectional, and cross two antipodal points (locations on opposite sides of the planet).

Initially frustrated that she couldn’t route through the United States or Canada due to the visa technicalities, Kulkarni decided to approach the situation positively.

“I have always wanted to cycle across the South Island of NZ and cycle through the Peruvian Andes,” she says. “So, initially, I was really mad that my Canada or US visas wouldn’t get approved in time no matter when I applied for them, but I decided that I will compromise on the efficiency a little bit by adding places that I want to cycle through.”

In July, in her hometown in India, then hopped a flight to Mongolia, where she rode through the high desert and mountains. Then, she flew to Australia to ride from Perth to Sydney. After that, Kulkarni routed up through New Zealand, from Queenstown to Auckland. When she reaches Auckland, she’ll fly Lima, Peru and ride through the Andes to Bolivia.

Then, she’ll make her way to Europe, where she’ll ride through Portugal and Spain, then to Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Belarus.

After a ride across Oman, her final leg will bring her back to India.

It’s a dizzying route that has been rife with both highs and lows, some related to her challenging travel circumstances and others the pure happenstance of a many thousands of kilometers-long bicycle ride.

Nevertheless, Kulkarni never has to spend too much time stuck in the trough of a challenge before she’s jolted back to higher ground. Like the time she was riding next to Lake Tolbo, nestled among the Altai mountains in western Mongolia.

“I truly felt like I belonged on a bike,” she says. “As I rode and looked around, I could see big mountains behind the blue lake to my right and the road in front of me. There was nobody in sight for miles. It was like I was born to fully experience and take in all that mountain happiness.”

A Goal Redefined

Since Kulkarni’s first ride around the world in 2018, she has spent the past five years getting stronger and smarter on the bike. She made it no secret that she was setting out on this year’s ride with a more audacious goal: to break the Guinness World Record for fastest circumnavigation of the globe by a female cyclist.

But with a mountain of setbacks early in her ride, as well as Wilcox’s blistering new record, Kulkarni acknowledges that her original goal is no longer in reach. The admission has taken her to some dark places.

“I kind of have loads of ups and downs mentally these days, especially knowing that things aren’t going too well and knowing that with the amount of days I’ve done now I was already halfway around the world back in 2018 when I was so much younger than this.”

However, her determination remains undimmed. While the initial motivation of Kulkarni’s ride around the world has shifted, a new and more poignant goal has emerged: to meet each setback knowing that she is resilient enough to push through.

It’s a strategy that works nearly every time, even if the bright horizon isn’t always so easy to envision. Take Kulkarni’s blissful ride along Lake Tolbo in Mongolia, for example. Just days before, she was offloaded from a flight from Dehli to Hong Kong due to visa issues. In an around the world record attempt the clock never stops, so delay cost her precious time and energy. It also shattered her confidence.

“It was one of those moments when I was like, ‘holy shit, I’m never gonna get there,’” she says. “This is the worst thing that could happen to me, I’ve lost the race before I’ve even properly started. It was a proper spiral, it was crazy.”

When she finally started riding, however, her perspective shifted.

“I got to Mongolia and had the best day on the bike and it was incredible. I climbed like three or four passes that day,” she says. “I was smiling the whole way. It was just the best.

“It’s quite funny when something like that happens. You realize that you’ll have the worst of worst moments and start questioning everything you’re doing altogether, then you’ll have the best day on the bike. It kinda takes that level of patience I guess to get to that point. So yeah, it’s a good life lesson that all good and bad moments will pass.”

So despite heat stroke in India and a debilitating tooth infection in Mongolia and the magpies in Australia, where she felt acutely alone at times cycling the lonely Great Australian Bight coast, Kulkarni now knows that she can get through tough times. Without the record to chase anymore, this seems like a worthy enough goal.

“Not all days on the bike are good days,” Kulkarni says. “But all days on the bike have the potential to be an incredible day. I love that I’m covering so much ground. I love that I’m in a different place every single day and I love that I’m pushing myself and that I’m having setbacks that aren’t pushing me off. I’m so grateful for that. I don’t think I’d rather be anywhere else right now.”

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