Quite a few years ago, I was lucky enough to meet Lael (and her then-companion, Nick) and give the pair a ride from the Denver area out to western Colorado. I had been following their adventures on Nick's "Gypsy by Trade" blog, which is also where I believe I came into contact with them. Though Lael had at that time been (I recall?) an endurance runner of some repute, it was my understanding from reading the blog and talking to them that Lael was just starting out with bikepacking and extended bike travel. My overwhelming recollection of her during the trip was of an utterly wide-eyed young woman who was just taking it all in and going with the flow, with Nick being the more experienced traveler and planner and blogger.
Fast forwarding some years down the road, I remember following Lael's extraordinary ride in the TransAm race across the US, which I think Nick blogged about every evening nearly in real time after speaking to Lael about that day's adventure. For those who haven't read about that particular race, the daily blog entries from Nick are some of the most exciting reading that I've ever done. And the last couple of days and the ending had me standing and cheering and forwarding links to everyone I could think of.
I heard Lael get interviewed on BBC radio today and it made me smile. She's still a wide-eyed young woman and you can just hear the excitement in her voice as she contemplates getting back on her bike for the next day's ride. What a great role model she has been with all her Tour Divide and Baja Divide advocacy. She's definitely leaving her mark in the world, and some days it just happens to be a world record.
Willet M.
On Thursday, September 12, 2024 at 10:19:27 AM UTC-6 Ted Durant wrote:
She mentioned that a rider was drafting her too close for quite some time and wouldn't back off. It must be that dude staring at his phone.
No, this photo is from yesterday, her final day, and "that dude” is a very, very good rider and was (like me) grabbing a photo. He (and the guy next to him) took Amtrak downstate and rode around 200km with her to the finish and they were super respectful of both her and all the other riders.
Ted Durant
Milwaukee, WI USA
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