Lael Wilcox has just started her around the world cycling record attempt.
You can track her journey right here:
The cool thing is that the tracker also shows us the exact route Lael Wilcox will be following.
The record criteria require Lael to cycle a minimum of 28,970 km, in an east-to-west direction, wavering no more than five degrees off course. The total journey distance must be a minimum of 40,075 km, including all flight distances.
Lael must start and finish in the same place, and must pass two points that line up through the earth’s centre; Lael has chosen Madrid (Spain) and Wellington (NZ).
United States of America
Distance: 1,759 km / 1,093 mi
Lael starts her ride from Chicago in the USA, riding east all the way to Newark on the East Coast. She will then board a plane at New Liberty International Airport.
Europe
Distance: 7,683 km / 4,774 mi
Lael lands in Porto (Portugal) to begin her big European leg of the journey. She will pass through Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Georgia!
Her route passes Madrid, the first of her antipodal points, before running north-east up to the Netherlands, south-east to Turkey, and east across to Georgia. She then jumps on a plane at Tbilisi International Airport.
Australia
Distance: 9,489 km / 5,896 mi
Lael next lands in Australia. This is her second longest leg, which runs east along the southern coast of the continent from Perth to near Melbourne, before turning north into the interior up to Rolleston, and then south-east to Brisbane where she will once again jump on a plane.
New Zealand
Distance: 1,600 km / 994 mi
Lael lands in Invercargill on the South Island of New Zealand. This short leg takes Lael to Picton where she can catch a ferry to the North Island. She will now hit her second antipodal point in Wellington and continue riding north to Auckland for the next flight.
USA & Canada
Distance: 10,517 km / 6,535 mi
Lael is now onto the final and longest leg of her around the world cycling record attempt!
She lands in Anchorage in the USA and bikes on over to Vancouver in Canada. She will then cross the USA border again, riding south down to Los Angeles, and then east to northeast over to her finish line in Chicago.
