Lael Wilcox abandoned her Around the World record attempt in France yesterday after only 14 days, with the heatwave in Europe causing her health problems.
Wilcox announced her decision to end her ride in a video on social media. She said: “The heatwave will continue in Europe for the next week – traveling my route’s trajectory.
“I’ve been nauseous every day and finally threw up in the first hour of my ride this morning – heat exhaustion got the better of me. Concerned for my health and safety, my team asked me to stop my ride.”
Wilcox became the fastest woman to cycle around the world in 2024, and this year she aimed to break the overall record set by Mark Beaumont in 2017. She would have had to cut her 2024 record by more than 30 days to beat Beaumont’s record.
Wilcox set off from Buckingham Fountain in Chicago, Illinois, on Sunday 7 June and aimed to finish before 6.40pm on 24 August. She planned to cycle 231 miles per day and rode 282 miles on day one.
Yet she said in her Instagram post that despite “riding the strongest I think I ever had”, the attempt was not coming together. “I’ve never tried so hard,” she said.
“I hate to quit, but it’s the right choice this time. I just can’t manage race pace in the heat. It was nice to finish the ride going past Fontainebleau in the center of France with a sweet crew,” she said.
Wilcox also commented on the extreme weather conditions in Europe. “It’s another climate change lesson. Every year I’m having more and more of those,” she said.
Wilcox covered 3,075 miles with an average speed of 15.75mph before abandoning.
Following her 2024 Around the World by bike record, Wilcox told BikeRadar that thousands of people came to ride with her.
