Detours: An Ultra Cycling & Adventure Podcast

At 9:25AM on June 27th, Justinas Leveikas arrived at the USA/Mexico border in Antelope Wells after 13 days 2 hours and 16 minutes, winning this years edition of the Tour Divide and setting a new record in the process. In this episode we dive into his historic record breaking ride, and how he managed to "fix his mistakes from last year" and just what this ride means to him. He's fondly known as the nicest guy in bikepacking, and I think you'll understand why after listening to this episode. We had so many great laughs and there's no shortage of inspiration served up in this conversation. Follow Justin on Instagram @justin.and.bikes to keep up with his racing and see what he gets up to next.If you loved today's episode, please leave us a five star review and consider buying me a coffee to help keep the show going.

Today on the show we have Weronika Szalas. For the last 5 years she's been living life by bike, touring solo as a woman around Europe. While Weronika is no stranger to riding her bike long distances, she rarely races, and was recently the fastest woman to complete the inaugural edition of the Accursed Race. The Accursed Race is a 1600km off-road bikepacking race in the Balkans, created by the team behind the infamous Transcontinental Race. Weronika shares about her experience racing through the Balkans, how much of what she's learned from touring translates well into racing and more about her life on the bike. This was such a chill lovely chat and hope you enjoy it as much as I did. She's well worth a follow on instagram as she posts stunning photos of her travels and has definitely inspired me to travel solo more by bike. You can follow her at https://www.instagram.com/weronika.szalas/

It's a bittersweet day over here at Detours as we're airing our last episode hosted by both Mel and Cynthia. As you'll hear in today's episode, Cynthia is stepping away from the podcast to focus on her budding career as a full time professional ultra racer. She shares more about what's next, bouncing back from setbacks this spring and preparing for the big target of the year, the Transcontinental Race. We couldn't be more grateful to Cynthia for everything she's contributed to the show and can't wait to see her shine in this next chapter! The show will continue to go on hosted by Mel, with the same mission of getting more folks who identify as women on bikes. Thank you for continuing to support the show, it truly means the world.Keep up with Cynthia's adventures on Youtube and Instagram

Kicking off May 25, 31 women will race the 11th edition of the Highland Trail 550, a self-supported bikepacking race through the Scottish highlands. We were fortunate enough to hear from over half of the women who will be setting off. Each has their own unique story and shares about their journey to the start line and what they're looking forward to getting out of the experience. As always we hope this episode inspires more women to take on their own adventures. Watch the pink dots as they travel around the highlands on Trackleaders. Support the show by leaving us a 5 star review or buying us a coffee

Hannah Simon is one of those people that make you feel like anything is possible. She has a can do attitude and is a downright joy to be around. Since toeing the line of her first ultra in 2021, and snagging a joint first place to boot, she’s tackled some of the most iconic events on the bikepacking calendar. In February 2024 she rounded out the podium at the Atlas Mountain Race as the third woman to cross the finish line. Not six months prior she completed the bikepacking Triple Crown — The Tour Divide, Colorado Trail Race and Arizona Trail Race. And while each of these accomplishments is impressive in it’s own right, Hannah is known for using the bicycle as a tool for good, riding to raise funds for causes that truly make the world a better place.Hannah shares the highs and lows of her past season, her unexpected beginnings into bikes, life working at Chumba and so much more.To keep up with Hannah’s adventures, give her a follow on Instagram @hannahmsimon_If you loved this episode please leave us a five star review wherever you listen and consider supporting the show through our Buy Me a Coffee.

Quinda is an artist, photographer and ultra-distance cyclist from the Netherlands. She's taken on some of the hardest bikepacking races in the world, including the Atlas Mountain Race, Silk Road Mountain Race and taking the women's win at the inaugural Hellenic Mountain Race in 2023. While on first meeting Quinda has a gentle demeanour, below the surface she is tenacious and one of the hardier ultra cyclists out there. This conversation is wide reaching, from her entry into ultra cycling, the relationship between her art practice and riding, to traumatic brain injuries and her dreams for the future. It flew by, and while we could have talked forever, we think it's a wonderful introduction to the magnificent woman that is Quinda Verheul. To keep up with her adventures follow her on Instagram @avoidtheavoidIf you loved this episode please leave us a five star review wherever you listen. If you have the means please consider supporting the show so we can keep bringing you episodes like this one.

This week we step just outside the world of ultra, and into the world of long distance gravel racing. For folks who follow the gravel scene, you may already be familiar with Sarah Sturm. Sarah Sturm is one of the top gravel racers in the world, with podium finishes at events like Unbound 200 and Traka 360. While these events aren't ultras in their own right, they can often be gateway events for many folks, and there is so much we can learn from Sarah. Known for her bubbly personality, she shared insights into her transition away from cyclocross and mountain bike racing, to longer events, how she has built a career out of racing her bike and created a program to help pave the way for other women to become professionals in the sport. This year Sarah will be racing both the Gravel Earth and Life Time Grand Prix series. You can follow along with her season over on Instagram.If you loved this episode please leave us a five star review and consider making a pledge to help us keep producing episodes.

Jenny Tough is a woman who hardly needs an introduction. A quick Google search will pull up a laundry list of accomplishments in the outdoors — from winning the Silk Road Mountain Race (twice!), to running across a mountain range on six continents, to publishing two books. While each of these accomplishments is exceptional in its own right, Jenny remains humble, honest and dedicated to making space for other women in the outdoors.Our conversation is wide reaching; from her first bike trip to the Yukon where she carried handwritten notes to help her fix mechanicals, to becoming one of the most prolific women in bikepack racing, to putting her career on pause for two years to heal her eating disorder. While we do spend some time on serious topics, we had so much fun in this conversation and are grateful for Jenny's humour and sharing so candidly. Warning: We discuss disordered eating and exercise dependency from approximately 1:00:00 to 1:18:00, so please skip this section if you need.You can stay up to date on Jenny’s adventure on Instagram and read more of her writing on her Substack.