Detours

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 @avoidtheavoid If 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Show Notes Meg Knobel is the organizer (or as you’ll come to learn, “disorganizer”) of the wildly popular bikepacking event in Southern California, Stagecoach 400. From her first experiences tackling the route, to taking the reins from Brendan Collier in 2019, Meg was an absolute joy to chat with. She talks about hosting the first Grand Depart and how her confidence grew over time, and gives us a behind the scenes look at just how much effort goes into putting on these Grand Departs. This year’s edition of Stagecoach 400 kicks off March 29th at 8AM PDT in Idyllwild California. Follow Stagecoach400 on Instagram Dotwatch this year’s Stagecoach The Stagecoach 400 route 00:00 Quick catchup w/ Mel & Cynthia 09:10 Interview with Meg 13:20 Meg's Background and Stagecoach 400 33:55 Hosting the First Grand Depart vs. Now 42:39 Advice for Folks Touring the Route 57:16 Planning and Organizing the Event 01:01:58 The “Perfect” Bike for Stagecoach 400 01:05:04 Why Keep the Event Unsanctioned 01:19:37 Fun Banter you don’t want to miss out on 01:29:26 Giving Stagecoach Tattoos Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While she's a relative new comer to the world of off-road ultra racing, Nathalie Baillon hardly needs any introduction. She has a laundry list of accolades, including a joint first at Silk Road Mountain Race in August 2023, the fastest woman to ride across Europe, and more. It was such a treat to get to chat with her and learn more about how she found her footing in the sport and where she's hoping to go from here. To keep up with Nathalie's adventures, follow her on Instagram. Thanks for all your love and support as always. If you loved today's episode please leave us a five star review wherever you tune in and consider pledging $5 to support the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're baaack! Today on the show we share more about our time in Morocco for the Atlas Mountain Race, as well as answer your questions about the race. Let us know what you think of this episode and if there's anything we missed - it's always a challenge post event to synthesize our thoughts and cover it all. As always thanks for being here! If you loved today's episode please consider leaving us a five star review, or buying us a coffee. Every little bit helps us continue to produce the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A small but mighty field of women will be starting the fourth edition of the Atlas Mountain Race. We were fortunate enough to hear from nearly all of them ahead of the start. These incredible individuals share what they’re most excited about and what challenges they are likely to face. Each of them has a unique story, and we hope by shining a spotlight on the women’s field it will encourage more to line up next year or to take on their own challenge. You can follow our dots on MapProgress - www.amr24.maprogress.com We’ve put together a list of the women featured in this episode so you can track them on the map by cap number. They are organized here in the same order as they appear in the episode. Cat Magill - 183 Christiana Tamburini - 173 Cynthia Carson - 172 Hannah Larbalestier - 140 Hannah Simon - 139 Harriet Wingfield - 314A Marika Latsone - 101 Marion Dziwnik - 99 'Masca Lu Wahlig - 130 Megan Casebow - 309A Melina Boening - 84 Mel Webb - 85 Molly Weaver - 79 Nathalie Baillon - 78 Quinda Verheul - 56 Sarah Heller - 306A Shona Oldfield - 305A Veera Lahde - 6 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's officially the week of Atlas Mountain Race! We're joined by special guest host, Allan Shaw, who interviews us on our preparations for the race, expectations, and much more. Expect a lot of giggles, hot tips on navigating the race from Allan (who raced in 2023), and a not-so secret announcement! The not so secret announcement? We'll be producing a daily podcast in partnership with Atlas Mountain race, that will be hosted on their feed. Search for "The Silk Road Mountain Race and Atlas Mountain Race Podcast" wherever you listen, or click the links below for Spotify and Apple. Listen to the AMR podcast on Spotify Listen to the AMR podcast on Apple Podcasts Racing kicks off at 6PM local time and there's plenty of places to catch the action. Dotwatch hereFollow MelFollow Cynthia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're officially into racing season over here at Detours. Cynthia and Mel will be toeing the line of the Atlas Mountain Race kicking off on February 9 and what better way to get ready than to host last year's women's winner, Luisa Werner. She shares about her winning ride — from the crash that resulted in a major mechanical, to injury, and doing things your own way, this episode will surely get you in the dotwatching or racing mood. Follow Luisa on Instagram to keep follow her 2024 cycling plans @luisasophiewer There's a few ways you can follow Mel and Cynthia on their journey through the Atlas Mountains @melwwebb@watt_wagon https://amr24.maprogress.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're officially back for 2024! January and February will mainly be occupied with Atlas Mountain Race content so buckle up. In this episode we are joined by Molly Weaver, former professional road cyclist turned ultra rider. Not only is Molly a talented rider, she is a community builder and determined to get more women into the ultra cycling and bikepacking scene. She shares loads about her transition away from the world tour peloton, the races she's tackled so far and much more. If you're interested in Molly's ultra camps you can check them out here and be sure to give her a follow on Instagram to stay up to date with her latest adventures. If you loved this episode please leave us a 5 star review wherever you're listening and consider buying us a coffee! Thanks as always for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our last episode for 2023 and thought it was about time the two of us took to the hot seat and answered some of your questions. We share how we found ultra, navigating sponsorship deals, dream races, goals for ourselves and the podcast and more. We're so grateful for everyone who has tuned in and helped us get the show off the ground. It's been a blast and we can't wait to see where 2024 takes us. If you love the show, please take a moment to share this episode with a friend and leave us a review. It helps more than you know. You can support us even further and buy us a coffee to help offset our overhead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A retired English and Creative Writing teacher, Robin Todd started bikepacking in the 80s and has since ridden across Canada and the United States. At 58 years old she has a wealth of experience. She shares stories of her origins on the bike, and how her relationship with it has changed over the years, and her hopes for a more inclusive cycling community. To read more about Robin's adventures visit her website, where she shares beautiful recounts at the end of each day when she's on the road. If you loved this episode, be sure to leave us a 5 star review wherever you listen and consider becoming a supporter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Be prepared to be hit with a heavy dose of inspiration — Allan Shaw is a breath of fresh air. In a world where we are constantly being marketed the latest and greatest tech to power our adventures, Allan has challenged what many think are possible on a bike, most recently completing the infamous Silk Road Mountain Race on a cargo bike. From early days as a bike messenger, to touring across the United States (three times!!!), to his travels around the globe and navigating different cultures as an openly gay person, there is something for everyone in this episode. Check out Allan's company, Gay's Okay and be sure to follow him on Instagram to keep up with his adventures. If you loved this episode, please consider leaving us a five star review — it helps more than you know. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you've dotwatched any ultra-races in recent years or kept up with social media, you've likely seen Nils' photos. But the photos of riders and their triumphs only tell one part of the story. In this episode, we sit down with photographer Nils Laengner. We dive behind the scenes of what goes into getting those stunning shots and the nuances of photographing these unsupported bikepacking events. From jumping out of a moving car in Kyrgyzstan to navigating the emotional complexities of races of this magnitude, this episode is full of wild stories. Make sure to follow Nils on Instagram to keep up with his work. As always, don't forget to rate, review and share — it helps us more than you know! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fresh off her win at the Silver State 508, a Race Across America Qualifier, we sat down with Canadian ultra-endurance cyclist and author, Meaghan Hackinen. This episode is a little longer than normal, and for good reason. We went deep with Meaghan on her humble beginnings in the sport, lessons from the road and tips for folks new to the off-road scene. To support Meaghan consider purchasing one her books Shifting Gears and South Away — we can't wait to read them! Make sure to follow Meaghan on Instagram to keep up with her latest adventures. Trigger warning: Meaghan did briefly share a story that touches on suicide from 21:00 to 25:00. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katya Rakhmatulina has been on fire this season, finishing second at The Tour Divide and winning the Colorado Trail, setting a new women’s FKT in the process. She’s also wicked smart — an engineer by day, modelling natural disasters. We had so many good laughs chatting with Katya, from her humble bike touring routes to rummaging through garbage cans on this years Tour Divide. Keep up to date with Katya's happening by following her on Instagram @kat__yea Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everybody loves Abe! Abe Kaufman is potentially the nicest person we'll ever have on the podcast and has numerous FKTs to boot. In this episode we chat with Abe about his most recent FKT, the Trans Northern Georgia Adventure, in addition to his self-care routine on the bike and recent races. If you're in the market for a pair of down booties, Abe graciously shared the link to the pair that he raved about in today's episode. If you'd like to keep up with Abe's adventures, check him out on Instagram If you enjoyed this episode please rate and review the show as it helps us reach more listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Cynthia shares the behind the scenes of her iconic win. Badlands has made a name for itself as Europe's wildest gravel challenge — an unsupported ultracycling gravel: 800km +16.000m across the only deserts in Europe, the wild coast of Cabo de Gata and the highest Col in the continent, Pico Veleta at 3.396m. After finishing second behind Lael Wilcox in 2022, our very own co-host Cynthia was determined to improve on her performance from last year. And that she did, securing the win in under 48 hours and finishing 8th overall. Interested in racing Badlands next year? Check out Cynthia's "What Not To Do at Badlands" video on Youtube for valuable insights on how to prepare. As always, thanks for listening and be sure to follow us to stay in the loop on all future episodes: Detours CynthiaMel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With less than a week to go to the 2023 edition of Badlands, we're joined by 2021 female winner, Marion Dziwnik (@supermajon on Instagram). A full-time scientist and accomplished ultra racer, Marion shares more about her cycling journey and her 2021 Badlands win, as well as how she balances a demanding career and this time-intensive niche of cycling. If you're racing this year's edition, be sure to check out Cynthia's What Not To Do At Badlands video on Youtube. And if you're not racing, be sure to join in on the action by dotwatching here. If you loved this episode, please don't forget to give us a follow, rate and review. Thanks for listening and see you next time! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yahoo! Episode 1 of Detours is here. We finally sit down to share what this show will be about, why we love ultra cycling/bikepacking, and some tales from the trail. You'll also get a teaser as to who our guest will be for Episode 2 but you'll have to listen to get that piece of info ;) Throughout the episode, we mentioned a number of links that we think you'll love. First off some shameless self-promo: MelCynthiaCynthia's YouTube channelCynthia's hardtail set up for Memory BikeMemory Bike part 1 Memory Bike part 2 Need some entertainment while riding your bike? Listen to Normal Gossip, we promise you'll be giggling as much as we are on the bike. If you have an idea for a guest or topic you'd love covered on the podcast we'd love to hear from you. You can DM either of us on Instagram or email us at thedetourspodcast@gmail.com Thanks so much for listening and don't forget to review and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.