Detours: A Bikepacking & Ultra Cycling Podcast

Hannah Simon took the women's win at this year's Silk Road Mountain Race, in a time of 8 days 20 hours and 16 minutes. She navigated the 1939km and 30,000m+ with determination, resilience and grace. Not only was she the first woman home, but also landed 9th overall in an exceptionally deep field. In this episode we talk all about her preparation and the race itself. She shares so many great nuggets about her own personal hygiene, her kit and so much more. It was an absolute joy to get to record this episode in person together and to celebrate her achievement.

Stay up to date on Hannah's adventures by following her on Instagram.

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Stoked to catch up with my good friend Mateo Paez. 2022 was Mateo's first attempt at any ultra endurance bikepacking race and that experience quickly changed his life. Over the past two years he's gone head first into the world of ultracycling, writing his own story and tackling these rides with his unique approach, fondly referring to this niche sport as "Competitive Exploration". He raced this year's Tour Divide and finished the route from Banff to Antelope Wells in 17 days 22 hours 17 minutes.

Today we chat through his experience as a rookie on the Tour Divide and more on his approach to racing. He shares many fantastic tails from the trail, as well as some particularly vulnerable person reflections that happened along the way and just how much these rides have the power to transform your life.

To keep up with Mateo's adventures check him out on Instagram @whatswrongwithpaez_

He also does a fantastic job of sharing post race write ups on his website https://ultrapaez.com/, where he also shared his Tour Divide Kit List

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It's so much fun to have two people in an interview, so I'm stoked to share that you'll be hearing more of Quinda's voice on the show, as she'll be joining as a guest co-host on some upcoming episodes. There will still be plenty of episodes where I'm (Mel) the host, but it's such a joy to have another conversation partner and to collaborate with another woman in the space.

Today we catch up on Highland Trail 550, prepping for Silk Road and all the things in between since it's been a while the two of us chatted. Quinda puts on the hat of interviewer and asked me some questions which was super fun. Tune in for some good banter, and Quinda's hot tips on mastering the art of the resupply.

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Thrilled to bring you this conversation with your 2024 women's winner of the Tour Divide, Meaghan Hackinen. Meg won this year's women's race in a time of 15 days 23 hours, setting the fastest women's time on a grand depart and the second fastest women's time in history. If you were following this year's race you'll know that the conditions were gnarly, with snow storms in the early stages and electrical storms further south. In this episode Meg gives us the full run down on her ride and what it took to reach Antelope Wells as the first woman.

Meaghan is also the author of two books, South Away and Shifting Gears, which just came out as an audiobook. Be sure to check them out and consider purchasing as that's a great way to support Meaghan's adventures.

Follow Meaghan on Instagram

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At 9:25AM on June 27th, Justinas' Leveika 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 Justinas' on Instagram @justin.and.bikes to keep up with his racing and see what he gets up to next.

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At the end of May 2024, Austin Killips set a blisteringly rapid overall fastest known time on the Arizona Trail. She bested the previous record held by Alex Schulz of 9 days 5 hours and 43 minutes, reaching the Arizona/Utah border in a time of 8 days 23 hours 27 minutes. And while completing the route in the first place is an incredible feat, this was Austin's first ever bikepacking race. Today on the show she shares more about her foray into the world of ultra endurance bikepack racing from navigating all of the gear, to planning her effort and where she hopes to go in the sport.

If you want to support her endeavours, please consider subscribing to her Patreon and you can keep up with her adventures on Instagram.

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The Tour Divide is currently in full swing and Detours alum Meaghan Hackinen is currently leading the women's race and hovering at record pace. Be sure to check out her episode on Detours wherever you get your podcasts.

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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/

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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

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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.

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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_

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