Wow.

Of these nations, the one that appeals to me most is Iran.

Second most … Turkey.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I’ll be arriving Seydisfjordur on the east coast via ferry on Aug. 8th, 2024.

Some buses and vans in Iceland transport bicycles. So I’ll probably cycle and bus, working my way to the west coast.

The most popular cycling area is the westfjords.

I really enjoyed a brief stop on the Westfjords (or West Fjords) during my 2011 rent-a-car tour of Iceland.

Very mountainous; the coastline heavily indented by dozens of fjords surrounded by steep hills. These indentations make roads very circuitous. Sounds like the west coast of Norway.

Total total population in 2020 was 7,115.

CHRIS BURKARD put together a gravel tour of the region he called WESTFJORDS WAY.

• 575 Mi.(925 KM)
• 40% unpaved
• pushing your bike about 10% of the time

Biggest worries for me riding solo are the weather — “Riding in fjords guarantees a headwind and a tailwind. The wind can be so severe that it will push you off your bike …” — and the remoteness. Not many bike shops or resupply points.

BUT I downloaded Lael’s map from the adventure to Komoot. So I’m ready to try it if I get the chance one day.

In a perfect world where everything goes right 😀 … I might even try it summer 2024 as part of my planned Norway & Faroe Islands cycling tour.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

My cycling hero — Lael Wilcox — is one of the top ultra-endurance racers of all time.

She does not have a driver’s licence. 😀

In 2008 she and a boyfriend started a trip, cycling over 100,000 miles through 30+ nations.

What’s next?

Guinness Record Attempt: Around the World

My goal is to ride the 18,000 miles in 110 days. The current women’s record is held by Jenny Graham at 124 days, 10 hours and 50 minutes.

At this point, in regards to the record, there’s no distinction between supported and self-supported rides. I’ll be carrying all of my own equipment and food and figuring out all of the logistics on and off the bike. That’s how I like to travel– with a sleep kit and winging it along the way.

I like open-ended adventures and I like competition and riding around the world as fast as I can feels like a great combination of both.

Rue will be documenting my ride and I’d love to encourage people to come out and share a few miles with me along the way.

I’ll be starting in Chicago May 26th.

18,000+ miles without a chamois: Lael Wilcox is aiming to set a world record by circumnavigating the planet in 110 days

Wilcox hopes to set a new Guinness World Record and admits that even she is “really terrified”

One thing I like about bike touring is that almost ANYBODY could do it.

Almost ANYBODY can ride a bike.

For example, Giant Cheerio decided to take off on a bike for a month. …

After over 2 years, she’s still on the road.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The Isar, 295 km long, flows through Munich.

I spent a lot of time last summer cycling this river.

One highlight is surfing a standing wave (a stationary hydraulic jump).

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

That’s in the English Garden (Englischer Garten), one of the world’s largest urban public parks. 

On sunny days, it’s packed with tens of thousands.