Detours: Bikepacking, Ultra-Cycling and Adventures by Bike

54 women took to the start of the inaugural Taurus Mountain Race. Listen to their voices and words of wisdom to themselves. I hope you are inspired by their stories to take on your own grand adventure. Here are as many of their voices as we could gather: Kate Nelson — Cap 137Merlijn Sluiter — Cap 177Isabelle Berti — Cap 12Hannah Simon — Cap 175Erin Poland — Cap 311BPeta Mc Sharry — Cap 119Claire Sharpe — Cap 174Nathalie Baillon — Cap 7Kristen Tonsager — Cap 196Helene Keuthen — Cap 318B Shona Oldfield — Cap 319BSvenja Betz — Cap 13Susie Douglas — Cap 45Emma Missale — Cap 312BCynthia Carson — Cap 23Lynn Meier — Cap 123Helene Fromenty — Cap 61Rosalyn Osborne — Cap 142 ⚠️Laura Deave — Cap 39Femke van Kessel — Cap 305BNicole Farrier — Cap 53Maxi Unger — Cap 199Katrien De Smet — Cap 37Emma Bateup — Cap 10Tess Elias — Cap 52Blair Blackwell — Cap 15Ariane Richter — Cap 158Meg Pugh — Cap 153Justine Rondeau — Cap 162Claire Stevens — Cap 185Jeanne Lepoix — Cap 110Karen Ekman — Cap 51Tori Riemersma — Cap 159Heidi Seeto — Cap 172Leanne Bentley — Cap 11Marei Moldenhauer — Cap 127Catherine de Medici Jaffee — Cap 36Meaghan Hackinen — Cap 69Freyja Moreton — Cap 131 Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Detours on Instagram: @detourscyclingFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cyclingUse code DETOURS15 to get 15% off your next order from AlbionIf you enjoy listening please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

 We often set out on these big adventures with a picture in our heads of what we're going to get from them. The reality is that they almost never deliver that thing. Instead, they hand us something else entirely... and that's exactly what makes them worth doing. Hannah Glatter rode the brand new Great Plains Gravel Route this summer, travelling 3,000 miles from the Texas desert to the Canadian border, through the states people love to write off as flyover. She covered around 100 miles a day for 36 days — and before this, she'd never bikepacked more than a few days at a time. In this episode of Detours we talk about choosing community over going it alone, letting go of who you think you should be as an adventurer, learning to be proud of our accomplishments for the genuine feats they are, and building a life you love so much you don't need to escape from it. Learn more about the Great Plains Gravel Route Follow Hannah's adventures on Instagram @hannah.glatter Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Detours on Instagram: @detourscyclingFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cyclingUse code DETOURS15 to get 15% off your next order from AlbionIf you enjoy listening please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

What does it take to win an ultra-distance bikepacking race and then run 192 kilometres across the Balkans three days later? Dilara Tuna is a Belgian adventurer who moves as comfortably on foot as she does on two wheels. In 2026 she took the women's win at the Trans Balkan Race, riding on women's record pace for much of it, before heading straight out to run the Peaks of the Balkans trail through Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo.  In this episode of Detours, we talk about what running and cycling each teach you about the other, why the women's field in ultra running feels years ahead of bikepacking, and the voice that told her for years she was "too slow" to sleep — and how working with a coach helped her finally rest, race smarter, and go faster because of it. We also get into racing Silk Road in a pair with a man she'd met days earlier, the thunderstorm that cost her the record, the stray dog that followed her for five hours, and the problem with chocolate in a heatwave. Follow Dilara's adventures on Instagram @tunafisch Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Detours on Instagram: @detourscyclingFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cyclingUse code DETOURS15 to get 15% off your next order from AlbionIf you enjoy listening please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

 Now in my 30s, the question of whether or not to become a mum sits heavier than it used to. And when I go looking for a template to follow — women who've done it without giving up riding, racing, their freedom — I come up with a handful. Today's guest Luisa Werner is an athlete who has won the women's race at Atlas Mountain Race, stood on the podium of many ultras AND she's a mum. In this episode of Detours we talk about identity, the physical changes of pregnancy, coming back to sport postpartum, and how Luisa is approaching this season of her life. Follow Luisa on Instagram @luisasophiewer Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Detours on Instagram: @detourscyclingFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cyclingUse code DETOURS15 to get 15% off your next order from AlbionIf you enjoy listening please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

 Meaghan Hackinen just rode the Tour Divide faster than any woman ever has in 14 days 10 hours 2 minutes, taking more than a full day off her own previous time across nearly 4,400 kilometres from Banff to the Mexican border, and besting Austin Killips record 14 days 23 hours. In this episode of Detours, Meaghan shares the ins and outs of her record-breaking run: what she learned from her rookie attempt in 2024, the marginal gains that added up, the collective she built for women and underrepresented riders to build community around the divide, how she managed to find time for a skinny dip on route... yes you heard that right! and so much more.  Follow Meaghan's adventures on Instagram @meaghanhackinen Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Detours on Instagram: @detourscyclingFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cyclingUse code DETOURS15 to get 15% off your next order from AlbionIf you enjoy listening please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast