Yesterday, after roughly four days of riding, Lael Wilcox has decided to pull the plug on her FKT attempt along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route amid smoky conditions due to western wildfires. She had been riding comfortably ahead of Mike Hall’s fastest time for much of the ride.
On day two of her trip, Wilcox wrote on Instagram, “I have asthma and am trying my best to keep breathing. I have a long way to go.” It’s not just the smoke from wildfires that complicated her FKT attempt; a “fire detour” along the route added an extra 1,500 feet of climbing to the already grueling course.
There’s no word yet on when or if Wilcox plans to make another FKT attempt on the GDMBR. For now, she ends her Instgram update saying, “Thank you for following and for your encouraging messages and comments. I’m looking forward to seeing Rue tomorrow ❤️ (and taking a shower 🧼).”
