Detours: Bikepacking, Ultra-Cycling and Adventures by Bike
Mel Webb
76 episodes
5 days ago
Hosted by ultra endurance and adventure cyclist Mel Webb, Detours brings you stories from inside the world of bikepacking and ultra cycling, featuring racers, community members, race directors and more. This show is about celebrating the journey, and the detours along the way, as much as the destination. We're especially passionate about providing space for folks that identify as women to share their stories and hope to inspire more people to ride bikes.Presented by Albion CyclingHave a topic you'd like us to cover? A guest you think we should interview? We'd love to hear from you! Please shoot us an email at thedetourspodcast@gmail.comIf you love the show and want us to keep making it, consider becoming a supporter at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast
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Hosted by ultra endurance and adventure cyclist Mel Webb, Detours brings you stories from inside the world of bikepacking and ultra cycling, featuring racers, community members, race directors and more. This show is about celebrating the journey, and the detours along the way, as much as the destination. We're especially passionate about providing space for folks that identify as women to share their stories and hope to inspire more people to ride bikes.Presented by Albion CyclingHave a topic you'd like us to cover? A guest you think we should interview? We'd love to hear from you! Please shoot us an email at thedetourspodcast@gmail.comIf you love the show and want us to keep making it, consider becoming a supporter at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast
For the final episode of the year, the roles are reversed as Detours alum and journalist Hélène Fromenty turns the mic back on host Mel Webb. Together, they reflect on a wild 2025 behind the scenes of the Detours podcast — from building and sustaining an independent cycling show to working with the Mountain Races and navigating a complicated relationship with riding. It’s an honest conversation about creative sustainability, representation in race coverage, and balancing personal goals with work that serves a wider community.
Kara Woolgar lined up for the Arizona Trail Race as her first bikepacking ultra and finished proudly at the back of the pack. She talks about navigating packing constraints, food allergies, blisters, and the emotional turning points of her 17-day ride.
The Triple Crown of bikepacking is a massive undertaking: the Tour Divide, the Colorado Trail Race, and the Arizona Trail Race. This year Jake completed all three and shares about his year racing all over the United States.
Journalist and longtime bikepacker Hélène Fromenty took on her first-ever mountain bike ultra at Silk Road, a race that reshaped how she understood her own potential on the bike. In this conversation, she shares what it was like to learn MTB skills on the fly, navigate imposter feelings, squeeze training into a demanding job, and ultimately line up solo at Trans Pyrenees Gravel Edition — where she won the women’s race.
Weronika Szalas spent the summer bikepacking through Mongolia, China, and Kyrgyzstan, embracing slow travel and all the detours that came with it. This week, she shares the stories of her adventures through Central Asia and how she has leaned more and more into slow travel.
Sports dietitian Uri Carlson breaks down what it really takes to fuel well for endurance riding, from daily habits to multi-day bikepacking nutrition. We dig into gut training, protein needs, hydration, and how to make smart choices when you're deep into long days in the saddle.
Artist and bikepack racer Quinda Verheul set out to take on the Triple Crown of bikepacking: the Tour Divide, Colorado Trail, and Arizona Trail Race. But, the year unfolded differently than she imagined. In this episode, she opens up about the pressure to keep proving yourself, the vulnerability of letting go, and the freedom that comes from redefining what success looks like on your own terms.
After winning the Atlas Mountain Race, Marei Moldenhauer’s year took an unexpected turn when a skiing accident left her with a broken leg. In this episode, she reflects on rebuilding from the ground up—navigating recovery, resetting goals, and finding new ways to measure progress.
When Roz Osborne signed up for the Silk Road Mountain Race, her goal was simple — to prove her son wrong. In this episode of Detours, Roz shares what it was like to take on one of the world’s toughest bikepacking races as a mum, balancing training, family, and the realities of ultra-endurance cycling. It’s a story about self-belief, guilt, pride, and finding freedom on two wheels.
Chris Burkard is no stranger to grand adventures. But the Silk Road Mountain Race remained an elusive someday ride, shadowed by imposter syndrome, questioning if he really belonged on the startline. This year he took the leap, training with new focus and deep respect for the mountains.
The Tour Divide is a ride so many dream about—and this year, Jake finally said yes. In this episode, he and Mel unpack what it meant to chase that dream and everything that he experienced over his 16 days on the Tour Divide.
Rachel Wills has lined up for Unbound XL five times—drawn back each year by the challenge, the landscape, and the chance to learn something new about herself. In this episode, she reflects on the ritual of returning to Emporia, Kansas year aver year.
The pathway into bikepacking isn’t always straightforward—and even with endless routes and resources online, it can still be hard to know where to begin or how to find your people.
That’s where Bikepacking Roots comes in: a nonprofit working to make bikepacking more inclusive, accessible, and community-driven.
Detours: Bikepacking, Ultra-Cycling and Adventures by Bike
Hosted by ultra endurance and adventure cyclist Mel Webb, Detours brings you stories from inside the world of bikepacking and ultra cycling, featuring racers, community members, race directors and more. This show is about celebrating the journey, and the detours along the way, as much as the destination. We're especially passionate about providing space for folks that identify as women to share their stories and hope to inspire more people to ride bikes.Presented by Albion CyclingHave a topic you'd like us to cover? A guest you think we should interview? We'd love to hear from you! Please shoot us an email at thedetourspodcast@gmail.comIf you love the show and want us to keep making it, consider becoming a supporter at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast
