Detours: Bikepacking, Ultra-Cycling and Adventures by Bike

Epizode

• Women of HT550 2026 08.05.2026 39min
• Fuelling an Ultra-Distance Bikepack Race: Uri Carlson on Nutrition for HT550 and Beyond 30.04.2026 1h 2min
• Justyna Jarczok on Reframing Setbacks and Finding Her Place in Ultra 16.04.2026 47min
• Bikepacking in Girona, 1 month til HT550 & Life Across the Pond 10.04.2026 21min
• Don't Be Afraid to Jump: Gala Giannini on the ER, Life by Bike and More Women on Start Lines 02.04.2026 52min
• Twice Around the World: Vedangi Kulkarni on Impact, Limits and Letting Go 19.03.2026 51min
• Just Keep Pedalling: Millie Gibbons on Building Community & The Joy of Riding Uphill 12.03.2026 48min

  Millie Gibbons loves riding her bike. And when I say loves, I mean she's Everested four times and her idea of a really good time is gathering eight women and riding 200K to France for a croissant. In this episode, we talk about her proudest finish at Alps Divide on an underbiked gravel setup through every weather condition imaginable, the meditative simplicity of racing for a busy brain, and her philosophy: find your thing, have fun doing it.
• AMR 26 Reflections, HT550 Prep and Moving to Bristol! 05.03.2026 22min
• Almost back to life! We'll be back next week 26.02.2026 1min
• Women of Atlas Mountain Race 2026 05.02.2026 52min

  Last year’s Atlas Mountain Race saw 30 women take part. This year, beginning in Beni-Mellal, 54 women will be on the starting line. Of course there is still a long way to go in seeing equal participation between the men and women, but to see a race nearly double it’s participation in one year is certainly a step in the right direction. We hope that their stories inspire you to take on your own adventure, and of course, to have more women on start lines.
• Adventure More: Sami Sauri on Building A Life In The Mountains 29.01.2026 1h 20min

  Mountain athlete and photographer Sami Sauri on blending her competitive and creative pursuits — from ultracycling to ski touring to paragliding — and carving out her own path in the mountains.
• A Peek Inside Mel's Highland Trail 550 Training: Building Back From Zero 22.01.2026 22min

  Mel shares a peek inside her training for the Highland Trail 550 in May 2026!
• Permission to Change: Kara Folkerts on Trail Running, Bikepacking and Life on the Road 15.01.2026 54min

  Kara Folkerts doesn't fit in any boxes. She's a trail running guide, bikepacker, and has lived a nomadic life for the past ten years. In this conversation, Kara opens up about identity, life on the road, and the freedom that comes with allowing yourself to change. We talk about sustaining a nomadic lifestyle, run travel, bike travel, solo adventures, and bikepacking with a partner. She also shares what's next — upcoming trips to Oman and Morocco, and her first ultra bikepacking race later this year.
• You Can Do Hard Things: Jana Kesenheimer, Two-Time Transcontinental Race Fastest Woman 08.01.2026 56min

  Jana Kesenheimer has been fastest woman at the Transcontinental Race — the self-supported bikepacking race across Europe — not once, but twice. In this conversation, she reflects on why it took 16 races to feel ready for TCR, and how gender, confidence, and self-perception shape not just how we race, but whether we feel like we belong at the start line at all.
• Holiday Throwback: Hannah Simon's 2024 Silk Road Mountain Race 01.01.2026 1h 42min
• Holiday Throwback: Alexandera Houchin on Racing with Heart & 10 Years of Bikepacking 25.12.2025 1h 32min
• Reflecting on a Wild 2025: Behind the Scenes of Detours and a Year at The Mountain Races with Mel Webb 18.12.2025 1h 7min

  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.
• The Spirit of Adventure: Kara Woolgar on AZT As Her First Ultra 11.12.2025 1h 5min

  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.
• Jake Cullen on his 2025 Triple Crown Challenge 04.12.2025 1h 16min

  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.
• Hélène Fromenty on Her First MTB Ultra, Trans Pyrenees and Bikes as Way of Life 27.11.2025 1h

  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.