Detours: Bikepacking, Ultra-Cycling and Adventures by Bike

Mel Webb
  • 4.8 (40)
  • Wilderness
  • Weekly

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

  1. Oct 16

    Women of Taurus Mountain Race 2026

    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: @melwwebb Follow Detours on Instagram: @detourscycling Follow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cycling Use code DETOURS15 to get 15% off your next order from Albion If you enjoy listening please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

  2. Jul 30

    Hannah Glatter on Riding the Great Plains, Choosing Community & Making Your Own Rules

    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: @melwwebb Follow Detours on Instagram: @detourscycling Follow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cycling Use code DETOURS15 to get 15% off your next order from Albion If you enjoy listening please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

  3. Jul 23

    Why Not Me? Dilara Tuna on Building Confidence Across Trail Running & Bikepacking

    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: @melwwebb Follow Detours on Instagram: @detourscycling Follow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cycling Use code DETOURS15 to get 15% off your next order from Albion If you enjoy listening please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

  4. Jul 16

    Luisa Werner on Motherhood & Ultra

    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: @melwwebb Follow Detours on Instagram: @detourscycling Follow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cycling Use code DETOURS15 to get 15% off your next order from Albion If you enjoy listening please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

  5. Jul 9

    Meaghan Hackinen's 2026 Tour Divide Record

    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: @melwwebb Follow Detours on Instagram: @detourscycling Follow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cycling Use code DETOURS15 to get 15% off your next order from Albion If you enjoy listening please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

  6. Jul 3

    Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain: Svenja Betz on Unbound XL, Badlands and Traka 560

    Svenja Betz is a rider I've had on my radar for quite some time. She's won the likes of Unbound XL — twice — along with Badlands and Traka560. But what's intrigued me most is how she's balanced racing at such a high level with her career. For the past two years she's been in an intensive teacher training program in Germany, finishing her final exams just one week before flying to Kansas to defend her Unbound XL title.  In this episode of Detours we talk all about her approach to racing — why having nothing to lose became her secret weapon, the rise of fiercely strong women on the start line and why she's an open book with all of them, and the brutal Badlands debut where she begged her mom to pick her up. We also get into what she's learned about enjoying the experience along the way, not just chasing the win — and what she's most looking forward to in this next chapter now that her studies are finally done.  Plus! We have another listener voicenote from Alex who just raced his first ultra at Solstice Sprint.   I'd love to hear from more of you! What adventures have you been up to this summer? What did you experience or learn along the way. Send me a voice note to thedetourspodcast@gmail.com and we'll feature if on an upcoming episode. Follow Svenja's adventures on Instagram @svenja__betz Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebb Follow Detours on Instagram: @detourscycling Follow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cycling Use code DETOURS15 to get 15% off your next order from Albion If you enjoy listening please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

  7. Jun 25

    Maddy Nutt's Record Breaking Ride at Traka 560

    The Traka has become one of the biggest gravel events in cycling, rivalling Unbound for prestige and increasingly important for sponsors. The 560 – their adventure distance added in recent years – has quickly become a proving ground for endurance talent. This year, Maddy Nutt lined up for the 560 having never raced an ultra. She had big goals, with her eyes on the women's record time – which she went on to smash. In this episode of Detours, we get into her ride along with preparation that included AI-assisted pacing, carrying five kilos of nutrition and water, the importance of having fun, and what a win like this could mean for her future. Check out Maddy's Traka 560 film Follow her adventures on Instagram @maddy_nutt Plus we hear from Ainsley who just raced her first bikepacking race!   Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebb Follow Detours on Instagram: @detourscycling Follow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cycling Use code DETOURS15 to get 15% off your next order from Albion If you enjoy listening please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

  8. Jun 11

    Women of Tour Divide & Hannah's Great Plain Ride

    Racing and riding season is in full swing! This week we hear from some of the women racing Tour Divide 2026, along with Hannah Glatter who is currently riding 5,600KM along the Great Plains Gravel Route.      Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebb Follow Detours on Instagram: @detourscycling Follow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cycling Use code DETOURS15 to get 15% off your next order from Albion If you enjoy listening please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

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4.8
out of 5
40 Ratings

About

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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