Mel shares a peek inside her training for the Highland Trail 550 in May. We go into building back from ground zero, incorporating more strength training and an easter egg for those who make it all the way to the end.

Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebb

Follow Detours on Instagram: @detourscycling

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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.

Follow Kara's adventures: @karafolkerts

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 love this show please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

The Transcontinental Race is often described as the self-supported bikepacking race across Europe, drawing some of the biggest names in ultra cycling each year. Riders plot their own routes across the continent — this year, roughly 4,700 kilometers — linking a handful of mandatory control points and parcours. Every decision, from navigation to sleep and everything in between, is left entirely to them.

Jana Kesenheimer has won the women's race not once, but twice, lining up in 2025 alongside riders like Lael Wilcox and Cynthia Carson in the most competitive women's field TCR has ever seen.

In this conversation, Jana reflects on the road that led her to ultra-distance racing — and why, despite all her experience, it took years to feel ready to line up at TCR. We talk about her 2025 race, confidence, and self-trust. As a psychologist, Jana brings a rare perspective to the mental side of endurance racing, exploring how gender, motivation, and self-perception shape not just how we race, but whether we feel like we belong at the start line at all.

Follow Jana's adventures and racing: @jananas.banjana

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 love this show please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast