Detours: Bikepacking, Ultra-Cycling and Adventures by Bike

• For the Vibes: Alyssa Gonzalez on Building Inclusive Spaces and Joyful Movement in Cycling

  It’s wild how something as simple as walking into a bike shop can make you feel like you don’t belong. It's a feeling many folks, especially marginalized identities, have encountered, and one that Alyssa Gonzalez has made her goal to change. She wears so many hats. She is a designer advocate, cyclist runner, community organizer, model, content creator, and she owns a bike shop. And at the heart of everything she does, is the goal of elevating marginalized communities and creating welcoming spaces for folks in the outdoors. Her bike shop, which she co-founded, Treehouse Cyclery, is a community-first space, redefining what it means to be a bike shop. She also leads the Colorado chapter of Radical Adventure Riders, organizing events, rides, and camps that help women, trans, and non-binary folks find belonging in adventure cycling.In this conversation, Alyssa shares how she got into the outdoors later in life, what happened when she signed up for a 600-mile bikepacking race after just one year of riding, and how she’s learned to tune out the pressure to perform and lean into joy. Whether she’s leading a group ride, fixing bikes, or talking to new riders about their first gear purchase, Alyssa is helping reshape cycling culture, and always bringing the vibes. Check out Alyssa's bikeshop Treehouse Cyclery in Boulder, ColoradoFollow Alyssa's adventures on Instagram: @__alyssagonzalezFollow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Detours on Instagram: @detourscyclingFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cycling Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Building Confidence in Bikepacking Through Mentorship: Athlyn Cathcart-Keays and Roll Models

  When we talk about barriers to entry and bike packing, so many things come to mind. For many, it's gear. For others, it's about confidence. For many folks, especially women and marginalized genders, it can be about not knowing where to start, not seeing people like you doing the thing and feeling like maybe this world wasn't built with you and mine.On Detours we talk a lot about getting more women into bike packing, but how do we actually do that? What does it take? What does it really take to make someone feel like they belong? Roll Models is one answer.It's a mentorship program started by Athlyn and her co-creator, Cordelia in Bristol UK that pairs women in marginalized genders with more experienced riders. The idea is simple: a mentor and mentee relationship. So folks have someone to ride with, ask questions to, and learn from someone in your corner, which can make all the difference when you're finding your footing in the world of bike packing. In this episode we talk about: How Athlyn’s own road into bikepacking: starting on a single-speed bike with a yoga mat strapped to the back rackThe inspiration she found in a mentorship program in British ColumbiaHow Roll Models was built and how it worksThe surprising barriers mentors face, not just menteesHow we can truly create a welcoming environment in the world of bikepackingAnd her big goal for the year: taking on the Highland Trail 550, her first bikepacking raceAs always, thanks to Albion Cycling for supporting the podcast this year.Follow Athlyn on Instagram: @athlynckFollow Roll Models on Instagram: @__rollmodelsFollow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Detours on Instagram: @detourspodcastFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cycling Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Do I Always Need to Race? Mel Catches Up On Life Lately

  It's just me, Mel, on the mic, and I'm finally sharing a long overdue catchup. Today I share some behind-the-scenes moments from Morocco and the Atlas Mountain Race, and how a lot of recent experiences have had me rethinking my relationship to bikes, racing, and movement in general.As always, a huge thank you to Albion for supporting Detours this year.Follow Detours on Instagram: @detourscyclingFollow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cycling Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Tandemonium with Shona and Rich Oldfield: Bikepack Racing on a Tandem

  What happens when you take a bike built for two and bring it to some of the most rugged, remote and challenging bikepacking in the world? You get tandemonium, and honestly, Shona and Rich Oldfield wouldn’t have it any other way. Shona and Rich live in Manchester, UK, where they run Keep Pedalling, a small but mighty bike shop dedicated to supplying help, advice, and bikes for adventures. Over the past decade, they’ve quietly become legends in the bikepack racing world — not for winning races, but for how they show up: almost always together, and usually on a tandem. It’s long, it’s heavy, and by most standards absolutely the “wrong” bike for these races — which, of course, makes it perfect for them. In this episode, we talk about what it’s actually like to race a tandem off-road: how they divide roles on the bike, what happens when one of them wants to sleep (and the other doesn’t), and why Rich refuses to use the brakes. They also share some wild hallucination stories, dog packing with their pup Olive, and how the tandem has become a symbol of their approach to life: good-humoured, stubborn, and quietly joyful. Shona and Rich remind us that these events are supposed to be fun, and that there’s no “right” way to do these things, just the way that works for you. As always, thanks to Albion Cycling for supporting the podcast this year.Follow Shona and Rich on Instagram: @keep_pedallingFollow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Detours on Instagram: @detourspodcastFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cycling Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Sherry Cardona’s Off-Road Ultra-Cycling Journey: From the Transcontinental Race to Atlas

  “I was in the middle of nowhere in Albania on a road bike, and there was no way out—I had to go through the parkour. So I told my husband, ‘I can’t ride it, but I’m going to walk it.’ He rode ahead, and I just kept walking, waking him up every time I passed by. We spent 12 hours like that, but we made it out. And I said to myself, ‘That’s never going to happen again. I’m going to learn how to ride off-road." —Sherry CardonaAfter struggling through a brutal 70-kilometer off-road section in her first Transcontinental Race (TCR), Sherry Cardona made a promise to herself: she would learn to ride off-road. Fast forward to 2025, and she’s now taken on off-road bikepacking races like the Bohemian Border Bash, Badlands, and recently completed the Atlas Mountain Race, her first mountain bike ultra—a completely different challenge that tested her technical skills, race mindset, and ability to adapt.Sherry has quickly become a recognizable name in distance racing, not only for her impressive results—including winning TCR in a pair, twice—but for her ability to tell compelling stories about the highs, lows and realities of pushing limits on the bike through her YouTube channel, Buzzalong Cycling. In this episode, we dive into Sherry's ultra-cycling journey, from picking up a road bike for the first time at age 27, to racing TCR, Badlands, and now the Atlas Mountain Race. We talk about racing in a pair vs. solo, how she built confidence on technical terrain, and what it takes to push through when things aren’t going to plan.In this episode we talk about: Her transition from road ultras to gravel and mountain bike racingRacing in the Transcontinental Race in a pair with her husband: the challenges, teamwork, and life lessonsHow she built confidence on technical terrain (including a mountain bike instructor who thought she had "no hope")Atlas Mountain Race: expectations vs. reality, adapting when things got tough, and learning to ride mountain bike terrainSurviving on honey, omelets, and Moroccan teaHow music (and a little bit of Taylor Swift) helped her get through hard momentsHer approach to training, gear choices, and what she’d do differently for if she were to race AMR again Follow Sherry's adventures: Follow Sherry on Instagram @sherry.cyclingWatch her Atlas Mountain Race videoSubscribe to her podcast Buzzalong CyclingAs always, a huge thank you to Albion for supporting Detours this year.Follow Detours on Instagram: @detourscyclingFollow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cycling Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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