Detours: Bikepacking, Ultra-Cycling and Adventures by Bike

• Washed Away: Kerry MacPhee on HT550 2025 and Finding Joy in Going Fast

  What do you do when your bike gets swept down a flooded Scottish river, you're soaked to the bone, and miles from the nearest village? Well... you'll have to listen to find out! Kerry is a blazing-fast Scottish ultra racer with deep roots in mountain biking. After racing the Highland Trail 550 for the first time in 2024, finishing just under three hours off the women’s record, she came back in 2025 with her eyes set on it. What followed was an absolutely nail-biting race between her and eventual women's winner Emma Bateup (our last guest), with both women pushing the pace through torrential rain, flash floods, and highland bog. In this conversation, Kerry breaks down what really happened out there: from stormy river crossings to the moment her bike got pulled away by the current, and the long, cold walk that followed. We talk about how she's built an off-road racing life while juggling three jobs, her past as an elite mountain biker and triathlete, and how she's navigating what it means to race fast, chase joy, and tell stories that bring others along for the ride.Topics include:Highland Trail 550Racing with joy vs. racing to win, and why it’s not either/orFueling, body image, and strength in endurance sportSharing the dots and building community through storytellingWorking three jobs while riding at the top level of bikepackingGet your Detours stickersIf you're keen to give Albion cycling clothing a go, use DETOURS15 at checkout for 15% off your order.Follow Kerry's adventures on Instagram: @kerrymacphee Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Detours on Instagram: @detourscyclingFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cyclingIf you love this show please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

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• Racing Season is Here! Crying in the Desert & Other Summer Highlights

  The summer racing season in the world of ultra and bikepacking is in full swing! In this episode, I’m catching you up on what’s been happening and what's ahead. From surprising Jake at the finish of the Tour Divide (yes, I cried... so much crying!) to managing media at Hellenic, it’s been a full few weeks. I share women's racing highlights from this season so far, including Tour Divide, Highland Trail 550, Hellenic Mountain Race, Kromvojoj, El Piri, and the Trans Balkans Race. I also look ahead to what’s coming next: Bright Midnight, Transcontinental Race where nearly 100 women(!!!) will be lining up this year. and of course, the Silk Road Mountain Race. Even though I won’t be racing this year, I’m excited to return to Kyrgyzstan for a third time and be back in the ultra bubble with the media crew. And inevitably, I’ve missed some races—so if there’s a standout story you think should be featured, I’m all ears.Plus, I want to hear from you. If you’ve been on an overnighter, a big summer ride, or a bikepacking trip you’re proud of, send me a voice note to [email protected] I’d love to feature your stories on the show and celebrate adventures big and small.Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Detours on Instagram: @detourscyclingFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cyclingIf you love this show please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Detours on Instagram: @detourscyclingFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cyclingIf you love this show please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

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• Emma Bateup on Going Full Send at Highland Trail 550 and Beyond

  Emma Bateup is no stranger to going full send into the deep end. Whether it's tossing her bike across a flooded river or screaming into the Scottish mountains during a low moment, she’s all in. Just a couple of years into ultra racing, Emma already has a resume that includes wins in the women's race at Tour te Waipounamu, a fourth overall at the Great Southern Brevet, and now a breakout performance at the 2024 Highland Trail 550—where she won the women’s race and placed 7th overall.In this episode, Emma shares the story behind that ride, from chasing records to losing her multi-tool in a creek and navigating Scotland’s notorious river crossings. We talk about fuelling mistakes (pro tip: never skip a resupply), what happened when her chafing hit code red, and how close competition can unlock your best performance, even if your rival’s rain jacket is way too easy to spot.We also get into her journey into bikepacking, how ultra racing compares to enduro and XC racing, and why she thinks crying is a superpower. Emma’s energy is contagious, and this conversation is full of laughs, honest reflections, and the kind of type-two stories that make you want to grab your bike and go.Topics include:Emma’s 2024 Highland Trail 550 win (and the chaos along the way)Racing head-to-head with Kerry MacPheeRiver crossings, hail storms, and a tragic lost multi-toolHer first ultra at Tour Te Waipounamu and what she’s learned sinceThe trade-offs of ambition, joy, and full-time racingCoaching kids, racing XC, and what’s nextFollow Emma's adventures on Instagram: @em_b8upFollow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Detours on Instagram: @detourscyclingFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cycling Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Detours on Instagram: @detourscyclingFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cyclingIf you love this show please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

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• Get to Know Nathalie Baillon [ReRelease]

  I've been getting loads of questions as this year's Tour Divide is underway – who is Nathalie Baillon? After leading for the first 4 days of the race, she suffered a major mechanical just after Fleecer Ridge, forcing her to return to Butte and get a new wheel. Back on the road, she's chasing hard to catch Lael Wilcox. Both women are ahead of Lael's record pace, and gunning to be the first woman to reach Antelope Wells. Originally released in March 2024, in this episode Nathalie shares about her entry into the world of ultra-racing and offers a deep dive on her mindset as a racer. She has quite an impressive resume, including joint first woman at Silk Road Mountain Race in August 2023, the fastest woman to ride across Europe, second woman at Atlas Mountain Race 2024 and more. I hope you'll join me in cheering her (and the rest of the Tour Divide racers) on. Watch the dots hereFollow Nathalie's on Instagram: @nathalie_baillonFollow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Detours on Instagram: @detourscyclingFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cycling Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Detours on Instagram: @detourscyclingFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cyclingIf you love this show please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

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• Women of Tour Divide 2025

  Each year, on the second Friday in June, hundreds of riders gather outside the YMCA in Banff, Alberta, to begin what’s widely considered bikepacking’s most iconic ultra-endurance race: the Tour Divide. Riders follow the Continental Divide across 4,400 kilometers, tackling rugged dirt roads, remote wilderness, high mountain passes, and variable weather on their way to Antelope Wells, New Mexico.While more women take to the start year after year, they still only make up ~10% of participants. In 2025, 29 of the 238 riders registered on Trackleaders are women. This episode of Detours is dedicated to those women.In an effort to celebrate the women of this year’s Tour Divide, and to inspire more to line up in the future, I collected voice notes from riders across the globe—sharing who they are, why they’re racing, and what brought them to this start line. Inevitably, I wasn't able to capture everyone's voices despite my best efforts and internet sleuthing.You’ll hear from first-timers, returning riders, dot-watching converts, and those chasing the Tour Divide women’s record. Their stories speak to why representation matters, why adventure is worth the risk, and why more women belong at the start line.I hope you'll join me in cheering them on and watching their dots as they make their way from Banff to Antelope Wells.Follow the dots here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Detours on Instagram: @detourscyclingFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cyclingIf you love this show please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

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