Detours: Bikepacking, Ultra-Cycling and Adventures by Bike

Gala Giannini is an ER doctor, ultra racer, and now event organizer based in northern Italy. She's raced Italy Divide, Gran Guanche, Silk Road, Atlas, and Badlands.

At her first ultra, there were maybe four women on the start line. At Atlas this year, the change was undeniable.

In this episode of Detours, we talk about the growing movement of more women on start lines, how winning a gravel bike by drawing a 180-kilometer reindeer on Strava led to her first ultra two months later, the parallels between night shifts in the ER and racing through the night, and the event she's building in the Italian Alps – named after a mythological goat with uneven legs.

Learn more about the Dahu Trail

Follow Gala's adventures: @gala.giannini

Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebb
Follow Detours on Instagram: @detourscycling
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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

What if the thing waiting on the other side of "failure" is more valuable than the goal itself?

Vedangi Kulkarni is an ultra-endurance cyclist, adventurer, and two-time round-the-world rider. She first circumnavigated the globe at 19 – starting in Australia in 2018 and finishing on Christmas Eve, turning 20 somewhere along the way. Then in 2024, she set out again, starting and finishing in India, chasing the record for the fastest woman to cycle around the world. She didn't get the record. But what she found along the way might have been more valuable.

Now based in Inverness, Scotland, Vedangi runs The Adventure Shed, helping others plan solo expeditions, and is launching the Looking Beyond Barriers Adventure Fund to support the next generation of women adventurers.

In this episode of Detours we talk about the privilege of a single yes, what it took to keep going when her goal slipped out of reach, redefining success around impact over performance, and so much more.

Follow Vedangi's adventures: @thisisvedangi

Get your Detours & More Women on Startlines Stickers!! 

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

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.

Based in Girona and always surrounded by a girl gang, Millie has built community simply by showing up and doing what she loves. She's also a seriously quick racer, winning the women's race at Kromvojoj in 2025 and and Trans Pyrenees 2023. 

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.

Follow Millie's adventures: @milliegibbons

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

There has been a LOT of life lived in the past few months. 

Jake and I are in the middle of packing up our life in Vancouver ahead of our move to Bristol + Atlas Mountain Race just happened, so I thought we were long overdue for a bit of a catchup. I share a few reflections from Atlas Mountain Race, including what it felt like to see nearly 70 (!!!!) women on the start line this year.

We also talk about our quick trip through London (and finally meeting the Albion team in person), some Highland Trail 550 prep, new bike plans, and a little more about this big jump over the pond. Thanks as always for all your love and support for me and the show. 

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Albion just released an updated version of their Ultralight Insulated Jacket, now with a women’s-specific fit. If you’re looking for a lightweight and super packable jacket for long rides or bikepacking trips, you can check it out here. AND Detours listeners can use the code DETOURS15 for 15% off.

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

It has been a whirlwind few weeks but we will be BACK next week with new episodes. In the meantime, check out all the incredible guests, re-listen to a fave (or check out The Mountain Races podcast). 

Thanks for all the love and patience and see you SOON!

xx Mel 

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