After spending most of the last ten weeks cycling through unfamiliar territory, Lael Wilcox was back on familiar ground on Wednesday.

But not for long.

Wilcox arrived in Anchorage on Tuesday evening after completing nearly 12,000 miles of her attempt to become the fastest woman to cycle around the world.

Wilcox, who now lives in Tucson, Arizona, was born and raised in Anchorage and used the brief pit stop as an opportunity to visit family and friends.

“It’s a great feeling,” she said. “I’m so happy to be back. It’s nice to be in a familiar place.”

She was already heading north on Wednesday morning. The last third of her journey will take her through British Columbia and much of the USA. Wilcox spent almost all of July cycling through Australia and early August in New Zealand.

“It was super, super long,” she said. “Australia is (geographically) about the same size as the United States, but it only has 22 million people. So they’re really big areas.”

Wilcox knows what it takes to put on a monumental ride.

She has won the Tour Divide, the Trans Am and other long solo unsupported races, is one of two women to finish the Navad 1000 in Switzerland and even broke the overall record at the Baja Divide.

And even though her attempt to circumnavigate the world is significantly longer at 18,000 miles, Wilcox is in cruise mode. With only the calendar to race against, she’s foregoing some of the competitive tactics she’d normally use to win a shorter race.

“It’s a lot longer, but that means I’m taking care of myself a little bit more,” she said. “I’m getting a little more sleep and eating pretty well. It feels good. Sometimes I’m out there and I forget that I’m in the middle of this big trip. It’s just super long days every day.”

The Guinness Book of Records does not distinguish between supported and unsupported rides, which has made life a little easier for Wilcox. The current women’s record is held by Jenny Graham at 124 days, 10 hours and 50 minutes, and Wilcox is aiming to beat that record by two weeks.

Wilcox came up with the idea for this round-the-world race in 2016, when she became the first woman and first American to win the Trans Am.

“I think I first thought about it when I was racing across the United States and I thought, ‘Oh, what if I just kept going and traveled around the world?'” she said. “And I got a new passport. I finished the race and I was totally worn out. There’s no way I can keep going. But then the idea came, I think.”

After starting in Chicago on May 26, Wilcox cycled the first 1,700 kilometers to New York City. From there, she flew to Europe with her bike and traveled through several countries on that continent.

She travelled southeast, passing through the Balkans and Turkey, ending that leg of her journey in Georgia. From there she flew to Australia, where it is mid-winter, meaning less sun and cooler evening temperatures.

According to the rules of the ride, Wilcox must pass two points that pass through the center of the Earth. For her ride, Wilcox chose Madrid, Spain and Wellington, New Zealand.

Due to the large amount of travel, logistics was the most difficult part of the record attempt.

“The most important thing is not to be overwhelmed by the big picture,” she said. “Set goals for each day, stay patient and then make the right decisions.”

Anchorage was also a nice break from this part of the race. On Wednesday she had her bike serviced at Speedway Cycles and met up with friends and fans on site.

Wilcox started a podcast series for the trip to keep fans and interested viewers updated and to give her a chance to talk about her experiences and the people she met along the way.

“I meet someone in Belgium and then I meet a family member in Australia,” she said. “It’s been so cool. Some people just walk out of their front door. Some have driven 10 to 11 hours to find me in the middle of nowhere. In many ways it feels like just celebrating cycling.”

The final third of her journey will take Wilcox to Los Angeles and then back to Chicago, where she started. While her stay in Anchorage was brief, she will return to the state next winter to compete in the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Invitational. But for now, she’s focused on setting a record.

“I have 38 days left to finish this, and that feels pretty massive, and then I’m going to start over,” she said.

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Previous coverage:

Faster than crude oil: Lael Wilcox from Anchorage cycles the Trans-Alaska Pipeline in less than 4 days

Anchorage’s Lael Wilcox fends off opossums and snakes to take the women’s title in the 358-mile gravel bike race

Lael Wilcox from Anchorage defies health problems and brutal weather to win long-distance cycling race

Enter Alaska cyclist Lael Wilcox’s Globe of Adventure