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Who To Watch in 2025

17 April, 2025

Summer is right around the corner, and with it brings a plethora of ultra distance races and bikepacking events. With the sport growing in popularity year on year, we see many racers taking on a more structured approach to training, planning out their whole season and goals ahead. Some have been in the game for over a decade, honing their craft since the early days when the sport was in its infancy. Others have transitioned from other cycling disciplines more recently, or are perhaps complete newcomers to the sport altogether.

We are expecting a stellar field at The Transcontinental Race this year, particularly amongst the women/FINTA riders helped in part by Lost Dot’s ‘100 Women of TCR’ campaign. Some key names who plan to take to the start line in Santiago De Compostela this July are highlighted in this feature. Elsewhere the Mountain Race Triple Crown series is attracting some notable riders and strong competition. This is a series of three ultra distance races rugged in nature, comprising the Atlas Mountain Race in February, the Hellenic Mountain Race in May and the Silk Road Mountain Race in August. These have been dubbed ‘The Three Nelsons’, after Nelson Trees as the brainchild behind these off-road adventure races.

It goes without saying that 2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year for racers and dot watchers alike. Read on for an overview of who to watch this year. It is worth mentioning that this is not a comprehensive list of every successful racer taking to a start line this year, but rather a few notable names that you might want to bookmark for your dot watching escapades. Popcorn at the ready!

Alex McCormack

Following a strong 2024 season and recent win at the Atlas Mountain Race in February, Alex will be on everyone’s radar for 2025. With a background in MTB racing and previous 12hr MTB national champion, he was already well set up for the technical aspects of ultra-distance that are characterised by the races he has excelled in. His slogan 'chamois time is happy time' seems to be doing well for him so far.

Based in the UK Alex has been at the ultra game for just a few short years, but already has a wealth of off-road palmarès to his name including victories at the Bright Midnight, Highland Trail and Dales Divide in 2024 and Further Pyrenees in 2023 to name a few. This year Alex will be focusing on the Mountain Race Triple Crown. One down, two to go.

Photo credit: Kitty Dennis. Dales Divide 2024.

Lael Wilcox

Lael has been breaking records left right and centre since her foray into ultra-distance cycling in 2015. That year Wilcox broke the women’s record on the Tour Divide by over two days, despite having very little road racing experience. The following year she proved that her victory wasn’t a fluke, winning the 7,100 km Race Across America outright in 18 days. Over the last ten years Lael has been very active racing and also at a community level, especially with her involvement in the Komoot Women's Rally and as co-founder of GRIT which is a cycling mentorship program for young women.

Last year she made history, breaking the women’s record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by bike in 108 days 12 hours 12 minutes, a journey of 18,125 miles. Lael has a full agenda of events for 2025, currently on a screening tour of the round the world trip, documented by Rugile Kaladyte and due to be released at the end of May. Lael will be preparing for her fifth Tour Divide in June, and we are also excited to see her line up at The Transcontinental Race a month later. This will be her debut TCR, without a doubt she will be one of the key women to follow. If anyone can traverse two continents in two months, it's Lael Wilcox.

From Lael's Instagram, Photo by Rugile Kaladyte

Miron Golfman

An established racer from the US, having carved a specialism for winter racing across remote landscapes. Miron has several wins to his name, including a back to back victory on the Iditarod Trail Invitational in 2023 and 2024, and the Colorado Trail Race in 2023.

Also targeting the Mountain Race Triple Crown, Miron recently finished the Atlas Mountain Race in eleventh place overall. To sharpen the tools he will be lining up at the Dales Divide this weekend, this is his debut in this race and we look forward to seeing what he makes of the trails and bogs of Yorkshire. To learn more about what makes him tick, check out , which features him in a roundtable discussion on ultra-distance racing in winter.

Photo credit: Rugile Kaladyte. The Iditarod Trail Invitational 2024

Cynthia Carson

Cynthia has been very active in the US and European gravel scene, racing with the Velocio/Exploro women’s cycling team since 2016. Having broken away from the team recently to go solo and focus on ultra-distance, her notable result from 2023 was at Badlands, where she finished eighth overall and first woman after 780km of racing. Since 2023 Cynthia has also taken victories in Memory Bike Race, GranGuanche Audax Gravel, Atlas Mountain Race, Across Andes and Transcordilleras. She is active on her YouTube channel and also runs the Gravista Gravel Race in Buena Vista, Virginia.

Cynthia had planned to race the TCR last year, but those plans were soon thwarted when she was hit by a car in Austria in early July. Her head injuries left her in no fit state to race and she was forced to put those dreams aside for a whole year. Back to full health we expect her to have a full agenda on both sides of the Atlantic with a main focus on The Transcontinental Race. The dream is more alive than ever and we are excited to see her TCR debut.

Photo credit: Transcordilleras 2025

Josh Ibbett

A racer with many years of experience under his belt, Josh is perhaps best known for his win of The Transcontinental Race in 2015. This bettered his second place finish the preceding year. Since this he has gone on to achieve some strong and consistent results in some of the toughest races around the world, placing in the top ten result in most and wins at Italy Divide in 2017 and GBDuro in 2020.

Also very active on the media side of things, Josh has a successful YouTube channel and has also recently launched the along with co-host Beccy Waters. He is also targeting the Mountain Race Triple Crown, having recently finished the Atlas Mountain Race in fifteenth place overall.

From Josh's Instagram at the finish of Atlas Mountain Race, a race he has finished three times

Meaghan Hackinen

A writer, adventurer and ultra-endurance cyclist from Canada’s West Coast, Meaghan is usually spotted with a huge grin whichever ultra-race she is leading. Last year she won the women’s category of the Tour Divide, finishing seventh overall and setting a new women’s course record in the process. This result is the culmination of impressive palmarès including victories in the Arkansas High Country Race (2024), The Lost Elephant (2023), BC Epic (2021) and North Cape 4000 (2019) to name a few. She has also finished the Trans Am Bike Race and The Transcontinental Race, not to mention a 2x World 24hr TT Champion and 2019-2023 Women’s Course Record Holder.

Focusing on the Mountain Race Triple crown this year, she is off to a strong start finishing the recent Atlas Mountain Race in seventeenth place overall. A clear advocate for women’s sport, Meaghan is one to watch just for her down to earth character and positivity. You can hear more from her in , where she is part of a roundtable discussion on media coverage of self-supported cycling events.

Photo credit: Ebb Media. Meaghan Hackinen, Big Lonely finish

Christoph Strasser

Another strong racer with many years of experience to call on, albeit hailing from the supported ultra distance scene. The Austrian is a six time winner of Race Across America (RAAM), and current record holder for the fastest course time. He also became the first person to ride over 1,000km in 24hours, set on a course at Hinterstoisser Air Base in Zeltweg, Austria.

Two time winner of The Transcontinental Race (2022 and 2023), Christoph was pipped to the post by Robin Gemperle in 2024 to finish in second place. Christoph will be lining up to start his fourth TCR the summer, and will be surely looking for a hat trick of three victories. Before then, he will be diving into unknown territory at The Unknown Race where navigation skills are key.

Photo credit: Lex Karelly, RAAM

Marei Moldenhauer

Marei has only been racing ultra-distance for a couple of years, a relatively new name in the women’s field but already causing waves. Her clear talent and humble attitude towards racing makes her one to watch; since 2023 she has taken victories in her home country of Germany at Taunus Bikepacking and Mittelgebirge Classique, followed by a strong performance at The Transcontinental Race in 2023 to finish as second woman. Last year she went on to finish as first woman and fourth overall at The Bright Midnight in Norway, a result that tipped her as one to watch at the Atlas Mountain Race earlier this year - her first ultra on a mountain bike, with a completely new setup. Despite this she conquered the Atlas Mountains, taking the women’s win and finishing 7th overall.

Unfortunately a knee injury shortly after AMR has derailed her plans to race the Silk Road Mountain Race, or anything with hike-a-bike for that matter. Instead she is planning to ease back into riding with the Munich Milano Gravel and Japanese Odyssey. No doubt we will see her back racing on the rough stuff once the knee has fully healed.

Photo credit: Nils Laengner. Marei at the end of the Atlas Mountain Race 2025

Robin Gemperle

Robin was already winning bike races before delving into ultra-distance; during his teens he rose to World Cup level racing off-road, riding with the Swiss National team and Scott-Sram Team before leaving professional racing aged 20 to focus on his career. With such a strong head start Robin has been one to watch for a few years now, especially with regards to his dogged determination and persistence at The Transcontinental Race over the past three years. Having finished in the top 10 of the race during 2022 and 2023, he finally clinched the win he had been working towards in 2024 at TCR no.10. This was backed up with a win at the Trans Pyrenees in 2024, not to mention his previous victories at the Atlas Mountain Race and HOPE 1000 both in 2023.

This year Robin was back at the Atlas Mountain Race, adding a new twist to the familiar challenge by riding as a pair with Lucas Strittmatter. Despite being favourites to challenge the overall leader board, the pair scratched at CP3 citing "as a team we wanted too much and burnt our fingers". Perhaps it was a case of the pair being 'under-biked', both riding rigid gravel bikes. Robin will be venturing across the Atlantic this year to take on the Tour Divide for the first time, we look forward to watching this debut.

Photo credit: Robin Gemperle.

Cara Dixon

Based in Bristol, Cara is well known for her big miles on the bike, often racking up in excess of 30+ hours on the bike per week during the race season. After a strong few years of road and gravel racing but with some setbacks, her pivotal race moment came in 2024 when she was the first woman and seventh rider overall to finish Badlands, the second woman in the history of the race to finish in the top ten and just seven hours behind the overall winner. This was a redemption ride after finishing second the preceding year.

With plenty of adventures and races on UK soil, Cara has also clinched victories at Blaenau 600, Dirty Reiver and Trans Atlantic Way in the past couple of years. Early season goals were derailed by a broken collarbone, caused by a crash due to a pothole. Back riding following a period of recovery, Cara recently took to The Hills Gravel Race in Italy, as part of the Gravel Earth Series where conditions caused a mudbath (pictured). We are excited to see Cara line up for her Dales Divide debut this weekend. Also on the agenda for 2025, the Traka 560, Bright Midnight and the Trans Pyrenees Race.

Photo credit: Diego Del Favero. The Hills Gravel Race 2025.

Will Vousden

Will’s first real foray into ultra-distance racing was The Transcontinental Race in 2022. Despite a strong start this wasn’t to be, suffering a collision with a motorbike on Day 3 and damage to the bike which led to him scratching. The bug had bitten and over the past couple of years Will has sought redemption with strong top-5 positions in two trans-european races: TCR no.9 in 2023 and VIA in 2024.

Last year Will took first place on The Unknown Race, cementing his expertise of routing on the fly and dealing with adverse weather conditions. Will had planned to be back to defend his title this year, however a poorly timed illness has meant that he has to pull out last minute. Later in the summer he plans to race Chapter 2 of VIA in July along with some yet to be confirmed plans in November. Watch this space.

Photo credit: Saskia Martin. TCR no.9.

Kerry MacPhee

Born and bred in the Outer Hebrides, Kerry has a wealth of professional racing experience having competed at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, riding for Team Scotland in the Mountain Bike race. In recent years she has shifted focus from World Cups and European races, to ultra-distance bikepacking races in the UK. For those following the Highland Trail 550 last year, you may recall that Kerry put down a blistering pace to compete with Lee Craigie’s record from 2018 but fell behind pace within the final 100km. However she still managed to finish in sixth place overall, taking the women’s win. Kerry will be back at the HT550 this year with a goal of taking the FKT that she came so close to last year. With a race like the HT550, experience goes a long way along with her Outer Hebridean heritage and guiding knowledge to weather the elements.

We are looking forward to seeing Kerry line up at the Dales Divide this weekend, the first of three UK off-road races which make up the newly created UK Triple Crown: Dales Divide, Highland Trail 550 and North Wales 400. Kerry will be targeting the UK Triple Crown, followed by Mother North in August if practicalities allow. Beside this, she is also a proud Gàidhlig speaker with plans to compete in the International Island Games this July. For this she’ll be heading off to Orkney to dust of the XC pegs, a true Scot and adventure athlete to say the least!

Photo credit: Kerry MacPhee.

Samuele Tonello

A less familiar name, Samuele is an Italian living in Brussels who has been steadily working his way up the ultra-distance ranks since his first few races in 2023. Virtually every race he’s finished has been a top ten result, including a well-earned victory at GBDURO and second place at the Bohemia Divide, both in 2024.

Samuele trained hard through the Belgian winter to prepare for the Atlas Mountain Race in order to continue his streak of top ten finishes. He finished the race in seventh place which goes to show that he is capable of competing against the fastest riders. His determination and consistency has tipped him as one to watch this year and beyond. His main goal for the season is The Transcontinental Race in July, with a couple of races in the run-up to this including A-Cross the 3 and Trans Balkan Race both in May.

Photo credit: Bicycle Factory. GBDURO 2024.

Jana Kesenheimer

Jana has been at the forefront of the women’s field since she started her ultra-distance journey in 2021. Before this the German dabbled in triathlon and sportives before embracing her love for bikepacking and the adventures that come with it, and having discovered the TCR the rest is history. For her it is all about the journey rather than the destination. A clear advocate for encouraging more women to get in involved, she is involved in running workshops as part of the #100TCRWomen campaign this year.

A long term goal, last year she took the women’s victory in The Transcontinental Race, finishing thirteenth overall and the fourth woman in TCR history to place within the top 20. She has also taken victories at the Three Peaks Bike Race (2021), GranGuanche Audax Gravel (2022), Dead Ends and Cake (2022), Trans Pyrenees (2022), Memory Bike Race (2023) and The Unknown Race (2024). Jana is currently in Lucca, set to race The Unknown Race this week. She will be looking for a repeat victory from the race last year when she finished as first woman and tenth overall. Also on the agenda is Dead Ends and Cake in a pair with her brother, followed by The Transcontinental Race in July. When not riding, she is a researcher and lecturer at the University of Innsbruck in the department of social psychology. She is one to watch for her warm and enthusiastic character, not to mention her impressive palmarès.

Photo credit: Tomas Montes. Jana at the finish of The Transcontinental Race 2024.