Meaghan Hackinen on Winning the Silk Road Mountain Race, Moroccan Adventures, & Sketchy River Crossings

After winning the 2024 Tour Divide, Salsa Cycles' Meaghan Hackinen set her sights on the three-part Mountain Race Series that spans Africa, Europe, and Asia. Meaghan not only became the first female finisher of the wildest race series on the planet, but she also won both the Hellenic in Greece and arguably the most remote and challenging event of all, the Silk Road Mountain Race that travels through the isolated mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Today's episode sees Meaghan explain the challenges of tackling the most difficult ultra series out there, from logistical concerns to trouble at armed border crossings, from sleeping at elevation to wading through dangerous rivers, and how her bike setup evolved from being rigid with a drop handlebar to using a suspension fork and taking a more mountain bike-esqe approach. See the latest from Meaghan Hackinen: https://meaghanhackinen.com/ See the latest from Velo: velo.outsideonline.com/featured See prior episodes of the Velo Podcast: velo.outsideonline.com/tag/velo-podcast