From World Champ to Wheelchair and Back With Kait Boyle

What does it actually take to come back from rock bottom? And what does it mean to push your limits when everything is working against you?

Kait Boyle knows that better than almost anyone. She’s a 24-hour World Champion and one of the strongest ultra-endurance mountain bikers in the world. But her path here hasn’t been a straight line.

In this interview, Kait shares the story of her life-threatening car accident in 2018, what it taught her about identity and resilience, and how she’s come back stronger (mentally and physically). We also dig into her recent FKT attempt on the Kokopelli Trail, the mental skills that carry her through the hardest days, what it means to build a sport through Bikepacking Roots, and how any of us can get started with bikepacking.

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Key Takeaways

Don’t want to listen to the full episode? Here are some of the top takeaways from the interview.

Your comeback starts with consistency not perfection

Kait spent nearly a year in a wheelchair and on crutches after her 2018 car accident, not knowing if she’d ever race again. What brought her back wasn’t a perfect training plan, it was showing up consistently, day after day, over six years. She’s now riding faster than ever, and she credits simply staying the course more than any single training breakthrough.

• You don’t need a perfect training block, you need to keep going
• Fitness compounds over time; small improvements add up to big results
• Gear improvements (better bikes, smarter equipment) also contribute to progress in ways we underestimate

The mental skills you build on the bike transfer everywhere

Kait has mantras taped to her handlebars during races–the same kind she had taped to her external fixator while recovering in the hospital. The mental tools she developed as an ultra racer (acceptance, commitment, staying present) were the exact tools that got her through her recovery.

• Learning to accept what you can’t control is one of the biggest skills in ultra endurance
• When things go wrong (and they will), the goal is to accept the situation and commit to what’s ahead
• The longer the effort, the more things will go wrong; that uncertainty is part of the appeal

Don’t tie your identity to what your body can do

One of the biggest gifts of Kait’s accident was the realization that her value as a person isn’t wrapped up in her athletic performance. It’s something professional athletes often don’t learn until forced to. For all of us, it’s worth examining.

• When Kait couldn’t move freely for months, she saw the world through a new lens, one that deepened her gratitude for an able body
• She’s learned that being her best self doesn’t require limiting how she spends her time; skiing, river trips, dog walks, and dinner with friends are all part of it
• Intentionality matters more than specialization

Adventure = uncertainty

Kait’s FKT attempt on the Kokopelli Trail this spring was on record pace through the first half, until 100 miles of deep sand slowed everything down. She finished 10 minutes faster than her 2020 time (now the second fastest ever on the course) but didn’t break the current record. Her take? You can’t have adventure without uncertainty.

• Control the controllables: pacing, nutrition, gear, mental cues
• Accept the rest: weather, conditions, the things you simply can’t predict
• Success doesn’t always look like the time on the clock; sometimes it’s showing yourself how far you’ve come

Bikepacking is more accessible than you think. Start small.

Kait’s first bikepacking trip was the Kokopelli Trail with a 50-liter backpack and no smartphone. She can’t recommend that setup, but she can recommend starting with whatever you have on a route you already know.

• Start with a ride you’ve already done in a day and break it into an overnighter
• The goal of your first trip is to get comfortable with the gear not to cover big miles
• A loaded bike feels different; give yourself space to figure out your system without adding the stress of a big unknown route
• Bikepacking Roots has over a dozen free webinars covering everything from safety and navigation to how to load a bike and plan food

Bikepacking Roots is fighting for the trails we all love

Kait co-founded Bikepacking Roots in 2017 with Kurt Refsnider to give the bikepacking community a seat at the table when decisions are made about public land access. With a growing network of community stewards and an ever-more-urgent advocacy landscape, the work has never mattered more.

• Bikepacking Roots is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a national stewards program and free educational resources
• Their work is especially critical right now given current threats to public lands
• Find routes, webinars, and the Bikepacker’s Guide at bikepackingroots.org

💜 Connect With Kait

👉 Instagram: @kait.boyle
👉 Website: https://www.imkait.com
👉 Substack: https://kaitboyle.substack.com/
👉 Bikepacking Roots: https://bikepackingroots.org

Other Episodes You’ll Enjoy

• Bikepacking For Beginners With Laura Heiner
• A Bikepacking Adventure Thru Pakistan, India, and Nepal With Eliza Sampey
• Lael Wilcox Interview: Biking Around The World

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