Lavanya Pant wins Lael Wilcox's Baja Divide Scholarship

November 23, 2016

Lavanya Pant Receives the First Women’s Bikepacking Scholarship

Advocate Cycles, Revelate Designs, and the Baja Divide team are excited to announce Lavanya Pant as the recipient of the “Lael’s Globe of Adventure” Women’s Scholarship for the Baja Divide. Born in India, raised in Australia, and currently living and working in Tokyo as an English teacher, Lavanya has recently discovered and engaged a growing passion for bicycle travel. She is a student of several languages, in addition to her native Hindi, Urdu, and English, and has a dedicated interest in global cultures with a degree in anthropology. But her life wasn’t always focused on pedaling a bike in distant lands as she has only recently regained a passion for riding.

Lavanya plans to ride the Baja Divide route beginning in early February on an extra-small Advocate Cycles Seldom Seen. The scholarship package also includes a lightweight luggage kit from Revelate Designs, including a Ranger framebag, Pika seatbag, Sweetroll and Pocket handlebar system, Gas Tank, and a Feed Bag. Additional support and equipment will be provided by Big Agnes, Specialized Bicycle Components, and the Adventure Cycling Association. The Baja Divide is a 1700-mile, off-pavement bikepacking route from San Diego, CA, USA to San Jose del Cabo, BCS, MX. The route was developed by Nicholas Carman and Lael Wilcox and was published this fall. Learn more at www.bajadivide.com.

Readers can support this women’s initiative and Lavanya’s ride by donating to a community-supported travel stipend on Generosity.com

Don’t forget that Adventure Cycling offers the Young Adult Bike Travel Scholarship and the application deadline is Dec. 31, 2016.

Photo courtesy of Lavanya Pant.

—