Oct 14, 2026 · 51 min
Lainey Bones turns men’s Strava records into a racing game
Taking Men’s Crowns with Laini Bones
The conversation examines how a late-starting cyclist uses humor, competition, and community to challenge assumptions about women’s athletic performance.
- 1Lainey Bones transformed recreational running and adult-onset cycling into elite racing and a viral creative identity.
- 2Her men’s Strava-record series mixes competitive training, comedic trash talk, sexist backlash, and unexpected camaraderie.
- 3Cycling’s physical, social, and exploratory rewards can make starting later in life an advantage rather than a limitation.
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Multer explains how targeting men’s Strava records became a comedic training game that attracts both sexist backlash and genuine camaraderie.
The brief
Sarah Spain talks with Laini Multer, known online as Lainey Bones, about moving from recreational running and other sports into cycling, then progressing rapidly toward elite road racing.
Multer also runs Carbs Fuel with her husband, balancing a sports-nutrition business with racing and the deliberately comic persona that powers her online work.
Her Taking Men’s Strava Crowns series began as a playful training challenge: target men’s segment records, add trash talk, and turn performance comparisons into comedy.
The joke carries real friction, including sexist comments and criticism about drafting, but also supportive competitors and relationships with many of the men she races.
The conversation’s larger point is that adult-onset cycling offers fitness, exploration, and community, while the WNBA Finals preview closes the episode on another competitive stage.