Sherry Cardona is an ultra-endurance cyclist, content creator, and adventure seeker who thrives on pushing her limits. Born in Colombia and raised in Spain, Sherry’s journey has been one of exploration, self-discovery, and resilience. From long-distance running to cycling, she’s always been drawn to endurance challenges—finding freedom and peace in the process.
In this episode, Sherry shares how she transitioned into ultra-cycling, taking on some of the toughest races in the world, including Race Around the Netherlands, the Transcontinental Race, and the Transibérica. We dive into the mental and physical challenges of these events, the strange things that happen to your body during extreme endurance efforts (think hallucinations and swollen hands), and how she’s learned to adapt and grow with each race.
We also talk about her life beyond cycling—moving to Amsterdam, growing her confidence through YouTube, and her passion for connecting with like-minded adventurers. Whether you’re an aspiring ultra-endurance athlete or simply love a good adventure story, this conversation is packed with inspiration, lessons, and valuable insights.
Don’t miss it!
***
Catch the latest episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast, dropping every Tuesday at 7 am UK time! Don’t forget to subscribe so you won’t miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women.
Want to play a part in uplifting female representation in the media? Support the Tough Girl Podcast on Patreon! Your generosity helps shine a spotlight on female role models in the world of adventure and physical challenges. Join us in making a positive impact by visiting www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
Thank you for your amazing support!
***
Show notes
- Who is Sherry - Adventure cyclist and content creator
- Being based in Amsterdam in the Netherlands
- Being born in Colombia and growing up in Spain
- Wanting to explore and see new places
- Not having as many opportunities in Colombia
- Feeling lucky to be able to explore amazing places
- Using Youtube to connect with like minded people
- Feeling misunderstood at school
- Being able to express herself through YouTube
- How her confidence grew
- Moving to Spain at 9 years old
- Being into sports and long distance running
- Meeting her husband in London and being introduced to cycling
- Having her own coffee company and working as a freelancer in marketing
- Running away from her problems
- Having a sense of peace and feelings of freedom while running
- How her cycling journey evolved
- Moving to Amsterdam during the pandemic
- Race around the Netherlands (2,000km)
- Training and preparation
- Taking it on as a personal challenge and wanting to see what she could achieve
- Being the first woman across the line
- Strange things that happen to your body when you take on long endurance based challenges
- Dealing with a lack of sleep and hallucinations
- Dealing with swollen hands and face due to electrolyte in-balances
- Sherman’s Neck
- Lesson and learning for future events
- The Transcontinental Race (TCR) - single stage race across Europe where cyclists cover around 4000 km
- The importance of planning and preparations for ultra races and what it looks like
- How your body starts to adapt during the race
- Reaching the start of the race trained and ready but not overtrained
- Using bike packing trips for training
- Transibérica Race
- The sleeping rule
- Bike set up for races and how it changes depending on the race
- How many bikes….
- Racing in the Atlas.Mountains in Morocco and feeling nervous..
- Managing in the heat
- Badlands Race
- Recovery after a race and why it can take months
- Buzzalong Cycling Podcast
- Sharing her stories on YouTube
- Plans and races for 2025
- Race Across Belgium
- Wanting to do more Bikepacking instead of racing
- How to connect with Sherry
- Final words of advice
- Knowledge is power
Social Media
Instagram: @sherry.cycling
Youtube: @Buzzalong.cycling