“I was in the middle of nowhere in Albania on a road bike, and there was no way out—I had to go through the parkour. So I told my husband, ‘I can’t ride it, but I’m going to walk it.’ He rode ahead, and I just kept walking, waking him up every time I passed by. We spent 12 hours like that, but we made it out. And I said to myself, ‘That’s never going to happen again. I’m going to learn how to ride off-road." —Sherry Cardona

After struggling through a brutal 70-kilometer off-road section in her first Transcontinental Race (TCR), Sherry Cardona made a promise to herself: she would learn to ride off-road. Fast forward to 2025, and she’s now taken on off-road bikepacking races like the Bohemian Border Bash, Badlands, and recently completed the Atlas Mountain Race, her first mountain bike ultra—a completely different challenge that tested her technical skills, race mindset, and ability to adapt.

Sherry has quickly become a recognizable name in distance racing, not only for her impressive results—including winning TCR in a pair, twice—but for her ability to tell compelling stories about the highs, lows and realities of pushing limits on the bike through her YouTube channel, Buzzalong Cycling.

In this episode, we dive into Sherry's ultra-cycling journey, from picking up a road bike for the first time at age 27, to racing TCR, Badlands, and now the Atlas Mountain Race. We talk about racing in a pair vs. solo, how she built confidence on technical terrain, and what it takes to push through when things aren’t going to plan.

In this episode we talk about:

• Her transition from road ultras to gravel and mountain bike racing
• Racing in the Transcontinental Race in a pair with her husband: the challenges, teamwork, and life lessons
• How she built confidence on technical terrain (including a mountain bike instructor who thought she had "no hope")
• Atlas Mountain Race: expectations vs. reality, adapting when things got tough, and learning to ride mountain bike terrain
• Surviving on honey, omelets, and Moroccan tea
• How music (and a little bit of Taylor Swift) helped her get through hard moments
• Her approach to training, gear choices, and what she’d do differently for if she were to race AMR again

Follow Sherry's adventures:

• Follow Sherry on Instagram @sherry.cycling
• Watch her Atlas Mountain Race video
• Subscribe to her podcast Buzzalong Cycling

As always, a huge thank you to Albion for supporting Detours this year.

• Follow Detours on Instagram: @detourscycling
• Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebb
• Follow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cycling

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