Sònia Colomo

Off-Road Explorer

Sònia Colomo has always been interested in outdoor pursuits but it is only over the last few years that she has started cycling seriously. After buying a mountain bike in 2018, she began dedicating more time to exploring on two wheels, balancing work as a physiotherapist with riding. For Sònia, cycling was a way to disconnect from the day’s stress and the feeling of freedom that came with riding quickly became addictive.

After stumbling across Badlands while searching for routes, Sònia decided to sign up for the off-road event. She’d have 700km to ride at her own pace across some of Spain’s most remote and challenging terrain. Despite it being her first bikepacking race, Sònia was the first woman to cross the finish line. It wasn’t really about the competition though: “It was just about enjoying the ride after recovering from an MTB accident and having some release after the COVID-19 lockdown. I’m naturally happiest when I’m in the mountains, the higher the better, so I loved everything about the race. The feeling of riding is like a moving meditation for me”.