Sarah Ruggins: From Wheelchair to World Record Cyclist

In the latest episode of Where We Ride, hosts Lee and Georgia sit down with endurance cyclist, world record holder, and performance coach Dr Sarah Ruggins, whose story is one of the most remarkable ever featured on the podcast.

This June, Sarah will attempt One Way North, a record-breaking ride from the southern tip of Spain to Norway’s North Cape, covering more than 6,000 kilometres in under 17 days. But the challenge itself is only part of the story.

At just 15 years old, Sarah lost the ability to walk after developing a rare neurological disease. Doctors warned she might never regain normal mobility. Today, she is one of the most accomplished names in endurance cycling and ultra cycling.

The conversation explores resilience, mental strength, cycling travel, and what happens when you refuse to let adversity define your future.

From Olympic Dreams to a Wheelchair

As a teenager, Sarah was on track for an elite athletics career and had ambitions of reaching the Olympics.

Everything changed after routine surgery on both feet triggered a severe neurological condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), often described as one of the most painful conditions in modern medicine.

“I basically stopped healing. I never got out of that wheelchair.”

Within months, she lost mobility in both her legs and arms, requiring around-the-clock care and facing an uncertain future.

What followed was years of rehabilitation, recovery, and rebuilding both physically and mentally.

Sarah explains that it wasn't until she started recovering that she truly realised everything she had lost.

Like many athletes facing life-changing injuries, she had to rebuild her confidence from the ground up and learn how to trust her body again.

Learning to Trust Her Body Again

One of the most powerful themes throughout the episode is Sarah’s relationship with her body.

After losing control of it for so many years, recovery wasn’t simply about regaining movement. It was about rebuilding trust.

“I lost control of my body. I couldn’t control it anymore.”

The experience fundamentally changed how she approaches sport, challenge, and performance today.

Rather than seeing her body as something to dominate, she learned to work with it, understand its limitations, and gradually expand them.

That mindset would later become one of her greatest strengths in endurance cycling, where success often depends as much on patience and emotional control as physical fitness.

How Cycling Travel Became Sarah's Second Chance

Sarah didn’t initially discover cycling through passion.

Like many endurance athletes, she found the bike through injury.

After years of rebuilding herself through running, repeated injuries eventually forced her to step away from ultra-running and look for an alternative challenge.

Then came an opportunity to enter the Transcontinental Race.

There was just one problem.

“I had to buy a bike and learn how to ride it in five months.”

The introduction to cycling was brutal.

“I didn’t get on the bike and I wasn’t good at it my first few times. I hated it.”

But Sarah made a conscious decision that would change everything:

“I needed to talk to myself like I’m capable of doing it.”

What started as a last-minute entry into an ultra-endurance race quickly evolved into a love for cycling travel, long-distance cycling, and exploring the limits of human endurance.

Her story is proof that sometimes the biggest opportunities arrive when one path unexpectedly closes.

Building an Ultra Cycling World Record Mindset

In just two years, Sarah went from complete cycling novice to world record holder.

That transformation wasn’t built on natural talent alone.

It was built on consistency, discipline, and an extraordinary work ethic.

“I was training up to 30 to 32 hours a week in the saddle in addition to the gym, in addition to my full-time job.”

Her approach is simple but powerful.

When negative thoughts appear during long rides, she focuses only on what she can control:

Power output Cadence Heart rate

Everything else becomes noise.

This approach is one of the defining characteristics of successful ultra cycling and endurance cycling athletes. The ability to stay focused on process rather than emotion often determines who reaches the finish line.

Sarah believes that self-belief is something that can be built through action.

“You have to talk to yourself like you are capable of doing it.”

One Way North: A Long-Distance Cycling Challenge Across Europe

Sarah’s next challenge, One Way North, may be her biggest yet.

Starting in Tarifa, Spain, she will attempt to ride through nine countries before finishing at Nordkapp in Norway.

The route covers:

Spain, France, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Norway

The current record stands at 16 days, 20 hours, and 59 minutes.

To break it, Sarah will ride almost continuously, sleeping for around 90 minutes per day while covering hundreds of kilometres daily.

For cyclists who dream about cycling holidays in Europe, epic bikepacking adventures, or multi-country cycling travel, Sarah’s route represents the ultimate challenge.

From the roads of southern Spain through France and into Scandinavia, the route showcases some of the most spectacular landscapes Europe has to offer.

It’s the kind of challenge that captures the imagination of anyone who loves long-distance cycling, cycling adventures, and pushing beyond perceived limits.

Women in Cycling and the Power of Community

Despite her incredible achievements, Sarah repeatedly credits her success to the people around her.

Whether it was family supporting her through illness, healthcare professionals helping her recover, or the specialist crew managing her record attempts, she believes nobody achieves big goals alone.

“We can persist a lot longer than we think we can.”

Her story is also a powerful example of the growing influence of women in cycling, particularly within endurance sport where female athletes continue to challenge assumptions and redefine what is possible.

Throughout the conversation, Sarah highlights the importance of community, support networks, and surrounding yourself with people who believe in your goals.

Cycling Mental Resilience and the Limits of Human Endurance

One of the most fascinating parts of the discussion centres around sleep deprivation and mental performance.

For her previous world record, Sarah slept less than 90 minutes per day.

For One Way North, the plan is similar.

The challenge is not simply physical. It becomes a test of decision-making, focus, and mental resilience.

Sarah explains that she views suffering differently because of everything she experienced as a teenager.

When most people want to stop, she often feels like she is entering familiar territory.

That mindset gives her a unique advantage in ultra cycling, where mental strength is often more important than physical strength.

Final Thoughts: Endurance Cycling Beyond the Bike

Sarah Ruggins’ story is about far more than cycling.

It’s about resilience, self-belief, and the willingness to keep moving forward when life doesn’t go according to plan.

From losing the ability to walk to becoming a world record holder, her journey shows what can happen when determination meets purpose.

Whether you're interested in endurance cycling, ultra cycling, cycling travel, bikepacking adventures, cycling holidays in Europe, or planning your next long-distance cycling challenge, this episode offers lessons that extend far beyond the bike.

And perhaps the most powerful takeaway comes from Sarah herself:

“You have to talk to yourself like you are capable of anything.”