Celebrating Women in the Outdoors: Meet Sonia Colomo

I have always been a super active person, and being outdoors is my passion and one of my priorities in life. My journey into the sport world is hard to sum up in these few lines but I can definitely say that I am an outdoor adventurer. I have always been a rock climber, and I love the feeling of being on a vertical wall for hours just figuring out the best moves to get to the top. I love surfing, and being in the ocean fills me with energy. I love split-boarding and the thin cold air on my face when riding on powder snow. I can also say without doubt that I am a cyclist, and pretty much everyone around me knows that I am a mountain bike junkie and no matter the weather, I’ll never say no to go for a ride.

When I started working as a physiotherapist for the BUFF®-SCOTT MTB Team in 2018, I was able to buy my first 29er mountain bike and since then, cycling has become my life. I’ve never been a professional athlete, but I have always trained as hard as I could while I also gave my best and most of my energy as a pediatric physiotherapist and as a teacher. And the hours of training added to my 12-hour shifts paid off, and in 2020 I was the first woman to finish Badlands, my first ultracycling race, and I also won Across Andes in 2021. After that, I decided to quit my job, and I sold all I had to pursue the dream of bikepacking the best mountain bike routes in America. And that’s what I did for two yearstogether with my partner: live on two wheels. And I wouldn’t change it for anything.

I studied physiotherapy in Barcelona and in 2018 and I got the opportunity to start working as a physiotherapist for the BUFF®-SCOTT MTB Team. I combined this with teaching yoga while I did my specialty in neurology and pediatric physiotherapy. I stopped working in the sports world for some years and I focused on working with kids that have neurological problems and on being a teacher while I did a master’s degree in Translational Research. Busy. After quitting it all at the end of 2021, and after a bit more than 2 years bikepacking around the world, I got an interview with the EF Pro Cycling Vice President of Operations. That’s a fun story. I was still bikepacking in Colombia and the night before it was raining cats and dogs, so the signal was as bad as it could be. If there’s anyone reading this that has been following my adventures on two wheels, I’m sure you know that I’m a rain magnet. Anyway, my first words when I answered the call were: “hey, Sònia here, nice to meet you. Just so you know, I’m in the middle of a town square in Colombia, I slept here in the street, and it has been raining all night. The signal might be bad as the Wi-Fi has started working just now but it’s still raining”. His answer: “Oh well, Wi-Fi came back just on time then”. In February I started working for the EF Pro Cycling Team and I will keep working with them next season. However, I will also start again with some hours with my pediatric patients as I miss them a lot.

There are always more challenges for a woman, in sport and in daily life. Cycling is a male-dominated world, racing even more, and I would lie if I said that it’s not challenging, both as a cyclist and as a physiotherapist.

Women cyclists often face unique health-related challenges, sometimes connected to eating disorders, such as energy deficiencies, low bone density, and hormonal irregularities, which can sometimes stem from societal pressures and performance demands. There is an intense focus on women’s bodies in sports and society, which can perpetuate unhealthy attitudes toward body image and nutrition. While progress is being made through studies that focus specifically on women’s needs, it will take time to shift the broader mindset and create a healthier approach to these issues for everyone involved.

And a good start in shifting this mentality would be to stop normalizing giving opinions about women’s bodies. This constant evaluation, whether positive or critical, affects mental well-being and perpetuates a focus away from women’s skills.

During my bikepacking trip in Mexico I got sick, I had to stop riding for about 15 days, and I spent those days going in and out of the hospital while the doctors tried to figure out what was happening to me. I posted a picture on Instagram and my bones were more visible than usual because I lost weight. I didn’t even pay attention to this feature in the picture, but I realized it when I received “you have to eat more” messages from people that, to begin with, they didn’t even know me, yet they still believed they had the right to give their opinion about my body. They didn’t. Would they have said the same to a man? Why is always our body the problem?

As a physiotherapist, you often feel that you must work harder to prove your qualifications and expertise, to proof that you are “strong enough” to do the job. But that’s also a feeling, it doesn’t really mean that someone is suggesting this, yet you still undervalue yourself. And this is because we end up internalizing societal messages that subtly question our competences and authority as women and this leads to self-doubt. And I’m not an exception here but I try to remind myself every day that I’m doing my best, that my body can do a lot of things that make me happy, and that I should be grateful for that.

And, in situations that someone might suggest that I might not be strong enough just because I’m a woman, I always tell them that they can try and follow my wheel on the bicycle, or come on an adventure with me, if they can. And then I smile to them 😊

Remember that sports are a lot more than just racing and winning. There are many ways to challenge yourself, so no one should let the “all-or-nothing” mindset of competition rob you of the joy of the journey – and the joy of the whole world outside of racing called adventure. You need to love what you do, that’s essential, but you also need to ask yourself why you are doing it. Would you still pursue this path if there were no likes, medals, or followers? Make sure you’re in it for yourself, not just for the approval of others. Be true to yourself. Aim to be happy, strong, and healthy. Respect your body and your mind – they are with you for life, while a sports career is temporary. Care for yourself and make the process something you are grateful for every day.

I’m inspired by women that are genuinely themselves, those that do what make them happy, no matter what that is. I’m inspired by women that find joy in nature and don’t feel the need to prove anything to anyone. I’m inspired by women that support and uplift other women not for appearances or a nice look on the feed, but because they truly believe in community. I’m inspired by women that are authentic and have a sincere smile on their face, and I’m lucky to have met some of those in my life. From the coffee plantation worker in Colombia and the farmer in Ecuador who labor with resilience and dedication, to my friend who pursue her dream of having a family, to the elite athlete who stays committed and humble.

I’m going to New Zealand to bikepack and bikeraft across both islands with my partner Eloi. And… I CAN’T WAIT 😊