In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, we sit down with the incredible Caroline Soubayroux—Guinness World Record holder, full-time project manager, wife and mother.

Caroline takes us on a journey through her life, from her early days learning to ride a bike in France, to cycling 18,000 miles around the world alongside her husband, and finally navigating the challenges of balancing fitness, family life, and a demanding career.

You’ll hear about the highs and lows of life on the road, the realities of cycling over 100 miles a day, and how Caroline transitioned into running after becoming a mother. Her story is raw, honest, and deeply inspiring—perfect for anyone striving to balance big dreams with everyday responsibilities.

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Show notes

• Who is Caroline
• Being from France originally but now living in London
• Working as a project manager for an investment bank
• Cycling around the world with her husband
• Her early years and learning how to ride a bike
• Getting into cycling after meeting her husband
• Getting into running later on it life
• Doing a run commute to work
• Learning to be independent on the bike
• Her first race - Race Across France
• How her confidence increased and why it was so transformative
• Seeing an opportunity in 2019 to start planning a big cycle around the world
• Turning the dream into a reality
• Wanting to follow/respect the Guinness world record rules
• Wanting to cycle 18,0000 miles
• Trying to decide how long to take?
• Having to make compromises
• Becoming very focused on the record
• Changing the start route and adapting to new rules and regulations regarding travel during covid
• Leaving from London and cycling west to east and flying on to Canada
• Deciding to cycle through Africa
• The realities and what is going on behind the scenes
• Stress
• Life on the road and cycling 100+ miles per day
• Cycling around the world and how it impacted on their relationship
• Highlights and magical moments from the trip
• Dealing with injury and illness
• Money and paying for the challenge
• The end of the trip and having mixed feelings
• Why it’s hard getting back into reality because no one cares!
• Wanting to have a family
• Cycling and pregnancy
• Deciding to stop cycling and take up running
• What it was like after birth and dealing with high emotions
• Focusing on the baby and being off social media
• Using a running pram
• Wanting to go on bike packing trips with the family
• Fitting fitness and exercise into her life and what that looks like
• How to connect with Caroline
• Advice for working mums who want to take on new challenges

Social Media

Instagram: @caro_sbx