TL;DR
Get bike and ride gear delivered free — and shop member deals
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Access to Prime Big Deal Days deals on October 6–7
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
Dr Sarah Ruggins has announced Project Atlas, a planned round-the-world cycling record attempt starting from Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, on May 4, 2027. She aims to cover about 29,000 km in 75 days, faster than Mark Beaumont’s current Guinness record, but her route is still being developed and the attempt has not yet begun.
Ultra-endurance cyclist Dr Sarah Ruggins has announced Project Atlas, a planned attempt to cycle around the world in 75 days and beat the current Guinness World Record. She intends to start from Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, on May 4, 2027; the route is still being designed, and the record attempt has not yet taken place.
Ruggins is targeting a journey of about 29,000 kilometres (18,000 miles), with a stated goal of averaging roughly 400 kilometres (250 miles) a day. Those figures are plans, not results, and the route and logistics remain under development. Cycling Weekly reports that she expects to announce the route in a few months.
The record she is aiming at belongs to British cyclist Mark Beaumont, who rode 18,032 miles from Greenwich to Greenwich in 78 days, 14 hours and 40 minutes in 2017. Ruggins says she hopes to complete her challenge in 75 days, a target three days faster than Beaumont’s time. She has described the aim as testing whether someone can circle the world in that period, rather than framing it simply as a race against Beaumont.
Ruggins, 38, is Canadian-born and has already set two reported outright cycling records: a Land’s End–John O’Groats–Land’s End ride in five days, 11 hours and 14 minutes in 2025, and a 6,042-kilometre ride across Europe in 13 days, 20 hours and 27 minutes earlier this year. Cycling Weekly says both times were faster than previous performances by men or women. She began cycling in 2023, after years of recovery from a rare autoimmune condition she experienced as a teenager.
A 75-Day Target Faces Route Challenges
Project Atlas sets a demanding target against a recognized benchmark: 75 days versus Beaumont’s 78 days, 14 hours and 40 minutes. If completed within the applicable record rules and verified, the attempt could change the outright round-the-world cycling record. For now, the significance lies in the announced goal and the preparation required, not in a record already achieved.
The challenge is also shaped by a different geopolitical map than the one Beaumont crossed in 2017. Ruggins says she cannot use his route through Russia and must account for restrictions involving Ukraine and Iran. Route changes and flights could affect how far she must travel each day, making the eventual itinerary central to judging the feasibility of her target.
Her previous fast rides give the project a track record of high-speed endurance performance, but they do not establish that she can complete a global journey on schedule. A round-the-world attempt adds long-distance logistics and changing conditions across multiple regions. The reported daily average is an ambition; actual progress, rest, transport arrangements and record verification will determine the outcome.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From Country to Continent to World
Ruggins describes Project Atlas as the third part of a progression: first a route across Britain, then a crossing of Europe, and now an attempt around the planet. She told Cycling Weekly the sequence was planned over three years, during which she and her team developed their riding skills and working methods. Her first bike came in 2023, according to the report.
Beaumont’s mark was set in 2017. Alaskan cyclist Lael Wilcox holds the women’s round-the-world record, completing her ride in 108 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes in 2024, according to Cycling Weekly. The report says Wilcox later abandoned an attempt to beat Beaumont’s outright time after 14 days, citing heat exhaustion during a severe heatwave. That separate attempt did not change either record.
Ruggins says the rules governing her effort will be the same as those applied to Beaumont’s, while stressing that the route cannot simply copy his. The report gives no completed itinerary yet. Its stated departure point is Peggy’s Cove, close to her family’s home in Nova Scotia.
“When we did LEJOGLE we took a country, and when we did the European record, we took a continent, and so now we’re taking the world.”
— Sarah Ruggins, speaking to Cycling Weekly
lightweight cycling hydration pack
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Route and Record Conditions Pending
The most immediate unknown is Project Atlas’s route. Ruggins says it is still being developed and that flights and geopolitical restrictions could affect the distance and daily pace. The report does not specify which countries she plans to cross, where any flight connections would occur, or how those decisions will shape the total distance.
The announcement also does not establish whether the 75-day target will be met. The ride is planned for 2027, and the source provides no start-day confirmation beyond the announced plan, no live tracking details, and no independent verification of any completed effort. Record recognition would depend on completing the journey under the relevant rules and having the performance assessed.
Weather, health, border access and transport arrangements could affect the attempt, but the report gives no detailed contingency plan. It is also not yet clear whether the route or schedule will change before departure. Ruggins’s previous records and Beaumont’s encouragement are relevant context, but neither guarantees the outcome.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Route Announcement Before 2027 Start
Ruggins plans to announce the Project Atlas route in the coming months, according to Cycling Weekly. That information should clarify the proposed countries, travel links and how the route addresses restrictions that prevent her from following Beaumont’s path through Russia and onward across parts of Asia.
The next major milestone is the planned May 4, 2027 departure from Peggy’s Cove. Until then, the attempt remains a proposal under preparation. Updates on the itinerary, support team, record rules and progress toward the start will help readers assess the plan; the record question can only be answered after the ride and any required verification.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
What is Sarah Ruggins planning?
She has announced Project Atlas, a planned attempt to cycle around the world in 75 days, targeting the current outright record.
When and where is the attempt due to start?
Ruggins plans to set off from Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, on May 4, 2027. The report presents this as a planned start, not a completed departure.
What record is she aiming to beat?
Mark Beaumont holds the reported Guinness World Record after cycling 18,032 miles in 78 days, 14 hours and 40 minutes in 2017. Ruggins’s stated goal is 75 days.
Is Ruggins’s route confirmed?
No. She told Cycling Weekly that the route is still under construction and is expected to be announced in a few months. She says it will differ from Beaumont’s because of current geopolitical restrictions.
Has Ruggins already broken the record?
No. Project Atlas is a planned attempt. The ride has not begun, and whether it meets the target and qualifies for record recognition remains unknown.
Source: rss
Fall Picks
fall essentials
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
