Jul 23, 8:02 AM
Castilla-La Mancha turns its landscapes into a very long bike route
Rural Bike Conecta CLM stretches across 168 municipalities, linking protected areas and betting that cyclists will do what slogans rarely can: spend money.
Castilla-La Mancha has found a new way to sell itself: by asking cyclists to do the heavy lifting. Rural Bike Conecta CLM is now open, a 2,180-kilometre network that cuts across 168 municipalities and offers a rather literal route through central Spain’s scenery, from provincial capitals to rural backwaters that usually do not make the tourism brochures.
The project comes with €2.4 million from European Next Generation funds and more than 3,200 signposts, because even the most enthusiastic rider may need a little help when the route is this ambitious. It links two national parks, seven natural parks and two UNESCO Global Geoparks. That is a respectable list, and one that regional officials are keen to turn into a business model rather than a postcard.
Patricia Franco, the regional minister for economy, business and employment, said the network showcases the area’s sustainable landscapes and is meant for travellers who want nature and active tourism. She added that it should help strengthen and consolidate tourism prospects, which she described as very positive so far this year. One can almost hear the relief: a public project that at least tries to connect places instead of just connecting press releases.
The route also folds in some of Castilla-La Mancha’s best-known protected areas. Tablas de Daimiel offers three self-guided walking routes, while Cabañeros includes 16 routes through plains and mountain zones. Both are marked by greenery, birds and other wildlife, which remains a more convincing selling point than most regional branding exercises.
There is a broader ambition behind the launch. The regional authorities want Rural Bike Conecta CLM to become part of EuroVelo, the European network of 17 long-distance cycle routes that stretches from London to Amsterdam, Brussels to Luxembourg and on to cities such as Zagreb, Bucharest and Athens. If that happens, Castilla-La Mancha would gain a place on a continental map that already knows how to attract cyclists without too much administrative poetry.
The timing is no accident. Franco said the launch comes as Castilla-La Mancha is enjoying a tourism boom, citing the latest Exceltur Barometer, which places the region as Spain’s fastest-growing autonomous region for sector growth in the second quarter of the year. Whether the momentum lasts is another matter, but for now the region has at least done something governments rarely manage: it has built a route and given people a reason to use it.
Written by Freya Stensrud freya.stensrud@alpineweekly.com
