A cycling march will join Aranda de Duero (Burgos) with Madrid this Saturday to demand the reopening and start-up of railway line 102, the traditional Directo, closed since in 2011 a landslide in the Somosierra tunnel left a battering machine stranded there which has not yet been withdrawn.
The initiative came from Pablo de la Rubia, a cycling fan from Arandino who, after attending the rally that, with this same claim, brought together 5,000 people in the Plaza Mayor of the riverside capital on June 13, has sought a formula that amplifies this requirement and manages to arouse interest at the national level.
"Seeing so many people united with this same demand moved me and made me think about how to amplify it. That's why I thought of a cycling route between Aranda and the Chamartín station, which is the beginning and end of the line that we want to reopen" De La Rubia explained to the EFE Agency.
The march will leave this Saturday at 07:00 in the morning from the Plaza Mayor of Aranda and will circulate along secondary roads until completing the nearly 185 kilometers that separate both towns by these roads, with an accumulated difference in level of more than 2,500 meters and the ports of Navafría and Canencia as main difficulties.
The initiative, for which refreshment points and a workshop have been provided, is open to anyone who wants to sign up, although it is expected not to exceed 50 participants, which would require special permits to be requested.
Those who join will be able to do the entire route or just some sections and it is recommended to use a road bike or, failing that, a mixed one, to be able to keep up.
Once the tour is complete, at around 5:00 p.m., it is planned to carry out a protest act at the Madrid-Chamartín station itself, where a banner will be displayed demanding the reopening of the Directo and a manifesto will be read.
