The Anillo Verde Ciclista is a 65km (40 miles) bike loop completely circumnavigating Madrid, roughly following the M-40 expressway. It cost approximately 33.4 million Euros which also included bridge crossings and plantings along the bikeway. This is my summer journey to see it all!
Here is an interactive map if you'd like to follow along.
This is the map of the entire route shown in orange. I started on the west side at a bike shop called Rio Bikes near the Principe Pio metro stop. They have an amazing rental deal; if you buy 10 hours of time in advance its only 3 Euros per hour (regular 4, and other shops are 5 Euros). I was also able to get a basket so I didnt have to carry my bag:)
This is just the summer challange I need! I am not strong enough to cycle the whole route right now but little by little I'll ride sections of it and eventually I'll do the whole route in one day! I've taken some short rides south along the Madrid Rio Park and south along the Manzanares River, so today I decided to try going north on the Ciclista. I entered through Casa de Campo. Near the lake I found an information center where I was able to get a good map of the entire route. The beginning part of the route was on paved roads shared with cars but once I got on the official route north of the park it was bikes only on a seperated route.
On the left is the first section still within Casa de Campo. Its a beautiful ride lined with a London Plane allee.
I hadnt even gotten out of the park yet when I saw this amazing play structure. Of course, I had to stop and try it out! It was all really thick rope with rubber seats at intervals. The color and structure just blended right in with the trees. It didn't distract at all from the picturesque old pine grove.
As you leave the park you ride along the river heading north. It was lush and shaded (nice in this hot summer weather). The river is wild at this point and not controlled by dams like it is along the park. It was shallow and clear and I could see big fish just hanging out. I also saw some nice floodplain areas and even some Phragmites (hello old friend!).
Then there were a few bridge crossings over highway. I am sure a lot of the budget went to these various structures. But this is what it takes to reconnect a city with a lot of highway infrastructure. In most cases the highways are not going to go away so there has to be a commitment to building bridges and tunnels to reconnect the urban fabric!
There was this interesting older bridge that was integrated into the route. I assume it was an old car bridge but was made obsolete by larger highways and off ramps. It was cobbled and had these great statue gate keepers.
...and from there it got a lot less picturesque. The route got more narrow and directly paralelled the highway for awhile. Luckily the bikeway was a lot higher than the expressway so was separated by elevation and a fence covered with blooming honeysuckle. I think this distracted nicely from the car smell.
. This was a nice moment in this part of the route with an allee of poplars. I headed north toward El Pardo, a large natural area. But then the route became very stark, hot and dry. I kept hoping for some relief around the corner but there was nothing. I was also getting tired so I decided to turn around and leave El Pardo for another day when I have built up more stamina.
The route back seemed to fly by, I think because I was more familiar with it. Hopefully as I explore I will know the best places along the way so I know when to push through a less desirable section to get to something good around the bend!
My total today was about 16km!
My trusty steed (above)
But even though some parts aren't the most beautiful I think its amazing that they were able to piece this route tegether in an existing city fabric. Also I got a sneak peak at the new city General Plan that will be released next month and it includes more cycling routes within the center city that will connect like spokes to the Anillo Verde Ciclista to create a more comprehensive network. Sounds like Madrid will just keep getting better!
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