Night Tour of the Cycling Green Belt

The Night Tour of the Cycling Green Ring is an unmissable event for cyclists in Madrid and its surroundings and is held twice a year: once at the end of spring and another at the end of summer.

It is a group outing but it is not organized. Participation is free and open. Participants are only asked to take into account a series of recommendations to have a good time and do the route safely.

DISCLAIMER – EXEMPTION OF LIABILITY CLAUSE
The different editions of the Night Tour of the Cycling Green Belt, an initiative of 3ike, are not organized events but rather meetups or meetings of bicycle fans, promoted and convened by 3ike. Participants are required to comply with all traffic regulations and participate at their own risk.

ROUTE

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/40523224

Departure from 3ike (Paseo de la Virgen del Puerto, 47-Madrid Río) towards Casa de Campo.

The route is circular, following the layout of the Green Belt, except for the section between the El Pozo Cercanías Station and the entrance to the Casa de Campo in Príncipe Pío, where we will take an alternative route.

IMPORTANT
Upon arriving at El Pozo station, instead of continuing along the Green Belt, we will take Entrevías Avenue until Méndez Álvaro, and there we will turn off towards Tierno Galván Park, crossing it to exit onto Embajadores Street, where we will resume the connection with Madrid River in the opposite direction to the Manzanares riverbed.

You can visually consult the route in detail on the map that we have prepared for the event in Endomondo.

It is likely that there are those who will look exhausted halfway or before finishing. The cycling ring has various signposted branches that lead to different neighborhoods of the city, so if someone gives up or can't take it anymore, they can stay in the area that best suits them.

Additionally, you can learn more about the green ring at the following link:
http://www.anilloverdeciclista.es/pageID_6581974.html

As for breaks, we will follow the usual scheme: We will make three or four stops at regular intervals, to rest a little and take the opportunity to regain strength by eating and/or drinking something.

We will make stops at the following points (guideline estimate):

- Stone Bridge (past the Country Club)
- Stop of the Bells (by the PAU of Las Tablas)
- Olympic Stadium.
- El Pozo Station (to regroup).

RECOMMENDATIONS

For the Vuelta to be a success and for you to want to repeat, it is important that you take into account a series of observations. Most of them are pure recommendations, but some rules should be considered mandatory, such as the use of helmets, lights and reflectors or scrupulous respect for traffic regulations and traffic lights. Thank you for taking a few minutes to read this.

HELMET
Its use is not mandatory. But it can prevent serious injuries in the event of a fall. DON'T FORGET TO TAKE IT.

LIGHTING – REFLECTIVES
Essential for moving at night. At the very least, position lights to make us see. If someone doesn't have lights, buy them NOW. If they also illuminate the path, the better (there are completely dark sections). Carrying spare batteries is not a bad idea. It is also essential that we carry some reflector. If not on the bike, a high visibility vest.

FOOD DRINK
It takes about 5 hours to do the route, so take a sandwich, chocolates or nuts and drinks. Energy bars are a good idea. Along the way there are several points to refill the bottle.

COAT
At night it cools down. So take something warm just in case, especially for when we stop.

TOOLS
A puncture repair kit is essential (of all the problems that a bike could give us, that is the minimum). If you have one, bring a basic tool kit.

YOUR BIKE READY
Some of you had to go home right after starting, right?, because you had forgotten to check your bike. Just like before taking a long trip, we take the car to the workshop for a complete inspection, it is advisable to have the bicycle ready, or well inspected, before doing the Tour. A bicycle in poor condition can cause an accident.

PEDESTRIANS
Where it is foreseeable that we will encounter pedestrians, if we see them from a distance or if we do not see them, or in corners without visibility, it is advisable to notify our presence by using the bell. There will be so many of us that it will be difficult for them not to see us, but it doesn't hurt to avoid possible accidents.

Remember that the weakest is the one who does not have a vehicle.

TRAFFIC LIGHTS
We do not have permission or priority to ignore traffic lights as a cycling platoon, and we do not have an escort of any kind. So we will take extreme precautions.

Let's try to stay united and, if it is not possible to pass the entire group at once, let's wait for those who have stayed behind. Going together will give us more security at all times.

It is also appreciated, for those who may come behind, that we press the close button of the traffic light, even if when we reach it we have a clear path.

IF YOU GET LOST
If you don't know the route well, go accompanied by someone from the group who knows it well. There are sections that are not well signposted. At night it is more difficult to link the incomplete parts if you do not know the ring.

If, at any point along the route, you don't know where to continue, stay where you are and wait for those behind you to arrive. Someone from the Vuelta will go last, making sure no one is left alone behind. There will also be other colleagues in different groups to help in case someone gets disoriented.

If you have gotten lost by mistake, go back to the last known point in the lane, and wait for the tail group to arrive.

I CAN PARTICIPATE?
The Night Tour is a free event open to everyone. But it is not a walk, but rather a quite hard journey, in hours of reduced or no visibility. Not everyone is in a position to participate in the Night Tour, and in this section we are going to try to help you resolve that question.

La Nocturna is not a walk. It is a long route, 51 kilometers, and technically difficult in some points. A trained cyclist does it without problem, but for a casual cyclist, it is a good ride. For a novice cyclist it is strong and, depending on the person, little or not recommended at all.

51 kilometers are enough for an initial group to end up separating into smaller groups, and in the climbs and slopes, that distance is multiplied a lot. On previous occasions, without even having traveled 15 kilometers from the start, the leading group has waited more than half an hour for the trailing group.

Why is that harmful? On a night tour through various areas of the city, traveling in a group provides safety: both in terms of volume and visibility. As soon as cyclists begin to disperse, these smaller groups or single cyclists run the risk, for example, of going unnoticed by motorized traffic, which focuses its attention on the group and does not expect to see loose cyclists behind. It is about safeguarding the safety of the entire group.

At the same time, a straggling cyclist may be left alone and lost unless he knows the route.

On the other hand, there are sections in the Green Belt that are dark, like some parts of the Casa de Campo. In these sections, it is VERY IMPORTANT to know the route, have good reflexes, handle the bicycle with skill and, if possible, have good lighting. All these factors influence. If you are not very skilled with a bicycle, or are not very used to riding, any pothole, stone or unexpected obstacle can lead to a serious accident.

There are also alternative sections on public roads, and fast traffic streets are crossed, although at that time there are few vehicles that travel through the area we cross. But despite riding in a group, they are sections that involve some risk, and also require confidence on the bicycle and quick reflexes. You have to go through traffic lights and around roundabouts, and you have to be able to pull away without difficulty and get quickly to the opposite side of the street, without hesitation. Any hesitation in these circumstances can be dangerous. And although we take care of each other, because that is the spirit, it is not worth putting anyone at risk.

The Nocturna is not recommended for someone who has never traveled the ring. If this is your case, we recommend that before participating in any edition, you travel the Green Belt during the day, on your own or in a group with people, identify the terrain and the route on your own in conditions of good visibility, and then Evaluate if you are in a position to do it in 5 hours. Do not participate in the Night Tour as an experiment to test yourself.

In short, it is not recommended that you participate in the Night Tour if:
- you are a new cyclist, you have just learned to ride a bicycle or you do not have much skill on the bike.
- your level of training is zero or you haven't ridden a bicycle in a long time.
- you have covered the entire route and you are not able to do it in less than 5 hours.

These recommendations do not constitute a screening for only high-level athletes to participate. These are elementary observations based on our own experience and that of other cyclists who have participated in several editions of the Vuelta, and who only aim for the Night Tour to be done as safely as possible for everyone. Above all, safety prevails, and this is largely given to us by group movement. It's not worth the risk.