An electric journey from León to Gijón: two days on an E-Bike with UrbanBiker

A text by Carlos Rodríguez, international coordinator of 30 Días en Bici

I have always thought of cycling from a place detached from numbers, metrics and distances. This is central to how the 30 Días en Bici campaign encourages trial, use and adoption of the bicycle for personal mobility. A perspective that reaches its fullness when, beyond sport or recreation, the bike becomes a vehicle of discovery. We’re talking about cycle-tourism which for me is more transport than sport.

On the journey on a electric bicycle, your pace reveals itself as the perfect speed so that no detail escapes your view. And the e-bike is freedom in its pure state, a synonym of “get where you want”, so that every kilometre is etched in memory, not for its hardness or the weight of your pannier but for its essence.

A few days ago I set off with Jorge Cabal from UrbanBiker on a two-day route on each of our electric bikes to connect León with Gijón, to unite our brands, 30DEB and UrbanBiker, in an adventure that reflected everything we share: promoting bike use, moving sustainably and enjoying the path.

A journey on an e-bike that was not a sport-test, but a full statement that sustainable mobility can also be adventure, emotion and discovery…

Day 1: From the city to the summits.

While León was stretching after a Saturday of San Froilán festival, in the UrbanBiker workshop, encouraged by freshly-made coffee, we prepared our electric bikes fitting panniers, pedals, the video camera and other small adjustments. Jorge, with the smile of one who knows the secrets of his silent power, and I, with the one of someone about to discover them.

After a while we were pedalling across León city from east to west. The first coffee en-route landed in Lorenzana, in the mythical bar “El Líder” whose delicious tortilla, solicitous landlady and impressive cycling aesthetic make it a must-stop for any cyclist who considers themselves such. Soon the plateau began wrinkling into hills as in the distance the imposing Cordillera Cantábrica came into view. The heartbeat of my UrbanBiker UB300 flattened every ramp, every short climb, to ease my pedalling by providing its ideal power-point at each moment and very soon we were already traversing the Parque Natural de Babia y Luna.

After a brief stop at La Magdalena to refresh, we entered wild territory. The landscape of the reservoir, in a transition zone between the plateau and the mountains, is dramatic, with the deep blue of the water contrasting with the arid and rocky lands of the eroded cliffs. The cyclist retreats into solitude, the overwhelming silence and the epic scale that makes the visitor feel small, while the lonely road winds along the water.

At its shore we ate at the Club Náutico de León, with about 60 kilometres in our legs, almost 75% of our odyssey to San Emiliano completed and with only 28% of the battery drained — what a surprise! Riding my UB300 in ECO mode (economical, giving the motor 25% of its assistance capacity) we had extended the battery autonomy well beyond the 88 kilometres of the day. And the display of the UB200 trekking bike with dual suspension that Jorge was riding also registered similar consumption and range figures.

Well satisfied with our food and drink needs à la León style, we continued zig-zagging the road beside the reservoir to leave Luna and enter Babia (and yes, Babia is a real place). A place where time dilates in horizons of green and stone. Pedalling those roads, one is not “in Babia”; one simply is.

And so, with the sun beginning to play with the ridges of the national park, San Emiliano greeted us, with a beer and an impressive view of the Ubiñas bathed in the sunset that would give way to a nearly full moon reigning above the white limestone. After 88 kilometres, time to rest for the travelling legs and recharge the bike batteries.

Day 2: Seeking the sea

Dawn in San Emiliano is merging into a big embrace with the mountain chain. Without rising too early, we set off to conquer the Puerto Ventana. On each hairpin, while the valley grew smaller behind us, the motor of our bikes helped us, with a whispering accomplice, to overcome the gradient, so gradually and effectively that very soon we had the first reward of the day: the summit of the pass and entry into Asturias. The icy mountain wind embraced us on the frontier of both kingdoms. Behind lay the Leonese homeland and ahead the road plunged into Asturian country.

The descent was a flight. With all assistance switched off, we saved battery and I could test the excellent geometry of my UB300 for the descent. A dizzying drop of 20 kilometres to San Martín de Teverga, devouring forests, caves, gorges and ravines. After a brief stop for coffee and tortilla, only one more kilometre of road left us at the legendary Senda del Oso, a fusion of the fury of the mountain and the peace of the valley, of the murmur of the river and the crunch of the gravel under our wheels, of rock tunnels and ancient forests that keep the secrets of the ancestors of Paca and Tola.

We wouldn’t ride on the road again. The Senda del Oso carried us through Proaza, Villanueva, Tuñón to Trubia from where, following the Nalón, we joined the Vía Verde del Fuso that would take us to Oviedo around three in the afternoon. Seventy-five kilometres (with nearly half of the battery remaining) well earned a pause for lunch at La Contienda and there we decided to make the journey to Gijón by commuter train. And I found that the UB200 and UB300 also performed perfectly in elevators or escalators and fitted without problems in the (limited) space reserved for bikes on each train.

In Gijón, with salty sea air on the face and a small glass of cider in hand, we looked back. Two days, two bikes, two worlds. From the Plateau to the Cantabrian Sea, sharing with Jorge roads, tracks and trails, unique landscapes, endless conversations and unforgettable experiences.

And a key discovery: travelling with an electric bicycle does not mean giving up effort. One experiences the same satisfaction of a climb conquered, the euphoria of a technical descent or the quiet resistance of the wind. There is no other and not even an “I against” to compete with, but everything is about finding the internal rhythm that allows you to merge with the landscape, that personal cadence that turns every metre into lived experience. And the motor of my UB300 has been a faithful ally in that endeavour to read the terrain as one reads a good book, savouring every page of the route.

UrbanBiker: Get where you want.

We manufacture electric bicycles designed to discover, enjoy and move free.

If you also want to live your next adventure on an e-bike, visit www.urbanbiker.com

About the author:

Carlos Rodríguez is international coordinator of 30 Días en Bici, a multi-award-winning global campaign promoting everyday bicycle use and collaborates with UrbanBiker on sustainable mobility projects and cycling experiences that inspire discovering territory on two wheels.

This article is part of the collaboration between UrbanBiker and 30 Días en Bici, two projects sharing the same philosophy: move free, enjoy the path and reach where you want. Jorge Cabal is our Director of Sales & International Marketing, who shared kilometres and experiences with Carlos Rodríguez on this fun e-bike adventure.