El Kilómetro Cero

A story of ultra-distance, resilience and freedom on the bike.

Told by David Rovira.

I left Puerta del Sol with a simple idea: to connect two places by bike.

Madrid and Andorra.
The starting point and the mountains.
Kilometre Zero and the road ahead.

El Kilómetro Cero is much more than an ultra-distance race. It is a way of moving through a landscape, of experiencing time differently, and of riding with complete autonomy.

This was my third time taking part and, once again, I found exactly what keeps bringing me back: freedom.

“What fascinates me is connecting two points, knowing that everyone has to be self-sufficient.”

The route began as Madrid was waking up.

Streets, industrial areas, tarmac.

Then came open tracks, the vast landscapes of the Meseta and many hours ahead.

From there, the challenge became what it really is: heat, silence, body, mind and movement.

The heat

There are moments when the challenge is not about going faster. It is simply about keeping going.

The heat shaped much of the route. At some point, the body starts asking for something different: less theory, more instinct. Real food. Shade. Water. Calm.

The solitude

After the first hours riding with others, I continued alone.

And often, that is where the most important part begins. When it is just you, the bike, and everything you need to manage in order to keep moving forward.

The endurance

Los Monegros at night.
The body close to its limit.
Broken sections.
Climbs, descents, and the feeling that everything weighs a little more.

And still, you keep going.

“Every way of doing it is valid. There is no better way than another. If that isn’t freedom…”

The arrival

After 41 hours on the road, I reached Andorra.

Ahead of me, only César Mato, winner of this edition. Behind me, the rest of the adventurers who, each in their own way, also lived El Kilómetro Cero.

Because ultra-distance is not just about kilometres.

It is a way of being on the bike. Of understanding your body. Of accepting the terrain. And of continuing to move forward.