The 'Iberlince Cycle Route' starts-off in Doñana, passing through the Peninsula’s Iberian lynx territories

Over the course of nine days, two professional cyclists will travel the feline’s connection routes in Andalusia, Extremadura, Portugal and Castilla-La Mancha

The 'Iberlince Cycle Route' starts-off today in Doñana with the goal of presenting the Iberian lynx connection routes throughout the Iberian Peninsula, as well as within territories where the feline is present. The initiative, organized by the Life+Iberlince project through the Autonomous Organization for National Parks (OAPN) as a project’s beneficiary partner, includes two treks which, from Friday, October 20th until the 29th, will be traversed by two professional cyclists.

The first stage, which will be traversed by both cyclists (Fernando Lampre and Enrique Herranz), starts at Doñana National Park and will go through Mazagón, Matalascañas and El Acebuche, and then one will carry on toward Sierra Morena and south of Castilla-La Mancha, and the other toward Portugal and Extremadura; both journeys coming to an end in Montes de Toledo – an Iberian lynx reintroduction area since late 2014.

Each of these tours – which can be followed at the Iberlince website: www.iberlince.eu – will consist of a minimum of ten stages, during which cyclists will discover spaces inhabited by the Iberian lynx in the Peninsula, and make them known as they narrate their experience in real-time. Thus, both Lampre and Herranz will become 'traveling Iberian lynxes', to the likes of specimens as Kentaro or Kanh, who traveled more than 1,500 kilometres over the Peninsula.

On the second stage, which will take place on Saturday, the cyclists will part ways and each will embark on their own route. One will depart from El Rocío headed toward Aznalcázar, Seville, through Villamanrique de la Condesa, while the other will depart from El Granado (Huelva) headed toward the finish line in the Portuguese town of Mértola, passing through Puerto de la Laja and Pomarao.

As they travel the Iberian lynx route, the two cyclists – from the FEDME (Spanish Climbing and Mountain Sports Federation) and IMBA Spain (International Mountain Bicycling Association) –will present the work carried out within the Life+Iberlince project framework for the conservation and reintroduction of said species.

During these journeys, citizens who wish to cycle along with Lampre and Herranz will be able to do so, sharing their experience of visiting the routes used by the Iberian lynx to connect with other specimens in the Peninsula. In addition, citizens will also be able to follow these journeys through the project’s Youtube channel, and Iberlince’s Twitter and Facebook accounts, using the hashtag #IberlinceEnBici.

The Life+IBERLINCE project involves 22 partners, including the Autonomous Organization for National Parks, the Spanish Ministry of Public Works and Transport (which has yet to sign the Agreement), the Portuguese Ministry of Environment, and the Autonomous Governments of Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, Murcia and Extremadura, Infraestruturas de Portugal S.A., Empresa de Desenvolvimento e Infrastruturas do Alqueva S.A., and the Moura City Council, as well as companies (Fomecam, Agroforex, Acajú), associations and non-governmental organizations (Andalusian Hunting Federation, Aproca, SECEM, Adenex, WWF- España, CBD-Hábitat Foundation, Iberlinx Association).