A favorable profile in the first kilometers, parallel to the river Tajuña that runs downstream, we arrive effortlessly to the town of Perales de Tajuña. We barely skim its streets, which we will skirt along the south side to cross the great asphalt artery of the A-3 national road. We begin a placid pedaling along the practically flat route of the greenway, surrounded by a purely agricultural landscape where the sowing fields, which rest in the autumn season, flank the gravel squad on the way to Uclés.

We leave behind Tielmes, in the distance you can see the crag of the caves, with numerous caves excavated at different heights that are believed to be from the Neolithic period, and Carabaña, before deviating from the course of the Tajuña river.

TIMED SECTION 1
THE TRAIN OF THE 40 DAYS or THE VIA NEGRÍN

We have been on the road for 20 kilometers, and up to this point we were all friends.

Now we are rivals.

The first section against the clock begins. There will be 13.8 kilometers with an uphill profile at the beginning, but the effort will not be worth it if we relax at the top. And it is that the descent also counts.

The section starts on the outskirts of Carabaña, where we will leave the Tajuña greenway to take the route of the greenway of the 40-day train. This railway line was only operational during the Civil War and its name refers to the urgency in its construction because the battle of Jarama sectioned the Madrid-Alicante railroad and it became imperative to create a connection between Madrid and Valencia. The origin of the line was in Torrejón de Ardoz and completed its route in Tarancón.

The end of the timed section is located at the entrance of the town of Estremera.

And it is that, after the storm, comes the calm...

Km 35: First refreshment and regrouping. We have already been more than 1 hour of effort on the bike, and it's time to regain strength, tell us the feelings we have had in this first section "free escape" but ... we still have a long way to go.

We will cross the M-221 road taking extreme precautions and always respecting the traffic rules, since we are in open traffic.

At the point where this road crosses we will find indications of the natural path of the Cañada Real Soriana Oriental (road that runs through the Alcarria of Madrid and consists of 24 km); and with the Camino Jacobeo de los Calatravos (linking Argamasilla de Calatrava with Santo Domingo de la Calzada already in the French Camino de Santiago). Shortly after this junction, we enter Estremera.

After passing through the town of Estremera, we return to the route of the 40-day train, but this part is unconditioned. These kilometers are marked by the trenches until we reach the valley of the Tajo River. Here it is the tunnels that allow us to progress along the slopes that open up to the Estremera channel and the Tagus River.

After a few kilometers a collapsed tunnel forces us to leave the railroad line. The indications of the Camino de Uclés guide us through an incredible landscape from which we can see the route of the old train.

Then, we will enter the unpaved streets of a housing development that extends along the banks of the Tajo River.

After the short climb, we descend towards the Calvache River and leave behind the Tajo River and its extensive valley.

... again, it's time to tighten up ...

TIMED SECTION 2
CROSS OF MELO

The time to measure ourselves has come again. When we have covered 46 kilometers, we face the second challenge: the ascent to the Cruz of Melo.

We take a whitish track in good condition: the path of the Hollejo valley. We pedal parallel at all times to the waters of the river Calvache. The track becomes endless, in an area where the headwind usually makes an appearance, preventing us from advancing comfortably, and inviting us to join forces between companions to, with teamwork, roll with greater speed. Around us we find extensive cornfields and the aroma of vegetable crops. We join the asphalt just enough to save the waters of the Calvache River and take another track that, parallel to the river, continues its journey on the opposite bank.

Beneath the Melo hill we find an immense cross of Santiago. As it indicates, we have only 28.5 km to Uclés.

We cross an area of forest, specifically of pine trees that present an extravagant coloring.

End of the timed section and again a break, with the 2nd refreshment station located at Kilometer 64.

Shortly after the timed section we arrive at Barajas de Melo, another of the most significant enclaves of the route.

The exit from Barajas de Melo was along the banks of the Calvache River and with a grateful shade. But we soon deviate to start, after crossing the road, a hard and steep climb to the top of the Sierra de Pedro Serrano. We join the path of Cetina located in the ravine of the Cantos. At the top a large cross of Santiago on a concrete post welcomes us.

Thus, we will have reached the town of Huelves, on the banks of the Riansares River, after a steep descent and some intermediate ups and downs.

The exit from Huelves will take place on a paved track, comfortable but where the wind usually goes against our destination. After crossing the train tracks, the road to Uclés turns towards the high part of the Sierra del Pavo. We will gain height in a continuous and somewhat stony but not very hard ascent, along a path flanked by young pines. In the highest part, a cross of Santiago indicates the proximity of Uclés. We can already feel that our destination is near.

But it will be at the beginning of the descent, after passing the Telegraph Uclés (932 m), when we have the most spectacular views of our goal: the Monastery of Uclés.

A steep descent leads us to the streets of the town of Uclés. Now we only have to walk through the streets to climb the few meters that separate us from the Monastery of Uclés. At the gates of this impressive building ends this path of Uclés, this first part of our adventure.

We are now worthy of the credential that attests to our feat: The Uclesiana.

We will all group together for lunch and a guided tour of the monastery.

After recovery, it's time for the return trip.

The return will begin calmly, as we did on the way out, leaving behind the Monastery, that fortress already conquered by the gravelers.

From this perspective we will be surprised by the impressive views of the castle wall and the Monastery of Uclés.

A return adventure to Madrid awaits us, as exciting or even more than the outward journey.

TIMED SECTION 3
PEÑA BARQUERA

Short but explosive section at the exit of the Monastery of Uclés, after a well-deserved recovery, 6KM of route that will make us warm up again. We will finish this mini challenge in Peña Barquera next to Sierra del Pavo, at the 90th kilometer of our adventure.

TIMED SECTION 4
THE TRAIN OF THE 40 DAYS OR THE VIA NEGRÍN

The last timed section, the decisive one, where we empty all the strength we have, will be exactly the same as the first one we did during the outward journey, but in the opposite direction. It will allow us to give free rein to the pedals for almost 14 kilometers, from Estremera to the Tajuña river, along the route of the so-called "Train of the 40 days or the Via Negrin", and that will have the peculiarity of having an ascending and descending part, so that it will test not only the strength but also the skills of the gravelers.

We will also find 2 hydration points and intermediate refreshment where we can recover our strength.

And to celebrate that we have fulfilled our first date with MADLAND, in Morata de Tajuña we will enjoy a very sweet party thanks to "las Palmeritas de Morata", famous throughout the region and a final recovery worthy of all the gravelers with seal CAMINO DE UCLÉS.