Back to the Ride: Returning to What Really Matters

In a world that seems to move faster every day, sometimes the best decision is to go back to the beginning.

Back to the road you have never ridden before. Back to the gravel track disappearing into the pine forest. Back to the conversations shared during a climb. Back to the feeling of discovering a new place from the saddle.

That is the idea behind Back to the Ride, AURUM’s latest campaign.

To bring this project to life, we chose a setting that perfectly reflects everything we wanted to communicate: the Sierra Norte of Madrid. A region where road cycling and gravel riding coexist naturally among mountain passes, reservoirs, forest tracks and small villages that seem untouched by time.

And at the heart of it all, we found the perfect place to establish our base: Hotel CicloLodge.

A Starting Point for Any Adventure

Located in Lozoya, in the heart of the Lozoya Valley, CicloLodge offers something that is becoming increasingly rare: direct access to some of the finest cycling routes in the Madrid region.

From the hotel doorstep, riders can link together some of the area’s most iconic climbs, including Navafría, Canencia and Morcuera. Quiet roads, mountain asphalt and ever-changing scenery turn every ride into a different experience.

But the area is also a paradise for gravel riders. Forest roads, pine-covered trails, ancient rural tracks and routes following the reservoirs offer hundreds of kilometres to explore and discover a different side of the mountains.

The Inspiration Behind the Images

Many of the photographs and videos featured in Back to the Ride were created in these very locations.

The first light of the day beside the Lozoya reservoir. The endless bends of Navafría. The forests of Canencia. The hidden gravel roads of Rascafría. The tracks winding through ferns and streams near Braojos. And the wide-open views overlooking the El Atazar reservoir.

Every location was chosen for one simple reason: to show the bicycle in its natural environment.

No distractions. No constructed settings. Just riders, mountains, roads and gravel tracks.

Road or Gravel. No Need to Choose

One of the greatest strengths of the Sierra Norte is that it does not force you to choose.

You can spend the morning aboard a MAGMA linking together Morcuera, Canencia and Navafría. Or head out in the afternoon on a MANTO to explore the gravel roads around Lozoya and the forest tracks of Rascafría.

Both experiences share something essential: the sense of freedom that made us fall in love with cycling in the first place.

That is why Back to the Ride is not only about bicycles. It is about reconnecting with the reasons we started riding.

And few places represent that idea better than the roads and gravel tracks surrounding CicloLodge.

Because sometimes the best ride is not about going further.

It is simply about riding.