The book, published by UCOPress and written by Lina Mendoza, a Colombian PhD student at the UCO, recounts her experiences as a cyclist in the capital of Córdoba and features everyday situations, maps and practical tips for exploring the city by bike

Some journeys begin long before you take your first pedal stroke. Lina Mendoza’s journey – a student on the PhD programme in Biosciences and Agri-Food at the UCO – began in 2024, when she decided to leave her career behind in her home country, Colombia, and return to the lecture halls 20 years later to discover, by bike, a city that had been unknown to her until then.

This experience gave rise to Explorando a 2 ruedas la perla de Occidente: un viaje en bici por los rincones de Córdoba, a book published by UCOPress which was launched today at the University of Córdoba as part of European Sports Week, an initiative by the European Commission to combat a sedentary lifestyle, coordinated at the university by UCOdeporte.

Designed by the Colombian graphic designer Fabio Mendoza, the book recounts the author’s experiences as a cyclist in the city of Córdoba and its surroundings, and features everyday situations and tips for getting around the city by bike. The book was launched this afternoon by the Vice-Chancellor for Health, Culture and Wellbeing, Manuel Rich; the Director-General of Culture and UCOPress at the University of Córdoba, Elisa Borsari; and the Director of the Environmental Protection Service (SEPA), Antonio Gomera Martínez; and the author herself, Lina Mendoza.

As Lina Mendoza explains, even before travelling from Colombia – where she was working as a veterinary surgeon – she found a partner to help her continue the cycling lifestyle she had been leading for nearly a decade: the university scheme ‘a la UCO en bici’, which enabled her to secure, from afar, the bike she would use to explore the city and its surroundings. Those exploratory walks have now evolved into a literary project that invites readers to rediscover Córdoba at a leisurely pace, paying close attention to the small details that often go unnoticed.

Far from being a conventional cycling guide, the book is presented as a travel companion for cycling enthusiasts. Its pages bring together stories written whilst cycling, practical advice, orientation maps, and historical, ecological and cultural information about different parts of Córdoba. Each chapter is linked to a route and also includes sections designed for readers to record their own experiences, turning the reading experience into a shared journey.

For Lina Mendoza, the bicycle has been much more than just a means of transport for years. It has truly become a companion on her adventures, a sort of refuge and a tool for seeing the world through different eyes. “Very often,” she explains, “we go through life on autopilot and pass right by” places of unique beauty. “Being happy,” she concludes, “simply requires opening our eyes to everything right in front of us, and this is easier when you’re on two wheels.”