Connecting the RURAL to the World – Episode No. 3: Alberto Gómez Chacón, CEO of Turicleta
In this episode, we explore how a project can combine sport, rural areas, tourism, and sustainability. Turicleta was created to promote active tourism with electric bicycles in rural settings. It offers a bike rental service, through autonomous stations, with which tourists and residents can explore natural and cultural landscapes in a sustainable way. Furthermore, the project contributes to the local economy and promotes a healthy lifestyle.
We learn about Turicleta from its creator, Alberto Gómez-Chacón, a technology expert who left his previous projects to start this innovative venture.
Enjoy the episode on YouTube or Spotify.
Episode Transcript
Pedro Abad, CEO of Asteo Red Neutra (PA): Welcome to “Connecting the RURAL to the World,” a conversation space where we will analyze the latest trends, innovations, and challenges in the digitalization of the rural world. In each episode, we will talk with experts to understand how connectivity drives rural areas. These are relaxed conversations about the issues that concern us, occupy us, and worry those of us who live and work in rural areas. In this space, we will share fascinating stories of companies and individuals who are making a difference in small municipalities.
This is the case of Alberto Gómez Chacón. Three years ago, a family weekend trip gave him the opportunity to experiment with a tourism initiative, and from there, the idea for “Turicleta” emerged.
Turicleta connects the rural world with sport, cycle tourism, and cultural aspects, all developed in very rural territories, through technology.
Pedro Abad (PA): Welcome Alberto, how are you?
Alberto Gómez Chacón (Alberto): Thank you very much. I’m very well, glad to be here.
(PA): And very welcome, and very interested in you telling us about this project, “Turicleta,” this connection of sport, tourism, and also sustainability.
(Alberto): That’s right.
(PA): Tell us, how did this come about?, how did this project emerge?
(Alberto): Turicleta was born while cycling. We were on vacation with my wife at her parents’ house, and well, I tend to relax and do nothing on vacation, but my wife said: “Come on, let’s do something,” and she rented some electric bikes to explore the Empordà. My wife is from that area, and the truth is that the experience of getting on an electric bike, which I had never tried before, almost 3 years ago, was fantastic. Getting on the electric bike and discovering that wonderful area by bike was spectacular. However, it is true that the entire process of booking and picking up the bike, sending an email to reserve the bikes, was very complex and tedious. That was the process of booking and going to pick up the bike, sending an email to reserve the bicycles. That was quite complicated, and well, as you know, I’m quite restless and come a bit from the world of technology, so the light bulb immediately went on, and we said that this fantastic experience only needed technology to make it even more memorable if possible.
(PA): At this moment, additionally, the project is already up and running, isn’t it?
(Alberto): Yes, the project is functional. There are stations operating in Belmonte, where you can visit the La Mancha countryside and Belmonte Castle. We already have another station in Ciudad Real, and we are deploying projects for the entire Sierra del Segura area in Albacete, where 12 municipalities will have Turicleta stations. Also, other projects, for example, in Teruel, where there will be 24 of our stations. We are also going to do other projects that connect, it’s a very cool project, it connects two provinces between Ávila and Alba de Tormes in Salamanca. There is a route, which very cool, it connects two provinces between Ávila and Alba de Tormes in Salamanca. There is a route that is the Teresian Route, which is the path Santa Teresa took, called “From the Cradle to the Grave.” So, we are setting up the infrastructure so that pilgrims, in this case, can follow that path Santa Teresa took, from Ávila to Alba de Tormes, passing through the different municipalities along this route. It’s a route of approximately 105 to 130 kilometers, depending on the areas you go through, and you can pass, as I said, through all the small towns between both provinces. It’s a pretty cool project, actually.
(PA): This part, as you describe it, sounds very familiar to me, it’s very interesting because ultimately what you’re talking about is connecting areas, municipalities, points of interest, which is nothing more than what we do, right? Through fiber. That is, in the end, one of the challenges of the rural world is precisely how to connect it, not only to the world through technology, but also among themselves. What value do you think “Turicleta” brings to those regions where you are developing it? through technology, but with each other. What value do you think “Turicleta” brings to those regions where you are developing it?
(Alberto): Well, directly, something very simple and very clear, obviously, we are an extremely accessible tool for everyone to discover corners of the countryside, of nature, that you probably wouldn’t discover in any of the towns we have. There are areas where it is much easier to get to by bike than, obviously, you can’t get to by car, right? So, that allows, as I say, that ultimately users can discover areas of nature in those territories where we work that could not be discovered otherwise, and obviously, indirectly, in the end, we are an activity that allows the user to be doing a tour through nature, doing sport for 3 or 4 hours perfectly, and that implicitly is associated with, surely, having a drink at the village bar, eating, stopping to eat, and especially staying overnight. In the end, beyond the use that the local resident can make of “Turicleta,” those who live within those municipalities, our profile, which in the end is nothing more than a tourist, if you have a half-day activity, right? 4 hours, 5 hours, that
surely implies that you might have to extend a night, or organize a meal, I mean, in the end there is an intrinsic value within the activity
of the tourist activity itself, right?
(PA): Well, in fact, in the end, what you are generating is wealth, not only intrinsically in the region, but also what you are attracting from outside that region. Furthermore, you mentioned that you package the service to offer a complete package. What is Turicleta’s offering?
(Alberto): For example, I’ll give you a specific case, which is the Teresian route that we are deploying. Here, ultimately, the user will be able to do the route. We are also planning it so that you can do it in both directions. You can do it from Ávila to Alba de Tormes or vice versa, from Alba de Tormes to Ávila. As I said, it’s a route of an average of about 110-115 kilometers, which we propose for the user to do calmly over a weekend. You pick up the bike, if you want, on Friday afternoon and do a first stage. On Saturday you do two, on Sunday you do the last one. Or, if your legs hold up and the bike’s battery also, you can do it a bit faster and shorten it. But that route implies that the user has to sleep and, obviously, has to eat in the towns where they stop. So what we do in this case is give them the complete package, the closed package, so that you pick up the bike. Let’s take the example from Ávila, as I said, on Friday afternoon until you arrive in Alba de Tormes on Sunday at noon. There, what we offer the user is both where they will sleep, the overnight stays, where they can do them. we offer the user is both where they are going to sleep, the overnight stays, and where they can make them.
We give them an option to choose from the available accommodations and where they will eat. And even, obviously, the user has to return to Ávila when
the route ends, they have to return. We also offer a taxi service that, within the same package, when they arrive, after visiting Alba de Tormes that day, when the day ends,
a taxi picks you and the bicycles up, in this case, and takes you back to the origin point, which can usually be Ávila.
(PA): And this is all through technology. In the end, what you are doing is simplifying the coordination of all this so that the user only has to enjoy the experience.
(Alberto): Of course. Here, technology in “Turicleta” has a fundamental value, obviously. Without technology and without the lessons we have already learned from experience, it would not be possible to scale this model. has a fundamental value, obviously. Without the technology and the lessons we have already learned through experience, it would not be possible to make this model scalable. Because, in the end, we all know the models of going to a physical place, as happened to us, as I said, in the Empordà, and you pick up a bike there and you take the bike and you come back. But, of course, that implies a staffing requirement that is often difficult to implement in a rural territory, which is ultimately where we want to establish ourselves. So, here the technology that we have in the mobile application, which is the connection point between “Turicleta” and our user, as well as the technology that the stations themselves have, because they are, as I said, completely autonomous stations. We usually use those shipping containers that we restore and recycle and convert into these completely autonomous stations, with automated access, with anchoring charging systems, and with IoT devices that are both in the stations themselves and in the bicycles themselves, to have total control over what is happening and to be able to offer the user the best possible experience, obviously. stations as well as the bicycles themselves, in order to have total control over what is happening and to be able to offer the user the best possible experience, evidently.
(PA): Are you already noticing any changes in these areas where the project is already established? Is there any impact that you can already start to measure? How does it contribute to that municipality?
(Alberto): Normally, the first response we get from everyone, usually the first contact we have is with the town council itself, the mayor or councilors of that town, who, a few weeks after it starts operating and moving, call us and say, “Hey, we’re delighted with this,” because, in the end, first, the residents of my municipality have found a sustainable way to even discover their move it, they call us and say, hey, we are delighted with this, because in the end, first the residents of my own municipality have found a sustainable way to even discover their own town, they are users of the service, perfectly integrated, of course, because also, a side note, we include the tourist part within the app and it is a very important part, but also in the experience we set up, we a very important part, but also in the experience we set up, we normally involve, as I said, accommodations, restaurants, rural houses, everything that is there, even the village mechanic. rural areas, to everything that is there, even including the local village mechanic.
(PA): In the end, it’s a revitalizing project, you’re doing something to activate all the dynamics of the municipality and the cultural component you mentioned earlier too, because it’s
a very important part too, I mean, it’s not just a bicycle, in quotation marks, to visit the castle, but I understand that you also provide information about the castle so that
the cultural component is important.
(Alberto): Of course, one of the things we do, in fact, we have tourism professionals on the team, because it’s not just about having an app that allows you to make a reservation and open the station door, but our mobile application also aims to be the driving force behind that experience. There you will see all the points of interest you will visit on your route, ultimately the app acts as a navigator, and as you approach those points of interest, the typical pop-up appears for you to click and consult that tourist information. in fact, we have tourism professionals on the team, because it’s not just about providing an app that allows you to make a reservation and open the station door, but our mobile application also aims to be the driving force behind that experience; there you will see all the points of interest you will visit on your route, acting as a guide and navigator—the app itself acts as your navigator and as you approach those points of interest, the typical pop-up appears for you to click and consult that tourist information.
(PA): Alberto, let’s go back to the business focus then, what economic parameters or data can you share with us regarding your expansion plans to materialize this project you have launched?
(Alberto): Well, last year, in ’24, we ended up operating, it was mainly a period of experimentation, and we ended up operating a fleet of 24 bikes, nothing more.
(PA): A pilot.
(Alberto): A small pilot, indeed, and this year ’25 we will end up operating close to 1,200 bicycles. It seems like a very big leap, but well, for the dates we are, we already have more than 400 in expansion, so it’s a quite easy goal to achieve, we hope.
(PA): Returning to this idea of digitalization, because ultimately, technology here is what you are using to digitalize a service. This digitalization, how do you see it in the rural world in the future? What do you think will happen? This type of project, “Turicleta” and others that we know, how will they affect and what role does digitalization play in the future of the rural world?
(Alberto): Good question. Well, in the day-to-day life, perhaps, of the resident of a rural town, I don’t know if there will be a huge change today, compared to what already exists today. I believe that in the end, technology has fully reached rural environments, basically because everyone has a mobile phone, we have a smartphone, and that opens up quite significant technological capabilities that universalize, and you don’t have to have fewer opportunities than you might have in the city. rural areas, basically because everyone has a mobile phone, we have a smartphone, and that opens up significant technological capabilities that universalize access, and you don’t have to have fewer opportunities than you might have in the city.
But I do see that digitalization, knowing other projects I know from the entrepreneurial ecosystem, that digitalization comes to help a lot, especially the agro world, the agricultural industry, it comes to contribute to this problem that usually exists, as it is said that in the agricultural world, between the generational replacement, surely in the end digitalization and technology will bring much more value to these farmers and allow agricultural businesses to be more profitable, much more efficient, and perhaps reduce this problem that may exist with generational replacement.
(PA): Yes, that it becomes an alternative, a life option for those second and third generations, so that they continue to promote it. And does connectivity have anything to do with all this?
(Alberto): No, obviously. If there’s no internet, nothing will work. I think you know much more about this.
Obviously, and fortunately Spain, and I think you know this better than anyone, fiber is already deployed in the vast majority of the territory, and for you to see digital development and connectivity, there must obviously be internet, otherwise, our bike stations wouldn’t work either.
(PA): Of course, they need to be connected. Exactly. The question was a bit of a trick question, because it’s true that, although we are talking about a country like Spain, which is a worldwide success story, which is curious, and something to be proud of, it’s a success story in terms of fiber optic deployment, unfortunately, there is still a part of the territory that, despite this, is still not connected.
And that’s a bit, you know, the mission that Asteo has, of connecting those rural areas to the world through fiber. But, indeed, we fully agree with your vision, that this connectivity is what allows rural areas to have a future, to be a life alternative for new professionals. And here I wanted to link it to something else we also discussed off-camera, and that is the vision we talked about of the digital nomad.
How do you see the approach of, well, that person who can find a way of life in the rural environment? What characteristics do you think that environment needs to have to be
that life option?
(Alberto): In the end, for a person to be able to choose the rural world, a village as a living environment, obviously, it is always said that everyone has a village, right? And it’s true, in the end, everyone has their village.
(PA): That comes later, right?
(Alberto): That question you’ll read later. And yes, surely, everyone has a village that can adopt us, right?, to be able to live in it. I believe that today any village, or the vast majority of them, have the same opportunities, surely, in the digital sphere, if it is obviously connected and you have arrived and laid fiber, it will offer the same opportunities for a worker, this digital nomad, right?, a digital worker who ultimately works with technology, well, without a doubt, in a rural environment they will be able to find the same opportunities that you can find today in a city, right?
But I do believe that what, in the end, is becoming much more, or is becoming much more necessary, and villages need it, and without a doubt it has been given a fantastic
employment opportunity, and we mentioned it before, are trades. Villages, and well, and cities, but especially villages, need people who want to develop trades. cities, but especially villages, need people who want to develop trades.
(PA): Something that came up implicitly before, which we haven’t discussed, is the issue of what the base stations are like? and, the sustainability component? which is exactly implicit in your model, in your business. Tell us your vision here on sustainability, having a director dedicated to sustainability.
(Alberto): That’s important. In our team, one of the roles is the director of sustainability, in this case, Mariana Guadella, who also has a background in sustainability, she has an MBA, a master’s in circular economy and sustainability.
(PA): Something critical for your project.
(Alberto): Exactly, that’s right. And we approach sustainability from, obviously, many points, many aspects. Obviously, first, the economic. The company has to be economically profitable, that’s logical. Then we also seek the highest percentage of sustainability to apply when producing our stations, when manufacturing our stations. As I said, in a large part of them, we use shipping containers that shipping companies discard, shipping containers that the shipping companies are already discarding, lwe reuse them and convert them into these autonomous stations. In fact, there is a pilot project we are doing to insulate these containers. It is still an iron container that heats up and cools down, to insulate them with Manchegan sheep’s wool, which has gone from being a valuable asset to almost a waste product. And ways are being sought to reuse it and give it value, to re-valorize it. And we have seen an opportunity there to incorporate it into our stations.
And then, obviously, the part related to the user’s route. That’s what I told you at the beginning. In the end, by bike you will discover a municipality, you will do 30 kilometers strolling through the countryside, which you couldn’t do otherwise. We will prevent the user from taking the car to visit Belmonte Castle, for example. And that ultimately translates into kilograms of CO2 saved from the atmosphere.
(PA): The project, by definition, is sustainability with a capital S. Well, you know our connection with the world of cycling too. We love it, it’s a sport we love. Therefore, we invite you to also consider the territories of Castilla y León, Extremadura and other territories as possible targets for deploying this operation.
(Alberto): Right now, we are either already deploying, as I said, in Castilla y León, this project we are doing in Ávila and Salamanca. Extremadura was one of the places where we did our first pilot tests. We had a station for six months in Hoyos and Alcántara.
And well, the reality is that we have stations or projects throughout Spain. I don’t think there is, in peninsular Spain, I don’t think there is an autonomous community where we are not planning some deployment.
(PA): Your reference town?
(Alberto): My reference town, and it’s my birthplace and where my parents, my sister, and a large part of our activity now at “Turicleta” is Vía Franca-Los Caballeros. A municipality of just under 5,000 inhabitants, which among the towns of La Mancha can be considered one of the small towns, located in Toledo. And as I said, that’s where we have our production and manufacturing facility, and it’s also where we aim to generate wealth within our town. we also have the objective of generating that wealth within our village.
(PA): That’s where the “Turicleta” project was born and is based. Exactly, that’s right. Well, Alberto, it’s been a very interesting conversation.
To conclude, we would like to offer a small token. And that is that from Asteo, normally, I have it here, what we always do is try to promote, this is a small gift for you, here, what we always do is try to promote—this is a small gift for you, where we want to continue in this line of promoting the rural world.
We believe that the rural world, the way everyone quickly understands it, is to associate it with the fridge, with gastronomy, which is what connects us all with the rural world. So we have made it our mission to always try to promote products that are produced in the areas where we carry out our activity. It has been a real privilege to be able to count on your experience on this channel and, of course, we hope that you deploy many, many stations, many bicycles and that, furthermore, all of them are connected. That’s a bit what it’s all about.
And to all of you, we invite you to stay connected to this channel to continue watching the next episodes where we will tell you about other initiatives as exciting as those we discussed today with Alberto, and we also invite you to share with us those ideas, those projects that you are developing in the rural world to give them visibility from here.
Thank you very much.
