Introduction: the city before 8 a.m.
There is a moment, between 5:30 and 7:00 in the morning on a Sunday, when Medellín seems like another city. Avenida Regional is empty of trucks, the sun barely peeks over the east, and the only sound breaking the silence is the hum of chains and the friction of tires against the asphalt. That is the shift for those of us who get up early to pedal. It is not an Instagram trend or a weekend fad: it is a custom inherited from Antioquian road cyclists and today it coexists with the urban cyclist who sets out from La Aguacatala on a mountain or gravel bike, with no pretensions of competing.
The Sunday ciclorruta in Medellín —what many simply call "la ciclovía"— is not a closed, monitored circuit like the one in Bogotá. It is a set of corridors where the city gives space to pedaling, and the best known is the one on Avenida Regional, that highway that crosses the valley from south to north and on Sundays and holidays dawns with lanes enabled for bicycles. On malokal.com you can check the safe map by neighborhood (Locals vs. Foreigners), the live holiday schedules and book directly via WhatsApp from the interactive cards of each place. The price ranges you will see here are reference prices from October 2026 and are neighborhood prices: a tinto between $2,500 and $4,000 COP, a calentado between $12,000 and $18,000 COP, a basic tire repair between $8,000 and $15,000 COP.
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What follows is what I wish I had read when I started going out alone, with a borrowed bike and without knowing where the lane ended. No promises of secret tunnels or magical routes: only what is on the ground, what can be verified and what we paisas do every Sunday.
What the Sunday ciclorruta is and which roads close
The logic is simple: on Sundays and holidays, between the early morning hours and noon, some corridors in the city reduce lanes for vehicles and give them over to cyclists and pedestrians. The corridor most used by those of us who go out early is Avenida Regional, which crosses Medellín in a southwest-north direction and connects the south of the valley with the center and the north. It is a highway, not a park: that means the asphalt is good, the slopes are gentle in the southern stretch and the signage is that of a vehicle road, not a recreational circuit.
That difference is key for a beginner. On the Regional there are no fences every hundred meters or City Hall monitors on every corner. There are enabled lanes, there are cones at some points and you have to read your surroundings. Verify the exact schedules and enabled stretches each week on the official channels of the Mayor's Office of Medellín and the Metropolitan Area, because the operation changes according to works, events and the holiday calendar. There is no single schedule set in stone for the whole city.
Aguacatala Station (Medellín Metro)
La Aguacatala is, for many, kilometer zero for the Sunday cyclist from the south. It is the sixteenth station of Line A of the Metro heading south, and its surroundings are a natural meeting point: bicycle parking, people forming groups, the smell of coffee from the carts that open early. From here you go down to the Regional in a few minutes and start pedaling north with a favorable slope. If you come from the center, the station works in reverse: you get off, assemble the bike and pedal back. It is a node, not a tourist attraction, and precisely for that reason it is useful.
The local trick: don't arrive at 7:30 thinking you will find the platform empty. The big groups leave between 5:30 and 6:30, and at that hour the atmosphere is that of a calm peloton. After 8 the corridor fills with families, skaters and walkers, and the pace changes completely.
Short routes for beginners: from the south toward the center
If it is your first time, forget about crossing the city from end to end. The southern stretch of the Regional, between La Aguacatala and the Industriales area, is the friendliest: wide, with few conflictive intersections and with the possibility of turning back at any moment. The dominant slope is downhill toward the north, which means the return is a bit more tiring. Calculate round trip, not just one way.
A realistic short route for a beginner is between 8 and 12 total kilometers, with stops. The golden rule I give to everyone who asks me: if you have never pedaled in traffic, go out with someone who already knows the corridor, not just with a map. The map doesn't tell you where the pothole is, nor which lane closes without warning, nor where there is a climb that looks flat on the screen.
Avenida Regional
The Regional is the axis of everything. It was born as an idea of a multimodal corridor to connect the valley and today it is the backbone of Sunday cycling in the south. What I value most as a nature photographer is that, in certain stretches and at certain hours, you see the Medellín River alongside and the silhouette of the valley in the background, with Cerro El Picacho cutting across to the north. It is not a mountain landscape, but it has its charm: the sleeping city, the steam over the asphalt, the first rays coming in from the east.
For the beginner, the advice is to stay in the enabled lane furthest to the right, not make sudden changes and use your hand to signal. Large groups pass fast and close; don't be scared, but don't swerve suddenly either. And something important: the Regional is a highway, so even though there are closed lanes, there are always motorized vehicles in the adjacent lanes. It is not a closed park. A car that doesn't expect to find a bike can appear at any moment, and that is why the helmet is not optional: always wear it, and add light-colored clothing or reflective elements, especially if you go out before it gets light. Being seen is half of safety.
Long routes for experienced riders: Envigado, Itagüí and the north
For those who already have endurance and want kilometers, the Regional allows you to build routes of 40 to 60 kilometers connecting the south of the metropolitan area with the center and the north. The natural connection to the south goes through Envigado and Itagüí, where the corridor integrates with local roads that also dawn calm on Sundays. To the north, the Regional continues toward the center and from there toward the north of the valley, with stretches where the landscape changes and the city becomes more industrial.
My recommendation for anyone who wants to stretch the route: define a clear turnaround point before leaving. The temptation to "go a little further" is what ends in a return against the clock, with the sun already high and midday traffic on top of you. Experienced groups usually leave between 5:00 and 5:30 and are back before 9:00. It is not about getting up early for fashion: it is because at that hour the corridor is clean and the heat hasn't hit yet.
If you are going to connect with Envigado or Itagüí, check the condition of the local roads that Sunday. Not all streets have an enabled lane, and some works change the route. Parking availability changes over time, so confirm it directly at each site.
Hydration points, restrooms and workshops open on Sunday
Here comes the uncomfortable truth: support infrastructure on Sunday is irregular. There is no official network of hydration points along the Regional, and public restrooms are scarce. What does work is the informal network of neighborhood stores, bakeries and carts that open early in the areas surrounding Aguacatala station and around the Regional. That is the real infrastructure of the paisa cyclist: the corner store, the hot tinto, the bread with cheese.
About workshops: I can't give you a list of bike shops open on Sunday because there is no verifiable source that confirms it, and I prefer not to make up names for you. What I do recommend is a local practice: always carry a basic kit (patch, pump, Allen key, tire levers) and learn to fix a flat yourself. On Sunday, depending on an open workshop is a risk. If you go out in a group, ask beforehand who is carrying tools and who knows how to use them.
And speaking of flats, which are the number one scare for the Sunday rider: most are avoided before leaving. Check tire pressure the night before, make sure there are no cuts or little stones embedded in the tread and, if your route is long or the terrain is bad, consider reinforced tires. They cost a little more, but they save you from a Sunday kneeling on the edge of the lane.
For provisions, the areas of La Aguacatala and the surroundings of the station have bakeries and stores that open very early. A neighborhood breakfast —calentado, arepa, chocolate— costs between $12,000 and $18,000 COP in most of those places, with variations depending on the spot. These are reference prices from October 2026 and may change.
The unwritten rules of the paisa peloton
No one is going to explain them to you on a sign, but they exist. The first: you greet. A "buenas" or a nod when you cross another cyclist is the norm, especially early. The second: you warn. If you are going to brake, turn or dodge a pothole, you signal with your hand. The third: you don't draft without permission. If you attach yourself to the wheel of a group you don't know, ask first; it is a matter of respect and safety.
The fourth, and the most important: you get up early. Not out of Spartan discipline, but out of logistics. At 6 a.m. the corridor is clean, the sun doesn't burn and vehicle traffic is minimal. At 9 a.m. the city wakes up, the lanes fill with families and skaters, and the training pace becomes impossible. Those who go out at 10 are not training: they are strolling, and that is fine too, but it is something else.
The fifth rule is about coexistence: on the Regional, road cyclists with carbon bikes at 35 km/h, urban cyclists with mountain bikes, skaters and walkers coexist. The lane is not yours. If you go fast, warn when passing; if you go slow, keep your line. And if you see someone stopped on the edge with a dropped chain, ask if they need help. That is also an unwritten rule.
How to get there and transportation
The most sensible way to get to the corridor without a car is the Metro. Line A drops you at Aguacatala Station, which is the natural starting point of the southern stretch. The Metro allows bicycles on board at specific times and conditions; verify the current rules for bicycle access on the official channels of the Medellín Metro before traveling, because they change according to demand and calendar. If you come from the center or the north, you can get off at intermediate stations and build the route from there.
If you arrive by car, the surroundings of the station and nearby commercial areas have parking, but early on Sundays availability is good and by 8 it gets complicated. Rates change, confirm them directly at each parking lot. And if you come from another municipality in the valley, the connection via the Regional itself is the natural route, although arrival traffic can complicate the plan if you don't get up early.
What to do if something goes wrong: emergency plan
This is the advice I wish no one had to use, but that is worth having clear before leaving. First, define with your group a meeting point and a deadline: if someone doesn't show up, you return to that point and the search doesn't scatter. Second, carry your phone charged
