From Norway to Santiago by bike: José pedals eight hours a day to raise awareness for undiagnosed patients.

José Torres is a great fan of sports and adventure. He finds a way to combine these two passions on the Camino de Santiago , which is why he has completed several routes throughout his life and just 10 days ago began his latest. But this one is even more special, not only because of the unique characteristics of the journey, but also because of the goal he pursues. This municipal police officer from Crevillente (Alicante) will travel more than 5,300 kilometers by bicycle to raise awareness of the work of Objetivo Diagnóstico, an association of people who cannot put a name to the illness they suffer from.

"I love the Camino de Santiago and have done many. The last one I did two years ago was the one that goes from Rome . I wanted to do it to give a name to the Objetivo Diagnóstico association, but it was very rushed and I did it on my own. At the end of October or November, I was eating at home and the subject of the Camino came up. I had just seen on social media someone who had done a Camino I didn't know about, that of San Olav. I spoke with Carmen [Sáenz], the president, and asked her what she thought if we organized it with more time this year to raise awareness of her work," he explains.

On June 8, he began his adventure, which will take him through Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, and France before finishing in Spain. He plans to cover approximately 40 to 45 days from his starting point in Trondheim to his finishing point in Santiago de Compostela. To achieve this, he pedals for seven or eight hours a day , although the number of kilometers covered depends on the weather. When he spoke to this newspaper, he didn't know exactly where he was, but he did know that it was in Denmark and that he had traveled 1,400 kilometers in 11 days.

Since June 8, his routine has been the same: getting up early, around 6 a.m., when it's already daylight. "Here where I am now , the sun rises at 3:00 a.m .; in Norway and Sweden, it never got dark," he says. Once up, he usually has some cookies and a smoothie for breakfast, unpacks everything, and begins to ride for miles. After two or three hours on the bike, he stops for something to eat, which he usually buys at a supermarket.

By midday, he tries to eat at a bar and take advantage of the opportunity to charge his batteries, his cell phone ... "I carry solar panels , but there's very little sun here; today it didn't shine all day and I haven't charged a thing," he says. Once he arrives at his destination, he begins to settle in. In Denmark, he's staying in shelters , a type of open-air wooden cabin with a roof, two walls, and sometimes a water tap. " I set up the tent, take out all the bags, and if there's water, I wash up a bit and cook dinner using a stove; last night it was spaghetti with tomato sauce," he explains. By 9 p.m., he's already asleep.

He has spent most of his nights in his tent , but sometimes the cold hasn't allowed him to stay and he has had to stay in a hotel or guesthouse, which he has appreciated so he could sleep better and shower.

This trip is funded by 11 sponsors, friends and local business owners, plus the people who are sponsoring stages for 40 euros , although it is also possible to purchase kilometers, as detailed in the Diagnostic Objective .

"I want everything I have left over to go to them; I don't want them to contribute anything . For example, out of the 11 days, I've been sleeping in the tent for 8 to try to save as much as possible because everything here is so expensive," he insists. This action is part of the Objetivo Santiago project, an initiative of the association that fights for access to diagnosis, research, and to support the " thousands of people living in medical uncertainty ," as detailed.

"José pedals alone, with his tent and loaded bicycle, crossing six countries to give a voice to those without one. Every kilometer is a cry for research, for hope, and for the dignity of those who are still waiting for answers," the association summarizes. Currently, there are three million people in Spain living with a rare disease. Sáenz comments that, although there are no official records, of that number, 20% remain undiagnosed.

Anecdotes from the trip

Although he's traveling alone, José has encountered several fellow travelers , including reindeer, deer, and squirrels; he's seen snow in the middle of June; and he's found solidarity among his neighbors.

When he crossed the border from Norway to Sweden, his cell phone lost signal and he had no data or calls, so he couldn't contact anyone or let his family know he was okay. "I was stuck in the middle of the forest, had to go out onto the road, and saw a house. I went over, rang the doorbell, and was greeted by an elderly couple who asked for Wi-Fi, all without an interpreter. I was finally able to connect to contact a friend who owns a phone company. I had set up my tent in the middle of the forest, and the woman told me to sleep in her garden until I could fix it," he recalls.