The 2026 Reto Pelayo Vida expedition, taking five women who have overcome cancer across Senegal for 17 days, was presented in Madrid on 13 and 14 October. Quirónsalud has completed medical assessments for the participants and will again serve as the Official Medical Provider.
The planned route covers about 600 kilometres by mountain bike, with kayak crossings along the way.
The assessments covered Milena Amelibia, Irantzu Pinillos, Noemi Carrasco, Vanesa Amigo and Marta García. They were selected from more than 500 applicants across nine countries.
The route will demand sustained physical effort and expose the participants to environmental conditions they do not usually face.
The expedition is scheduled to leave Madrid for Dakar on 24 November. From the Dakar coast, the group plans to head south towards the tropical region of Casamance. The itinerary combines cycling and kayak crossings, testing physical and psychological endurance.
Reto Pelayo Vida is a social and sporting initiative involving Pelayo Seguros and the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology, known as SEOM. Its stated aim is to promote prevention and early detection of female cancers. The initiative also seeks to show that life after illness can include new projects and demanding goals. At the Madrid presentation, an oncologist highlighted physical activity as an additional form of support for people with cancer.
The focus on life after treatment also features in a separate discussion in Spain about how to measure recovery beyond survival. Broader measures of recovery include lasting symptoms and the ability to return to everyday life.
