Brigadier Cordobés, motorcyclist of the Royal Guard and champion of Spain who carries “top secret” messages to the king

THE Royal guard It is not only a refuge for halberdiers, colonels dedicated to the service of Royal House and mechanical scholars expert in repairing the interior of the Rolls-Royce of Philip VI. In his Madrid barracksThe king‘ is also located motorcycle section of the Escort groupa squad of 31 motorcyclists who, during their harley-davidsontheir BMW and their Slingthey carry out solemn escorts during official events and liaison services between the army and the monarchy. During the latter, they often have to transport and deliver official documents And confidential to the royal guests.

At the head of thirty real bikers there is a lieutenant who serves as team leader and brigade who is the workshop manager. This last position is occupied David Cordobesone of the greatest Spanish two-wheel experts. In addition to having been in the army for 18 years – nine in the Army and another nine in the Royal Guard – and being automotive specialistEast champion of Spain In enduro. “I have received some national awards from Cross country and one from Spain that I won last year,” he smiles.

“I have also been an assistant and backpacker for a world pilot, Mario Romain, who is one of top 3 enduro”, he explains, putting on his dark beret and straightening his blue polo shirt with the corresponding biscuit, official uniform, and walks towards a black BMW that a colleague is currently repairing.

“These would be clothing for daily service, for training; then we have the motorcyclist suit with its protections. And then, there is the basic gala as a motorcyclist, historical uniformwhich is used to make solemn escorts, and which is only used on Harleys.”

Brigadier Cordobés explains that this motorcycle section is part of the escort group of the Military Control Company. “Our main task is to make solemn escorts to Their Majesties the Kings, to foreign presidents on official state visits and then we have a shuttle service between the military hall or the Royal Palace and the Zarzuela and the different entities or ministries”.

That is, when it is necessary to send compromised information or top secret linked to the Royal House, the Royal Guard motorcycle team climbs on their Honda Deauvillethe model used for this type of events, and serve as motorized messengers. “It’s the motorcycle that is used to transport official or confidential documents; there are always four motorcycle riders on duty who use it and act as ‘liaison’ when something needs to be delivered from one office to another . What are we carrying? I can’t tell you that,” he said, enigmatic.

For solemn escorts, those in which the Royal Family usually participates, the motorcycle section uses the harley-davidson; for “alternative escorts” – what the royal guards call the M1 and M2 devices – they remove the BMW R-1200RT painted blue. “These types of non-ceremonial escorts are those that are provided when a head of state visits. For their part, we use Hondas for daily liaison or courier service. And the KTM Motorcycles – typical of enduro – are generally chosen for teaching.

Each of the 31 bikers who makes up the motorcyclist section comes, like all the soldiers of the Royal Guard, from different branches of the Army. In the case of Brigadier David Cordobés, he spent nine years in Madrid. Military base “El Goloso” of the Army. Once chosen according to a personalized and strict selection process, the lucky ones follow a two-month training course divided into one month of driving in the field, another on the road and a week of practice with the Harley-Davidson. All the bikers They have admirable skills, control and timing management and enviable technique.

“Maintenance on civilian motorcycles, or on street motorcycles, is carried out every 10,000 kmbut we do it at 7,500 km. During the summer campaign, we take all Harleys, whether they reach the corresponding kilometers or not, and we do the inspection, oil change and everything else they need. The maintenance is quite exhaustive because these are motorcycles that can never break down.”

Life in the Royal Guard

The Royal Guard is the only military unit it doesn’t depend Ministry of Defensebut directly and organically from the Royal House. This is established in the Royal Decree 434/1988of May 6, restructuring the House of HM the King, which delimits its tasks and honors what article 65.2 of the Spanish Constitution says on the powers of the King: he alone can appoint and dismiss the members of his house.

The Royal Guard is made up of approximately 1,600 men and women180 horses and 50 dogs divided into different groups or units. 31 of them belong to the Motorcycle Section. These thousands of soldiers are divided into four large groups: the Escort grouphe Specialized grouphe Support group and the Logistics Groupin addition to a fifth, the Music unitwhich is one of the most prestigious and best supplied in the Armed Forces.

Escorts brings together Company of Halberdiersthe closest guard of kings, those who wear the red gala dress with the corresponding halberd, so characteristic of official events; also includes Veterinary serviceAt Equestrian education centerAt Real batteryAt Military Control Companywhere motorcyclists like Cordobés are included, and to Royal Escort Squadron. The Honors Group, for its part, encompasses the Company Monteros de Espinosa of the Air Force; THE Sea Ocean Company of the Marine Corps of the Navy and the Plus Ultra Squadron of the Air and Space Force.

Finally, the Support and Logistics groups are made up, in the first case, of a Security Unitbusinesses Support And Transmissionthat of Training and that of Staff; while in the case of Logistics, there is a Health Care UnitA Maintenance companyanother of Restorationthat of Facilities Support and that of Transportation.