CYCLING PORTUGAL

In March, I traveled to Portugal for a two-part cycling vacation. The first part of the trip was for a cycling camp with Volta Pro Tours. The second part was for a bike packing adventure with a friend from Turkey. It was an amazing trip. Let me tell you about both cycling segments and share a few photos which will make you want to add Portugal to your bike-it list.

Volta Pro Tours offers a number of rides in and across both Portugal and Spain. I am doing the N2 tour in September. To get a taste for cycling in Portugal I decided to participate in one of the N2 Basecamp weeks. It was fabulous. The group stayed in a villa near Moncarapacho which was designed for cyclists. Each day started with a massive breakfast, lunch on the road and dinner in town. It could not have been better.

Following Basecamp, I returned to Lisbon to meet my friend Erkin. We had first met on a SpiceRoads cycling trip in Thailand. Erkin and I had planned an eight (8) day circular ride starting in Lisbon, south to Sagres, across the Algarve, north on N2 and then west Lisbon. Credit really has to go to Erkin for most of the planning and the majority of the photos that follow. On March 6^th, we took the train from Lisbon to Setubal. Once in Setubal we cycled to the ferry which took us to Costa de Gale.

Back on solid ground we were finally free to cycle. The Atlantic Coast south to Sines is beautiful but then all of Portugal is beautiful. Some 70 KM after the ferry ride we settled into the Hotel Apartamento Sinerama and went in search of Portuguese food.

The next day we started at a civilized hour with the goal of reaching Odeceixe some 75 KM down the road. The Sol Mar, like most of the hotels we stayed in, was modest but comfortable. The staff was warm and friendly. No one seemed surprised to see people arriving on bicycles. What a refreshing change from America where too many hotels treat bicycles like weapons of mass destruction that could cause the end of the world if allowed on the hotel property.

Odeceixe to Sagres was planned as a shorter day (56 KM) so we would have time to visit a little of what is Portugal’s most southwestern city. I had this mental image of coastal Portugal as being flat. It is not! Cycling “down” to the ocean required a good deal of cycling uphill. The Wavesensation Sagres Surf House Hotel caused us a little confusion as they had changed our booking but it worked out well as our new hotel was in the center of the city. Which meant being close to a good collection of resturants.

Sagres to Albuferia was another wonderful day of cycling.  Once again, a number of hills were unexpectedly placed in our path but it is hard to be unhappy when the sun is shining, the ocean is on your right and you are on a bike. The Cerro da Marina Hotel was one of the more upscale hotels we stayed in during our trip. The one drawback was that after 80 KM of cycling we had to walk into town for dinner but a small complaint.

Faro was the goal when we woke up and it was a short ride (40 KM) to give our legs a little rest and to have time to see a little of the city. The young woman at the Sunlight House was a little concerned that our bikes might damage the room so she cleared space in the hotel storage room to create a secure place for us to store them overnight.

If I had known what the Faro to Almodovar ride would include, then I might have slept longer. I had cycled part of the ride on N2 during Basecamp so I had some idea what was awaiting us on the 75 KM ride. As we started out, the rain joined us as a riding companion. It was not heavy, just a steady drizzle and cold. In a rotary on the way out of town, Erkin shouted that I had a flat. I was looking back to tell him that tubeless tires often look flat because they run at a low pressure when I saw the sealant squirting out. The hole was too large for the sealant to work. Fortunately, you can ride on tubeless tires. We rode to a cycle shop. Repairs completed we started the climb up N2. By the top of the first climb I could see my breathe which means it was way too cold for someone from Honolulu. The rain did stop but the cold held on for the next several climbs and the final rolling kilometers into Almodovar. I am so thankful that Erkin brought an extra jacket otherwise I would have died of exposure.

Leaving Almodovar for Odivelas (81) my legs felt heavy, and I was looking forward to reaching our hotel, washing my kit, showering, eating and sleeping. Once on the road, my legs forgot that they had cycled twelve (12) of the last thirteen (13) days. The amazing asphalt rolled out in front of me like Dorothy’s yellow brick road but instead of the Emerald City I was headed to the Hotel O Gato the best hotel and restaurant in Odivelas, actually the only hotel and restaurant. The rain was kind enough to wait until we reached the hotel. It was a magical day the kind that you can only have on a bicycle.

Odivelas to Evora (75 KM) was bittersweet. It was our last full day of cycling. If my wallet and legs would have allowed me to keep riding then I would have made it a never ending cycling trip. I lack the words to explain the pleasure, joy, wonder of cycling down the open road with the wind at your back, the sun on your face, and your body becoming one with the bike as you glide along with a tiny patch of rubber holding you to the earth.

All good things must end. We cycled out of Evora intending to reach Pegoes and then take the train into Lisbon. I cannot recall where we decided to stop and take the bus. I would not have made it as far as I did without Erkin’s encouragement. Still, that last day was cold, our legs did not have good sensations, and little was to be gained by cycling a few more kilometers to the train station.

It was an amazing trip. We had traveled Portugal by bicycle, train, ferry and bus. I am not sure I would change anything. Even the flat had a bright side in that we met some nice people at the shop. Erkin is a great cycling partner. Unknown to me before this trip was his weakness for chocolate, cookies, and cakes. Nothing like a shared chocolate bar or a few cookies by the side of the road to keeping you going for another 20 KM. Maybe I can convince him to join me for another trip.