Portugal – Exploration notes

There is no coincidence! How surprised have we been when headed to Faro city, in the most spectacular region of Portugal, we landed just a few hundred meters from “Ria Formosa” river, which in portuguese means the beautiful river. Apart from diving us instantly into the warm colors and atmosphere of the Portuguese culture, it instantly had us thinking about Taiwan! Indeed the island used to be called, by the Portuguese explorers, “Formosa” – Beautiful.

The plan was simple when we discussed the location with Didier and David: we had to gather athletes and gather them on the westernmost point of Europe to bring together a unique sense of exploration. The goal was to break preconceived ideas and show the exploration potential of a region well-known for farniente and peaceful golf holidays, and prove that Algarve and Alentejo regions have so much more to reveal, especially at the end of the tourist season (late September) when roads are quiet and the locals thankful to trade motorhomes tourists for athletes on bicycles.

Both the old city of Faro and the many fortresses we positioned on the race course settled the stage set. This country used to be one of the biggest nation of explorers and we had to pay a tribute to the Portuguese people by revealing its history and medieval architecture. You are warned, riding across Algarve and Alentejo regions feels like riding back in history. From the fortified walls of Monsaraz, revealed in the mist of our early morning ride, to the old pavement roads we hit on every historical city, it does feel like you could witness a horse carriage guiding your way to a modern city.

The superb white Portuguese architecture mixed with the worldly famous mozaics make the contrast impossible to forget as you cycle through the numerous typical villages of the race course. The objective of exploring the most of Algarve and Alentejo begins with an counterclockwise loop where just 1 hour away from Faro you are already riding on secret roads with literally no traffic and spectacular views upon the Algarve mountain range. Algarve taught us that we don’t necessarily need to search for Alpine climbs to be mind blown by those infinite landscapes and the revivifying light only Portugal can offer. Being at the far south of central Europe, Portugal puts on quite a show when it comes to enjoying morning and evening lights.

From a warm sunrise to a burning sunset, watching from the bike all the shades of colors provided by olive trees, orange groves and grape fields turn the ride into a delicious experience. The typical Portuguese restaurants on the road felt like a cycling blessing: the numerous fish and meat plates, the dreadfully tempting pastries or the great expresso make the ride slower than expected: any reason is good to stop for a coffee and a “pastel” pastry! You ride far, eat well and can sleep wherever your heart is calling. The small bushes on the road, below the branch of an olive tree, on the side of a fortress wall, you name it! Portugal offers unlimited bivy possibilities. Powernaps will bring memories of a lifetime, dreaming of medieval times where horses were traveling far…

As for the 2019 series, Portugal has been thought as an “entry level” race course to later take a bigger step onto other bikingman races. The rolling hills profile of the race makes it a fast event for the winners willing to go non-stop. Road conditions help to bring the speed up and TT bikes could be gamechanger weapons in Portugal. On the other hand, using the 120 hour’s time limit is a guaranteed delicious ultra experience where you can soak so much of Portugal. The adventure turns into an enjoyment of every mile, reminiscing of your first times on a bicycle,: complete an 8-10 hours ride during the day and smile at every Portuguese shop. The plenty typical hotels and “Posadas” on the road can even make it a comfortable journey if you’re not after the ranking but more about the journey.

Surprises on the mandatory race course have still been settled during our exploration ride to ensure you will experience and see the best of Algarve and Alentejo regions on tarmac. Shame on me, I got some extra kilos, riding sub 40 hours in Portugal while swallowing every possible Pastel cake I could grab on the road. But what an experience…!