The Beautiful Rota Vicentina
7 days
total: 238km (148mi)
82% asphalt + 18% dirt-roads
level 3 (2.7)
daily average: 48km (30mi)
Day 1
Arrival
Welcome at Lisbon airport. Lodging in a 4-star Boutique Hotel faced to the Atlantic Ocean. Briefing about your cycling tour in Portugal.
Day 2
The Typical Houses in Alentejo Coast
This is the first day of your bicycle tour and, probably, the easiest day. It is made only on asphalted roads. Pay attention that beetwen km 5 and 7 the road can be very busy with cars or trucks. Please ride on a single file, and as fast as you can, to leave it as quick as possible. The road is not very wide. After this you will enter on the quiet road that belongs to the Natural Park of Vicentine Coast and SW of Alentejo , …and the “paradise” starts! 😀
41km (25mi)
level 2 (2.0)
320m (1050ft)
Day 3
The vast fields of vegetable crops
Your cycling day is very rolling until km 37, the right time to stop for lunch. After this point some dirt roads appear and also some climbs, which make them more difficult because usually they are made after lunch time and it is the hottest time of the day. This is a long day on a bicycle, and the climbs are there. You cannot do anything to avoid this, but the way and the landscape are very diverse and beautiful. 🙂
61km (38mi)
level 3 (3.3)
690m (2260ft)
Day 4
The Beautiful Beaches at Vicentine Coast
The bike day starts on a very smooth asphalted road, very calm descent and empty area until the next small town. Landscape is nice and very pleasant. After the small town, at km 13, you enter on a national road with some more traffic and a long but very smooth climb. At km 21 you are again on a Natural Park road. At km 26km and for 2km you have a very nice descent :D, but winding with some sharp curves at the beginning. At km 34 and for 9km you enter in a very well protected area of the Natural Park, where you can admire the great coast line of this Natural Park of Vicentine Coast and SW of Alentejo. The way is not asphalted because it is protected, so sometimes you can have some dust on the air because there are also some cars visiting that area. This is the best time of the day to take pictures and to feel the brease from the Atlantic Ocean. 🙂
49km (30mi)
level 3 (2.9)
600m (1970ft)
Day 5
Cape S. Vincent - The South-Westernmost Point in Europe
Today it is not a difficult biking day. After the first 11km on dirt roads that cross some small forests you get again the asphalted road until the next small town. After this you go towards the Southwest-most point of Continental Europe, Cape S. Vincent. The way to get there is a mixture of short asphalted roads and dirt-roads.
38km (24mi)
level 2 (2.0)
370m (1210ft)
Day 6
The Coast Of The Algarve
Today is the day of the big contrasts in terms of Tourism. It is on the middle of this bike tour of today that the Natural Park ends and the “civilization” begins again. The first 10km of the day are very windy because you are leaving the Cape area, don’t forget this ;). Further ahead you will find some ups and downs, usually short but steep. Prepare your lungs for the steepest climb of the whole tour: at km 23 you will find a very steep climb that is less than 1km long, but the sign on the side of that road tells you that the climb is 16% of grade! I know…, that it only happens during 15 or 20 meters, but the grade is there!! Don’t forget that you are in the south coast, so short ups and downs will continue until the end of the day. This cycling day in the south coast of Portugal is gorgeous!! 🙂
49km (30mi)
level 3 (3.2)
790m (2590ft)
Day 7
Departure
After breakfast transfer to Lisbon airport (3-hour drive).