Day 10

Day 3/5 Riding – Vila Vicosa – Tuesday, October 1

Here we go again. This promises to be the longest ride yet and the vertical is again almost 2000 feet. We will see. Once again the weather is perfect – just a few degrees cooler. I will start with a windbreaker. There will be two stops today at approximately 20k then again at 40k.

Again, I am bringing up the rear. Chris and Scott are great to hang back with me. A big disadvantage of being last is that our stops are much shorter than the others.

Today’s ride can best be described as “rolling hills”. The climbs are not steep but they are frequent. The reward are the downhills. I spot a beautiful solo tree perched by itself on a hill. I am trying a different technique today – frequent, short stops, to drink water and take a short break

Finally on the third leg at about 46.30k with only 11.40k to go, I run out of gas. I ask Chris and Scott to go ahead and send the van back to pick me up. Maybe I will try the lightweight bike with electric assist tomorrow.

By the way – the distances above are provided by our on-board Garmin computer which displays our route. Many times it has helped identify turns that otherwise would have been missed. This brings up another point – electricity. Each night on the electric bikes the guides have to charge the main battery, the Garmin, and the electric gear shifting. We also have small front and rear lights that need occasional charging. Bike riding today is electric charging reliant.

We all meet in an open parking area to end today’s journey. A small upright tent has been set up for those who need to change. The only place to relieve one’s self is behind a van. By the way, although I have consumed almost three bottles of water I have only had one brief bathroom stop. I should also mention that at each stop, the guides set up two portable bike racks.

This town is Évor, Capital on this region of Portugal. With 50,000 population and many historical highlights, this promises to be an interesting walking tour – but first lunch. Our “Ride with GPS” app that was pre-programmed by Trek Travel provides dining recommendations. We choose the “Bakery Lounge” for sandwiches and drinks on the upper shaded terrace – excellent.

We meet our guide by a large fountain. Again, the App guides us there. This is a very hilly town with nothing but cobblestone streets and walkways. It is a very good thing that the guides recommended that Karen NOT come today. Let me repeat the opening remarks about Évor from Trek Travel (Tessa see photo). There are over 50 churches and we start with the largest – amazing. The 2000+ year old Roman Temple remains stand tall and strong. I note the beautiful design of the columns. We end with a tour of the bones temple. My photographs speak for themselves.

We bus to the nearby town Estremoz for a group dinner at Casa do Gadanha. Our group filled the entire very contemporary space. The staff were excellent. Rose, white, red, and finally port washed down one of our best meals of this journey. Most agreed that the second course of eggplant was the highlight. A perfect ending to another wonderful day.