First day of riding… OMG!

Waking up at the hotel, my bike was packed and I looked at it and said a prayer in gratitude for having the opportunity and ability to do what I’m doing as well as a “Please keep me safe” request. After filling up at their breakfast bar, I was out the door with the clerk taking a ceremonial “start of tour” photo. As with anything new, stuff takes getting used to. For navigation, I am using Ride with GPS to create, save routes and syncing them with my Garmin bike GPS. If I get off course, I can look on my phone to see the big picture with a map and figure it out. Hard to do with the Garmin, since it only shows turns, no big picture. So… it was a little tricky at first reading streets, everything is “Rua de (something)” but as the day progressed got much easier just looking at the arrow and my location and turning at the right time. Riding with a loaded bike has one plus on the flats, more weight means more momentum. Another thing on the hills, just go slower. Luckily is was very flat leaving Porto.

As the title suggests, OMG! I can say without hesitation that today was the best day of cycling in my life. Riding thru town, all the streets had bike lanes either separated from traffic or on the side. My route took me thru parks and cycleways. If we could only understand in America how important alternate transportation modes are to quality of life! Took a ferry across the river and there the walking/cycle path followed the water for many many miles. My first sight of the ocean surprised me with the ferocity of the waves hitting the rocks! Portugal has big waves, some of the largest in the world. Little restaurants are scattered along the beach and are basically metal prefab structures with lots of glass moved to location. People are out walking, running, talking, cycling… generally enjoying being outside although the wind was gusty and had a bit of a chill to it.

What stands out next in my mind was a cycle path next to a small road that went thru a forest of small diameter trees without bark. Tall and thin, it was like being in an enchanted forest. Soon after that I turned down a gravel road and saw buses with a gaggle of school kids running and chatting around. Hmmm… The attraction was a raised boardwalk over the marsh with sea grass taller than me all around. That was my treat to ride on for 3 to 4 miles. It formed a big loop back to the start, but I got off at the far end to continue south. Small residential towns with most roads being one lane and stuccoed walls and houses cozily hemming me in. Farms in between the towns with the smell of manure created a nice balance. Then the hills began. The incline made walking mandatory a couple of times. A farmer pulling a trailer with basically a riding lawnmower chugged up the grade and I followed.

One thing I am finding is that there are not as many stores or diners to be found. So I skipped lunch (no need, big breakfast) but twice during the day I felt pretty low energy. First stop was a small store in a small town for water. The owner couple filled my water bottles and I spied and craved a soft drink. Problem was it was in a 2 liter bottle. She graciously offered me an ice cold glass of it from her own fridge. “Garda, Garda” or keep it she said as I offered to pay her. The next time during the day was thru a more industrial area at a small grocery where I purchased chocolate and candy covered almonds. Energy boost was needed as it turned into a long day.

My plan was to make it back to the beach, but it was farther than I expected. The last 10 miles were along a hard packed trail following the tidal river towards the sea. Very calming, very quieting. The sun was setting as I hit the main road. Too late to camp. Looking for hotels there was one only 1.5 miles away. Closed. The next one was 2.5 miles but getting dark. Luckily I found a backroad with no traffic to get there and checked in. I was totally exhausted as I showered and plopped in bed to rest. A good exhaustion it was though.

Turns out I rode 73 miles that day, more than I expected. Lesson learned… more planning needed! I looked at the map for tomorrow, and the route follows the shore for about 25 miles before heading inland. A small town at the mouth of a river lay at the end of the road with a camping park. Short day, camping. Sounds like a good plan…

Here is a link to my route today: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/32060590