A bike tour in Alentejo is a celebration of simple and tasteful traditions, fit for riders of different experience levels who want to discover the authentic Portugal. Here, you'll get to ride to the top of fortresses, where medieval castles overlook the never-ending plains, immerse in a melting pot of pre-historic, roman, moorish and medieval cultures and enjoy the rural setting where wine, olive oil and cork are kings. The region's laidback atmosphere and countryside back roads provide the perfect setting for a journey back in time - Alentejo's rolling hills are gentle on the legs and the spirit.
I had a wonderful bike trip in the Douro River area in October in a guided cycling group. The area is very scenic and the biking was fantastic. This is not an easy trip for most cyclists and training is seriously advisable or take another less challenging tour Live, Love, Ride offers. The hotel accommodations were very good and the restaurants for lunches and dinner our guides picked out - simply awesome. I did not expect the food to be that good on this trip and it exceeded all expectations. Rodrigo and Luiz were fantastic guides - friendly, attentive and just a pleasure to be with and around. I strongly recommend Live, Love, Ride for a wonderful active cycling vacation in Portugal...…….!!
After we were picked up from the airport and driven to the hotel, the magical adventure began. Riding the Douro Valley was just magnificent. The scenery and landscape could not be compared to anything I've seen before. Riding consisted of 35 to near 50 miles each day with elevations of 3,000-4,500 feet gain at an average 5-8% grade. On the last day of riding, the most difficult of all, we experienced a 16% grade that seemed to go on forever. Every day presented itself with great challenges wonderful pleasures and fantastic downhills that would go for 6-7 miles at speeds of 25+ mph. WOW!!
Our group was small with 7 riders plus 2 guides. The locations we stopped at were local places giving you a sense of real Portugal.
The people running the tour couldn't be better. They address every need from the group. We used carbon bikes from Scott that performed flawlessly even when riding on cobblestone which was in almost every town or village.
I can't speak highly enough about this adventure. However, that said, be sure to come well trained with lots of hill climbing under your seat because it's challenging everyday.
