mutelife

This past weekend a beautiful bike event took place in Lisbon. Picking up on an old tradition that ran from 1941 to 1954, every year now since 2021 riders of all kinds get together to conquer one of the steepest climbs in Lisbon. It’s called Subida da Rampa do Vale de Santo António and you can check rampadovale.pt for more details.

One at a time, folks start at the bottom of Rua do Vale de Santo António and see who’s the fastest to complete an excruciating 600m climb, with a +10% average grade and a max of 22%. Here’s part of the climb in Strava.

There are fixies, road, gravel, mountain, and cargo bikes; analog and electric; male and female categories. While some sign up to compete against each other, most attend to be part of a communal event. And of course, those who make it to the top are elated.

There’s also a side contest for the most beautiful decorated house and the obvious foods and drinks to make it a party. It’s a great example of how neighborhoods in Lisbon take initiative and create little pockets of joy in their smaller communities.