This past weekend I finally did my first double-century on the bike. The route couldn’t have been better, from Tróia peninsula all the way to Sagres. Not as picturesque as the Lisboa → Lagos route my brother and I did a couple of years back because it was entirely on pavement, but still pretty epic.
António Malvar made this route popular by doing it in 1990 on his own to meet his wife at the end. The following year, a friend joined António. Word of mouth made this event grow organically over the years. Today, thousands of people do it on a cold December day.
It’s not a race, so you’ll see all kinds of people and bikes doing the ride in large groups or by themselves. From lycra roadies to older folks on MTBs, from entire pro teams with backup cars to self-organized smaller groups, everyone is there for a different and fun day.
I joined the folks from ADR “O Relâmpago”, the same association that organizes the steep climb of Rampa do Vale de Santo António, and had a blast riding along with my brother and new friends.
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