April 4, 2012
Entre-os-Rios via Peso da Regua
west along the Douro Valley
If I'd cycled the dozen kilometres the night before, they'd have been a very easy end to the day. Each is steeply down to the river Duoro.
The sun isn't sure whether to come out or not, but it isn't too chilly and I have on just my lightweight jacket... perhaps it's going to be warmer at this lower level, out of the high plains.
Initially, it's a case of following the sign out of Lamego for Regua, only to realize after five minutes it's leading me south to get on the highway, so I doubled back, ride through what might be deemed the town's historic centre - a tree-lined plaza - and then up the cobbled streets, past the castle, to the highest point of Lamego. After that it's all downhill.
The views are super and this is the change of scenery I've wanted, but it lasts too briefly: a dozen eye-watering kilometres before the road delivers me to one of the bridges spanning the Duoro.
It's an old railway bridge, made of steel, and has been recently renovated. The wooden deck is clean and some of the paintwork isn't yet finished. It's been converted into a pedestrian-only crossing, while just upstream are the two other crossings: a high concrete structure carrying the fast highway, and a graceful, old arched bridge - used mainly by local traffic - constructed of stone.
The road gets a little bit busy. It's tempting to stop at one of the various establishments catering to visitors and have a coffee in Regua, but it seems best to keep going and find a quieter spot further along the road, which now traces the wide Duoro.
The level, riverside tarmac doesn't last long and while I'd anticipated an easy cruise, my granny gears get used for a good while soon enough. Why the N 108 drifts away from the waterside is a mystery, but it climbs to the highest parts of the valley; up hundreds of metres, quite steeply in places, and the river slowly becomes a distant piece of scenery and eventually disappears while vehicles, which included heavy trucks as well as commercial vans and local cars, whiz by.
There's little room for me and my wheels roll along the white line most of the time.
One particularly strenuous stretch of N 108 has me walking. At the top is a village - Mesao Frio - where, as it's now around one o'clock, I have a toasted cheese sandwich sat at a table in a café. Thankfully the road calms down thereafter; maybe most of the traffic has joined the faster route, the N 101.
The 108 drops from Mesao Frio, only to rise again after a few more kilometres. It twists and curves and at times I wonder if this is the right road because the river is out of sight.
The weather is still iffy and clouds roll over, then the sun briefly appears, then hides and my jacket gets dug out of the bar-bag on one of the chilly descents.
The man outside his home says the road is level - in the way that only a non-cyclist can. Give me a beak. I can see it ahead, swerving up the valley wall and guess he's trying to be positive. Another 25 kilometres he reckons it is to the next place to sleep - or ride back 5 km to a Casa Rural. I keep going, climbing for the next handful of kilometres, at times in my lowest gears. My computer already has 70 or so clocked up.
The last ten kilometres are fast; the 108 finally descends to the river, and once over an elegant bridge, I follow signs to the village centre and before I know it it's the far edge with having seen no sign for a place to stay.
A man standing by the road in a dark suit with a Rotary lapel badge speaks good English and tells me about the local hotel options. My best bet is back where I've just come from, but making a turn near the stone bridge and going a couple of kilometres east, up.
That's what I do, finding the Inatel, a grand looking building probably nearly 100 years old which doesn't have the word hotel anywhere on it, standing within grounds.
It's already gone seven.
They have Wi-fi, a restaurant, serve beer and Chelsea are playing Benfica in the Champions League quarter final second leg on TV shortly. Game over for me.
Today's ride: 98 km (61 miles)
Total: 1,477 km (917 miles)
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