October 10, 2014
Our last, and Hardest Day, Also Our Second Longest: We peddle into Sintra
Today's ascent 1200m, for a GRAND total of 10,030m, or 32,906ft, over 12 days of cycling in Portugal.
Today was our last day, and our hardest of the tour. Fortunately the weather was perfect, which always helps.
The first part of our ride was through a vegetable growing area, with very rich looking soil. We had some steep hills, but not too long. We were told that between km 42, and 67, would be the steepest of the day. I can't say that I was looking forward to it, that much, and the Surly's were saying that they were getting tired of hills.
There were some good ones of 12-14%, but not too long. I think the worst part of the day was the aggressive Portuguese drivers. Unlike the other European countries that we have cycled in, Portuguese drivers, in general do not respect cyclists. They have no patience to wait behind you until safe to go around, and instead, play chicken with the oncoming car, and put the cyclist in danger. There was one particular twisty, downhill section today that was particularly bad. Both Ron and I and one of our friends that was with us, had several close calls on this section. At this point, I was just thinking about everyone getting finished without any injuries. At the bottom of this hill, we came to a busy highway, that we had to cross. When I looked up at the direction we were going, I thought, "you have got to be kidding"! There ahead of us was a VERY long, steep hill, with lots of traffic. It looked to be 14%+. Fortunately, there was a wonderful bike path beside this highway, and although, it was just as steep, and long, it was away from the heavy traffic.
At the too of the hill, there was a lovely lookout to the sea below, where there we many surfers. We spoke to a local person, who told us that they were all professionals, and they were practicing for the international competition, and this was the beach where it will be held. We enjoyed just watching them, after our grueling climb.
The rest of the way into Sintra was hilly, but it didn't seem too bad, although our legs were telling us otherwise. We all rode into Sintra to our hotel, as a group, and when we rode past an outdoor cafe next door, everyone was cheering. YEH, WE DID IT!!!!
Two days in Lisbon, then HOME, SWEET HOME.
Today's ride: 57 miles (92 km)
Total: 1,627 miles (2,618 km)
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