Raiva, Portugal

Editors Note. Tap on the thumbnail image to see the full version.

Finally! A beautiful sunny day with negligible wind and no rain in the forecast. This is what we signed up for although the prospect of a 53 mile/85.5 km ride was a bit daunting.

Our hotel overlooks the Douro River and is built, like most buildings in the valley, into the steep slope of the hills. The angled design means a novel funicular elevator that travels on the diagonal versus vertical. Our room is on the 9th level so we get to “enjoy” the full ride.

What to wear was a concerning question given we were facing novel weather conditions. Despite the bright skies the temperature at the start was in the low 50’s (12C) which felt even cooler given the speed at which one travels. We stopped high above the river to admire the view and shed layers.

Our day was divided into two separate rides. The profile of the morning route meant we were in for a lot of hill climbing.

The first leg was a climb of 7-8% incline right out of the gate. That will make the ole ticker start thumping immediately. Fortunately there were some downhills as well.

And, of course, the f*ing cobblestones. And steep downhill to boot.

The post lunch afternoon ride had less changes in elevation but still put us to the test given the initial extended uphill section.

Our ride took us through extensive Eucalyptus forests that had suffered from the devastating forest fires that ravaged Portugal this summer. We also had to take care on some sections due to the plant debris this week’s storm had scattered across the road. Other than that it was pretty clear sailing.

Unlike previous days we were able to stop and enjoy our surroundings.

We wove our way along the hills knowing a speed wobble would have serious consequences.

The Douro hosts many cruise lines that offer wine tours at various points. We wondered if those travelers knew what sights they were missing.

Finally back to the hotel and a celebration of sorts for having completed a fairly tough test. We also said goodbye to two of our guides, Nacho and Oscar, who had to leave for other tours.