TransPortugal Garmin Bike Race

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It all Starts Today in Braganca.

30.05.2009

It's Day "0" for the TransPortugal Garmin 2009. Final preparations will be what the day is all about.

Unpack and set-up bikes, check in with the Organization, briefings about the race, the GPS and stage 1, and just before dinner a test ride on the race course to get used to the GPS and get the feeling of the first climb which starts right out of the village of Gimonde and take the racers up for the first time to the top of the northeast plateau.

It is then important to go to bed early. Sunday morning, just after 7 am the first racers will be on their way to Freixo some 141 km down the track.

USING A GPS

Differently from all other similar races, In this race there aren’t any field markings, ribbons or signs hanging from trees. All racers carry a GPS with the route track on their screen which precisely shows them the way to get to the Finish everyday. From Bragança to Sagres always knowing they are on the right track.

A racer once said ….. When you are alone out there, that line is like our umbilical cord to the

Organizers. It is so precise and reassuring that in fact we never feel alone.

Following the race track is so straight-forward, that all the racers have to concentrate on is their athletic performance to achieve the best results in the race. No more wondering about if this is the right track, just total focusing on the race.

The GPSs are preloaded with race specific maps where there is a virtual road named “TP� which is the race track. These maps are fully detailed and have all the necessary terrain information, contour lines, roads, villages, streets, dirt roads, isolated houses, streams, lakes etc. as well as the race specific waypoints like Check Points, water points and cafes.See All Event Posts