For those less familiar with Portuguese geography, the TransPortugal Garmin Race crosses the following administrative divisions or "distritos": Bragança, Guarda, Castelo Branco, Portalegre, Évora, Beja e Faro.

 

Notwithstanding, May will be May, and any cloud can surprise you with the occasional shower. At least for now, the weather is a definite factor in the race. Last days abundant rainfall may have also left its mark on the trails, spread over a country that has otherwise seen minimum precipitation this last Winter: Portugal is threatened by yet another drought. We may come back to this issue further on.

 

FROM THE WORLD TO BRAGANZA

 

Most of the athletes made the 500 km (310 mile) long journey between Lisbon and Braganza together on a bus that left Lisbon at around 16h00. Some boarded the bus almost directly from the plane, after flying thousands of km from their homelands. For all those who couldn't see much of Lisbon, we hope that on their way back from Sagres they can at least take a peak from one of the many belvederes and gaze onto the mighty Tagus River estuary.

 

On its tenth edition the race keeps an important international profile. Around 70% of the 60 plus participants are not Portuguese. In total, some 13 different nationalities are ready to cross the country: Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zeeland, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, United Kingdom and USA.

 

There will be time to get to know a bit more of the lives and hometowns of the athletes. The race's world map sure looks promising: from the historical Vila do Paul, nestled between Estrela and Gardunha Mountain Ranges in Portugal, to the beaches and Everglades of Florida, USA; crossing the Brazilian Cipó Mountain Range's many waterfalls in Minas Gerais, into the forests of South Africa's Limpopo Province.

 

Not even TransPortugal Garmin Race's renowned difficulty seems to stop many of them from coming back for more. Or is it precisely the hardship that makes them repeat? Well, we'll just have to wait for it to begin again, and then ask someone who has done it more than once.

 

DAY 0

 

Friday, May 4th, the race's Day 0, will be mostly dedicated to the machines. In the morning, the athletes can unpack and prepare their bikes, while in the afternoon it's satellite time, with GPS setup and briefing. Keep in mind that the GPS is a fundamental part of TransPortugal Garmin Race. Not only is it the only way to know the route, but it also tells us if each stage's route has been done correctly.

 

At the end of the day, there will be time for the very first contact of both leg and machine with the trails ahead, on a training session through the first portion of next day's real stage, allowing everyone to check if their bikes and GPS are locked and ready.

 

BRAGANZA

 

Amidst all the preparations and anxiety leading up to any great competition, it won't be easy to find some time to get to know a bit more about of the city of Braganza, capital of a region in which the many flowers of the brooms, gorses and heaths are starting to blossom and dress the countryside this time of year.

 

A millenary city, and always far from the capital of the kingdom ...