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Preparing for the TransPortugal

The TransPortugal Garmin Team / 07.05.2008

The TRANSPORTUGAL GARMIN is composed of 8 stages totalling approximately 1000 km and starts in the city of Bragança on the 1st June 2008, finishing in Sagres in the Algarve on the 8th June. The race has 50 competitors from 11 countries and SleepMonsters will be following their progress as they ride. Portuguese riders recently had a chance to test some of the route and learned some valuable lessons ...

There is now only a month until the TransPortugal Garmin 2008 starts and preparations have been underway for many months. Recently a few riders had the opportunity to see what really waits for them as the organisers invited any of the Portuguese riders who wanted to, to join them for a test run of two of the stages: stages 3 and 4.

Stage 3 from Alfaiates to Ladoeiro crosses the Serra de Malcata mountains, one of the most remote places in Portugal, the Serra de Ramilo, climbs to the medieaval town of Monsanto and then crosses flatter terrain passing Idanha-a-Velha and the Sra de Almortão sanctuary to reach the Idanha Natura Hotel 113 km and 2712 m later.

Stage 4 starts off fast as the route heads towards the Tejo river, which it crosses at Vila Velha de Rodão. It then climbs into the Alentejo, crossing the villages of Salavessa, Pé da Serra and Povoa e Meadas. From here you can already see the mountains with Marvão and Castelo de Vide, the final destination, perched on top. The stage ends with an arduous climb on cobbles right into the castle. A tough 108 km and 2283 m of climbing.

After several weeks of unseasonably cold weather, rain and strong winds, on Friday things changed dramatically. The clouds disappeared, the sun came out and temperatures rocketed ... to close to 40ºC! As the group of 10 riders set off from the Pelicano hotel at 9 am Saturday morning they could already feel the heat ... the day just got hotter and hotter! At dinner everyone agreed the steep climb up the Serra de Ramilo had been the hottest and hardest moment in the day.

The countryside was spectacular. All the recent rain means the vegetation is lush and green and all the flowers are out: lavender, gorse, cistus bushes... It was a real treat for the senses.

Sunday continued hot, though with a slight breeze in the more open sections. The cold water of the fountain in Salavessa was very welcome after the long climb up from the Tejo valey.

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