Biking in Portugal (Porto region)
In March 2024 we went for a workation towards Portugal. Marie-Claire left first for a couple of days with the ladies of the cycling club. When that trip ended and the ladies went back home, I joined Marie-Claire in the same hotel where we first had a couple of days to further explore the region by bike. The last couple of days we moved to an AirBnb appartment in the city center of Porto to work remotely before heading back to Belgium.
We stayed in the sportshotel FeelViana which is located at the beach in Viana do Castelo. This hotel is a true gem and we can strongly recommend this place. It starts with it’s unique location in a oase of green and you have direct access to the beach via a shorth wooden boardwalk of 80 meters. There is a big terrace where you can relax after your sport activities. The outdoor swimmingpool is not heated, so in spring it can be chilly. The room are spacious and have all comfort and a terrace. The spa has a hammam, sauna and swimming pool and relax seats around it. You can also book all kinds of massages and beauty sessions.
Next to all the above there is also a very extensive breakfast where things are presented in such a nice way so it looks even more tasteful. There was really nothing which lacks on the different tables. And just when you realise that, they come and ask which omelette or other variant the chef can prepare for you. It will give you all the energy to start a sportive day. In the evening the restaurant is also worth visiting and it makes that you don’t have to go anywhere. The menu is changes every week and the delicious dishes are affordable. They also have some nice wine options.
The hotel has also a certified Scott service point. Every year they have new bikes in the rental shop which are solved by the end of the year. The rentals are not cheap, but you do get a top model with a great wheelset and electrical shifting. It will assure you make the best out of your biking trips.
Aveiro Spring Classic
Unexpectedly we competed in the Aveiro Spring Classic. As Marie-Claire was staying in FeelViana with a bunch of ladies to bike, she got to know about this Grand Fondo. Via Ricardo, one of the the friendly people of the bike service station in the hotel, who knew somebody of the organisation we were able to obtain some last minute tickets and become the sole participants of Belgium to this edition of the Grand Fondo. There are roughly 1300 people participating and around half of them rides the short distance (90 km) and half rides the long distance (127 km). The races has several “Sterrato’s” which are to be compared with the dirt roads from Strade Bianche and Gent-Wevelgem. There was also one section with cobble stones, but it was a gentle section compared to the ones we have in Belgium or the ones from Paris-Roubaix.
As we started in the last starting box, we were still standing still when the first riders were already gone for 5 minutes. Your time only starts when you pass the starting line, but it means that the strongest riders are out of reach. From the start I was able to ride from group to group and after a while I found a good group. There was quite some wind and in the end we mostly stick together. Although we rode the previous 3 days each time more than 100km with quite some altitude meters, I had good legs. As a result I finished on 110th place with an average speed of 37,5 km/h. That is quite impressive for my level for such a race.
A tip would be to make sure you are in the front of your group when starting a new sterrate as not everyone is that smooth which can make it dangerous when riding a high speed.
DQ
There were 2 times you could switch between the long (128 km) and short (90 km) race. The signs were not that clear when riding in a bunch and in Belgium you would typically have a sign 100 meters after the junction indicating on which track you are. Due to this Marie-Claire missed a turn and ended up with 110 km. As that is none of the official distances she was disqualified. A pity as with her 34 km/h average she would have ended up on the podium overall and taking 2nd place in her age category. It took here a couple of hours to let that sink in. If it would have occured to me, I was probably still nagging about it one month later.
Local rides
After 4 biking days with the ladies Marie-Claire took a rest day and worked while I was arriving in Portugal. Once settled in the hotel we were ready for 4 biking days. We were blessed with sunny weather and a lovely 25 – 28 C° which made our biking days awesome. I was not familiar with this biking region but without doubt I can strongly recommend this region. As you probably have read above, the 4th days we competed in the Aveiro Spring Classic.
Porto
After our participation in the Aveiro Spring Classic we moved in the direction of Porto where we had rent an AirBnb appartment to work a few days remote. When you have a rental car, I can strongly advise to book an accomodation which includes parking as public parking isn’t easy in the city centre.
In the evenings, after work, we walked a bit through the city. We limited ourselves to walk around the river.
Calem Port house
As we didn’t manage to visit a Port house back in 2018, we planned to visit one this time. We selected Calem without too much of research. It was just where a tour started almost immediate when entering. The tour lasts a little more than 30 minutes and is followed by a tasting session. We selected the premium variant where we could taste 3 variants. As these were included in our 20 euro entrance fee we think this was a nice eperience for a fair price.
Shopping and eating
If you want to buy some Porto to take home, we can recommend the little shop Garrafeira Do Carmo. It is a little shop with a friendly and helpful owner where you can find great Porto from less known Porto houses for a very sharp price.
For our restaurants we just tried our luck by walking around. There are so many options and we had good food for an affordable price.
