Gravel Birds. Portugal, Algarve y Alentejo

May- june 2023. 805kms – 11380+.

Like every year, it's time to think about where we can go on a cycling adventure.

Many places like Tuscany, the Dolomites, Morocco and also an adventure through the Iberian Peninsula were heard. But there was no escape, a very turbulent time was coming for almost the whole peninsula and a large part of Europe. The only salvation was the north of Europe and the south of Portugal. There we had it, "vamos a la Gravel Birds por el Alentejo en Portugal". And there we planted in Farol on May 28.

We left the suitcases and portabicis in a friend's rented house (thank you Nora) and without losing time we set off. 

We prepared to get on the bike and not get off in 6-7 days. That same afternoon we had the intention of doing about 80kms, and the truth is that we both started, but there was a mechanical accident that made us stop in a town called Loulé, which by the way is a town that thanks to that accident we were able to meet and we got a great deal surprise. 

Well, on the second day, we left late, at noon, but with a good pace, we made sufficient progress. We stopped in Odemira, a beautiful town that reminded us of the villages in Morocco. To all this, during the afternoon, the Septi brake caliper stopped working!! Decision? release the clamp and attach it to the frame. Goodbye rear brake for the rest of the adventure.

On the third day it was time to approach the coast with a change of scenery. A beautiful coast, with amazing cliffs and beaches, as well as a little civilization. Todo parecía ir sobre ruedas, pero siempre tiene que haber algungo pero. We had to walk a lot on the arena tracks. As the day progressed, we had to find accommodation that we were very grateful for, because having had to walk so much made us slow down a lot, not being able to put in the expected kms of the day. That day we slept in Cercal.

On the fourth day, we had to give him a lot of cane to recover from the previous days, and well, we didn't want to lose the flight back to Faro either. It was a very hot day but we drew mastiffs before arriving at Aljustrel. In the end, we had a good memory of that with dinner in a deep Alentejo tasca. Like every day, how easy was it for us to enter the Sagres beer, toast!

The rain came. The fifth day was the only day in which we saw rain, yes, just after arriving at the accommodation in Beja. The landscape was incredible, much cork oak, much vineyard, dry terrain... And mastines and dogs too. That day we finished in Mértola. Los kms concidieron us perfect, and how happy we are about it, because it was a super special walled town on the edge of the Guadiana. This day we roam the Spanish territory passing through the incredible old Minas de Santo Domingo.

The last day we went straight to Faro, already wanting to park the bikes and enjoy Faro. Ya se sabe lo que se dice, comer, beber, restar y risas. Well no! Between picking up the suitcases, dismounting the bikes and everything, we didn't have time for anything. In addition, we got confused when taking the accommodation, we were correct with the day but not with the month and after a kilometer walking with the bike bags we found the accommodation occupied. That's it, finally. We had little time left to enjoy the rest, but we did it at dinner recapitulating the battles of the route.

Gravel Birds through the Alentejo covering 805kms and 11380mts of elevation gain.

We have already had several adventures of this type together, even though we are friends, each one is his father and mother (the tireless, the carreritas, the complainer and the methodical data analyzer), but with you at the end of the world. We will have to start thinking about the next adventure.