2025 Ride Across Portugal

We will be picking up at the Porto airport in the afternoon and will then make our way to our hotel in Porto. After checking into our hotel, we will assist to get your bike assembled and/or bike fitted.

We will meet back together later this evening to enjoy a welcome dinner. Your guides will explain what to expect over the next several days and you will receive a gift from Custom Getaways..

Good morning and let’s get going!  After breakfast, we’ll take short ride to make sure we’re comfortable with our bikes and that everything is working and to also help shake off the dust from travel. While the cyclists ride, the non-cyclists will do another short tour of Porto.

For the non-cyclists, what better way to start our sojourn in Portugal than with a gentle guided stroll through the city by the river that gave its name to the national drink? We will introduce you to the more famous Northern bank of the Douro before crossing the magnificent Dom Luís I Bridge, the views from which are truly breathtaking. Vila Nova de Gaia – on the opposite banks is the perfect place to seek out lunch, take stunning photos or explore the port houses, before we drive to Duoro for registration and our next hotel.

After we check out of our Porto hotel, the cycling group will find a place for lunch and make the drive to the Duoro valley to register and pick up our new kits and accreditations for the event. There will be a large group dinner and the event organizers will do a briefing on what to expect over the next week.

We start the tour by riding an amazing road, along the left bank of the Douro River, surrounded by some of the most iconic wine estates of Douro Valley. This road was elected as the “Best and Most Beautiful Road in the World”, in an international contest promoted by the prestigious AVIS rent-a-car international group.

These first 8 km are a special aperitif for this 1st stage, where participants will cross a magical journey through the Douro Valley and the typical mountain landscapes of northern Portugal. The Duoro River will be our guide before entering the rugged and spectacular landscape of the Beira Alta plateau, crossing mountains and valleys in one of the most remote regions of Portugal.

After watching the mass start, the non-riders will begin the day across the nearby hill at one of the most fascinating Port wine houses; Quinta da Pacheco – for a tour and tasting. It is of course also possible to buy and ship the wonderful nectar back home. We then follow the magnificent Douro river onto Pinhão; a lovely little town where we can find lunch, souvenirs and enjoy a stroll by the river, before heading south. After lunch we persue the riders across the hills of stage one and onto Guarda

This challenging first stage ends in Guarda, the Portuguese highest city, where athletes will recover from the effort and emotions of this first day.

On the second day, participants will tackle one of Ride Across Portugal’s most special stages.

Its culmination is marked by high mountain and a special-category ascent that takes participants to the highest point in Continental Portugal (Alto da Torre) at 1,993 meters above sea level. The descent from Alto da Torre to the finish line of this stage covers approximately 14 kilometers, offering breathtaking scenery along the way.

Today the riders climb and so do the non-riders, after a leisurely start to the day. The route winds its way South and ultimately up into the highest mountains of mainland Portugal. Weather permitting we can make wonderfully scenic stops today to take in the views and maybe some strolls in the Serra da Estrela mountains.

Our destination tonight is a stunningly located, former sanatorium hotel; a pousada of Portugal (the Portuguese version of the Spanish Paradores). The hotel is something fantastically unique and also features a spa and a wonderful bar-lounge area in which to relax

Considering the high mountain journey of the previous day, we can consider this 3rd Stage as a recovery stage. However it’s not a flat and monotonous stage. On this day, the participants ride through the beautiful and undulating roads of Beira Baixa.

One of the highlights of the stage is the Tagus River crossing bridge just in front of “Portas do Rodão” (Rodão Gates) a spectacular natural granite monument that offers to the athletes the view of one of the most iconic postcards of our country.

As it does every morning, the race heads south today and we soon enter some of the most enchanting landscapes of Portugal; cork tress, olives, vineyards and nesting storks make for stunning photographic memories. Our goal today is the hotel itself, one of the best in the whole country perhaps. The Coudelaria de Alter founded in 1748 no less, is not only incredibly beautiful, it is also one of the country’s leading stud farms, breeding the famous Lusitano horses for sale all around the world. We can enjoy a tour of the farm, learning about and visiting, up close, these beautiful creatures. One of the highlights is watching the mares and foals run free into the fields in the evening where they will spend the night.

At the end of the stage, it’s time not only to appreciate history, but to live it in person. The recovery will be made in the unique atmosphere of the brand new and spectacular hotel, describes above, where RAP participants can relax in the middle of a world famous stud farm, with the whole history around the Puro Sangue Lusitano horse.

The typical undulating landscape of Alentejo, with its cornfields and narrow roads surrounded by cork oaks make the perfect picture of the Alentejo region.

Today through the tranquil, undulating fields of El Alentejo region of Portugal, we head off to its superb capital, Évora. After lunch in the centre of town we are joined by a local Évora resident who will unravel this jewel of a city in the Portuguese crown, for us. From ancient Roman ruins, whitewashed streets, featuring some of the best souvenirs in the country, to gothic and baroque architecture – including the macabre, yet fascinating ‘bone church’ – the city offers so much. RAP makes this a short stage, partly due to the beauty of Évora itself, and the riders, should they have the legs still, will be able to join us on the afternoon guided stroll before we all have dinner together in our central hotel.

The Mar D’Ar Hotel, located inside the historic city walls is the perfect place to rest and recover for the two remaining stages to the end.

The stage is mostly flat, but very challenging, due the course design, the quiet roads and the diversity of some of the scenarios. The final climb and the conquest of the Monchique Montain marks the entry in Algarve, and will be the cherry on the top of the cake of this super stage.

The village of Monchique, right at the top of the mountain that dominates the Algarve landscape welcome all the brave riders. The great views until the coast and the charm that surrounds this termal village will be a deserved prize for the effort of all athletes.

Letting the riders do their thing – we begin the day by learning all about the best kept secret and ‘soft gold’ of Portugal and the Alentejo Region; cork. All around us this beautiful tree has kept us company the last few days and it’s time to discover the versatility and a little of the science behind one of the great income sources of Portugal. A private tour teaches us everything we need to know and more; you’ll never open a bottle of wine the same way again. Then we catch up with the finish on a splendid mountain top – at one of the country’s great cycling cafes before gently rolling downhill to our next hotel.

At Monchique Thermal Hotel, the entire squad will relax and recover from this great stage, enjoying this thermal resort where calm and charm merge in a unique atmosphere.

After descending the Monchique montain, the participants ride  the first kilometers on the challenging road that follows the right bank of the dam and Ribeira de Odelouca.

Up and at them – the non-cycling group wants to beat the riders to the simply stunning Algarve region and the Atlantic from where there is truly ‘no more land to ride’. Welcome to the end of Europe. The Algarve is such a fabulous part of the country in which to finish our adventure; beautiful sandy beaches, chilled rosé wines, cliffs walks and views and the feeling of having completed, whether as a rider or a spectator something a little bit different that will live long in the memory. At the finish line we are greeted with champagne and tapas and you’ll be in place to snap pics of loved ones and new found friends, crossing the finish line. Tonight RAP wishes us farewell with a dinner and medals ceremony in our final hotel

One of the most emblematic and spectacular scenery of the Portuguese Atlantic coast welcomes the end of Ride Across Portugal. The Chapel of Srª da Rocha, perched on a spectacular cliff above the sea, will be the unforgettable setting for all participants to celebrate the conquest of Ride Across Portugal.

The Hotel is located on the nearest cliff – 300 m from the finish line. A four-star, on a fantastic spot over the sea. After to take the recovery meal and packing the bicycles, it’s time to enjoy the beach, the swimming pool or the terraces to relax and socialize before the closing dinner/party and trophy ceremony.

We will drop at the Lisbon airport around 13:00. You can head home or spend some time in Lisbon, one of the premier destinations in Europe. We hope to see you again!