The Romans Didn’t Have Bicycles

Day 12: Seia to Celorico da Beira (41 Miles / 5,900 ft.)

On a long bicycle tour, the days can start to blend together: eat, ride, climb, sweat, repeat. But then you find yourself trying to push a loaded bicycle up an ancient Roman road and the day becomes memorable.

Our morning with Adriana and Bernardo included fruit, toast, yogurt with grains and fruit, and possibly the best coffee of the trip. Conversation continued until nearly 9:30, when they needed to begin their bicycle-camping trip and we needed to face the mountains.

Straight out the door came a seven-mile climb gaining more than 2,000 feet. We climbed into the dry, mostly treeless landscape of the Serra da Estrela, mainland Portugal’s highest mountain range. The scenery had changed dramatically, with huge granite slabs and rounded boulders shaped by millions of years of weathering and ancient ice.

We unexpectedly found ourselves sharing the mountain road with competitors in the Estrela Xtreme Triathlon. We cheered as they passed, and they seemed surprised to hear encouragement coming from two loaded bicycle tourists in the middle of nowhere.

In Gouveia, we found shade, ham-and-cheese toast, and a Coke while watching more racers pass. After another difficult climb, we reached Folgosinho. Its small pale-quartz castle, reconstructed on a much older defensive site, overlooks the village and the upper Mondego Valley. We spent half an hour enjoying the view before making our next questionable decision.

The ancient Roman road looked interesting on the map. In reality, its giant stones, grades above 20 percent, and our loaded bikes made even walking difficult.

“I guess the Romans didn’t have bicycles,” became the joke as we wrestled our bikes upward. The road was part of an ancient route across the mountains, built for feet, hooves, and carts, apparently without much consideration for future cyclist.

Celorico da Beira was bustling with its market and evening festivities. We sampled cherry liqueur (Ginja), a shrimp pastry, and white wine while admiring displays of local produce. We hoped for pizza, but the shop had closed, so cheeseburgers and french fries won instead.

The music was scheduled for 10:00 p.m. and the DJ for 2:00 a.m. The Romans may not have had bicycles, but apparently the Portuguese do not need sleep.Read more