From Porto to Aveiro

On Thursday morning we packed our bags, unfolded our bikes and hit the road for our first real ride since arriving in Portugal. When we left our apartment we had to walk our bikes down the hill to the waterfront due to the steepness of the street we lived on. It was a cool 14°C at 8:00 AM with a gentle breeze coming in from the river. We headed out across the Luis l bridge and rode west along the waterfront below the Port houses on the south side of the river to the point where the Douro empties into the Atlantic. After about 10 kms, into our ride, we turned south and rode along the beautiful, scenic Portuguese coast for almost 40 kms to Esmoriz where the bike path ended and we had to turn inland for a while. The route became a little more challenging at that point, with a few 4% to 8% hills that were, fortunately, not terribly long. After all, this was our first ride and we didn't want to be tackling anything too mountainous at this stage. At Ovar, we again turned west toward the coast and rode along the inner portion of the peninsula that runs to Sao Jacinto, where we hopped on the ferry that brought us back to the mainland and our final destination of Aveiro.

Including the minor detours (getting lost) and the lunch and nature breaks, we traveled 86.5 kms in a leisurely 5:22 at an average speed of 16.1 kmh.

http://www.strava.com/activities/404094149

It was a beautiful day for a first ride and now, after a well deserved night's rest, we're ready to explore Portugal's answer to Venice; Aveiro.Read more