{"id":3342,"date":"2024-06-14T20:59:04","date_gmt":"2024-06-14T20:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madbikerides.com\/?p=3342"},"modified":"2024-06-14T20:59:08","modified_gmt":"2024-06-14T20:59:08","slug":"57-monsanto-to-sabugueiro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madbikerides.com\/?p=3342","title":{"rendered":"57. Monsanto to Sabugueiro"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over a few beers\u2026John and I hatched a plan. To take a short cut!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In between Monsanto and where we are going is Portugal\u2019s highest mountain. Torre (tower\u2026not bull!) in the Serra da Estrela range, which stands at 1,993 metres (6,538 feet)\u2026in the middle of of the national park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We could of course cycle round it. Or we could just go straight over the top!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mad bikers however rarely take the sensible option\u2026so over the top it was!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A record ascent\u2026for me!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First however\u2026we had to get to Covilha\u2026.where the climbing really starts\u2026involving 64kms and around 1,000 metres of ascent!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So a recharge was going to be inevitable!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A nice ride there\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2026..and then a long lazy breakfast\u2026.to prepare us for the 1,400m climb\u2026up that! (John contemplating\u2026.!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And we of course started the climb at midday\u2026.in the sunshine!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first ten kms or so were a slog. 10%+ gradient. And our 1.5 hours of battery recharge was exhausted after just 7km!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thankfully it did get easier\u2026..with more manageable gradients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lovely ride\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2026..altitude signs! Not sure they were a good thing (like, really that high?!\u2026) or a bad thing (still so far to go?)\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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as we neared the top\u2026.the views etc were spectacular\u2026..(note the snow!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2026so plenty of photos!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Which was a good thing\u2026for just before we reached the top\u2026the clouds came down! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the views were not great!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is us at the top\u2026in the cloud!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Amazingly, John\u2019s battery ran out\u2026.right at the top!!! My gripe with Shimano batteries continues\u2026as my Bosch battery still had over 50% left!! Shimano\u2019s are just so inferior\u2026..!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully\u2026.the 18kms to our overnight stop was all down hill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Well\u2026so we thought! But there were a couple of small climbs on the way down\u2026.into the wind\u2026..so John had to walk!! Hard work!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And the clouds stayed down\u2026so no more photos! My glasses fogged up\u2026.and my fingers froze! Literally!! It was SO COLD\u2026.especially at downhill pace! So different from the sweatboxes we were\u2026..climbing on the sunny side!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so we were shivering as we reached Sabugueiro\u2026.a small town in the mountains\u2026sitting at around 1,100 metres\u2026so plenty of downhill to go tomorrow!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cool here too\u2026! Indeed\u2026it is freezing!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A funny little place\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2026..but we found a delightful wee Cantinho about 100 metres away (plenty!) from our house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lots of beers\u2026and a two course meal for less than 15 Euros each! (..and yes\u2026that is the opening game of the Euros\u2026the hopes of a nation – Scotland – quashed in just 20 minutes!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And\u2026after John\u2019s euchre win yesterday\u2026taking the score to 3-2\u2026he was hoping for a levelling win today. But\u2026alas\u2026beginner\u2019s luck prevailed. 4-2!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have enough nights to take it to 13 games\u2026so first to seven! (Hopefully I will not need that long\u2026much to John\u2019s irritation! Haha!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh\u2026and on our way down in the cloud\u2026we missed this\u2026and lots other delights! Thankfully our hosts chose to put this pic on their bedroom wallpaper! Note the light switch\u2026hahaha!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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