TransPortugal 2010 - Post Race Analysis - On your bucket list?

So here we are several weeks after the race and I am still trying to comprehend this event. I must say that in retrospect, this race was a really good time, and will result in some memories that will last a lifetime.



The race is very hard! The hours that you spend on the bike are probably unmatched in any of the amateur multi day races out there. After the first two days, I must admit that I was not sure that I would make it to the finish. I think that the Cape Epic that I attended was harder. The total time was about the same, but the riding was downright boring and the temperature was ridiculously hot. At least in this race, each day brought several different types of riding that made the hours go by faster.

The support by the organizing committee is fantastic. They treat you like family, and care for you likewise. Accommodations and food are unparalleled. Our accommodations were 3, 4 and 5 star hotels and the food in most of the locations was of similar quality.

The after races “snacks” prepared for us were instrumental in allowing us to recover for the next days ride.

Similarly, the fact that you can sleep in a real bed with a solid roof over your head, although not essential, allows for the recover needed to complete as race of this magnitude. In comparison to other races out there the value for money is exceptional. Expect that once you land in Portugal, that almost all your basic needs are covered by the organizers fee.

The scenery is in one word “spectacular”. There is no way that a regular tourist would ever see Portugal the way the participants in this race have seen it. The flowers, the history, the culture; it is really impossible to describe. Please take the time and scan Carlos Dias’s pictures to really see how impossibly beautiful Portugal is at this time of year.

Would I do it again? Not sure yet. 9 days is an awful long time to race a bike, and 174 km in one day on a mountain bike is really a bit ridiculous. That being said, if you have to do the above two, I cannot think of a better location to do it. The same organization Ciclonatur puts on a similar adventure in early June. The major difference between the two is that instead of traversing the distance in 9 days they do it in 14 days. This clearly cuts the daily bike time down although potentially the total time could be the same or longer. It is advertised as a tour, not a race, and in fact this is the original TransPortugal. The version (i.e. race) we participated in was created to fill a need for those participants who wanted to traverse the country faster.

Whatever your choice, I would certainly put down the traversing of Portugal in the spring as a must do. For those of you with bike “bucket” lists, out this one on it.