Sept 6 2017, Spoke ride to Odidos, Alcobaca, and Nazare

This morning Liam and I were up and on the road at 9:00 am.  The fog had rolled in and it was kind of damp and had a chill in the air.  So I started off with a set of arm warmers and a light cycling jacket.  The cycling jacket did not last long but the fog hung around for until almost 11:00 am before the sun gained enough strength to burn the fog off.  

Liam took me over to Obidos to see the castle and aqueduct which was built in 1148 by Afonso Henriques after he captured the town from the Moors.   The fog obscured the castle but the aqueduct was quite impressive.  The roads were we rode on were all quite back roads which were beautifully paved with almost no traffic.  However they builders had no sense of vertical as around every corner was a 14-18% incline.  

After a couple of quick photos we were off to Alcobaca.  This is the home to Mosteiro de Santa Maria ra which was consecrated in 1153.   This huge monastery is now a UNESCO world heritage site.   Liam and I sat in front and had a coffee and Pastel de Nata which is a traditional custard tart.   I poked my head in and took a couple of pictures.  To say it was impressive is a huge understatement.   

From there we rode up to Nazare.  In Nazare we meet Agnes and Suibhon for a lunch od sardines. They came on a huge platter with salad and boiled potatoes.   The view from the top of the cliffs was absolutely unbelieveable.  It was at least 600 feet down to the main city and the beach.  A funicular ran up the side of the cliff to the upper town.  Nazare is home to the world’s largest surf and is home to the word surfing championships.  I was a lot of fun sitting in a cliff side restaurant looking out.

After lunch we headed home.  We had a good ride covering 94 kms and 1500 meters of climb with and an average speed of 18.8 kms/hr.  I thought that was a good speed considering that a high percentage of the climb was up slopes that exceeded 14% and almost none of it was below 7.5 %.  I was really glad Liam's bike has great climbing gears.  

What a great day of cycling.

Terry