After five years or so running the Pedal Portugal website simply as an information resource for fellow cyclists, I took the leap and decided to try running my own guided tours at the end of last year. My 'guinea pig' bike tour set off from Lagos on 31st January and since then I've run two… Continue reading The Long And The Short
I've just been sent a whole load of pictures from one of the riders on the Border Castles Tour we ran in April. (Next one is in October.) Previous posts have talked about this tour so I won't write much. Instead I've picked out some of my favourite pictures. Thanks for sharing them, Bruce!
A new list of Pedal Portugal guided cycle tours is now available, with planned dates looking as far ahead as June 2017. The revised and updated itinerary for this autumn (fall) includes two guided biking tours of the Alentejo - the Border Castles Tour (departs 9th October) and the Alentejo Circuit (departs 23rd October). Also coming up in… Continue reading New Route, New Schedule
For me, cycling has always been about much more than just turning the pedals and clocking up the miles (or kilometres), whether back home in England or touring through another country. That's why on the guided tours I'm running in Portugal I try to emphasise the fact that it's all about what we see - and… Continue reading It’s All About The Experience
Sunshine, the sounds of cicadas and birdsong, the smell of hawthorn blossom and cistus bushes, carpets of wildflowers...today's ride was like the best of spring and summer rolled into one. Combine all of the above with almost traffic-free roads and you might begin to appreciate why I just adore cycling in Portugal's Alentejo at this… Continue reading Pure Bliss – Sunday Ride In The Alentejo
We're flying back to Portugal this afternoon to get ready for the next Pedal Portugal guided cycle tour - this time for a new route. The Border Castles Tour goes through some of my favourite bits of the Alentejo. We start in Évora and over the next 10 days do an anti-clockwise circuit into the north-east corner of… Continue reading Ready To Ride
There are so many reasons I love Portugal - the range of landscapes, the sunshine, the quiet roads, the history, the (cheap) wine, all those castles, the food etc. etc. But one of the most important ingredients is the people. When I first visited the country I thought many of the Portuguese seemed a bit dour. But I soon learnt not… Continue reading Would This Happen At Home?
I'm now back in the UK after completing the second Algarve Winter Tour, which involved taking seven riders (six Canadians and one American) on a circuit around the south-west corner of Portugal. Pedal Portugal's second ever guided tour was great fun. Everything seemed to go even more smoothly this time. No punctures, some great cycling, good… Continue reading Happy Memories
If you fancy joining Pedal Portugal on a guided cycle tour this year then you've got just over two days left to take advantage of the 10% discount on offer for early bird bookings. Since completing my first ever tour - the inaugural Algarve Winter Tour - I've now got the first reviews from riders who took part.… Continue reading Last Chance For Early Birds
The first Pedal Portugal guided cycle tour ended on Tuesday when we arrived back in Lagos at the end of our nine-day circuit. It was a fantastic trip around the south-west corner of Europe and all the riders seemed to have enjoyed themselves despite the 'undulating' terrain! (There's a new Reviews page where a couple of… Continue reading Algarve Tour – Photo Gallery 2
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