cycle training in Algarve

spinningspen

I am thinking of going to the Algarve next month(18th-23rd) for some training and to watch Contador in his first 2010 Pro race...does anyone have any information on cycle hire around Tavira?...reading some websites,the terrain in Algarve looks good and the weather looks favourable for cycling...if anyone has done any training camps in Algarve,what are the good routes ?

jocksyboy

I have relatives who live near Sao Bras de aportel and alothough the area is fairly lumpy the only real mountain is

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?hl=en& ... cb001adc4c

which is about 500m or so but a nice climb. Most of the minor roads are OK the main roads are a little dodgy as drivers tend to be quite manic!

The only thing that might not be brilliant is the weather. But it will certainly be warmer than here! (they can get lots of rain in Winter and this damages the roads where ditches and rivers overflow)

Overall a great place though!

spinningspen

thanks for that information.I am going anyway so it will be warmer than riding over here and i will see the Volta Ao Algarve with Contador and Co racing up some climbs....i will keep on the minor roads.I have the bike rental sorted as well.

48ricks

spinningspen
Hello mate - I,m going to the Algarve for a bit of road riding (make a change from Mallorca - I thought) - you mentioned cycle hire ,which place are you renting your road bike, I am having difficulty finding anywhere?
cheers
Paul

spinningspen

hi,yes i have had three bike rental shops respond to my emails...the most attractive one is from a company called megasport......€68 for 4 days hire and they deliver to an address where you are staying.I will just take my own pedals...there is also a company called Bikeworld(15mins from Faro airport) and bike iberia but they were expensive compared to the other two.
I just fancied something different this winter and i have combined it with the pro race thats on there next month so there will be other lads i guess out there riding...the reports of the weather in February are mixed but for sure it will eb better than UK.I went to Girona at the end of March last year and it rained so just fancied something different this year.
Email address for megasport is..rentabike@megasport.pt
hope this helps.

Ron Stuart

Hi Guys, I and some fellow riders have been doing the Algarve regular for the last three Febs, my wife and I were there for three months from Jan last year and also three weeks in November. We have been based in Lagos in the past but now have moved to Burgau. Easy reach of the Monchique (Foia 902m). I also ride with the Lagos roadbike club up to 40 out on some Sundays. We do a promo giving a lot more info on the area and the rides, accomodation discounts etc. Drop me an email on (rong.stuart@virgin.net) and I will attach some usefull info about road biking Algarve style on a reply. Many of the Protour teams have training camps in the Algarve and indeed we come across them from time to time, so if anybody knows a good place in the winter months it's them.

Regards

Ron Stuart.

bigal.

I have stayed in Tavira the last 2 years and although it is not the Alp's there are quite a few good routes in the area that are very enjoyable.

The main road along the coastline is the N125 which is very busy but has a very wide area on each side which is not used by cars so it is ideal for a reasonably flat run going either east or west.

The best route is to leave Tavira and head north up the N397 heading for a village called Cachopo. This road is fantastic and is a 15 - 20 mile climb with a nice steady gradient, great surfaces and virtually no traffic. If you reach Cachopo you can head west on the N124 for Barranco Velho which again is a stunning road with amazing views and then you simply head south on the N2 which is a slightly busier road but this is a fast road and you are descending all the way down to Sao Bras where you can then head back into Tavira. Total miles is approx 55 miles and I am sure it comes in at around 1600 metres of climbing.

I would recommend using the N397 as it is a lovely road and it is long enough to just climb up to Cachopo and then come back down again if you are looking for a shorter route. I have never had any bad experiences with drivers over there as the roads are well set up for bikes. The only thing I have found in the summer is there are a fair amount of stray dogs on some of the back roads but in my experience they make a lot of noise and generally stay away.

Hope you enjoy it.

jocksyboy

+1
i have done that route too. v. nice

spinningspen

Thanks guys for all the information.Upon reading your comments and also studying more about cycling in Algarve in general,i am struggling to understand why it is not more popular for Winter riding...the roads sound good,the climate is likely to be much warmer than Uk at this time of year and the Volta ao Algarve pro race is on next month with the winner of Le Tour riding it.....what more can one ask for ?...let's hope i can get some decent miles in and the sun shines.!!

Crankulator

Hi SpinningSpen,

The Algarve is great for winter cycling, we are launching training camps throghout the region this year and we deliver great value carbon/alu racing bikes anywhere in the area - all year round. Look us up at http://www.cycling-rentals.com/equipments/bikemodels

Cheers,

Ron Stuart

Hi Crankculator or should it be Calculator, well I shall be taking my own bike thanks £18.50 each way Easy Jet then putting it in the Hire car at Faro Airport a Renault Megane estate which I shall be hiring for 280 Euros for Three weeks thats 93.33 Euros per week. That gives me...

1. A bike I know fits me exactly which arrives in a bike case along with my cycling kit.
2. Discount of 143.67 Euro per week 431 Euro overall on three weeks compared with your carbon BH.
3. Then I get the free use of a hire car for the whole time I am there.
4. With the amount of money I would save by taking a bike rather than hiring one of yours would enable me to buy a Carbon BH and put some decent wheels on it every third trip.

All the best.

Crankulator

Hi Ron,

Thanks for posting. It really is Crankulator, I'm not much good at calculations, so I used Excel to come up with this sample quote for our BH race bike for 3 weeks, delivered to your hotel:

Cycling Rentals Ron Stuart Algarve
Item Number Needed Rental Days Price** Discount* Sub Total
BH Alu / Carbon Race 1 7 € 100.00 0.00% € 100.00
7 € 100.00 50.00% € 50.00
Delivery Service 1 € 8.52 100.00% € 0.00
Collection Service 1 € 8.52 100.00% € 0.00

Total € 150.00
Total Days 14 Per Day € 10.71

** Price listed is a weekly, discounted price for rentals 7 days or over.
Rentals over 7 days qualify for lower daily rates.
* Discount of 1% per day on all Bicycle rentals over 7 days.
Over 2 weeks the third week is FREE.
Discounts of 1% per day on Equipment rentals over 7 days.

Sadly, it's lost its formatting, but I think you get the gist. You don't pay for the 3rd week, the second week is half price. Plus the delivery is Free, less even than EasyJet. Thanks for your post though, because we should really make this clear.

Cheers,

Martin

Frank Wilson

Apologies for dragging this thread up from 2010 but any of you Algarve cyclists done the climb up from Tavira to Faz Fato, I attempted it last year (over there I only have a cheap 100 euro Berg hybrid type bike) now that was a helluva climb on that bike!