April 23, 2017 - Valença do Douro to Peso da Régua: - A Dabble of the Douro then Leaning to Lisbon (Tour 17) - 2017 🇵🇹

April 23, 2017

April 23, 2017 - Valença do Douro to Peso da Régua:

Hotel: Imperio Hotel

AND I must say that I cannot argue with the claim of it being the best riding road. In the world.

Every now and then a river cruiser floats past. At this time of year, the poppies are growing wild everywhere and gently rocking in the breeze. Near Valença do Douro, Portugal.

The newer bridges are steel and concrete, but sometimes the older ones are right there in all of their ancient stone beauty. Near Valença do Douro, Portugal.

Being up in a tiny village, the casa must wait for the bread delivery truck to arrive. Because of this, breakfast was served at 8:30 am with a Dickensian assortment of breads, jams, meats, cheeses and juices. Shortly after starting, in came the Danes we had met yesterday, and had a great meal with them. I was stuffed and got ready to go, under the watchful eyes of the other guests. A few of them are cyclists so asked questions about my old bike, our Arkel panniers and our route. After the good-byes, which felt like saying good-bye to people we had known for years, out the gate we went. Heading away I noticed the year of the guesthouse carved in the stone... 1831.

With such a steep descent, extreme caution was required and within twenty minutes, there was the N222 road again beside the river. I recognized the curve in the road from the article about the "most beautiful" road. Plus, in many other spots APs were abundant. The whole way was a gentle descent but traffic was steady though not bad. Many road racing cyclists passed by, as did a Backroads cycle tour van.

This was the spot where the photo was taken for the article which claimed the beauty of the road. Oh yes, they are so right.

Today was the warmest day yet, getting up to 26 C. Nice, especially compared to home! Stops were numerous and photo-filled, though I wonder if I really need hundreds of photos of the terraces, as beautiful as they are.

A scary section reminded me of a section I cycled in Provence, France. After passing the huge dam and lock, there was a 40 to 50 m drop down to the shoreline. At the side of the road was a cement or stone wall of about 30 cm high. A little lack of concentration with a subsequent bump into that wall would easily catapult a cyclist over the top and down that drop, to terrible injury or even death. I was nervous.

Arriving along the N222 to Regua. Here a new concrete behemoth carries traffic across the valley. We chose the path less traveled. Peso da Régua, Poertugal.

The former steel railway bridge is now a beautifully-decked pedestrian bridge. From it there are beautiful views of the terraces, the Douro and the city. Peso da Régua, Portugal.

The bridges into Régua came into view, including a former railway bridge converted into a pedestrian bridge. That was how we entered Régua. In no time the hotel was in sight, we checked in and headed out along the river to find lunch. Afterwards, energy was dissipating quickly. It was time to update blogs, upload pics and do laundry.

Similar to the hilltop bull silhouettes in Spain, this very simple silhouette advertises Sandeman Port. Peso da Régua, Portugal.

Bridges over the Douro River into Peso da Régua, Portugal.

Today's ride: 26 km (16 miles)
Total: 98 km (61 miles)

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