Day seven in the Algarve, and after 263 km and 43 climbs the day before, this one was meant to be a proper rest day: a quick spin to the beach. I didn’t roll out until just after eleven, under a clear sky with the temperature already in the high twenties and barely a breath of wind. The first few kilometres took me down into Silves, where two stops kept me off the bike for over half an hour before the ride got going properly.
Out of Silves the road heads south and climbs on the N124-1, the biggest climb of the day at a little over a kilometre – nothing serious, but enough to wake the legs. From there it was on past Estombar and down to the Arade, over the old bridge into Portimão and along the riverside cycle path.
I couldn’t ride past the giant PORTIMÃO letters on the waterfront without stopping for a selfie, the marina full of masts behind me and the Maglia Ciclamino on my back, the Giro’s jersey for the leading sprinter, though a rest-day spin was never going to earn it. Then it was up behind Praia da Rocha, over the little hill at Praia do Alemão and along the coast towards Alvor. The coast roads made it a busier ride than most this week: 194 vehicles passed me, a lot for such a short day out.
Alvor was the turning point. I leant the bike against the boardwalk rail above the beach, a sea of parasols stretching down to the water, and took a minute to enjoy being somewhere this warm with nowhere I had to be. Then a squinting, sun-flared selfie on the way back out of the village.
Rather than retrace the coast, I headed north through Penina, with a short stop by the Porto de Lagos roundabout, and then climbed past Alcalar into the hills. This was the most sustained climbing of the day, topping out just under 100 m near Casas Velhas. It’s small beer by Algarve standards, but in the early-afternoon heat it was plenty, and Garmin reckoned I’d still sweated out over 2 litres – not bad for a rest day.
From there it was downhill and then a flat run along the Odelouca valley and the N124 back into Silves, finishing with one last drag up to base. A rest day in name, if not quite in nature – but a beach is a beach.
The numbers
- Ride: #1084 on Strava, ride 213 of 2026, day 93 of the streak
- Distance: 72.8 km
- Moving time: 3:02:23 (3:58:50 elapsed)
- Elevation: 640 m
- Average power: 124 W
- Heart rate: 99 bpm average, 144 max
- Cadence: 86 rpm average
- Calories: 1,609 kcal
- Highlight: N124-1, Silves – 1.24 km, 58 m, 5:20 at 192 W
- Conditions: clear and sunny, 27.1°C (feels like 29.5°C), 43% humidity, barely a breath of SE wind
- Year to date: Distance 17,266 km, Elevation Gain 181,756 m
The route
Download the GPX (start and finish trimmed for privacy)
The profile and climbs
10 climbs, all uncategorised. Biggest: 1.3 km at 4.0%, 53 m of climbing (from km 9). Together the climbs account for 278 m of the ride’s ascent.
Uncategorised Pins mark where each Garmin ClimbPro climb starts. Hover or tap a pin for details.
Climbs table
| # | Starts at km | Length | Ascent | Avg grade | Time | Avg power | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8.5 | 1.31 km | 53 m | 4.0% | 5:27 | 201 W | Uncategorised |
| 2 | 14.4 | 0.78 km | 29 m | 3.6% | 2:54 | 235 W | Uncategorised |
| 3 | 25.4 | 0.76 km | 21 m | 2.8% | 2:15 | 218 W | Uncategorised |
| 4 | 30.0 | 0.53 km | 15 m | 2.9% | 2:14 | 153 W | Uncategorised |
| 5 | 37.4 | 0.58 km | 28 m | 4.7% | 2:21 | 239 W | Uncategorised |
| 6 | 43.9 | 0.78 km | 22 m | 2.8% | 2:14 | 230 W | Uncategorised |
| 7 | 46.4 | 0.63 km | 24 m | 3.8% | 2:30 | 202 W | Uncategorised |
| 8 | 54.7 | 0.77 km | 22 m | 2.9% | 2:17 | 230 W | Uncategorised |
| 9 | 68.5 | 0.74 km | 21 m | 2.8% | 2:33 | 177 W | Uncategorised |
| 10 | 71.5 | 1.29 km | 43 m | 3.3% | 4:02 | 238 W | Uncategorised |