sunshine 365 days a year guaranteed!

After eight long months of winter mud riding in Denmark, I was immediately on board when Chris suggested a weekend in sunny Portugal. It was time to get some guided riding in a place where mountains and warm weather aren’t just something from a fairy tale.

Chris, Adam and I got off to a good start in the Copenhagen airport with an early morning argument with a ginger pen-pusher over a rip-off 75€ Lufthansa surcharge per bike – so we tried our best to drink an equal amount in complimentary beers on the flight down to Portugal. Now a bit jollier, we picked up our VW van in Lisbon and headed down to our idyllic 8€ a night concrete apartment in Lagos in the Algarve – with a ‘hang yourself out of the window’ sea view and ‘only a short drink drive’ proximity to the town centre.

Jim from The Mountainbike Adventure picked us up the next day to take us on a coastal cross-country ride. The weather was, according to locals, the wettest they’d experienced in decades – trust the albinos to miss the sun in scorchio-land. The views were still impressive though and we were happy to get some riding in – even Adam who impressively kept up on his 200 kilo downhill donkey.

The weather went from rainy to apocalyptic on our second day of riding. I attempted a coastal downhill track but the laws of gravity obviously don’t apply in Portugal - I was being blown back up the hill. Jim took us to some great locations to take some shots of the Legion and then on to some sweet little tracks he’d built himself in a local national park. Jim, a northern ex-downhill junkie, offers the full service (well, so some say) for all different skill levels. It was great having him around to show us not only the trails but also the best pubs and bars in town (the Green Room to be highlighted here – I don’t recommend trying to beat Jim in a Burrito eating- or the Kiwi-Aussie barmen in a beer downing contest).

On the final riding day the word ‘biblical’ came to mind when we got to the top of the local Volcano Monchique. Not because we cycled like gods (I actually came off on a fire road and bruised my arse pretty badly confirming my nick name ‘face-plant-Bob’), but because we were in the clouds in the middle of a thunderstorm. Eventually it cleared and we rode the impressive terracing of the Monchique with views across the entire coastline.

After a quick lunch break where I naively pushed a Portuguese waiter’s patience to its limits by asking for a combination of two toppings on my sandwich, we went on to what turned out to be the highlight of the trip despite wet feet and a swollen backside: a downhill freeride track that really challenged my riding skills. The three of us had big adrenaline smiles on our faces when Jim drove us back up to the top in his van – especially Chris who proudly got down everything on his Kapslok hardtail prototype.

After a few tired good bye beers in Eddies bar, we headed back towards the ice age (Denmark). It only occurred to us halfway back to Lisbon to actually check our flight departure times, which ended in a high-speed motorway chase and a sweaty sprint through the airport only to find out that our plane was delayed and that we had to pay the surcharge again.

I’d definitely like to experience the dry conditions that Lagos apparently offers the other 361 days of the year and get some proper coaching from Jim to improve my jumping abilities on the different jumps he’s built. So despite this miserable account of our little trip, I’d definitely go back – and hopefully will.

A big thanks to Jim and The Mountain Bike Adventure for helping show us a snapshot of Lagos during the storms. Old Skool Respect.