I deliberately tried to have a lazy, slow start to the day as it was quite short and nit too many climbs. Somehow I was up a 7am but I did have a lazy hour before packing and heading out for breakfast in town at 9am.
Now we established yesterday I had booked a hotel on top of a mountain so every direction was pretty much downhill, I was heading north and stopped after 400 yards for a coffee and croissant.
I was on the road and negotiating tricky downhill and cobbled streets and after 3 miles I cleared the town and was on open roads, I went under the motorway then left on a gig roundabout and I was in open fields.
At Pera de Moco I spotted a dolmen just off the road and braked to stop, it took me 200 yards and I realised the back brake was on full limit and not working. I took a few photos of the dolmen and flipped the bike over to adjust the brakes. I had struggled to get them tight as I like them a few days ago but this Tome I realised the adjustment on the crank side was tricky. It felt like the Allen key was located and adjusting when it actually wasn't. Having sussed that I had nice sharp brakes in a couple of minutes.
The downhill cycling was effortless as I passed multiple route points and before I knew it I was just outside Pinhel in a village called Malta ! I was 2 miles from my lunch break and it was 10;45.
I pressed on and soon I could see the Mountaons of the Douro Valley, I spotted what looked like a Woodcock and there were hoopoes flying around me.
At a little village called Azevo I headed down a rickety track to ,Faia where there was a spectacular viewpoint looking over the Upper Coa valley .
As I rode through town 3 man dogs came charging at me unleashed- I repeatedly shouted Vai (Go) and luckily they didn't bite and I got away as I was going downhill another mile to the viewpoint. I was worried about the uphill ride past them on the way back though.
At the mirador there was a half mile path down a field and the about a 150ft down stone steps to a metal viewpoint which had a glass floor - I took a video for Facebook.
When I hot back to the bike the digs were waiting for me and there were 4 not 3,I shooed them and got away as they started fighting with each other.
However as I reached that cobble uphill stretch in the village another 3 were waiting for me - so there must gave been 7 chasing me on the way down.... I escaped !
I now had 20 miles to go and was ready for lunch but I knee of nowhere to get food but I wS optimistic I woukd chance on somewhere in a little village.
That didn't happen so I ended up cycling all the way to Vila Nova de Foz Coa where I have a pint and a mixed pastry while typing this and waiting an hour for my hotel check in.
The last 20 miles had been a mix of flat, then a great downhill stretch running parallel with the main road but then the last 9 miles had 2 big climbs of 400ft each to get me into town. Luckily, despite little nourishment I rolled into town at 3 pm.