The day started assembling our bikes and I had a big problem with the gears jumping on the Top Chainring. After many attempts to adjust the front derailleur I gave up and resigned myself to a day/tour on the small ring.
We cycled off towards the coast from the airport and to my surprise I could shift onto the top ring ... Happy Days. The first 4 miles were busy with wagons but the road wasn't fast, but it was nice to reach the promenade and a cycle path that would take us all the way to the mouth of the Douro and then into the City where we crossed the river on the Ponte Luis I bridge.
After a ride up the hill parallel to the tram track we reached a roundabout which was the start of the National Route N222. This road follows the Douro from the coast to the Upper Douro near the Spanish border and is coincidentally 222km long.
The road took a good 20 Mike's to clear the Porto suburbs and it was a real rolling road - never flat !
We started to hit 10% gradients as we entered wooded hills and valleys and then at 25 miles just after Sandim we hit a 17% climb which let's just say was abit challanging !
We stopped for lunch at the O Cantinho near Raiva and had a massive Frango Assdo (Roast Chicken) with roast potates, rice and bread which really gave me the energy for the last tough 30 miles. We turned off the N222 onto the old N222 and the next 10 miles were excellent, both smoothe but also quiet and the ecenery was great. At 43 miles we regained the current N222 and after Castelo de Paiva we hit a great descent , quite windy and technical nut great fun. At 48 miles we reached a diversion sayin the road was closed in 700m - we ignored the sign and pressed on to find about half of the road had fallen a few hundred feet pretty much into the Douro, fortunately we skirted round on the good side of the road. We then had a 1000ft climb up to Tarouquela and all was going well till about half way up when a bit drizzle turned into full on rain, which would last to the finish. So we had a wet ride and another 400ft climb up to Cinfaes before a great, but slow descent dur to the rain to our Fabulous Hotel in Porto Antigo which overlooks the river.