Snow in Alvão Mountains

After our crossing of the Peneda-Geres National Park last week, the weather in the Iberian Peninsula changed dramatically. The air cooled down to atypical freezing temperatures and the humidity rose sharply. As a consequence, many of the northern mountain peaks and plateaus became white, covered in a dense layer of snow. Heavy snow is not very common here, Portugal is known for its mediterranean climate, with hot and dry summers followed by reasonably mild and rainy winters. Mountain bikers here are only accustomed to ride in dusty or muddy trails. We had to use this rare chance to ride in the snow.

I packed my bike, picked Pedro up and headed to the Alvão National Park. Located 50 miles East from the city of Oporto, its name means "Great White" in arcaic Portuguese, due to its propensity to become heavily covered in snow.


We started the ride near the Ermelo waterfall, 1700 feet high. The initial ascent was made along an asphalt road, leisurely following the slope of the mountain. The view was magnificent, all the peaks around us were shrouded in a mix of clouds and snow. A few rays of sun shone trough the clouds, adding a few gold accents to the landscape.

A bit ahead, a large heard of goats crossed the road, followed by some herding dogs. The dogs, probably bored from dealing with the goats, decided to chase us for a few moments, barking all the way. We just kept pedaling, absorbed in the beauty of the scenery.

The first snow appeared soon after.


Left and right, we found fields and houses covered with snow. White-out conditions prevailed during much of the journey uphill


Trees welcomed our passage, their branches curved by the overwhelming weight of the snow.


We had intentions to leave the road and follow a trail to the top of the mountain just before the village of Lamas-de-Olo. However, when we reached the trailhead we found out that such route was totally impassable. The snow was much more that we had anticipated, in some places deep enough to bury half a wheel. We had no option but to keep following the mountain road into the village, something also challenging as demonstrated by the following pic:


We entered the picturesque mountain village and slid down the slippery cobblestone road.


After the village we resumed the climb, periodically stopping to photograph the winter scenery.

We didn't have studded snow tires so traction was poor. Some sections had to be walked, the ice cracking underneath our feet with each step.


A mile out from the village lies the Cimeira dam. Snow started to fall intensely when we reached this area, making the road almost invisible. The dam spread to our right, providing a magnificent but quite distinct view from the typical summer landscape we are more familiar with.


We headed to a small pub located in a wooded area near the dam. Practically isolated, only the owners occupied it. Worried with a failing electricity supply they still found the time to prepare us something to eat and tell some tales of winters past, the crackling wood burning in the fireplace serving as background.


After leaving the bar we decided to head down and start the descent. Frozen brakes and slippery roads made for an interesting challenge. The bicycles weaved almost unpredictably as we fought to keep them pointed in a straight line. We were thrilled, it was just like learning how to ride a bike all over again.

We had a laugh after Pedro's close encounter with a snow bank.


The rest of the return was uneventful. We carefully coasted all the way down through the cold air, enjoying the magic scenery. Truly another memorable ride.

Serra Amarela

The ride started at 8:30 AM in the small mountain town of Campo do Geres, located at 2100 feet of altitude. In this time of the year, winter starts to take hold of these mountain valleys so the air was cold and windy. The mountain peaks to be climbed were shrouded in clouds.


We started the journey by crossing a large hydroelectric dam and then followed a narrow mountain road upwards into the village of Brufe. From there we followed a series of rural trails, paved with centenary cobblestones. These extremely technical trails are covered with drops, mud puddles and river crossings. They run on a plateau and pass trough another small two villages: Cortinhas and Cutelo. Due to their remote location these villages have very few inhabitants, most of them eldery. Agriculture is the main mean of subsistence; fields and cattle are a constant part of the landscape. The stark contrast between these villages the modern parts of the country can sometimes be shocking.



Exiting the village of Cutelo we found ourselves riding down a smooth descent through a large and flowing trail, covered in wet grass and some loose sand. From there we crossed an asphalt road and went on to descend an old and twisty mountain path, once again paved with large stones. Constantly snaking down a valley, it crosses ancient bridges, muddy water courses and a few forests.


This road started relatively smooth, but as we descended we found the ever increasing damage caused by the passage of time. Dozens of loose rocks, overgrown vegetation and the deep ruts carved by rain water make this section into a fun challenge that forces us to use all of our MTB handling skills just to reach the bottom safely.


A few other short trails left us in the left margin of the Lima river. From there we climbed a few miles along an asphalt road and reached the old village of Lindoso. This village, located very near the border between Portugal and Spain has a very rich history. A 13th century castle is located in the town center and is surrounded by dozens of traditional stone structures called "espigueiros", used to store and dry cereals. Definitely a place worth a visit...


From there we started the ascent to the 4450 feet Louriça peak. The climb is done via a wide dirt road, engineered with an almost constant grade. As we slowly ascended the mountain the winds gradually gained strength and speed. Each turn of the climb completed left us with the wind in a different position. From some angles it was a strong tailwind, propelling us uphill. At its worst, it turned into a fierce headwind, almost able to stop us in our tracks.

The last mile of the climb was especially difficult, as it combined the wind with even more physically demanding grades. We had to gather all our remaining energy to traverse this section and finally reach the top.


The mountain top was cold and gusty, a very uninviting place. We admired the awe-inspiring view for a few moments, chewed on some energy bars and started to make our way down.

The descent starts as a fast roll-down along the very same trails used to reach the top. But we quickly abandoned this tame dirt road and headed to a series of singletracks and exhilarating technical sections. We rode quickly trough forests, their grass floor covered with fallen Autumn leaves and we passed over lichen covered bridges and splashed our bikes in muddy swamps.


We were now in the village of Ermida. This cliffs surrounding this village conceal the most breathtaking trail of this ride. A singletrack, carved in the mountain with thousands of stones, winding in an apparently never-ending sequence of turns. The first impact is staggering, as the trail disappears into the cliff.


And it can be ridden quite fast. Each rocky step approached with confidence, letting the bike flow almost effortlessly into the next turn. Fun and undeniably beautiful.


At the bottom of this singletrack lies the village of Lourido. After a quick rest we headed to the final climb of the journey. First an easy dirt road, then a long, steep and sinuous mountain road.


The shy winter sun started to disappear while we were still fighting with the climb. We stopped quickly to mount our lights and immediately kept going. When we finally reached the top of the mountain pass we were rewarded with a sublime view of the crepuscule.


We crossed the mountain pass near Brufe and pedaled through the darkness, descending again towards the dam we had encountered 9 hours before. The wind was strong again, howling fiercely while we negotiated each turn of the road. After passing the dam only a quick climb separated us from our cars. We had reached the end of our journey.

Blog redesign and evolution

Hi,

This blog started out as pure technology blog, featuring detailed explanations of technical solutions. While interesting, I think that was a bit restricted and didn't include some of the things I have more to talk about.

So the blog now includes heavy content regarding my cycling experience and my passion for bike related tech. The old style articles will still show up from time to time. In between the content changes, I've also redesigned the layout to make the site more visually attractive.

Thanks for reading!