So, after multiple travel connections (or missed connections, Ian, and hence the feared maillot jaune…) and more than a couple of “welcome” drinks the night before, what seemed like a hundred Waldys gathered on Saturday morning outside the Cascade Wellness Resort, ready to kick off our 2022 Tour.
Various groups set off along the route to the lunch destination of Velochique, enjoying 30(ish) k’s of flat(ish) roads before our first roadside café coffee stop where the first of many pastéis de nata - portuguese custard tarts - were consumed along with €1 coffees. 14k’s of gentle (?) climbing later, the “long” route almost got into the town of Monchique then headed off for an “extra” 25km before we all met up for a delicious lunch, gear tweaks from the bike rental folks, and the purchase of souvenir bidons…
The ”medium” group headed home from here, but “long” continued up hill, summitting the 900m peak of Foia before heading back downhill. And what a downhill, until my route turned us right and along a more winding and gravelly road to our next coffee (and/or beer) stop of the day…
Winding back home, our “fast” group decided to carry on past the hotel and down to the beach bar Simon had spotted the day before, where a few of our number couldn’t resist a dip in the ocean, before a well earned beer and the slow grind back up the hill to the hotel, the pool, and more beer…
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