Route from Coimbra to Madrid

Map

This stage is entirely done by train.

Schedule & Tickets

• Coimbra-B > Entroncamento (R – €10.10 ~1h40, IC – €14.35 ~1h)
• Entroncamento > Fundão (R – €13.55 ~3h, IC – €14.35 ~2h15)

See https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en/train-times for timetables and fares.

Tips:

• On Regional trains (R) you don’t have to book a place for the bicycle, but your admission onboard might be subjected to controller’s approval. Therefore, the ticket needs to be purchased onboard.
• On Intercidades trains (IC) you have to book a place for your bicycle at no additional cost and you get a guaranteed place on the train (max 2 per train carriage).
• On Alfa Pendular trains (AP) you can only board with foldable bicycles that can fit in the luggage racks inside the train.

To visit

Coimbra

• University of Coimbra, World Heritage Site
• Santa Cruz church
• Botanical Garden

Entroncamento

• National Railway Museum. Tue-Sun: 10h30-17h30. 8€ for guided tours.
  The Museum is just a couple of minutes walk from the Entroncamento Railway Station. Walk along the platform towards the overpass. You will find signs pointing to the entrance.

Route 3Cs, connecting the University of Coimbra to the University of Turin, passing through Madrid and Montpellier.

The first stage to Madrid has begun, using both bicycles and trains on the first day of UC Sports Week!

Today, the group traveled by train to Fundão. However, we quickly realized that in Portugal, taking a train with nine bicycles is complete chaos for CP! They are not prepared for it and encounter more difficulties than necessary. Bringing a bike on a train trip requires planning to ensure everything goes smoothly. Some important information can be found here.

The important thing is that everything worked out in the end, of course. During the journey, the group was already laughing with the train conductor, who openly admitted she was in a bad mood upon our arrival.

Tomorrow, we start pedaling toward Monsanto!

This is a 55.2km stage, with a 1350m gain.
This will be the toughest day.

Map

Quick break for water and snacks

• Mata da Rainha – 28km
• Bemposta – 33km
• Medelim – 47km

To visit

Fundão

• Historical Center
• Archeology Museum
• Convent Park
• Epic Bike Shop

Monsanto

• Praça dos Canhões viewpoint
• Mother Church
• The Castle of Monsanto

First day of cycling!

The Municipality of Fundão kindly officiated our departure and even provided a police escort until we left Fundão—on bicycles, of course. A community police team, riding electric bikes.

This region’s terrain is tough, with steep and long climbs, but they were not designed for suffering. Every ascent, especially the hardest ones, was meant to be conquered slowly, allowing us to fully appreciate the surrounding landscape. Enormous rocks stand like ancient guardians, watching over our passage. Lush and varied forests, open plains, fields of olive and cork trees, where cows graze and, here and there, a startled fox or deer can be spotted… and all of this while keeping the snow-capped peaks of Serra da Estrela in sight!

The weather was on our side, with just the right amount of sunshine and warmth, making it easier to cross muddy puddles and bubbling streams, full of water and joy.

It was precisely one of these streams that forced us to change our original route. The water was too deep to cross without risking a fall—or worse, sending a bike into the river! After considering several alternatives, we quickly adapted, and the new route was just as breathtaking.

The climb to Monsanto is a tough one, especially for someone like me, riding a “muscular” bike (as Professor Andrea Scagni calls it). But the 20-inch electric bikes handled it with no problem. Since battery power had been saved throughout the day by using lower settings, it was now possible to switch to higher modes to help reach “the most Portuguese village in Portugal”—or, if you prefer its more recent title, “House of the Dragons”, as the famous series was filmed here. The cobbled streets, bustling with tourists from all over the world, prove it was a great choice.

After a well-deserved shower, a short stroll through the village gave us the chance to try some mead and a cherry pastry!

And, of course, for dinner—papas de carolo!
Never heard of it? Well, you’ll have to come here and try it for yourself!

Day 3: Monsanto – Moraleja

This is a 55.1 km stage, with a 540m gain.

Map

The climbs are very smooth (1-3%). The last 13 km are totally flat.

Quick break for water and snacks

• Penha Garcia – 11km
• Termas Monfortinho – 22km
• Vegaviana – 48km

To visit

Moraleja

• Casa de La Encomienda
• Mother Church
• The bridge

Today, we crossed into Spain!

We set off expecting to face rain along the way, so we put on our jackets and rain gear to be prepared! But no. Well, okay… there were a few drizzles here and there, but so brief they barely got us wet.

The landscape has changed slightly here, but the biggest differences are the road signs, which often indicate a maximum speed of "40" or even "30 km/h"—even on those flat, straight roads where in Portugal the sign says "80," but everyone thinks it's missing a "1" before the "80."

There's also a noticeable difference in the way cyclists are treated on the road, with drivers overtaking at low speeds and giving plenty of space!

So, we quickly and safely arrived in Moraleja, just in time to escape the rain, which came 15 minutes after we finished lunch. Here, we've already done our laundry and are ready to hit the road again for what looks like a long and rainy ride to Plasencia!

Let’s see if we can dodge the rain!!

This is a 59.2 km stage, with a 640m gain.

Map

There is only one short steep climb (about 2km).

Quick break for water and snacks

• Guijo de Coria – 22km
• Montehermoso – 33km
• Carcaboso – 47km

To visit

Plasencia

• Monuments
• Island Park
• Other Points of Interest
• Bike Shop

You can't run away forever!

Today, the rain caught us, but we still managed to escape it until lunchtime.

Escape, yes, because all along the way, we could see it in the distance.

This part of Spain has been a pleasant surprise: less arid than I expected, long but gentle climbs, vast and unhurried landscapes filled with dairy farms, storks, respectful drivers, and even curious ones who smiled as they asked where we were coming from and where we were headed.

The electric bikes are holding up—almost all of them. One has a minor issue with a faulty connection, causing it to turn off and on sporadically, forcing João to restart with a dead weight on the climbs.

Still, he made it—and he'll set off again tomorrow!

The afternoon brought fewer climbs, but tougher ones than before, along with the rain that attacked us from time to time. That’s how we arrived in Plasencia, and that’s how it stayed until we dropped off half the team at the first hotel. The other half stayed 5 km away, which gave us the best stretch of bike path we’ve ridden on this trip—along a riverside, with waterfalls and weirs in between, and… the sun, which kindly softened the extra ride, making the plants greener and filling the air with that wonderful scent of wet earth.

Tomorrow, we arrive in Madrid—with less biking and more train!

See you soon!

This can be a train-only stage, or start with a short 12km ride to Monfragüe to take the train from there to Madrid.

Schedule & Tickets

• Plasencia > Madrid (€24.65 ~3h)
• Monfragüe > Madrid (€22.90 ~2h40)

See https://www.renfe.com/es/en for timetables and fares.

NOTE: Monfragüe is merely a train station with a heated waiting hall. There is no coffee shop or any other support infrastructure.

Tips:

• If you choose to travel with your bike fully assembled you may need to book a bike spot and pay +3€.
  See more here, in particular for the Media Distancia rules.

Map

If you opt to cycle from Plasencia to Monfragüe.
This is a 12.7 km trip, with 220m gain.

To visit

Madrid

• Things to do

Last day of this first stage.

We managed to travel from Coimbra to Madrid using only sustainable means: bicycle and train. Except for the van that accompanied us during this first stage, of course. And thankfully so!

We left Plasencia at 7:30 a.m., while it was still dark. Rob, our Belgian companion, had already run 16 km before breakfast! A routine he repeated every single day: run/breakfast/ride. In that order.

Amid the car headlights and the rain, we managed to cover the final 18 km to the train station, since the train we already had tickets for was leaving early.

However, once again, even though we had tickets for the bikes, the unfriendly RENFE conductor only allowed two bikes on the whole train! Despite there being plenty of space and the bikes being foldable and storable in the luggage compartment! But no, they had to be left behind.

Luckily, Diogo was always in the van "following" the route, so the group took the train while Diogo and I loaded everything into the van and drove to Atocha, where the group was already waiting for us for the final leg of this stage:

Atocha – Camilo José Cela University

It was a simple and beautiful reception.

We passed the baton here and also got to meet some of the participants of the upcoming stages.

Now, the bikes stay, but the cyclists return!

And you—when are you going to take a trip like this?