STAGE 2 | PESO DA RÉGUA - VISEU

We set off from Peso Da Régua with the goal of taking it as easy as possible. We got a little too frisky at the finish yesterday and let the red mist get in the way of saving our legs for the big stage on day 3. Day 2 was described at the briefing as a ‘true grit’ stage, one where you just have to keep going, so we decide that is what we will do.

The day starts with a bit of a monster climb of about 1000 m straight up from the valley floor to the top of the mountain with fantastic views of the Douro Valley and all the vineyards either side.  The climb starts off on the road and is initially quite steady but then it kicks up with sections of over 20% gradient. Everybody is in the bottom gear grinding away dripping sweat. I will never mock anyone with a 52 tooth dinner plate as their lowest gear again as it has become my new best friend. 

The middle section becomes very technical and hard to ride and pretty much most people apart from the top five or 10 riders get off and push. Over the top and past a forest of wind turbines, the terrain becomes more flowing and the pace picks up with nice riding into a cool headwind. The terrain could be anywhere in the north of England but is a lot warmer.

We have to cross a few rivers but luckily they have these handy stepping stones so you don't have to get your feet wet. They are not to everyone's taste and we get stuck behind a lady who seems quite scared of the whole thing. 

We had been warned that the last three climbs of the day were very hard and that we should save some energy for those. We try our best to not ‘burn any matches’ as they say and to keep our effort under control.  When we get to the last climbs they are utterly brutal - get-off-the-bike-and-push brutal in places. I don’t like to get off the bike but it is quicker to walk that it is to pedal.

About 6k from the end, we are in a group of 5 and the red mist descends again. What was supposed to be a nice warm down becomes a hell for leather chase to the finish line.  Chris takes umbrage at a Mexican guy who is looking to jump the group and claim the glory so the after burners are lit and a new max heart rate registered. We are all left in his dust. 

A good day's riding and we move up the leaderboard a place. That should be a good thing but it is making me nervous as I have no clue about stage race pacing. The weather gods have been very kind to me again today with a cool 22C, overcast skies and even a little drizzle over the top of the mountain. Long may it continue as this boy can’t function in the heat. It is promising to get to mid 30s down south later in the week. Eek!

Today I have my little Insta 360 mini video camera working so I manage to take some shots throughout the day. Some day soon I will edit that stuff together and add it to this blog but for now will have to deal with stills grabbed from the clips. I just don’t have the time to edit the footage at the moment.

The Race Organizers Stage 2 Video

The route animation.