Bicycling Spain to Portugal A Culture and Wine Tour

April 20- May 2, 2018

Come enjoy a wonderful wine/bike tour in the spectacular Spanish and Portuguese country-sides. We follow the Duero/Douro river, per-sonified as a god in Roman times, through some of world’s greatest wine regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Toro in Spain and Port wine in Portugal. The landscape is beautiful and dramatic. The vines grow on striking slopes that you could never imagine being cul-tivated. Cycle and be an expert on wines at the same time.

And if a great wine/bike tour isn’t spectacular enough, we bookend this trip with sightseeing days in two of Europe’s most special capital cities. Enjoy the vibrancy of Madrid and the laid-back charm of Lisbon, Europe at its best.

Two vacations in one!!

Leader: Dick Cable Trip #1804 Co-Leader: Joe Thomas

This bike tour is rated INTERMEDIATE due to some good hills.

���2

After a day and a half of exploring Madrid, famous for the Museo del Prado and the Museo Reina Sophia, the first the home of the Spanish masters while the latter houses Picasso's Guernica.  Stroll the wide boulevards created by Charles III in wanting Madrid to resemble the grandeur of Paris; he managed to a large degree.  From Madrid we head to the rich cultural area of Spain known as Castilla: the bread bas-ket of Spain, home to the wines of the north central plains, and the no-bility of Isabel and Ferdinand.  Leaving Madrid we head to Segovia which has one of the best preserved Roman aqueducts dating from the 1st century AD.  In Madrid and Segovia we may sample the Rioja wines produced to the north. We transfer to Avila, home of Sister Teresa of Avila, and one of the most impressive walled cities of Spain.  We cycle on to Salamanca, another Roman city which houses the University of Salamanca celebrating its 800 year anniversary in 2018 and boasts be-ing the third oldest European university after Bologna and Oxford.  We will spend two nights in Salamanca during which we will begin to sam-ple the wines of this region: Ribera del Duero, Rueda, and Toro.  After exploring Salamanca's famous sites, we will transfer to the northwest and continue biking from Spain into Portugal...all in the area of the River Duero as it is know in Spain and River Duoro in Portugal.  We continue to explore three wonderful Portuguese towns and the locals wines of this area as well as a visit to a local vineyard.  As cyclists we will be amazed that grapes can grow on these hillsides!  Spectacular views all along the way.  We will also visit the Coa Valley, site of the largest col-lection of prehistoric Paleolithic Cave Art in Europe. We then continue on to Porto by boat, spend a day and night exploring this wonderful coastal city, home of port wine and perhaps find a place featuring Fado music of the area.  We continue on for two additional days in Lisbon, the most melancholic of all places in Portugal, some say.  We say good bye to Spain and Portugal unless you decide to extend your adventure on the Iberian Peninsula.

HIGHLIGHTS• Trip begins

and ends with a day of sightseeing in two of Eu-rope’s most beautiful capi-tals.

• Experiencing many of the delicious wines of Spain and Portugal.

• Five days of biking through the spectacu-lar Spanish and Por-tuguese coun-tryside.

• A visit to the largest collec-tion of prehis-toric Pale-olithic Cave Art in Europe in the Valley of Coa

Day 1 Friday, April 20.  Leave USA for overnight flight to Madrid

Day 2 Saturday, April 21 Arrive Madrid; afternoon at your disposal Evening Group Dinner and meeting. Overnight - Madrid

Day 3 Sunday, April 22  Sightseeing in Madrid Overnight - Madrid

OUR ITINERARY:

Day 4 Monday, April 23 Transfer to Pedraza. Cycle to Segovia. 80 km/49 miles. *943 m. /3094’. Overnight - Segovia

Day 5 Tuesday, April 24 Transfer to Avila and then Piedrahita. Cycle to Salamanca. 67 km./41 miles. *461 m./1513’. Tapas evening at the Plaza Major. Overnight - Salamanca

Day 6 Wednesday, April 25 City Tour in Salamanca; typical Spanish lunch with wine tasting. Overnight - Salamanca

Day 7 Thursday, April 26: Transfer to Sancelle. Cycle to Figueira Castelo Rodrigo, Portugal. 48 km./29 miles. *821 m./2694’.Visit one or more wineries during the next three days of biking.Overnight - Figueira Castelo Rodrigo

Day 8 Friday, April 27: Cycle to Pinhao, Portugal. 98 km. /60 miles. *1343 m. /4406’. Overnight - Pinhao

Day 9 Saturday, April 28: Cycle to Peso da Regua. 72 km./44 miles. *1008 m./3307’. Overnight - Peso da Regua Day 10 Sunday, April 29;  Transfer to Porto by train or boat (TBD); City Tour of Porto Overnight - Porto

Day 11 Monday, April 30 Transfer to Lisbon by train; Overnight - Lisbon

Day 12 Tuesday May 1 Sightseeing in Lisbon and Group Dinner Overnight - Lisbon

Day 13 Wednesday May 2 Depart Lisbon - Arrive USA

Leaders:

Dick Cable has been an AMC-AT leader for 7 years and has lead or co-led hiking and biking trips to Yosemite National Park, Mongolia, Sicily, Spain, Italy, France, Nepal, Patagonia, Finland and Tanza-nia He is an education programming specialist and teaches spinning and group exercise classes.

Joe Thomas has an avid interest in health and fitness which has paved the way to adventure travel. He has participated in bike trips through the Po Valley of Italy and the Camino de Santiago in Spain. He has co-led trips to Machu Picchu/ Easter Island, Puglia, Italy, Patagonia, Dolomites and Tanzania.

Both leaders have a strong interest in sharing the al-lure of adventure excursions to the most beautiful and intriguing places on earth. Both are CPR and Wilderness First Aid certified.

Disclosures AMC Adventure Travel trips are run on a non-profit basis. Leaders are not compensated ex-cept for their travel and administrative costs associated with the trip. A program fee is as-sessed toward AMC Adventure Travel Excur-sion program and administrative expenses.

For additional information, contact Dick at r.cable@sbcglobal.net or Joe at 203-755-5141 or thomasj73@sbcglobal.net.

TRIP COST:

$3695: $1200 due with application; $1200 due September 1, 2017

and $1295 due January 1, 2018

TRIP INCLUDES:

11 nights 4* hotels with breakfast 2 vans with 2 drivers/guides most dinners and lunches,

wine tastings; Bike rental with helmet, water bottle

Travel insurance  

TRIP DOES NOT INCLUDE:

Airfare of approximately $1000:

As leaders, our goals for the group are to

have fun, utilize your skills, and savor a foreign

culture at reasonable cost and in the company of other adventurers

with similar interests. We encourage your individual contributions, coopera-tion and good humor to enrich the group’s experience. We anticipate each participant’s engagement as part of a group, and expect each to abide by the leaders’ decisions and work towards the group having a good time. Be pre-pared to help your fellow riders and spend time with other participants on the trip. In doing so, you will help en-sure each participant’s maximum expe-rience and enjoyment of the trip.

OUR GOALS