Planning

To Tour or Not

The global covid pandemic interrupted cycle touring for many of us. My last tour was 

• 2019 Andalusia In Autumn, with 3 friends: Robin E, Michael G, and John H. Only John H is joining me on this 3-week tour, departing 14 September and returning 5 October. Cycling outdoors is safe, so exposure risk is greatest in a confined space with reduced air circulation. Airports are difficult to avoid, airplane air is highly filtered and safer despite long flights, which leaves hotels, restaurants, markets, and other indoor venues places where we need to minimize exposure.

The remainder of this post is intended for readers planning their own tour. Skip if you just want to follow our daily adventures.

Precautions. An early factor in selecting Portugal was their relatively high rate of vaccination. Mid-September/early-October should be fairly dry, moderating temperatures, and fewer tourists, so we can further reduce potential exposure. Reports are that few people in Portugal wear masks, and all entry and exit covid test requirements have been eliminated. 

Vaccines. John and I accept that vaccines reduce the risk of infection and severity of infection. Thinking the revised vaccine would probably not be available before departure, I delayed my 2nd booster until 1 August. John obtained both boosters as soon as available, so he had sufficient elapsed time to qualify for and get the improved booster. 

Approach. As with prior tours, we will share a twin room in local hotels, enjoy local restaurants, and find our own routes. We made flight reservations last winter, and lodging reservations for Lisbon arrival/departure, and the first 2 nights out. I'm sure we could obtain better lodging if all nights were reserved, but I prefer the flexibility to handle route changes, weather, and yes, potential illness. If we get ahead of schedule, we can extend our route. If behind, we catch up by train.

Route Overview. We will start and end in Lisbon. To eliminate riding out of Lisbon, we will take a train the day after arrival to Beja, a regional town southeast of Lisbon. We will cycle north along the border with Spain to the Duro River, east to Porto, then back south along the Atlantic Coast to Lisbon. The mileage and route (shown below) are subject to change. 

Much credit for this route goes to Pamela Buckley for her blog covering our route north. Permalink: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/19204 

Our route back south is based roughly on another posted tour from Lisbon to Porto, so we have to interpret the daily descriptions in reverse. https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/blog/  is an excellent resource to research cycle tour routes, organized by country. 

Tools. Our primary routing tool is Organic Maps, the successor to Maps.me. Area maps can be downloaded to navigate by phone without active web access. I have also dowloaded Google Maps Portugal map for offline use. I have the Michelin 733 Portugal paper map, 1:400,000 scale for an overview. We book most hotels using booking.com, although Rick Steves recommends calling small lodgings directly as the booking services take a 20% commission. If we find lodging is readily available, then we may revert to finding lodging on arrival, as many of the smaller establishments are not listed on the booking sites.

For web access, I take an unlocked phone and purchase a local SIM card. Investigate both physical SIM cards and eSIMs. Physical SIM cards can be purchased pre-trip, then activated upon arrival, saving a visit to a local phone store. An eSIM is purchased on-line, dowloaded to your phone, then activated on arrival. eSim plans vary by size, data, voice, and text access/limits. AT&T and Verizon like to charge $10/day, but you can probably get ample access for $20 for a month. 

Few phone batteries out-last a day of navigating, so I carry an auxiliary battery that can recharge my phone 3X or more. I use a silicone bar mount for my phone and another for the auxiliary battery. I'm also bringing an older iPhone 6s for photos while riding when the other phone is navigating.

Other nice-to-consider items are ear plugs or noise cancelling air pods for noisy rooms, a large clip to secure light-blocking curtains, length of clothes line and pins to dry washed clothing, sink stopper to wash clothing in a sink, tiny bottle of detergent (only need a few drops per soak/wash), and European electric plug adapter(s). 

Packing. I ride a folding Bike Friday that can be packed in an airline-acceptable case, carried as standard luggage as long as it's under 50#. Given the circular route, I will use panniers rather than the travel case as a trailer, saving 9#. I plan to check two bags, the bike and a duffel with the panniers inside. I'll leave the empty duffel in the hard-sided bike case at the Lisbon hotel.

Final Packing. Complete, one day before departure. I'll re-check my list tomorrow. 

Packed and Dog of the Day Approved. Bike Friday in the orange case, 48 lbs; 2 front Ortleib panniers in the duffel, 18 lbs. One pannier is flattened on the bottom, the other is packed. I carry-on my 11-inch AirBook, mask (eye shades and KN95), neck pillow, all in a string backpack so that both hands are free.