58 | Cycling World
streets and numerous cafes confirm Loule as a
real gem of the Algarve .
A few kilometres up the road is the hill top
village of Querença. With its tiny village square
and 16th Century church, it is a welcome cafe
stop. You pass through more traditional villages
at Salir, Alte and Messines before you arrive at
Silves, the former capital of the Algarve. Silves is
famous for i ts hill top castle dating back to the
8th century.
You have a pleasant and scenic ride along the
Arade before you head back down to the coast,
to explore the splendid coastline of the Western
Algarve .
After some challenging short climbs along the
cliff edged coastline, cyclists are rewarded with
magnificent sea views and quaint little fishing
villages . Sagres and Cape st Vincent are at the
end of the road, the south westerly most point
in Europe .
North of Sagres, the road leads towards Aljezur
and passes by some of the finest beaches along
the Atlantic coastline . A surfers paradise and
popular with walkers along the Rota Vicentina
Fishemans trail, this area has been a well kept
secret for far too long.
The best of the Algarve route finishes close to the
highest point in the Algarve at Foia just above
the village of Monchique . Foia is a popular
target for road cyclists as this is one of the most
iconic road bike climbs of the region, featuring
every year in the Professionals road bike tour of
the Algarve.
Algarve Bike Holidays was formed in 2013 by
local residents and keen cyclists Paul Beesley and
Fred van der Meer . With a wealth of knowledge
of the best roads and trails, Algarve Bike holidays
have created a range of touring holidays for
road cyclists, mountain bikers, hybrid touring
bikers and E-bikers that take advantage of the
best that the Algarve has to offer.
www.algarvebikeholidays.com
[email protected]
Avenida da Liberdade 144
Albufeira
Algarve