Nine days is what it takes to traverse Portugal - through some of the most forgotten depths of rural Portugal by bike that is. 

The brainchild of Antonio Malvar, the Garmin TransPortugal takes competitors through Bragança to Sagres through an innovative, GPS assisted traverse across the countryside, but that’s about all the support you’ll get. 

 

1,150 kilometres of off-road racing across forest tracks, gravel roads and steep single tracks on clifftops, this is what has come to be known as the Garmin TransPortugal. 

 

 

The TransPortugal began 20 years ago as a tour and started out a staggering 18 days long. Jose Carlos from Ciclonatur,  recounts the history of the event:

{rokbox title=|Jose Carlos - History of the Transportugal| thumb=|images/stories/audio.png|}images/stories/content/audio/2010-04-10_TP_history.mp3{/rokbox} Jose Carlos on the Transportugal History.

The Transportugal has become known for its uphill, so it no surprise that grade percentages are something of mainstay conversation during the race. In total there are 24,500 metres of vertical climbing, with the average stage running approximately 125 kilometres. 

{rokbox title=|Jose Carlos - Elevation of the Transportugal| thumb=|images/stories/audio.png|}images/stories/content/audio/2010-04-10_TP_elevation.mp3{/rokbox} Elevation of the Transportugal.

Not all however is for the bragging rights on who can truck up the next 3000 metres, first prize grabs 1,700 Euros. But netting the 1st prize is not by any stretch an easy task, time penalties are given to those who seek help outside of what their GPS tells them as well as if the competitors vary more than a prescribed amount off the pre-loaded course. In other words if your GPS can produce food, you’re ok, otherwise bring everything that you will need. 

{rokbox title=|Jose Carlos - GPS use during the Transportugal| thumb=|images/stories/audio.png|}images/stories/content/audio/2010-04-10_TP_on GPS.mp3{/rokbox} Jose Carlos on the Transportugal and GPS.

While the Garmin TransPortugal is a formidable mountain bike stage race, Malvar has worked his science, based on age and gender and years of experience, into ranking competitors so as to make the event fair to all. 

{rokbox title=|Jose Carlos - Handicap of the Transportugal| thumb=|images/stories/audio.png|}images/stories/content/audio/2010-04-10_TP_handicap.mp3{/rokbox} Jose Carlos on the handicap system for the Transportugal.

Malvar also put something else into perspective: after 4000 metres of climbing, competitors probably don’t want to be spending their nights the damp hard floor of some tent city. So Malvar made the race from hotel door to hotel door - overnight stays in the best hotels in the region, excellent food and relaxed atmosphere all around.

{rokbox title=|Jose Carlos - Hotels of the Transportugal| thumb=|images/stories/audio.png|}images/stories/content/audio/2010-04-10_TP_hotels.mp3{/rokbox} Jose Carlos on the Hotels of the Transportugal

The Garmin Transportugal Race is this April 30th.