The Portugal de Lés-a-Lés celebrated its silver anniversary, with the blessing of rain and over 2,000 km over four days. Our country hides fantastic places that we were unaware of, but that we were able to explore thanks to the excellent work of the organization, which not only provided us with the opportunity to visit certain localities, but also the entire experience and customs of those places.
Our journey began on June 7th, very early in the morning, with the departure from Lisbon towards Bragança. And to accompany us on the 4-day trip, we had with us the Indian FTR 1200 Carbon R, equipped with a side bag and a sports bag tied with bungee cords and a strap, with a (generously) equipped support from Indian. And after 5 hours of travel and over 500 km, it was time to collect our vest, roadbook, and prepare for the opening ride, which covered 116 km. Above all, this ride served for all participants to familiarize themselves with the roadbook and understand how to navigate in the following days, which would have many more kilometers. We have to admit, the route was done by GPS because we did not have a roadbook reader – something we realized was a weak excuse, as we saw many participants with common food boxes with rubber bands and pencils to turn the paper.
GOING TO VISEU
The first stage had its departure scheduled on the stage in Bragança – with the sun timidly making itself felt and the rain threatening – with an expected arrival in Viseu 9:30 hours later, covering a total of 304 km. The first stopping point would be in Macedo de Cavaleiros, after approximately 1:30 hours of travel, but on the way there, we also passed through Podence, a village characterized by its paintings that are impossible to ignore and not stop for some beautiful photos. After leaving our first oasis (stop in Macedo de Cavaleiros with a pastel de nata and coffee), we followed winding roads, the kind we expect, without a doubt, to find on a trip like the Lés-a-Lés, rolling side by side with the Azibo River, with the possibility of crossing later on, either through the river or a small bridge – we chose the bridge. By this time, the rain eased up a bit and it seemed like the day was going to get very hot, as expected for a day in June. But St. Peter soon showed us that we were wrong. After a well-designed road towards Alfândega da Fé, that was our stop to hydrate and eat some cherries offered by the organization. And before we could even think that it might rain, the sky started to fall on us, creating a need to hurry back to the road.
The compass pointed to Barragem do Pocinho to eat a bifana, and it was through small villages and landscapes of the Sabor River that we continued our journey, passing through Torre de Moncorvo in a beautiful square in another fantastic village in Portugal. With our bellies full and some sun to help us with photosynthesis, we left the beautiful view of the dam to resume the journey to Viseu, where the beauty of the interior of our country continued to surprise us. More than that, the happiness of the people we met in all the places was something that filled our hearts and put a smile on our faces. A simple wave or the sound of a horn was enough to bring a smile from ear to ear to those who lined the streets to watch the motorcycles pass by. And before arriving in Viseu, there was one more stop. Celorico da Beira, specifically at the market where there was a lot of animation and regional food that made us doubt whether we should continue our journey or stay there to satisfy our taste buds. Nevertheless, duty called and we continued on the Indian FTR to Viseu, where we also had the opportunity to pass by the Sé de Viseu, and then arrived at the stage under heavy rain.
TO THE CENTER OF THE COUNTRY
The second stage was a bit more contained, with 240 km from Viseu to Ourém. Starting from the same platform that welcomed us upon arrival in Viseu, we encountered many curves with fantastic views of our country (once again) and a day with a lot, a lot of rain. It was also a day to pass by many rivers, including the Dão, Mondego, and Cavalos, a tributary of the Mondego. After this, we would arrive in the village of Tábua, parking in the garden of the chapel of Sr. dos Milagres for the first “snack” of the day. Interestingly, and after about two hours in the rain, the sun was shining at the first oasis stop. Continuing our journey, we passed through Lourosa before crossing two more rivers, the Aliva and the Ceira, which announced our arrival in Góis, after absolutely fantastic mountain roads with overwhelming landscapes that were somewhat masked by the immense fog and rain that was felt. And what can be said about the rain that was felt at the Góis oasis… St. Peter was upset with us for some reason, and ordered the sky to fall in such a way that there was nothing inside the waterproof bag and backpack that remained dry. But a true motorcyclist rides, rain or shine, and so we continued our journey. The direction was Castanheira de Pêra, always under heavy rain and with great care to keep the Indian FTR 1200 Carbon R firmly on the asphalt. The curves, on the other hand, continued to appear and we were doing the sun dance to make the rain stop and the road dry. In Castanheira de Pêra, we only stopped to appreciate the Praia das Rocas, a project designed to refresh the visitors of this village. And if it weren’t for the rain and the lack of a swimsuit, we could have taken a swim. Without a dive, we returned to the road towards Ourém, with the rain easing along the way, but still present. There would still be time to pass over two more rivers, the Zêzere and the Nabão, passing through Fátima – the place where we stayed along with hundreds of motorcyclists. Upon arriving at the platform in Ourém, the sun was shining like never before and it was necessary to remove a lot of equipment to withstand the heat that was felt.
MARATHON TO SAGRES
The last stage promised to be tiring, but also with plenty of sun and pleasant surprises. Once again, the podium from the previous day set the tone for the start of the stage, where we had to cover 425 km from Ourém to Sagres. The estimated time was over ten hours on the bike, and we knew we had to be in sync with our Indian to stay fresh until the end of the day. The first stop came quickly, a few kilometers later, at Quinta da Cardiga, with a breakfast reinforcement to endure the remaining distance. We continued through Golegã, passing by the beautiful Matriz Church, which would take us further to the José Saramago Foundation and a statue that attracted many photos. We continued towards Santarém, where we circled the city and were treated to a crossing of the Tagus River on the Queen D. Amélia Bridge, a beautiful bridge with a grid “road” that allowed us to see the water directly beneath us.
From here on, the seemingly endless roads of Alentejo began to be more common. We passed through Coruche towards Montemor-o-Novo and Évora, with a stop in Valverde for a bread with chorizo and hydration. Once we arrived in Viana do Alentejo, we faced an incredible castle of D. Afonso Henriques that made us go back hundreds of years and imagine how everything would be in that era, followed by the Indian Oasis, where our FTR 1200 Carbon R felt very well received and at home. The long straights continued, and we passed through the village of Aljustrel, where some fantastic curves anticipated the Monchique mountains, with a stop at the Santa Clara Dam before the start of the climb to the top of the mountain. The ascent to Fóia was done at an accelerated pace, and the Indian appreciated the tight curves and the road with good pavement, as it had already told us that it was what it liked the most. At this point, we knew we were close to the end of this huge adventure and tried to enjoy all the remaining curves and straights until entering Vila do Bispo and observing the Sagres Fortress with the final podium of Lés-a-Lés a few meters away.
THE FIRST IN 25
This was my first adventure in Lés-a-Lés. And opportunities like this arise from the beauty of this work that provides incredible opportunities. The FMP and the entire organization deserve congratulations for the fantastic event, at all levels. From the route, food provided in small moments that we were able to experience thanks to the collaboration between the federation and the local motorcycle clubs, everything was extremely well organized, even with the first two stages having a lot of rain. There are many motorcycles, many people, and resources have to be managed so that everything runs smoothly and the 25th edition of Lés-a-Lés fulfilled its promise. May it be the first of many, for me and for many other motorcyclists who ended up with a huge desire to repeat this adventure.
INDIAN – OUR COMPANION
As you have already understood from the text, our companion for the 25th edition of Lés-a-Lés was the Indian FTR 1200 Carbon R, a naked bike with a clear sporty inclination that few imagined would take on such a long journey. If it weren’t for the rain and the mountain roads in the north of the country, they would have offered us twice the pleasure, and to the Indian as well. However, the bike was an excellent companion throughout the entire trip, with its weak point for this Lés-a-Lés being the slightly aggressive riding position that was felt when we didn’t have curves to move on top of the bike. In short, it may not be the first bike you think of for a trip like this, but if it’s the one you have in the garage, don’t hesitate, because it won’t let you down – just make you a little more tired.
We also rode a BMW – WITH AN R 1250 GS
We were also invited by BMW Motorrad to participate in the Lés-a-Lés 2023 riding a BMW R 1250 GS Adventure. The objective was not only to enjoy the ride throughout Portugal and the motorcycle, but also to do it with a group of very special people, including actors Afonso Pimentel and Diogo Branco. Another major objective was to create content, namely beautiful and inspiring images for our television program, Motorcycle Sports, on SportTV+. This year we were blessed with a lot of rain and heat at the same time, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying this event, which celebrated its 25th edition this year, starting in Bragança and ending in Faro.
