Event is limited to 250 cyclists
A new biking event entitled ‘Lagos Bike Aventura’ (Lagos Bike Adventure) will take place between April 14 and 16 in Lagos, promising to take participants on a ride along some of the best trails and landscapes of the municipality.
Described as an “unprecedented event in the Barlavento (Western Algarve)”, the Lagos Bike Adventure will be open to federated and non-federated athletes and is part of the Portuguese Cycling Federation’s National Programme Cycling for Everyone.
Organisers say the event “values quality over quantity” and will be open to a maximum of 250 athletes, who must be aged 18 or older and can participate alone or in doubles in the “open, masters and grand masters” categories.
The 161.7km route, which can be completed on mountain bikes or E-bikes, will be divided into three stages.
The first, described as the ‘Prologue’, will be a 4.2km ride in Lagos’ historic centre, starting and ending at Jardim da Constituição on April 14.
The second stage will be much more demanding, putting cyclists to the test with an 83km ride starting and ending at the Lagos Municipal Stadium which will include sections in the neighbouring boroughs of Monchique, Aljezur and Vila do Bispo and feature “unique landscapes of the mountains and the Barão de São João National Forest.”
Last but not least, the third stage (74.5km) will shine the spotlight on the sea, taking place along the coastal parish of Luz before moving back inland towards Aldeia da Pedralva in Vila do Bispo and ending once again in Lagos.
“This event aims to attract fans of this sport from the country and abroad, giving participants a look at the best that the town and municipality of Lagos have to offer from a touristic point of view, with its excellent food and accommodation,” the local council says in a statement to the press.
Registrations are open online until March 31 and cost €60 per athlete.
The local council says it has been strengthening strategies to develop mountain biking in the municipality, such as through the construction of ‘Centro Cyclin’Lagos’, a network of nine trails of varying lengths and difficulties spanning 300km in the Barão de São João National Forest.
It adds that it has also been offering bicycles to local schoolchildren in a bid to “develop their motor functions” and “encourage healthier and more sustainable lifestyles.”
 will take place between April 14 and 16 in Lagos.){kind=link}