A casual remark after a Walking Football session in Tavira ended with eight pedlars making the ambitious 250km journey from Sagres to Vila Real de Santo António.
Suitably attired and with the wheels in motion, the adventurous group set out early, only for group spokesperson Andy Smith to take a nasty tumble on the first day.
Shaken but not stirred, he was soon back in the saddle chasing down Tanya Fox, Sue Johnson and Jane French who were setting the pace. This may well have had something to do with the fact that the male members of the group felt it was important, each evening, to consume copious amounts of a beverage named after their starting point (“Sagres”)!
After three days, all eight cyclists – sporting grazes, blisters and aching muscles – duly arrived in VRSA to be welcomed with bubbly and a celebratory cake. An epic adventure that former Coventry City and Newcastle United captain Brian Kilcline rated alongside that momentous occasion 30 years ago when he lifted the FA Cup at Wembley after the Sky Blues had beaten Tottenham Hotspur.
Photo: From left: Rolf Osseen, Andy Smith, Tom French, Brian Kilcline, Tanya Fox, Sue Johnson, Jane French and Mark Fox
