This shouldn’t be possible… 😳
After storms and a dam breach between Coimbra and Figueira da Foz, an irrigation canal was almost completely drained for repairs.
I took the chance — and rode right inside it.
Along the bottom, under small bridges, and even through parts of the structure itself.
A place that’s normally full of water… turned into a rideable route 🚴♂️
One of the most unique moments from this tour.
This ride had everything… and it wasn’t easy 🚴♂️
147 km, 1270 m of elevation gain and over 7 hours on the bike — a full day adventure across central Portugal.
We rode through a mix of terrain: fast asphalt sections, gravel roads, and deep forest tracks.
Many parts of the eucalyptus and pine forests were still heavily damaged after recent hurricanes — fallen trees, broken paths and unexpected obstacles made the route even more challenging.
The heat added another layer — the first real hot day of the year, with temperatures reaching +25–27°C.
Our destination and turning point was the incredible Aqueduto do Convento de Cristo (Pegões Altos) — a 17th-century engineering masterpiece built to supply water to the famous Convent of Christ.
Stretching for around 6 km, with more than 180 arches and reaching up to 30 meters high, it’s one of the most impressive historical structures in Portugal.
Reaching it after hours on the bike felt unreal. But the ride didn’t end there — we still had to make it all the way back.
This is not just a ride — it’s a real cycling adventure: distance, heat, terrain and unexpected challenges along the way.
Subscribe to Bike Universe for more long-distance rides, hidden places and real cycling experiences in Portugal 🔥
This ride was tougher than expected… 🚴♂️
147 km, 1270 m of elevation gain and over 7 hours on mixed terrain — from gravel roads to broken forest sections after recent storms.
Our goal? The legendary Aqueduto do Convento de Cristo (Pegões Altos) — a massive 17th-century structure built to supply water to the Convent of Christ.
Stretching for about 6 km with 180 arches and reaching up to 30 meters high, it’s one of the most impressive engineering monuments in Portugal 🇵🇹
The ride took us through eucalyptus and pine forests, some heavily damaged by hurricanes, under the first real heat of the year (+25–27°C).
Not just a beautiful ride — a real challenge.
Full video coming soon on Bike Universe — subscribe 🔥
✅ Full route 147 km
📈 Elevation gain 1270 m
📌 And there are a huge number of beautiful places along the route, sometimes difficult to access, but very beautiful.
☀️ For the first time this year, it was very hot, 25-27 degrees.
📣 + our interactive map will feature even more useful and beautiful places for cyclists 👉 https://community.bikeuniverse.xyz
Sometimes the best rides are not about speed, distance or records — they’re about the experience.
This weekend we went on a relaxed 70 km ride through the beautiful Mondego Valley, enjoying the perfect balance of nature, roads and good company.
Read more ➡️➡️➡️ FULL article and 📺 video by the link
✔️ The road just… ended. 😳
After the floods, deep trenches were dug across the road to control water — and we had no choice but to carry our bikes across.
We faced this twice during our ride through the rice fields.
Real adventure. No easy way through 🚴♂️
See the full route like never before… 🚴♂️
This cinematic flyover shows the entire 188 km Route Art ride that recreates the map of Ukraine 🇺🇦 in Portugal 🇵🇹
Mountains, rivers, hidden roads and long hours in the saddle — all connected into one epic shape.
Watch it from start to finish, feel the scale, and see how this challenge was built on the map.
Full ride video coming soon on the channel — subscribe for real cycling adventures, hidden routes and unique challenges 🔥
I actually did it… 🚴♂️
188 km on an MTB in one day, 2560 m of elevation gain and 11 hours in the saddle — this wasn’t just a ride, it was a full Route Art challenge.
I rode a route that draws the map of Ukraine 🇺🇦 on the map of Portugal 🇵🇹
The route went through the Coimbra region and partly Leiria: mountains, gravel, fast asphalt descents, and even post-storm sections where roads were still affected.
It wasn’t easy to keep the shape accurate — limited bridges, rivers, and terrain made it a real challenge.
This was my first ever Route Art attempt… and it was way harder than it looks.
But the result was absolutely worth it.
Full video coming soon — subscribe so you don’t miss it 🔥
188 km, 2270 m elevation gain, 11 hours and 11 minutes time in route.
More info, photos and videos coming soon 😉😎
Many of you have probably heard of Route Art, but not many have actually tried riding something like this — myself included. Until now I'd just been watching from the sidelines, always meaning to give it a go.
Well, the time has come. Hope it works out.
The route speaks for itself — I think it needs no explanation 😉
Why it's challenging:
The route is not within a single city — it's entirely outside any urban area. Distance: 200 km on an MTB, not a road bike. Hilly and mountainous terrain with 2500–3000 m of elevation gain. And all of this in one go, in a single day.
The map has some inaccuracies — part of the route runs through mountainous terrain where there's simply no other option, and in some sections along the river and canals there are very few bridges, meaning limited crossing points to trace the outline more precisely. But overall it came out pretty well — thanks to AI 🤖
Weather: overcast, slightly wet in the morning with light rain, +10–12°C at the start and +17–19°C by midday. All in all — close to ideal for a ride like this.
This is my first experience with anything like this. I hope it all goes to plan — and importantly, I hope the roads are already rideable after the recent storms in Portugal, the aftermath of which is still being cleared in many places.
I'll be posting short updates along the way in our Bike Universe Telegram channel.
Starting tomorrow 🔥
A perfect sunny weekend ride from Soure to Figueira da Foz and back — 70 km of pure cycling adventure. ☀️🚴♂️
We rode through eucalyptus forests, crossed the Mondego River, and explored roads that were recently flooded. Along the dam near Figueira, the views were unreal — blooming fields, olive groves and deep blue skies everywhere.
Portugal looks completely different after the floods — and this ride proves it.
Full videos from this tour are coming soon on Bike Universe. Don’t miss it.
Historical path to the Ocean: Cycling Journey from Coimbra to Figueira da Foz through the Castle Fortifications of Montemor-o-Velho
This cycling adventure will take us from historic Coimbra, surrounded by culture and knowledge, towards the magical castle of Montemor-o-Velho, which dominates the horizon. This cycling tour combines the historical richness and beautiful natural scenery of Portugal.
You’ve been there. You plan a ride, open an app, and get a list of points of interest that includes a supermarket, a petrol station, and a hotel that closed in 2019. You search for a rest stop with water and shade, and the algorithm gives you a car park. You look for a viewpoint worth the climb, and you get a generic pin with a three-word description and a stock photo of Portugal that could have been taken anywhere.
You close the app. You ask someone who actually rides there.
📌 Bike Universe Community is an interactive cycling map. But calling it just a map undersells what it actually is: a living, growing knowledge base built entirely by people who ride bikes, for people who ride bikes.