Vilas Boas – Vila Real
I don’t have the words to describe the beauty of this land. It’s like being in the mountains without actual mountains anywhere. It’s a constant up and down. Steep roads, with very little traffic, leading through many villages and towns going west towards Vila Real. I suppose if you come to this region by car, you’ll take one of the bigger roads—like the IC5—towards Porto, and you’ll still see the beautiful landscape but from a drastically different vantage point. I think it’s one of the best things about riding a bike. I go to places and down streets and road, I otherwise never would.
![My bike leaned against a guard railing overlooking Terras de Trás-os-Montes vineyards and hills.](https://www.alexandergoller.com/uploads/r/2022/05/PXL_20220527_113448245-1-1-scaled-150x199@0.jpg)
![Wahoo bike computer showing the slope of the upcoming hill with parts alternating between 8 and 12%.](https://www.alexandergoller.com/uploads/r/2022/05/PXL_20220527_102628297-1-scaled-150x199@0.jpg)
In the countryside, there is not a single level road. It’s either going up or down. And as I said before, it’s steep. There was a long descent into Vila Real—my destination for the day—and suddenly, I found myself on a racetrack, with painted curbs and racing guard railing. For a brief moment, I thought I had taken a wrong turn somewhere. It is, in fact, a permanent-temporary racetrack going around and through the city of Vila Real.
![Action camera shot of my bike handlebars riding down a race track with painted curbs on either side and racing guard rails.](https://www.alexandergoller.com/uploads/r/2022/05/PRO_VID_20220527_143640_00_010_2022-05-27_22-08-59_screenshot-150x84@0.jpg)
![Strava map of my ride from Vilas Boas to Vila Real](https://www.alexandergoller.com/uploads/r/2022/05/vilasboas-vilareal-150x96@0.jpg)