1. I was wearing too many layers and
2. I didn't bring any water if I was going to have to work this hard first thing.
It took a good mile for me to stop oversteering, understeering and remembering not to use the front brake at all! I finally figured out, put my backside on the rear top bag, keep my hands light on the bars, click 2nd gear and go for it. All worked well until I had to go down a slope full of cross ruts. I nearly came off, but for whatever reason, the bike straightened at the last minute and we were down.
After this, the trail went back to hard packed sand, then gravel, so two hours of sweating and constantly thinking 'bloody hell' was short lived in reality.
The rest of the day passed with a mixture of open fast hard packed surface, then into the Eucalyptus for some ups and downs, before picking up a ridge for about 10 miles that just climbed and wound on until I crossed a tarmac road and saw the sign for a scenic viewpoint overlooking the last bit of the Atlantic coast, just before it turns into the Algarve.
I did have a few moments where the back end slipped out under me, the first plopped me straight onto my right hip in soft sand, the next two or three were near misses. The back tyre is officially bald as a beagle, soft mud, hill climbs are now becoming hard work and a bit dangerous.
At Foia, (The viewpoint), there was a cafe, so I checked out the map and found Faro was an hour away. Alongside this I got a message from a couple called Paul & Louise offering me a bed for the night as they were TET folk and staying at a house above Faro. That was the plan sorted then. I dropped onto tarmac to Faro, found a bike shop and got a new rear tyre fitted. A Mitas to match the front. I doubt it'll last long as its a softer compound, but hey. 110 euros fitted. The owner was Italian, married to a Portuguese lady, who he met whilst living in Venezuela! Whilst at the garage, I fitted new brake pads as the rear was metal on metal and the front was about to be the same. (Air filter and oil change to come up next). I also sorted out a missing bolt from the left side fairing which had vibrated out days ago. By the time all this was done, I needed to find some WIFI to confirm to Paul and Louise I was on my way, but in a town full of shops and cafes, none had WIFI.
I gave up as the sun was about to set and headed north back to the TET. Once on the route again, I rode into the dark until I eventually found a flattish knoll to pitch the tent. The stars were amazing, no villages nearby and on the edge of a deep valley.
