Your adventure begins in Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto’s southern twin across the Douro — a fitting start, with the smell of the Atlantic already in the air. Today is a day to find your legs and your rhythm, easing south through the coastal pine forests and quiet backroads that make this stretch of Portugal feel like a well-kept secret. The terrain is gentle and the pace unhurried, with the ocean appearing in glimpses through the trees before you roll into Aveiro — a city of canals, colourful moliceiro boats, and the kind of seafood that will make you very glad you didn’t skip lunch. After the first ride, the first massage, the first pastel de nata — you’ll already know this was a good idea.

The ride changes tone today. Leaving the coast behind, you head inland through rolling vineyards and silver-green olive groves, the road rising and falling as Portugal’s countryside asserts itself. This is the day you’ll really start to feel the riding — 841 metres of climbing that reward you at every crest with views that no guidebook quite captures. The destination, however, is worth every pedal stroke. The Montebelo Mosteiro de Alcobaça Historic Hotel sits in the shadow of one of the most extraordinary Gothic monasteries in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has stood for over 800 years. Tonight, history and hospitality share the same table.

The final ride, and inGamba has saved the best for last. This is the day that earns its elevation the honest way — 1,302 metres of climbing on roads that feel almost cinematic, hugging the coast as you work your way south towards Cascais. The Atlantic is never far, the light in the afternoon is golden, and by the time you sweep into one of the most elegant seaside towns on the Iberian Peninsula, you’ll feel every bit the returning hero. The Farol Hotel — a converted 19th-century mansion with a clifftop pool and views that stretch to the horizon — is the perfect place to raise a glass, look back at the week, and wonder how you’re going to top it.