Days follow a simple pattern. You ride a set route from one hotel to the next, with your luggage collected in the morning and waiting for you on arrival. Routes are loaded onto a Garmin GPS unit mounted on your handlebars, with paper backups and a phone app with maps and information. On guided tours a support cyclist follows the group and a van is on hand; on self-guided tours you ride alone but can still call for help. There is usually time to stop at castles, forts and medieval villages along the way, and dinner is at the hotel or a local restaurant.

The routes are chosen for low traffic. Guests describe tiny country roads with little traffic and only occasional busier sections, and note that Portuguese drivers are respectful of cyclists. Early-season riders get green countryside and endless fields of wildflowers; the company's own guidance says the best months are March to June and September to November, when roads are quiet and days are long enough for a full ride.

What separates this from a big international tour operator is that it is a Portuguese company running its own country. Cristina, Jose, Andre and Luis have been in the business for 20 years, and the itineraries are built around what they know — Roman temples and cities, medieval churches, castles and convents, some structures 7,000 years old. One guest on a supported Alentejo trip singled out Ricardo, the support rider, for being punctual, professional and easy company; others have praised the hotel selection, including a restored convent.

Accommodation is hand-picked and varies by tour. The Alentejo pousadas tour is built specifically around historic buildings — castles, monasteries, convents and palaces. Other tours use charming hotels along the route. , but guests mention picnic lunches during rides and dinners with Portuguese wines, and one reviewer names grilled salmon (salmao grelhado) with Servas or Esporao red wine and a carob tart as a favourite.

Bikes are prepared and fitted before each tour. The fleet includes CUBE carbon fibre road bikes, hybrid bikes for gravel routes and e-bikes — one reviewer rode the CUBE Nuroad e-bike with a Bosch motor and Shimano 1x12 gearing, and found it light and comfortable on both asphalt and soft surfaces. If you are flying in, the company can collect you in Lisbon and drive you to the start of the tour, then return you to Lisbon at the end.

What's included

- Multi-day road or gravel bike tour as booked (guided or self-guided) - Hand-picked hotel accommodation along the route - Luggage transfer between hotels each day - Bike hire, fitted to you - Handlebar-mounted Garmin GPS with the route preloaded - Paper route backups and access to the company's phone app with maps - Support cyclist and van on guided tours - Picnic lunches during rides on some tours - Dinners with Portuguese wines on some tours

What's not included

- International flights - Travel insurance - Meals and drinks not specified for your tour - Personal expenses - Anything not listed for your specific tour