Geo Tour - Rotas Míticas - Aldeias do Xisto MTB Circuit is a two-day endurance mountain bike tour, self-guided using GPS, which can be undertaken alone or in pairs. This event it's much more than mere competition, as it also highlights both its adventurous nature aligned with the quality of its trails.
The city and the municipality of Fundão are the central point of this race, which then extends for two days through routes of extraordinary beauty, from which we would highlight the Great Zêzere Route, the Historical Villages Route, the Aldeias do Xisto, the Serra da Gardunha, single tracks and paths that wind through hills and streams and, the main aspect of this race, the famous trails of Cabeço do Pião, of unparalleled quality and beauty in Portugal and which can delight any MTB lover.
Do you want to follow this event and enjoy the weekend and go for a walk in the region? Book your accommodation on Bokinxisto.
The Event
The 6th edition of the Geo Tour - Mythical Roots - Aldeias do Xisto MTB Circuit is divided into two stages and will constitute a return to its origins, with the start of each stage taking place in different locations. The big novelty this year will be the fact that it visits the municipality of Pampilhosa da Serra, the town where the whole group will spend the night at the end of the first day.
The 1st stage links the city of Fundão and the town of Pampilhosa da Serra.
The 2nd stage starts in Pampilhosa da Serra and finishes in Fundão.
Each stage is about 85 kms long with 2000 metres of climbing.
One of the stages will of course go to Cabeço do Pião, crossing one of the most beautiful trails in the country, the single-track that connects this place to the Aldeia do Xisto of Barroca. We will also traverse one of the most beautiful parts of the Great Zêzere Route, and also the most famous single-track of Pampilhosa da Serra, with an extension of 6 kms which will constitute one of the great points of interest this year.
The other stage will leave Pampilhosa da Serra heading to the fantastic trails of the Santa Luzia Dam, then it is uphill with magnificent views over the whole area of the Panasqueira Mines and the descent towards the single tracks of the S. Francisco de Assis village, which have also become an essential feature of our event. We then descend once again to the river Zêzere and return to Fundão.
During two days we will cover 170 kms which will involve a total climbing of 4000 metres, where we will visit three Aldeias do Xisto (Barroca, Janeiro de Cima and Janeiro de Baixo), besides other remarkable villages in our region, such as Admoço, Aldeia de S. Francisco, Aradas, Cambas, Cambas, Cabril, Caneiros, Dornelas do Zêzere, Enxabarda, Souto da Casa, Silvares, Selada das Pedras, Barco, Peso, Pesinho, Unhais-o-Velho and Ourondo, among others.
This will be two days of the purest mountain biking, where the true lovers of this sport will ride some of the most magnificent trails in Portugal, with challenging single tracks, demanding climbs, riding through mountains with their steep slopes and where the valleys and streams intermingle with the hills with everything being pure and original, as time has seemingly stopped.
Programme
Friday 16 February
5pm – Office Opening – Octagonal Pavilion
9.30pm – Office closure – Octagonal Pavilion
Saturday 17 February
8am – Office opens – Octagonal Pavilion
9:30am – Office closure – Octagonal Pavilion
9:45am– Briefing – Octagonal Pavilion
10.15am – Departure of the 1st stage – Fairground Enclosure
1.45pm – Expected arrival of the 1st Athlete – Pampilhosa da Serra
2pm – Bathing in the Municipal Pavilion of Pampilhosa da Serra
2.30pm – Massages – Place to be announced
5.30pm – Estimated Arrival of the final athletes – Pampilhosa da Serra
7pm – Dinner Gathering – place to be announced
8.30pm – 1st Stage Award Ceremony and Souvenir Awarding Ceremony – place to be announced
10pm Sleeptime – Hotel Pampilhosa, Residencial Casa Velha and Town Hall dormitories
Sunday 18 February
7am – Breakfast – Voluntary Firefighters Headquarters of Pampilhosa da Serra
7.30am – Office opens – Pampilhosa da Serra Town Hall
8.30am – Departure of the 2nd Stage – Pampilhosa da Serra
12.30pm – Estimated Time of Arrival of the 1st Athlete – Fundão
1pm – Start of Lunch – Place to be announced
3.30pm – Award Ceremony – Place to be announced
4pm - Closing Event
