Today starts with Atlantic light at my back and the sense that the coast is still riding along for a while. I roll out of Figueira da Foz into flatter country, past fields, pine trees and quiet villages. But this short day has teeth: after the opening kilometres, a long gentle climb runs for almost 6 km, followed later by two sharper ramps, one about 1.3 km with a proper bite. The final road rises again for around 3.5 km towards Pombal – calm, green and just hard enough to make arriving feel earned.
