You walk into Rubiães with heavy legs and a contented mind. It’s a small village, and after today that’s just right. Sit down for a moment, take your boots off, and look back at where you’ve come from.
This morning’s start in Ponte de Lima was still friendly. Flat ground, time to wake up. It’s a nice warm-up, because after that the road heads uphill. You climb well over 300 metres, almost in one go, and you’ll feel it. Once you find your rhythm, it goes better than you expected. After the top comes a long descent that you’ll feel mostly in your knees. What stays with you are the wooded hills, with the light falling onto the path between the trunks.