Landscapes of Portugal

•The RI.Perspective
Portugal Bikepacking is a gravel journey led by Stefano Scapitta, founder of Esco a Fare un Giro, a project born from his years of experience on the bicycle and from his independent work designing off-road routes. His vision is to read a territory through maps, move through it with attention and use the track as a starting point to be actively interpreted, discovering less predictable trajectories.
From Lisbon, riders head south with a bikepacking setup, following an itinerary of over 600 kilometres that alternates dirt roads, back roads and coastal stretches. Two faces of Portugal emerge: the more rural Alentejo, with agricultural landscapes, small towns and a farming culture still very much present, and then the Atlantic coast, from Sagres back towards Lisbon, among cliffs, bays, wide beaches and fishing villages.
Eight days in the saddle, with long daily distances tackled at a pace meant to experience the landscape, not simply cover it. The unsupported format requires preparation and adaptability, on a ride where each participant manages their own load.
In this retreat, the bicycle also becomes a space for personal concentration. Effort, distance and the repeated rhythm of pedalling bring each person back to themselves, to measure their own energy and recognise the moment to keep going. At the same time, the group creates a quiet strength: people move together, help one another during the more demanding stages, and the destination reached each day becomes a concrete, shared satisfaction. An experience where autonomy and support coexist.
The interplay between the pace of bikepacking, the Portuguese terrain and Stefano’s research into “unconventional roads” brings out greater autonomy and awareness in the way one approaches the road: choosing, adapting, interpreting what changes and finding confidence in the ability to overcome difficulties.

A retreat by @esco_a_fare_un_giro