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Some photos from our last 140 km ride to Moinhos de Gavinhos 🚴♂️🇵🇹

Some photos from last rides 🚴♀️🇵🇹

🍎 Why Apples Are a Game-Changer After a 100+ km Bike Ride Finishing a century ride leaves your body completely depleted: glycogen stores in your muscles and liver are empty, dehydration sets in, muscle fibers have micro-tears (hello, cramps!), and oxidative stress is through the roof. Apples are an amazing, accessible, and stomach-friendly food that works wonders during the active recovery phase, especially in the first hours post-ride. Here is exactly how they help an ultra-distance cyclist: 1. Fast Energy (Glycogen) Replenishment You burn thousands of calories on a 100+ km ride. One medium apple provides about 25–30 grams of carbohydrates. Fructose & Glucose: Apples contain a mix of simple sugars. Glucose is quickly absorbed to rebuild muscle glycogen, while fructose primarily restores glycogen levels in your liver. The Anabolic Window: Eating an apple within the first 30–40 minutes after finishing jumpstarts the recovery of your energy stores. 2. Fighting Inflammation and Muscle Soreness (DOMS) Hours of pedaling cause micro-tears in your muscles, triggering an inflammatory response. Apples (especially the skin) are packed with quercetin, a powerful polyphenol antioxidant. Studies show that quercetin lowers inflammatory markers and helps reduce delayed onset muscle soreness the next day. 3. Gentle Rehydration and Potassium Against Cramps Apples are 85% water, making them perfect for kickstarting rehydration even before you sit down for a heavy meal. One apple contains around 195 mg of potassium—a crucial electrolyte lost through sweat. Potassium is essential for restoring fluid-electrolyte balance and proper nerve signaling, which directly prevents those agonizing calf cramps. 4. Easing Post-Ride GI Distress After hours of hard work, blood flow is diverted away from your digestive system to your legs. Eating a heavy meal immediately after a finish can cause cramps or nausea. Apples contain pectin (a soluble fiber) that gently lines the stomach walls, supports gut microbiota, and helps your digestive system smoothly transition back to normal. 💡 How to maximize your post-ride apple? An apple alone contains almost no protein or sodium (the main salt lost in sweat). To hit the ideal 3:1 or 4:1 carb-to-protein recovery ratio, pair it with a protein source: The Ultimate Snack: Slice up an apple and dip it into peanut butter (a great source of protein, healthy fats, and sodium) or enjoy it alongside some Greek yogurt / quark. #cycling #recovery #sportsnutrition #cyclinglife #centuryride

Portugal's Youngest Triathletes AMAZED Me! 😳🏊🚴🏃🇵🇹 I wasn't expecting an event like this in a small Portuguese town! 🤯 The 3rd Triatlo Jovem de Soure brought together dozens of young athletes for an incredible day of swimming, cycling and running—all inside Soure's beautiful park. The atmosphere was amazing, the competition was intense, and the determination of these young triathletes was truly inspiring. This is just a 2-minute preview of the event. 🎥 The full 4K race highlights with much more action and behind-the-scenes footage are coming soon on Bike Universe. Subscribe so you don't miss it!

Would You Cross This? 😳🚴 One mistake... and it's straight into the mountain river. 😳 During our MTB adventure in Portugal, we came across an incredibly narrow concrete bridge with barely enough room for a bike. No guardrails. No second chance. Would you cross it? 🚵 Follow Bike Universe for more epic rides, hidden places and real cycling adventures across Portugal. Link: Ссылка скрыта

I Rode Into the Clouds… Then Found the Sun 😳 One side of the mountain was completely swallowed by clouds from the Atlantic 🌫️🌊 At Miradouro Murtinheira, the ocean had disappeared behind a thick wall of fog. Visibility dropped, the landscape transformed, and it felt like riding through another world. Before leaving, I stopped to feed a colony of forest ants with a cookie 🍪🐜 — and within minutes they were carrying pieces away in every direction. Then came the surprise... A descent down the other side of the mountain led straight into sunshine, blue skies and stunning ocean views near Figueira da Foz ☀️ Portugal never stops surprising. 🎥 Full video coming soon on Bike Universe!

Portugal’s Hidden Mountain Wonderland 😳🇵🇹 42 km. 980 m of climbing. 3.5 hours of pure adventure. 🚵♂️ This ride took us through the mountains of central Portugal to the incredible Parque Eólico Degracias and the unique Buracas do Casmilo — one of the most unusual landscapes in the country. Wind turbines on the ridges, breathtaking views, limestone cliffs, hidden caves and endless mountain roads made this one of our most memorable rides of the year. If you love hidden gems, epic viewpoints and real cycling adventures, this is a tour you won't want to miss. 🎥 Full video coming soon on Bike Universe!

And some more 🚴♂️🇵🇹