🌿 Find Your Tribe: Lisbon Women

🚲 The Tejo 16 → 80 km Challenge

Sat, Oct 17 · 9:00 AM WEST

Grupeto Bike Café, Passeio Adamastor Lote 2.01 01 A, 1990-008 Lisboa, Portugal, Lisboa, PT

Week 3: Espadanal da Azambuja → Lisbon | ~45 km

Has your bike been gathering dust? Or perhaps you've been wanting to cycle more but haven't fancied heading out alone?

This autumn we're getting back on our bikes together with a Saturday morning cycling series along the Tejo — starting small and gradually building our confidence and distance.

These are social rides, not races. Think beautiful routes, chatting along the way, stops to regroup and, of course, the option of a well-earned beer and some food at the finish. 🍺🚲

🚲 Don't have a bike? No problem! You can hire one from Lisbon Bike Rentals from €27 per day. Just make sure you choose a bike suitable for mixed surfaces.

🌿 THE AUTUMN CHALLENGE
Each week we'll cycle a little further along the Tejo and Camino routes.
🚲 14 km — Beato/Marvila → Póvoa ✅
🚲 30 km — Vila Franca → Parque das Nações ✅
🚲 45 km — Espadanal da Azambuja → Parque das Nações ← THIS RIDE
🚲 70 km — Parque das Nações → Valada → Reguengo–Vale da Pedra
🏁 80 km — Parque das Nações → Santarém

You don't need to attend every ride. Join us for one, a few, or see if you can make it all the way from 14 → 80 km!

🚲 WEEK 3 — ESPADANAL DA AZAMBUJA → LISBON
📅 Saturday 17 October
📏 ~45 km
⏱️ ~3 hours cycling / 4–4½ hours including stops
🚲 Relaxed 14–16 km/h moving pace
👭 Maximum 8 cyclists, including organiser
☕ From 08:30 — Meet at Grupeto Bike Café, Parque das Nações
⏰ 09:00 — Please be at the café no later than this
🚲 09:15 — Leave café for Oriente station (~5 mins)
🚆 09:27 — Train from Oriente
🚉 10:10 — Arrive Espadanal da Azambuja
🚲 ~10:20 — Start riding
🏁 ~14:15–15:00 — Finish back in Parque das Nações

We'll follow the Tejo south from Espadanal da Azambuja, passing through Vila Nova da Rainha, Vila Franca de Xira, Alhandra, Alverca, Póvoa de Santa Iria and Sacavém, eventually returning to Parque das Nações for an optional post-ride beer and food. 🍺🍴

The route is largely cycle paths and riverside trails, with a mixture of asphalt, compacted dirt/gravel, cobbles and boardwalk, plus some uneven surfaces and a short ~2 km road section.

We'll have two planned water/social stops along the way.

One of the nice things about this route is that we're never too far from the train line for much of the journey. If you get a puncture that can't be repaired, or simply decide you've done enough for the day, there are opportunities to make your way to a nearby station rather than having to complete the full 45 km.

🗺️ View the route on Wikiloc: Espadanal da Azambuja → Lisbon

🚆 GETTING THERE
Grupeto Bike Café opens at 08:30, so come anytime from then if you'd like time for a coffee. Just make sure you're at the café by 09:00 at the latest so we have time for introductions and a quick ride briefing before leaving at 09:15.

If you're coming from elsewhere in Lisbon, you can bring your bike on the train to Oriente, then cycle around 5 minutes to Grupeto.

Our train from Oriente to Espadanal da Azambuja takes 43 minutes, so we'll be out of the city and ready to start riding by around 10:20. 🚲

Bikes travel free on CP Lisboa Urban trains, subject to available space and applicable train conditions. We'll aim to board together in the designated bicycle area.

We'll leave Grupeto at 09:15 sharp. Unfortunately, we won't be able to wait for late arrivals. 😅

👋 WHO IS THIS FOR?
You don't need to have completed Weeks 1 or 2, or be an experienced long-distance cyclist.

However, 45 km is a step up from our previous rides, so you should already be comfortable riding a bike and have enough basic fitness for approximately three hours of relaxed cycling, with breaks.

This is a social, no-drop ride. We'll adjust to the group, regroup at junctions and planned stops, and nobody gets left behind.

And remember: if you decide you've had enough before reaching Lisbon, there are train stations along parts of the route, so you may be able to finish early rather than pushing beyond what you're comfortable doing.

🚲 WHAT KIND OF BIKE?
Because we'll be riding on mixed surfaces — asphalt, gravel, dirt, cobbles and boardwalk — a hybrid, gravel, trekking or mountain bike is ideal. E-bikes are welcome too.

You don't need chunky mountain-bike tyres, but very thin road-bike tyres aren't recommended.

Whatever you're riding, please make sure it's in good working order.

🎒 WHAT TO BRING
🚲 Roadworthy bike
⛑️ Helmet — required
💧 Plenty of water (ideally 1–1.5 litres)
🛠️ Puncture repair kit and/or spare inner tube
🍌 Snacks to keep your energy up
🧥 Weather-appropriate clothing
💶 Cash + card — cash is recommended as some stops along the route have minimum card spends or may be cash-only
🔋 Charged phone
You'll also need to be comfortable getting your own bike on and off the train.

👭 8 PLACES ONLY
The small group is intentional. It makes it easier for us to ride together, chat, regroup and get to know each other, as well as making travelling with bikes on the train more manageable.

Please only RSVP if you're genuinely planning to come. If your plans change, update your RSVP as soon as possible so someone on the waiting list can take your place.

Coffee. Train. Tejo. Bikes. Beer. Repeat. 🚲

🚴‍♀️ MY CYCLING BIO
Since getting my dog five years ago, I've done a lot more hiking than cycling, but I'd really like to get back into it — especially now I've discovered just how many beautiful, surprisingly flat and largely off-road routes there are to explore in Portugal.

At the peak of my cycling days, I was a member of the London Beer & Bike Group, taking on rides of around 48–80 km across the UK, as well as joining the monthly iBikeLondon and Critical Mass rides around London.

My favourite kind of cycling has always been away from busy roads and, preferably, flat!

I'm much more interested in exploring somewhere beautiful with good company than racing to the finish.

So if you've been meaning to get back on your bike too, this is a chance for us to build up the distance together, one Saturday at a time.