Flat asphalt, open coastal winds, and arrow-straight tracks define the push further north. Leaving Figueira da Foz, the route utilizes smooth bike paths cutting through a network of coastal lagoons. The first major point of interest is Praia de Mira, where traditional wooden stilt houses stand alongside a calm freshwater lagoon behind the dunes. Shaded pine forests line the track as the landscape eventually opens into the vast wetlands of the Ria de Aveiro lagoon system. The stage finishes in Gafanha da Nazaré, located right at the mouth of the estuary. A quick detour to the candy-striped houses of Costa Nova and the massive Barra Lighthouse—the tallest in Portugal—caps off a fast day of coastal cruising.
