After the rough first day, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Day 2.

The family had made it up to Castelo de Vide and we’d moved to our own Airbnb. Wes and I grabbed dinner for everyone that evening, which made things easier and gave me something else to focus on besides replaying Stage 1 in my head. I tried to take the afternoon pretty easy and rest, but mentally it wasn’t the smoothest. I was beating myself up more than I probably should have. Not productive, not healthy, but it happens.

Another night of marginal sleep. Not terrible, not great. Morning prep went fine. Breakfast was solid. We did a light warm-up — nothing aggressive after the previous day. This time we didn’t line up quite as far forward. I didn’t think much of it at the time, though I’d regret it a little later.

The families were there to see us off, which was fun. I genuinely enjoy the kids seeing me do the things I like to do. The start of this stage we had pre-ridden on Friday, so it felt familiar. There’s a cobbled downhill a few miles in, and even before the race started I was already thinking about position for that section — which is funny considering my main goal for the day was to keep the first hour completely under control. No heart rate spikes. No big early efforts. Just meter it.

Once the race started, we were a bit further back than ideal and had to make some passes. I was able to keep the effort in check though. This course was much flatter overall — more open gravel and double track — and it quickly turned into a group dynamic kind of day. After that cobbled descent, things shook out into smaller packs.

At that point my goal became simple: don’t be on the front. Sit in. Let other teams do some work. We did a decent job of letting a couple teams pull us into a solid group, and honestly it was more fun than I expected. There’s something satisfying about staying in position, not letting gaps open, keeping the speed high without detonating. I think we averaged over 20 mph for close to an hour, which in that terrain felt fast.

There were a few sections where the course ducked into rougher trail and rocks, and it was amazing how quickly people dismounted. We both tried to ride most of it — it wasn’t that bad and kind of fun — and those sections reshuffled the groups a bit before reforming again.

The second half of the course tilted slightly uphill back toward town. After one of the aid stations — where we grabbed some more ham — the groups fractured a little more. Some people stopped, some didn’t, and it got harder to stay organized.

At one point I went down in a loose corner. Fortunately it was loose enough to be soft, so I mostly landed in something forgiving. A few scrapes, nothing major. What surprised me more was how my body responded the rest of the day. We weren’t setting records or threatening podiums, but we also weren’t getting passed constantly. We were moving forward. It felt steady.

As we came back into town, there’s a steep climb before the finish and then it drags uphill nearly all the way to the line. There was another team just ahead of us on that final steep pitch. Neither Wes nor I like letting people go unchallenged. It wasn’t said out loud, but we both put our foot down a little harder. We caught them and passed them before the line — something like fifth or sixth in our age group. Better than the day before, but still nothing spectacular.

The difference was how I felt afterward. I was tired, but not destroyed. Competitive, but not crushed. The family met us at the finish, the kids were fired up, and they didn’t care at all how I’d placed.

It wasn’t a full stage race — just two days and a short prologue — but it was a big experience. Day one is one I’d gladly have a do-over on. Day two felt like a small correction. The town and promoters did an exceptional job. It’s a surprisingly big production for a two-day event, and not an expensive one. The riding feels very European — lots of double track, old roads, adventurous connections. Not tons of singletrack like Pisgah or Breck, but strong competition and big engines everywhere.

I wish I’d put a little more focused preparation into it. I don’t know that I gave it its due. Then again, with the sleep and stress leading into it, maybe it wouldn’t have mattered much. Hard to say.

Trying new races in new places with good friends is rarely the wrong decision.