Ride Information and Ratings:
- Date: April 9th, 2016
- Distance: 170,9km
- Total Ascent: 1.200 meters
- Location: Rio de Janeiro to Rio das Ostras
- Total Riding Time: 6:55h riding, 9:20h total
- Scenic Views Rating: 6 - Interesting Ride
- Ride Safety Rating: 6 - Decently Safe
- Cultural and Tourism: 6
- Level of Exercise Rating: 10
- Type of Terrain: Aslfalt
- Description of Terrain: 100% asphalt, mostly in great conditioned shoulder on main highways. The worst part was the RJ 162, where the shoulder wasn´t in great shape and it was two-way the entire way. Overall, great places to ride.
Ride Map:
- https://www.strava.com/activities/540410461
- GPX (download here)
Did you know:
- One of the best times of the year to visit Rio das Ostras is in August, to watch the Jazz and Blues Festival. There are four stages spread throughout the city, where you can enjoy great music throughout the day and night.
Ride Details:
- This ride was a highway ride the entire way, riding along BR 101 from Niteroi to Rio Dourado, then on RJ 162 from Rio Dourado to Rio das Ostras.
- Although it was a very hot day, it didn´t feel terribly hot at any point.
- There are no major climbs, just regular ups and downs throughout the highway. The RJ 162 has climbs that are a little steeper.
- BR 101 is being duplicated and once it´s ready, this will be a relatively safe place to ride, as the main problem was in the segments that were still two-way traffic and there is always the danger of a car overtaking in the wrong spots. Otherwise, I really liked the surface, as it was good asphalt and it wasn´t full of sand, dirt or debris. Really surprised me.
- This is not the most scenic road you will ride, but it does have a few spots where you can see the hills and mountains in the horizon and it´s a very interesting view. The closer to Rio das Ostras, the more scenic it becomes.
- We had, fortunatelly, a minor setback, as Diego punctured his tire on the side of the shoulder. We patched up the tire so that it would ride at low pressure, and the luck was on our side. Less than 2km from were the tire was pucntured, was Casimiro de Abreu, a small town right on BR 101, which had a great bike shop open and the perfect tire available. We had to hold our breath for about 45 minutes until we hit the shop, but after that, it was an even better feeling.
- I was expecting head wind once we reached "Região dos Lagos", but we didn´t see significant head wind until we took on RJ 162 and began cycling towards the East, but it was only the last 15km-20km.
- Overall this was a very enjoyable ride, and I felt very safe the entire time, although it really depends on road traffic hours. We left as 6am on a low season Saturday.
- I had the company of friend Diego, who, most of the time, was pushing the pace and making the ride more challenging. Thanks Diego!
Photos:
Vídeos:
