Ride Information and Ratings:
- Date: March, 20, 2016
- Distance: 146.7km
- Total Ascent: 1.389
- Location: Rio de Janeiro > Itaboraí > Maricá > Niteroi > Rio de Janeiro
- Total Riding Time: 6:40h riding, 9:20h total
- Scenic Views Rating: 8
- Ride Safety Rating: 7
- Cultural and Tourism: 6
- Level of Exercise Rating: 9
- Type of Terrain: Mix several types of terrain.
- Description of Terrain: Mix of city streets, highway shoulder, secondary highway side of the road, bike path and dirt road. City streets are in decent condition, shoulder of the Rio-Manilha highway really surprised me as it was great to ride on; Itaboraí>Maricá secondary road had a small shoulder at times (filled with sand in many parts), but traffic goes slow and riding on the road seemed relatively safe; Maricá>Niteroi is on dirt roads, with lots of sand and mud in some parts, where I had to carry the bike. Overall, a great mixed ride.
Ride Map:
- https://www.strava.com/activities/522356487
Did you know:
- There is a rock, at the southern most point in Maricá (that separates Maricá from Niteroi) that is called Elephant Rock, as there is great resemblance between this rock and an elephant's head.
Ride Details:
- 15km from Gávea to the Ferry was regular city riding.
- Rode for 40km on the Rio-Manilha highway, that heads towards Região dos Lagos, and was pleasantly surprised by the great shape that the shoulder was in. Traffic was also low (Sunday morning) and most cars were very respectful.
- As usual, the ride in the ferry offers great views of Rio´s mountain line, including Sugar Loaf and Cristo.
- The begging of the Rio-Manillha offers good views of the Guanabara Bay, although it is a very industrial area, it´s still a great place to ride and maintain a good pace.
- There are plenty of places to stop for food and drinks along Rio-Manilha.
- The road that heads to Maricá has a hidden entrance, which is just behind the Posto Nota 10, which is on the same side of the rode (right).
- The Itaboraí-Maricá road might have been the best part of the ride. About 22km of slow traffic road cutting through the mountains, but with very little ascent (just one 5 minute climb to reach the city limit).
- There are a few small markets are on the Itaboraí-Maricá road.
- Maricá is a small town and it takes about 20 minutes to cross town and reach Barra de Maricá, which is where the dirt road that heads to Niteroi begins.
- Many places in Maricá to stop for food and drinks.
- The dirt road that leads to Niteroi is about 30km long and it had part with lots of sand and mud, which required me to carry the bike.
- In the first 10km-15km there are no places to stop for food, but once the road goes near the ocean, there are plenty of bars and kiosks.
- There are two options to reach Niteroi: Serra da Tirica and through Itaocaia. Serra da Tiririca is only about 1.5km long, but it´s a very steep climb, and most people have to walk the bike to the top, where there a great viewpoint of the entire Maricá beach region.
- The rest of the ride takes place in Niteroi, with the first part being along the oceanic side, but far from the water, so it´s not a very pleasant ride. Lots of traffic and not very well organized traffic, although it´s possible to ride on the auxiliary road for most of the time until reaching the climb to get to the bay area.
- There is a climb about 3.5km, that is not very steep, but seems longer than it should. Then there is a 4km descent to reach the Bay, and view on the descent is great, includes the bay in the foreground and Cristo in the background.
- The last part is along the Niteroi´s bayside bike path, which alternates part on the road and parts on the sidewalk, with a couple of short climbs that offer good view of the beaches and Rio´s mountain line.
Photos:
Videos:
