Estrada Real ?

[segolene]

Hi!

Friends of mine are trying to talk me into riding most of the Estrada Real (Brazil) next September! I was wondering if any of you did it...or know/heard of someone who did it!

Thanks

Seg.

[pll]

Sounds exciting. I don't know anyone, but there are several pages about this in Portuguese. If you don't get enough feedback, I may be able to translate a couple of pages. One of them includes a map that shows long stretches of unpaved roads, and also the times between towns:

The description of the ride (trip segments on the menu in the right):
http://www.descubraminas.com.br/destinosturisticos/hpg_pagina.asp?id_pagina=1614

The map:
http://www.descubraminas.com.br/comum/det_foto.asp?refresh=0&id_foto=9286&formato=grande

The times and distances
http://www.descubraminas.com.br/destinosturisticos/hpg_pagina.asp?id_pagina=1624&id_pgiSuper=

If you go, I hope you get to spend some time in Rio de Janeiro, catch some live samba and/or chorinho at night -- it is a beautiful city!

[segolene]

Thanks! Yeap, portugese is a bit confusing ( I am French, I can deal with spanish , not so much with portuguese). I have one year to prepare for this trip ( both my BF and myself are sold on the idea, I mean, can you refuse such an offer!) I now have to start planning (my favorite activity:D )
One last question ? Any great sites/books idea to help me planning a long trip like that (as in, what should I bring, for the bikes, for myself etc..).

Merci!:p

[pll]

Portuguese can be confusing at times, but it seems relatively easy to understand, in written, as a Spanish speaker. I have no expertise touring, but I have been talking to a friend in Rio about planning a cycling trip in southern Chile. Now, I am *very* curious about the Estrada Real... For those who might be reading and curious, the "royal roads" were for the circulation of gold and diamonds from Minas Gerais ("general mines") to the ports and then to Portugal.

I have been only to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador da Bahia a couple of times, but not to any of the cities and towns along the roads of the estrada.

Anyhow, do you have a set route already, how long are you planning on touring versus non cycling? There are several cities along the estrada real that I would check out, such as Ouro Preto and Diamantina, both on the World Heritage list (baroque architecture), or Paraty and Petrópolis, but you probably won't go through both Paraty and Petrópolis, as you can see in the following map: http://www.estradareal.org.br/mapa_press.pdf (in the map, "PN" stands for national parks, and "PE" for state parks).

There is a book you can find in Amazon, "Journey on the Estrada Real: Encounters In The Mountains Of Brazil," that seems to be a good read.

The link to the map is from an institute (Instituto Estrada Real, http://www.estradareal.org.br/) that publishes a tourism guide on the estrada real, and supposedly there are English and French editions.

[gcheney]

Hello, Segolene et al. I'm delighted to see that someone has noticed my book, Journey on the Estrada Real. I think it will be a big help to anyone riding the 400K section from Ouro Preto to Diamantina. I walked, not biked, that section, and wrote about it in considerable detail. It shoudl give you a good idea of the road and the places to stay in each village.

To confirm what someone mentioned, the road is almost all dirt, a lot of loose gravel.

On the trip, I met a Seiss/German couple who had biked a long way down the coast of Brazil, then decided to do part of the Estrada Real. The man's name is Juerg Fuchs, and he's a very niceguy, so I think he won'tmind my telling you that his email is juergfuchs at yahoo.

I'l be glad to answer any questions. I'm at glenncheney@comcast.net. You can read and excerpt and see some photos taken along the road at cheneybooks.com.

Have a nice trip! I wish I could go along. Not much of a biker, alas, nor a woman.

glenn cheney