theGOATS

theGOATS is a 750-kilometre gravel event starting at Penhas da Saude in the Serra da Estrela — Portugal's highest mountain range, whose summit Torre reaches 1,993 metres — with 15,000 metres of elevation gain on terrain that is 80% or more off-road. The Serra da Estrela is one of the most dramatically different landscapes in the Iberian Peninsula: a granite highland plateau above the treeline, with exposed ridges, schist valleys, and a network of ancient shepherd paths and forest tracks that form the backbone of the route. From the high start at Penhas da Saude, the route descends into the river valleys and village networks of central Portugal before climbing back repeatedly into the highland terrain of the Beiras region. The villages along the route are among the most authentic and least-touristed in Portugal — schist architecture, communal wine presses, and traditional mountain agriculture characterise the communities the course threads through. Portugal's interior has been largely ignored by international cycling tourism, which means the terrain the GOATS covers is genuinely unknown to most foreign riders and the solitude on course is absolute. The name is both a playful claim about the quality of the riding and a literal reference to the mountain goats that share the Serra da Estrela with the riders. The June timing offers the best balance of long days and manageable temperatures before the summer heat sets in on the lower valley sections.