Singletrack

Snack-time, Azores style.
Formosa for a café Pingal – an espresso with a dash of milk.
A postman rattles around the corner on a scooter. Hugo
greets him warmly, and introduces us to this man in his grey
uniform: Nuno Aguiar aka Káká, mountain bike downhiller
of the moment. He moved from Sao Miguel to Santa Maria a
few years ago and began searching for trails using old military
maps. That’s how he discovered the ones on Pico Alto, which
were, at that time, completely overgrown. Using a shovel and
an axe he was able to expose the trails. Unfortunately, due
to his job and family, he is unable to spend as much time
on his bike, which is why Hugo has taken over the job of
looking after the trails. He ensures that they are used regularly.
However, he occasionally closes some of the more frequently
used trails to allow them to regenerate. The Enduro World
Series is due to make a stop here in 2018. Everything needs to
be perfect for that.
On the way up to Pico we make the most of as many
trails as possible before gently descending to San Lorenzo
in the evening. At a colourfully painted beach bar we order
Cerveja de Pressao, a local draft beer, and enjoy spectacular
views of the Atlantic waves. We definitely need to come back
here again before this bike paradise becomes too popular.
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