Cycling in October in the UK means leg warmers, gloves, long sleeved tops and and base layers. While it can be spectacular with the change in the colour of the trees, there is no doubt you are always conscious of the colder weather, and thinking about just how many layers you're going to need to put on!
Here in Portugal, getting on a bike in October is completely different. Yes, it has started to get a little cooler - but only so much that it is no longer 38 degrees and is now in the high 20s!
I am still very much short sleeves....no need for a base layer, and there are not a pair of gloves in sight! Even the Portuguese riders are still in their summer gear, so that's when you know the weather is good!
It's probably one of my favourite months to be out on a bike. The weather is perfect, the scenery is stunning as always, and the roads are quieter now that the tourists have mostly departed. John F. Kennedy once said "Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of riding a bike" - he is right, and October is one of the best months to do that here in the Algarve.
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