Cycling tour of Portugal on tap for Nik Halkias

By Katherine Grant
For NewsNow

With almost 1,000 km of coastline, much of which is sandy beach, Portugal is a beach-goer’s paradise.

It is also among the reasons the small country remains among the most popular tourist destinations in the south of Europe.

From Sept. 4-14, Nik Halkias will see this beautiful sea-side country from the seat of his bicycle and plans to hit as many of those beaches as possible.

Halkias is the owner of County Cycle in Beamsville which opened for business in April 2013.

The popular shop sells bikes, parts and accessories and also does bike repairs.

“Maybe we can break a record for how many beaches we can visit,” said Halkias with a smile.

Halkias will be traveling with long-time friend, Andre Manuel who he has known since high school. They will be dismantling and transporting their own bikes for the trip.

The pair both ride Devinci mountain bikes with dual suspension, ideal for the terrain of Portugal.

“The terrain is rocky. Not sure what we might encounter so we will be bringing extra tires and spare parts,” said Halkias.

This is very much a vacation though – it’s time to enjoy the “fruits of my labour,” said Halkias. The plan is to meet up with local cyclists and do some excursions with them.

“There is going to be a very Canadian aspect to this trip,” said Halkias, adding Canadian flags and jerseys will be in evidence.

Halkias is hoping this will become an annual adventure to different locales, including British Columbia

He plans to use social media to stay in touch and will be posting to his County Cycle Facebook page as well as using Twitter and Instagram.