One Year After Paris Gold, Iúri Leitão Conquers Portugal's 'Holy Mountain'

The chants rising from Mondim de Basto this week were impossible to miss. They mixed equal parts pride and nostalgia as fans watched Portugal’s latest sporting idol, Iúri Leitão, roll across the finish line on the shoulder-searing slopes of Senhora da Graça. Exactly twelve months after capturing Olympic gold in the Madison at Paris 2024, the 26-year-old marked the anniversary by tackling the country’s most storied climb during stage 4 of the Volta a Portugal — reminding resident foreigners why cycling here is more cultural ritual than mere pastime.

A hill that explains Portugal’s sporting soul

Ask any Portuguese fan to name the nation’s “holy mountain” of cycling and the answer is automatic: Monte Farinha, crowned by the sanctuary of Senhora da Graça. The ascent — 8.4 km at an unforgiving 7 % average gradient with ramps that flirt with double digits — has decided countless Tours of Portugal since the late 1970s. Crowds camp overnight along the hairpins, drums echo through the chestnut groves, and even casual onlookers find themselves shouting encouragement to riders they have never met. In a country where football headlines dominate most front pages, this single road carves out a space for cycling to shine, and any foreigner curious about local sporting passion will find it concentrated here in pure, high-altitude form.

The rider who turned track dominance into road stardom

Leitão’s pilgrimage up Senhora da Graça was more than a publicity stunt. Over the past two seasons the Viana do Castelo native has built a résumé that places him on par with Portugal’s biggest names in any discipline. His breakthrough came at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome one year ago, where he and fellow northerner Rui Oliveira overturned a 35-point deficit in the final forty laps to claim Portugal’s first Olympic cycling title. The feat followed a string of podiums on the track — including world omnium gold in 2023 and a brace of European titles earlier this February in Heusden-Zolder. What has turned heads in 2025, however, is his ability to carry that explosiveness onto the road. Racing for the Spanish-registered Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, he opened the Volta with second place in the Porto prologue, outsprinted seasoned road specialists on stage 3, and currently owns the green points jersey. To expatriates tracing Portuguese sport from afar, Leitão now occupies the same conversation as footballer Cristiano Ronaldo or surfer Frederico Morais: athletes whose exploits vault well beyond national borders.

How the 2025 Volta is unfolding — and where to join the spectacle

Stage 4’s summit finish gave the overall lead to Russian climber Artem Nych, but the day belonged to South African breakaway artist Byron Munton, whose solo attack survived despite a route shortened by wild-fire smoke near the Serra do Alvão. Leitão, focused on stage wins rather than general classification, crossed within the main favourites’ group to roaring applause from spectators waving both Portuguese and Galician flags. If you are based in Lisbon, Porto or anywhere between, the caravan continues south next weekend, with televised coverage on RTP 2 and live roadside action that remains entirely free. Foreign residents should note that parking near stage finishes is restricted after 09.00, and shuttle buses from designated villages fill quickly — plan accordingly.

What Leitão’s success signals for Portuguese sport — and for newcomers

Portugal has produced Olympic champions before, but rarely in disciplines outside athletics or canoe sprint. A gold medal in track cycling has forced a re-think of funding priorities, and national federations are already lobbying for a covered velodrome in the north to capitalise on the momentum. For immigrant families with cycling-mad children, that could translate into better grassroots programmes and more English-language coaching clinics. Sponsors, meanwhile, are waking up to the marketing power of a rider who wins both on the boards and in front of breathtaking mountain backdrops. In short: expect more colorful jerseys in your local café and heavier traffic on weekend training routes.

Thinking of riding Senhora da Graça yourself? Read this first

The climb is open year-round, though summer afternoons can hit 35 °C. Bring at least two bidons, respect the painted fan slogans that line every corner, and remember that Portuguese drivers treat the descent as a rally stage. Most locals start from the riverside town of Mondim de Basto, allowing a gentle warm-up before the gradients bite after the Capela de Nossa Senhora da Saúde. Average amateurs need 45-60 minutes; Leitão dispatched the climb in roughly 23. Organised sportives such as the Granfondo Terras de Basto offer closed-road access each May, but nothing matches the electricity of Volta day, when cowbells, fireworks and the scent of roasted bifanas turn a simple 8 km into a moving festival. For many immigrants discovering Portugal by pedal, it can become the moment the country finally feels like home.