Storm-Tested Riders in Quarteira Raise €2,100 for Polio Eradication

A chill breeze still clung to Quarteira’s seafront when a handful of determined cyclists gathered last Sunday, yet by mid-morning their pedals had already spun a modest community effort into a far larger contribution to the global campaign against polio.

Wheels turning for a bigger cause

The ride, organised by local guide Paul from Algarve Bike Holidays and embraced by Rotary volunteers, produced roughly €700 in direct donations. That figure might look unremarkable at first glance, but the ongoing 2-for-1 match pledged by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation instantly lifted the total to €2,100, tripling the Algarve’s impact on the worldwide “End Polio Now” programme. In the words of one veteran rider, “Every euro feels like three when Gates comes on board.”

Storm-damaged coast forces detours

Unpredictable Atlantic weather has been a recurring headache in 2025, and the run-up to the ride was no exception. Heavy rain from the remnants of Tropical Depression Gabrielle carved potholes into car parks near Forte Novo beach and washed away several wooden boardwalks. Organisers ring-fenced the safest bays still intact and diverted the route inland for the first kilometre, a reminder of how climate-tested coastal towns must now build resilience even for casual weekend events.

How the numbers add up

Final tallies show that forty-plus kilometres of pedalling—about 500 m of cumulative climbing—generated €5 per person in entry fees and roughly €375 in spontaneous gifts on the day. Additional pledges arranged by Rotarian Shirley during the week closed the gap to the headline €700 figure. Thanks to the Gates multiplier, each participant effectively leveraged triple the buying power for vaccination campaigns in countries where the poliovirus still threatens children’s mobility.

Rotary and Gates: a partnership in motion

The Gates match is not new, yet its relevance grew in Portugal this year when the foundation confirmed continued support for local fundraising through 2025. Portugal’s own interaction with the programme stretches back more than a decade; Lisbon researchers once secured $1.2 M from Gates for malaria studies, and the University Nova recently received backing for pandemic preparedness. Within Rotary’s global ledger, Quarteira’s ride may be a footnote, but it illustrates how village-scale philanthropy threads into a multinational financing web.

What riders need to know next

Paul has pencilled the next outing for this Sunday, asking cyclists to be at the Forte Novo car park by 09:15, rolling out at 09:30. Should fewer than five riders register—or if another Atlantic squall barrels in—cancellations will go out via WhatsApp or email. The course will again hover around 35–40 km, with a coffee stop in the interior before looping back to the shore.

A growing calendar of charity on two wheels

While no Algarve event rivals the scale of the Volta ao Algarve, the region’s quieter charity rides are multiplying. Portimão’s Granfondo is planning a solidarity walk to accompany its November sportive, and Loulé’s autumn “Mama em Movimento” run channels funds toward breast-cancer support groups. These initiatives, modest in isolation, collectively hint at an Algarve where outdoor sport is becoming a preferred vehicle for grass-roots fundraising—rain clouds and washed-out boardwalks notwithstanding.