Serra da Mantiqueira Ridge

The ridge road between São Paulo and Minas: coffee on the slopes, cloud in the mornings and very little traffic once you are up.

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Why this ride

A one-way ride of 145 km, Campos do Jordão to Passa Quatro - roughly 2 h 47 in the saddle. On the way it passes Maria da Fé and Itanhandu. The highest point is 1,270 m. The line favours views over speed.

Roadbook

1. Santo Antônio do Pinhal start · 1100 m

   Santo Antônio do Pinhal is where the day begins.

2. Maria da Fé scenic · 1270 m

   At twelve hundred and seventy metres, Maria da Fé is one of the coldest towns in Minas Gerais, and the locals are proud of it. Frost is routine in winter, the hillsides are grazed by sheep, and the people dress as though they were living somewhere much further south. It sits in the Serra da Mantiqueira, whose name in Tupi is usually given as the mountain that weeps, a reference to the many springs that rise from its slopes. It is a gentle, pastoral landscape, quite different from the steep, forested coastal ranges.

   The ridge road here is what a rider hopes for in Brazil. The altitude keeps the air crisp, the surface is generally better than the lowland roads, and the bends are open and flowing, climbing through pasture, eucalyptus and small groves of pine. Traffic is light apart from the occasional truck and a lot of locals on small motorbikes. In winter the mornings can be cold enough for frost on the tarmac in shaded corners, and fog sits in the hollows until mid-morning, so wait until the sun reaches the road before you push on.

   The town has a quiet small-town centre and a reputation for its cold-climate produce: lamb, cheese, apples and other fruit that struggle in the heat of the lowlands, and a tradition of wool and knitwear. It is a lovely place to eat slowly, with a grill or a simple cafe and a cup of strong coffee, then wander the square. The old churches are modest and white, and the whole place feels farmed rather than built.

   For fuel, the safe answer is Itajubá, fifteen kilometres away and a city of over eighty thousand people, with a full range of stations and services. A town of Maria da Fé's size will have a pump, but if you are running low it is better to count on a larger place than on a small-town forecourt that may close early. Evenings are cold, even in summer, so keep something warm in the bag. The best months for riding are May to September, when the air is dry, the skies are clear and the Mantiqueira shows its full outline on the horizon.

3. Itanhandu scenic · 880 m

   Itanhandu is a small, tidy town of about eleven thousand people on the southern flank of the Serra da Mantiqueira, at eight hundred and eighty metres. Behind it the mountains climb to some of the highest summits in the south-east of Brazil, including the Serra Fina, a long ridge whose high point, Pedra da Mina, reaches about two thousand eight hundred metres. On a clear morning the silhouette stands over the town, and you can see why walkers come from São Paulo and Rio to attempt the crossing.

   The riding here is a pleasure in its own right. The roads climb out of town into cooler, greener country and wind along valleys of small farms, with dairy cattle, coffee, pockets of Atlantic forest and the odd waterfall tumbling off the slope. The surface is generally decent but not always consistent, so keep a margin on blind corners; there are potholes after the rains, loose gravel at the farm entrances, and the usual Brazilian speed bumps at the edges of every village. Most of the traffic is local, and the roads become busier on weekends with visitors from the big cities, who come for the cold nights and good food.

   It is also a fine place to eat. The Mantiqueira is known for its country cooking, with sausages, cheese, fresh trout, pastries and strong filtered coffee, and Itanhandu has a few straightforward places that serve it in generous amounts. A few kilometres away is Passa Quatro, which was once an important point on the railway that linked this region with the coast, and it carries some of that old character. São Lourenço, twenty-odd kilometres away, is a spa town built around its mineral springs, and it is the bigger place for fuel and supplies, though a town of this size will normally have its own station.

   The sweet spot for a visit is the dry season, from May to September. The days are clear, the air is cold at night and sharp at dawn, and the view of the Serra Fina is at its best. In the wet months, from December to March, the mountains disappear into cloud by the afternoon, so plan to ride in the morning and be off the high roads by lunchtime.

4. Passa Quatro finish · 930 m

   Passa Quatro closes the day.

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