Estrada Real, Caminho Diamantes, stage 10: Cocais - Catas Atlas

Estrada Real, Caminho Diamantes, stage 9: Ipoema - Cocais

Estrada Real, Caminho Diamantes, stage 8: Itambé do Mato Dentro - Ipoema

Estrada Real, Caminho Diamantes, rest day: Casheiras do Itambé

Estrada Real, Caminho Diamantes, stage 7: Morro do Pilar - Itambé do Mato Dentro

After a lovely evening in Cocais, enjoying a home-cooked chicken and okra meal listening to a great blues playlist, we started our day a bit late. 

Rolling up the hill to the second of the two churches in town, Nossa Senhora de Rosario, we met the first group of other cycle tourists on the trip. The group of three Brazilian mountain bikers were on a fully supported tour. They were covering the same distance in half the time. I’m happy to be able to enjoy real slow travel. 

I learned that during colonial times, the Nossa Senhora de Rosario church was reserved for the black population, while the older and more ostentatiously decorated Igreja de Santana was reserved for the white elite and faced a different direction than the black church so that the churchgoers would not be forced to see each other on Sundays. 

The first series of steep steps led to the high point of the day and into the rain and clouds. The mysterious atmosphere more than makes up for the discomfort of the wet and cold conditions. 

In the backside of the climb, the rains intensified to the point that it was no longer safe to continue riding, so we took shelter at a bar where the locals had been drinking beer all morning. After pondering whether to carry on or not, the rain slowly stopped, and we decided to push forward on the main road to Catas Atlas. 

Arriving in Catas Atlas, the clouds parted, and countless waterfalls tumbling off the Serra do Caraça became visible through the mist. 

That’s just it. Riding in inclement conditions almost always reveals the most dramatic and beautiful sights and memorable experiences. 

Grateful 

🚴⬆️ 2025 = 77,153 m | 🌐 summitbag . com‍
🎷🐛 38.26 new kilometers

-- From Wandrer

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John Benoit

Estrada Real, Caminho Diamantes, stage 10: Cocais - Catas Atlas

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Estrada Real, Caminho Diamantes, stage 10: Cocais - Catas Atlas

Estrada Real, Caminho Diamantes, stage 9: Ipoema - Cocais

Estrada Real, Caminho Diamantes, stage 8: Itambé do Mato Dentro - Ipoema

Estrada Real, Caminho Diamantes, rest day: Casheiras do Itambé

Estrada Real, Caminho Diamantes, stage 7: Morro do Pilar - Itambé do Mato Dentro

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