Cycling Weekly's Bike of the Year awards are a celebration of the best bikes that the cycling industry has to offer, and as such deserves a beautiful filming location to help them look their best.
To produce the films for the 2017 awards, we were invited to Portugal by Volta Pro Tours, a new cycling tour company that is looking to introduce more riders to a beautiful country that has gone largely undiscovered by foreign cyclists.
Pro advice comes as standard with Volta Pro Tours
Hosted by Volta founder Adriano Placidi, we were guided through some of the most spectacular locations that Portugal has to offer, from rolling coastal roads skirting along the cliffs of the Atlantic coast, all the way up to Serra da Estrella, the country's highest point with a brutal 19km climb to the summit.
Joining us on our adventures was multiple Portuguese national champion Daniela Reis, a very talented young rider who will be making the step up to UCI level with Belgian team Lares-Waowdeals in 2017.
Watch: Cycling Weekly Women's Bike of the Year 2017
As well as helping to guide us to the best filming locations, Daniela stepped in as the model in our Women's Bike of the Year, looking far better on a bike than any of us could ever wish.
You might think that having a professional rider on board would be something put on specially for one of the world's biggest cycling websites, but in fact it will be a standard part of all Volta tours.
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The Team Volta car was on hand with a constant supply of snacks
Volta Pro Tours currently has two tours scheduled for 2017, the Grand Tour Alentejo in the east of the country and the N2 challenge taking in the whole length of Portugal, both of which will have pro level support including following vehicles, with former Team Sky and Tinkoff directeur sportif Sean Yates in the car for the Grand Tour Alentejo.
However Volta Pro Tours is not just about the riding. Adriano and co. will make sure that you can relax at the end of a long day in the saddle with luxury five star hotels and the high quality (and quantity) food that Portugal is renowned for.
Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
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