CHAPTER #11 ACT NON-STOP CHALLENGE
Some challenges are born from the desire to go further. To push your limits. To feel the motorbike, the terrain, and your body working as one. That’s exactly what led Filipe Elias and Stefan Everts – 10-time Motocross World Champion – to take on the ACT Portugal route from North to South… in one single go.
No time pressure. No racing. Just focus, endurance, and pure adventure.
The idea of the Non-Stop Challenge grabbed Everts from the start. Side by side with Filipe, the “godfather” of ACT in Portugal, they prepped two BMW F900GS bikes, a support van with a mechanic, assistant, and photographer… and set off to do something most people wouldn’t even dare to try.
5:00 AM. Bragança. Still dark.The adventure began.The goal? Reach Cacela Velha in the Algarve. All off-road. Through the most remote, hidden corners of Portugal’s interior.
Everts, who is just one step away from officially calling Portugal home, started the challenge calm and relaxed. Maybe too relaxed! At the first fuel stops, he would take off his boots and vest, sit down, and slowly enjoy his homemade bread, while Filipe reminded him that every minute counted. What felt like small delays early on would come back to hurt later.
As they passed through historic northern villages like Santulhão and Mogadouro, Everts Everts was deeply impressed.
– It feels like we’ve stepped back into the last century, small villages, cobbled streets, and granite houses.
Breathtaking landscapes. Silence. Pure serenity. But there was no time to admire it for long. When you’re trying to compress a five-day route into just over 24 hours, the clock doesn’t forgive.
Fuel stops came every 100–150 km, quick breaks to rest, eat, and refill hydration packs.
At around 1 p.m., after already spending eight hours on the motorbike, they entered the most technical and demanding section of the route: the Serra da Estrela. Long climbs, not particularly difficult, but truly punishing were combined with stretches of loose rock. And the heat? Brutal. Everts remarked that it felt like he was breathing hot air.
Every meter demanded absolute focus, but the goal was clear: to reach Alamal Beach, near Góis, for a well-deserved lunch, which ended up being more like a late afternoon meal.
On the other side of the mountain range, another stop in Silvares at around 4 p.m. allowed them to regain some energy. Even so, the focus remained unchanged: finally reach lunch, as from that point on the Alentejo would offer faster, flowing tracks, ideal for picking up pace.
The stop at Alamal Beach was a true oasis. A pasta meal was waiting for the group, providing a genuine “reset.” There was even time for a cold shower for Everts, who had ended up suffering more than expected from the heat.
With renewed energy, they set off at dusk towards the Alentejo, where the pace could increase… at least in theory. A heavy hit against a rock bent the front rim of Filipe’s BMW. Since it was a tubeless wheel, it immediately started losing air, and they had to call for assistance. The setback brought tension to the group, especially to the support van which, in the dead of night, arrived to help and found Everts lying on the ground by the roadside. “He’s just taking a nap over there,” Filipe explained calmly.
In less than 30 minutes, they were back on track, because in an adventure like this, stopping is not an option. They carried on with renewed determination, crossing several iconic sections that are part of the Baja Portalegre routes.
But night riding demands a whole different level of focus. Even with powerful Denali D3 auxiliary lights, caution was unavoidable.
To make the challenge even tougher, and in direct contrast to the heat faced during the day, the cold in Alentejo grew increasingly intense. Everts even put on a windbreaker he had in his gear, but it quickly became clear that it would not be enough.
The asphalt sections broke their rhythm and undermined their focus, and fatigue began to take its toll. This wasn’t about speed anymore. It was about mental strength. The only goal now? Finish.
Close to four in the morning, after nearly 24 hours on the bikes and more than 800 kilometres covered, the roles reversed. Now it was Everts urging Filipe on, avoiding prolonged stops. In Mértola, the support van stepped in again, acting as a mobile fuel station for the final stretch.
Battling the intense cold, the riders tried everything to protect themselves. A second jacket for Everts and, for Filipe, an old-school solution: cardboard tucked under his jersey – a desperate yet ingenious attempt to block out the cold.
The final kilometres felt endless, at least in their minds! But the end was close.
After 26 hours and 1,150 kilometers, they arrived. The arrival in Cacela Velha, with the Atlantic as a backdrop and the sun rising on the horizon, was the perfect finale to welcome the adventurers.
An epic ending to a truly epic adventure that tested the limits of the machines and, above all, of the men. In the end, the feeling of mission accomplished was evident for everyone. And rightly so! Between extreme heat, intense cold, fatigue, and just one mechanical issue, this adventure goes straight into the history of ACT Portugal!
A route designed to be completed in five days was conquered in just over 24 hours. Because some journeys are done in days. And others are done with soul.
DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME!
