'A blessing in disguise': COVID gives boost to Portugal's bicycle makers

Portugal exports about 90% of the bicycles it produces, with key markets in Germany, France and Italy.

As lockdowns imposed to halt the spread of COVID-19 began to ease across Europe during the summer months, distributors around the continent ran out of stock, pushing Portuguese manufacturers to raise production and capacity.

RTE Bikes is now working at full steam, producing about 5,000 bicycles a day, up from an average of 3,000-4,000 this time last year, Salgado said.

João Maia, general manager at In Cycles, a rival firm which produced 87,000 bicycles in 2019, has seen demand double.

"At the moment, we export bicycles to all countries in the world, including countries that are supposed to be major bicycle producers" such as Italy, Bulgaria and Romania, said Maia, as electric bikes were assembled in a production line behind him.

In Cycles plans to double its production lines to four from this month and already has orders for about 185,000 bicycles in 2021, Maia added.

Even before the pandemic struck, partly due to increased concerns over climate change and a move to healthier lifestyles, Portugal's production had jumped 42% in 2019 to a record 2.7 million bicycles - almost a quarter of all those built in the European Union, according to Eurostat data.

Despite this year's two-month factory shutdown, Gil Nadais, general secretary of the Portuguese bicycle manufacturers' association Abimota, told Reuters he expects the country will beat last year's record.

Lisbon civil servant Latoeira certainly has no regrets.

"I had hesitated a lot, I was very anxious whether I should make this purchase because it is a bicycle, it can be stolen," she said. "But it was worth it."