Andes Trail Stage 13 to our first camp

Andes Trail Stage 13 of 109 Chulucanas to bushcamp, Day 17 of 142

Photos at Strava: 147km, 796m climb, 5:49, 61.9 kph max

Unfortunately I had a terrible night, not sleeping until after midnight. I had to wrap my legs in a wet towel for the itching. And the noise! It’s some kind of hell. All night long. Do not move to Chulucanas!

Breakfast at 7, then we left at 8:17 in a group. We cruised at a reasonable speed for quite a while, trading the lead, going 30-32 on the flat. We stopped at the top of the first hill, at 66km, then had an easy ride to lunch at 75 or so. It was nice sitting down inside out of the sun. It was cloudy at first but full sun the rest of the day. A pair of power burritos, peanut butter on bread, papaya and some of the great jugo de piña from breakfast all washed down with Stefan’s favorite, Inka Cola.

After lunch the paceline didn’t work so well. I was with Rob, Andrew and Jan and Rob was in a fiesty mood. 35 minimum, I could not hang. The last thing Jan said as he passed me was “Go faster!” By myself for a while I stopped a few times, once in a shady place where the Moto taxis hang out. Talking to the drivers was fun, they wanted to know everything about our trip and my bike etc.

The last hill was around 130 then a cruise with headwind to camp. A line caught me near the end so I came in fast. Soup was on and snacks and I didn’t even feel so destroyed. I pitched my tent, set everything up, ate and drank, all is good. It’s pretty amazing that there’s a strong, fast LTE signal at the campsite, seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

Dinner was really a treat, with table-cloths, yummy food, wine, everyone sharing many beers, and a fantastic dessert. Bed early! Time for a real sleep!