Andes Trail days 22-23 of 142, Aug 20-21, 2019

After seven straight cycling days, where we covered over 750 km, it felt so great to arrive in the beach town of Huanchaco knowing we had two full days to relax. The beach almost looks like California, complete with a pier that sticks out into the Pacific and a bunch of surfers and “Escuela de Surf” places. There are tons of restaurants all along the beach, and they seem to be hungry for customers as it is low season here (winter).

We woke up on the 20th and walked a few meters down to the “Otras Cosas” vegetarian restaurant for breakfast. Crepes, fruit salad, juice – delicious. It was still cloudy and gray in the morning. Andrew and I had a walk all through town but it didn’t look great. After noon, the clouds were actually lifting so we went out again, with Martin, and found a nice Ceviche restaurant that had a 3rd floor dining room with a view. While we ate, the clouds lifted so afterward we walked out to the end of the pier (cost of 1 sol, about $.30). We kind of frittered away the rest of the afternoon then went out to dinner with a big group of ten. The place we found looked good but everyone agreed the food was a little sub-par. On the plus side I used my credit card to pay the whole bill netting me over 300 soles including a bunch of small bills which are much more valuable than 50s or 100s.

On the 21st, Martin and I were hankering for French Toast (he calls it eggy bread), so we headed to the place we had seen the day before that advertised French Toast. Alas it was closed but a little further, we found Cafe Chocolate which looked good and had great French Toast with honey and fruit. James from NZ joined us, with his bike packed and ready for touring. He had only ridden 500m when he decided to hang out with us for an hour. Totally low-pressure touring I guess! He did this part of the Andes Trail with Bike Dreams back in 2012.

From there we caught the bus to Trujillo (only 2 soles, amazing deal) and rode past the archaeological site of Chan Chan (most extensive pre-Columbian site in South America). But it didn’t look exciting enough so we rolled on by and got off downtown. Trujillo is Peru’s 3rd biggest city with over 800,000 people and we headed for the center where there is a nice square, a beautiful church and a fun walking street. Martin and Andrew bought Peru SIM cards and Wim and I hung out at a coffee shop after seeing the sights a bit. We split up and headed back separately, Wim and I immediately went out to lunch at Otras Cosas again where we made a big discovery: I was right – I did recognize Wim from the late 80s in California. We finally connected the mutual friend and realized we had met and climbed together and probably had ridden together, in another life, over 30 years ago! Small world. Alan McEwen, if you’re reading this, Wim says HI!

In the afternoon, it seemed like nothing really needed doing so we passed the time chatting and drinking beer looking at the Pacific. Then it was dinner time and we went back to Otras Cosas and had another great meal. Life is good. And I’m even looking forward to cycling again tomorrow morning!

Stage 16 of 109 Pacasmayo to Huanchaco, Day 21 of 142

112.7 km, 290m climbing, 4:45, 34.5 kph max

Description	Distance	Dirt	Climb	EFI
South America	1,767	50	22,071
Andes Trail	1,485	41	18,461
Ecuador	912	30	16,265	✓
Peru	572	11	2,196

We got started a half hour later than normal which was nice. After breakfast we all headed out at 8:50 am. It was gray gray gray. You could barely tell the sky from the sea looking out to the west. And all through the ride, the sky never changed. The good side of this was that the temperature was absolutely perfect for cycling. Some people even wore jackets or arm/leg warmers. But it was perfect in shorts and short sleeves, no sweating!

The scenery was pretty much nothing to talk about. We laughed when someone said, “Look, a curve in the road” or “Look, a sign”. It was dunes and garbage and not much else. I rode in the main group today, slower and more relaxed than usual. I took a long turn at the front into the gentle headwind with Marc. Then rode at the back, chatting lots. We stopped at 40 km in the middle of nowhere, then at 66 km for lunch. It was setup inside an amazing indoor/outdoor large restaurant. Food was very welcome and we had a nice time.

Then back at it for the afternoon session. Now we had Rob leading and it was more interesting as we turned off the Pan Am Highway right away and did some unpaved (and super crappily paved) side roads. It turned out the whole last 50 km was off the main highway and the last bit was along the coast. So we could watch the waves, but everything was still a uniform gray.

After one stop for refreshments/butt relief, we headed the final km and made it to Huanchaco, our home for the next three nights. The hostal where we are staying is really nice. We have a triple room with a shower so hot you have to add cold water (a first in a very long time), internet that kind of works, a big garden with hammocks, and a nice deck right by the rooms. We had another great soup and snacks session, then relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.

Around 6, we went out for dinner and decided on the vegetarian restaurant right near the hostal. I had the daily menu (soup, rice, lentil curry and salad) with a beer and a pisco sour. What a great place! It’s owned by a Dutch man who’s been here 11 years. Dinner was great and I’m planning to go back for breakfast. We met a Kiwi who has been on some Bike Dreams trips before and may ride with us for a few days leaving Huanchaco. After we went for drinks at a local bar – Bastiaan and I had Maracuya Sours – quite tasty. Then it was only 9:30 but time for bed.

Andes Trail Stage 15 of 109 Lambayeque to Pacasmayo, Day 20 of 142

117.4 km, 347m climb, 4:40, 40.3 kph max

I was really not feeling like a full day of riding in the morning. Breakfast was ok and we met a local rider outside as we were preparing. We all left at 8:13, slow, in a big group. As we left town I got warmed up and even though the sky was as gray as the trash piles everywhere along the road, I started to feel better. This part of Peru is not pretty.

But 13 km in, our first real disaster struck. Carol suddenly crashed, and hit her face on the road. She was knocked out but came to after a few minutes and got to the side of the road. It looked bad and we did all we could for her, wrapped a space blanket around her, blocked traffic and a local called an ambulance. Bill, our doctor, stayed with her and most of us pedaled away with heavy hearts. She was taken to the big hospital we had just passed in a pickup truck ambulance and will be kept at least until tonight for observation. [Update: Carol is back with us, broken little finger, sore and bruised but in good spirits. I’m so relieved!]

We were in a group of eight I think and cruised to lunch that was at just over 60. The sun had come out and the scenery was amazing, amazingly boring that is. Perfect scenery for making a post-apocalyptic movie I guess. Km after unchanging km. “Zona Militar Ingreso Prohibido” signs, lots.

After lunch, nine of us took off and cranked away. Around 105, Kees somehow talked Chris into stopping at a roadside place and we inhaled 4L of Inca Kola, the standard yellow type. Burps after were interesting.

The last 10 km should’ve been easy but a vicious head/side wind came from nowhere and it was hard. But we came to Pacasmayo and soon I saw a weird color on my Garmin map: bright blue! We were at the sea coast and pulled into the hotel which looked like it could’ve been on the coast of Portugal!

Hot showers, first time in a few days! Wow was that great! No soup but tons of snacks. WiFi is crap but my phone works so well in Peru, it doesn’t matter. Google Fi FTW!

I took a short power nap in the afternoon then we had the luxury of eating a delicious dinner in the hotel restaurant! I went for Spaghetti Frutti de Mar and it was great. Lots of octopus and shrimps. Washed down perfectly by a large Cristal Cerveza. It was a truly great dinner, talking mainly about travel. This group of amazing individuals has been everywhere! And they’re great storytellers.

https://www.relive.cc/view/gh39177756517

Andes Trail Stage 14 of 109 Motupe bushcamp to Lambayeque, Day 19 of 142

72km, 36m climbing, 2:28, 37.7 kph max

Wow what a great night! I slept over ten hours in my little tent and it was perfect. There were about 18,000 roosters in the morning but not very close so no problem. Breakfast was very nice, outside but oh so civilized, and at 7:30 since today is sort of a half day.

We left camp at 8:40, in a pretty big group. The speed slowly ramped up to 34, at which point I noticed no one was behind me! We had dropped everyone so just Chris, Niek, Jens, Andrew and I cranked out 72 km non-stop to Lambayque. Most of the road was very smooth and nice. There was some construction and narrow one-way places with speed bumps where you had to be careful. Feet went down once for a few seconds at a one-way construction zone.

Overall it was boring scenery but the pace was fast (for me) so that kept me fully engaged. Entering Lambayeque … it looked like a war zone. We went the wrong way down a one-way street for a while to the hotel. It is surprisingly nice, with an inner courtyard for bikes and nice rooms. The wifi works well most of the time. The shower is a good Spanish lesson: F stands for Frio (cold) and C stands for Cold (also cold). We’re not complaining though, the water felt great and I did laundry too.

Lunch was combined with soup today, a big, full meal. Next some of us walked over to the famous museum, Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán. It was pretty interesting although some of us were flagging by the time we got out. Then we went to a bank (which was in the back of an appliance store) and Martin tried to change his $ to Soles. He was partially successful but it took a long time. They really only accept new looking bills. Bills with writing on them are right out. I had a nice video chat with Beau in SF and Grace at home.

We walked out for dinner past the church next door and there was a huge fancy wedding going. Must’ve been a military family as many officers with swords and lower level soldiers where watching. A Phantom 3 was filming from the air. The street had chicken restaurant after chicken restaurant and we eventually picked one. I had a great salad and some fries with plantains. Not the best but it was a fun, family place. Beers were expensive at S7.50 each (about $2.20). Now it’s time to recharge the leg batteries for tomorrow’s 119 km ride to Pacasmayo.

https://www.relive.cc/view/gh39118611724

Andes Trail Stage 11 of 109 Catacocha to Macará, Day 16 of 142

91.7 km, 1,428m climb, 4:09, 69.8 kph max

10% of the Andes Trail riding days are done!

• 911 km done out of 10,943, that’s only 8.3% – so we’ll have longer days ahead.
• 16,265 m climbed out of 110,971, 14.7% – luckily our altitude balance is positive.
• We’re 99.6% done with riding in Ecuador, Peru here we come tomorrow morning.

If anyone wants to know what I carry everyday, here it is…

On the bike including under the seat bag and top tube bag:

• Three 750 ml water bottles, only two normally filled. Can add a 4th, if needed
• Pump, Spare tube, tire irons, dynaplug (tubeless tire repair kit)
• Garmin Edge 530
• Handlebar mounted bell
• On seat tube: Rear red LED light, run flashing all the time – Cygolite Hotrod 50
• On front shock: Pair of front white LED lights – Cygolite Hotrod 110
• Ass-savers rain/mud guards, front and rear (the small ones)
• My Bike Dreams name card is also working as a rear rain/mud guard
• Set of hexes/torxes
• Wallet in plastic bag
• Wide angle and telephoto lenses for my cell phone camera
• A couple of bars
• The printed instructions for the day, including the all-important hotel name.

In my handlebar bag:

• Rain jacket – Showers Pass Men’s Elite 2.1 – awesome!
• Thick leg warmers
• Thin arm warmers (plan to use for anti-sun on super hot days)
• Full finger gloves
• Waterproof shoe covers
• A long sleeve shirt
• Glasses.

Jersey pockets:

• Cell phone – Pixel 3
• Banana(s) and bars
• Sunglasses when not wearing.

Breakfast this morning was up the hill in the garage where we parked our bikes for the night. Since we had an easier day I passed on eggs and just had muesli and yogurt. We packed up and took off at 8:18. The profile showed it but I think most people didn’t realize how the awesome descent started pretty much right in town! It lasted 15 km and dropped us down 1,000m to our lowest point yet, just under 1,000m altitude. It was truly a gorgeous descent. Not a single car came by while I rode. I was out with Kees, passing each other over and over, with giant grins. At one point we even took the lead by somehow passing Niek, but he has a massive gear and knows how to use it so we never saw him again during the ride.

From where we had to start pedaling it was up and down to lunch, about 40 km. Gorgeous riding and I finally got to pass one of the Bike Dreams trucks – like it was standing still on another awesome descent. We pulled off and rode down a sandy dirt road to a river where the lunch truck was parked. We got there early so there was time for swimming and relaxing. Only a couple of people went in but the water looked pretty good. There were lots of sandflies though which was the only downer. Eventually an awesome lunch was ready and we ate hard. The flies were bad though so I took off right after.

The second half of the ride had more climbing including one 8 km long climb that was over 10% for the first half and under for the second. It was pretty warm but not too hot – luckily the clouds stayed all day. Occasionally a couple of rain drops and occasionally some sun. Once we got up that climb we had another 20 km of cruising, mostly down, some awesome, to town. We’re only 4 km from the Peru border and it will be exciting to cross tomorrow morning.

The hotel in Macará is down at 500m altitude and was billed as a hostal but is actually a pretty nice real hotel. I have a big airy triple with Andrew and Martin, the shower offers unlimited hot water, and the internet is surprisingly fast and solid. What more do you want? To top it off, the soup was ready after my shower, a super hearty bean soup – delicious.

We went out for a sort of early dinner at a pizza place downtown. Again, no cerveza, but we bought most of the supply from the nearby ice cream shop so all was well. The pizzas were great – we had a grande and a media between three people which looked ridiculously big but were all finished of course. Back at the hotel we got to set the alarm for later having drawn second breakfast shift – clean living!

https://www.relive.cc/view/gh38972022110

Andes Trail Stage 10 of 109 Loja to Catacocha, Day 15 of 142

93.6 km, 2,294m climb, 5:13, 76.9 kph max

It was really nice to have a rest day and Loja was a great place for it. I think pretty much everyone spent some time cleaning their bike. The 30 km dirt section left lots of grit all over the bikes. Our mechanic Lucho fixed my slight shifting problem too which was great. The contrast in Loja from the super quiet Sunday night to the business of a Monday was huge. People everywhere, and the place looks prosperous and nice. A few of us went to lunch at a hole-in-the-wall place; some had tigrillo, a local brunch stew of plantains and cheese (and maybe some other stuff) with an egg on top. They didn’t have enough for all of us so some had Mote Pillo, another local specialty, hominy also with eggs. We went to a bike shop and bought a few things (mostly warmer gloves). We had a relaxing afternoon then I looked up “Brewery” on Google maps and we walked 1.6 km to the Zarza Brewing Company with six people. We walked in to Black Sabbath and a very nice looking place. It’s owned by a Texan so there are giant longhorn horns over the bar. We had a couple of their beers (IPA was good!) and nachos and burgers. Tasty and filling. The rain had stopped when we were done so we walked back. Andrew and I tried to go to the Symphony practice at the Teatro Simón Bolivar, but no luck. No matter, we got to bed earlier.

In the morning, breakfast was a half hour late at 7:30 so that was great. The forecast rain did NOT appear at all, in fact I hardly felt a drop all day. We started out together although Carol’s tire blew completely off the rim right away. The first climb of the day was a bit over 600m and pretty much started right away.

We climbed to a very windy ridge with 16.5 MW of wind turbines cranking away at full speed. I think eight turbines – video of riding by them. This was all on a little-used old road with some rough spots. But near the top of the descent we rejoined the Pan American Highway and this part had the best pavement yet. I got to pass a truck using the left lane and had a great time until maybe 3/4 of the way down when a bunch of us got bottle-necked behind a slow truck. It was nearly a 1,400m descent though, very fun.

We didn’t stop in the town below but headed though and started the second big climb of the day, this one 1,100m. It was somewhat a grind with more traffic, but pretty quickly we hit lunch at a little coffee/chocolate house by the side of the road. The PB was nearly empty but when I went back for seconds it was replaced and full! Awesome! Powered up, we started again, with 800m to climb. Andrew had a flat but we got up pretty easily – the tailwinds at the top were strong enough to blow us up the hill!

From that summit to Catacocha was something like 40 km, trending down but with quite a few little climbs. Soon enough we were doing the last one up to town, about 250m. And then we entered the town and the road went up SO steeply it was almost funny. I was thinking 22-25% but others thought 30%. It was rideable but I was panting at the top. We didn’t really find the hotel but found the fast guys at an ice cream shop. Fortified, we eventually rode up another 20% grade to the hotel where soup was set up. Tasty broccoli soup and extras, then we walked back downtown to our hotel. It has hard beds but hot showers so we’ll take that as a win! I was not passing the stairs test on the way up to the 4th floor.

We took a walk around town and settled ourselves in a little restaurant, again without beer. But this time Martin zipped out to the corner and returned with four “1 litro” bottles which Andrew reckons lasted the five of us less than 20 minutes. There were two choices for dinner, the chicken dinner or the sausage dinner. After asking a few times what else she could make, I gave up and asked for a sausage dinner without the sausage. That was a total no-go so (to everyone’s delight) I ordered a regular sausage dinner and just gave away the sausage. But the food was fine and she brought us glasses to enjoy our beer…

We managed our biggest climb yet and have only 99 more riding days to Ushuaia!

https://www.relive.cc/view/gh38927487495