Stages 35-36 of 109 Andahuayles to Abancay via 3,600m bushcamp, Days 47-48 of 142

• Stage 35: 68.3 km, 1,830m climbing, 5:16, 58 km dirt
• Stage 36: 73.2 km, 1,170m climbing, 3:32, 10 km dirt, very hot!

We had an early breakfast in Andahuayles and it seemed like no one was super motivated about the ride, I know I wasn’t. Quite a few people had medical issues: Kees took a taxi to Cusco to get his heart checked. Kirsten was sick as a dog so she and Gareth also headed for Cusco, skipping the next 4 stages. Marc rode 35 and 36, then headed to Cusco for dental work before our Machu Picchu trip. Yvonne had a great attitude but was doomed to ride in the van to Cusco due to her knee stitches.

After breakfast, it was a familiar feeling, starting out all uphill, all the time. Andrew and I cranked out of town and up and up, to a dirt road turnoff at 9 km around 3,300m. Rob had given us the alternative of taking the paved road but most people had decided on the dirt route – with GPS track but no lunch truck. Many people changed their tune at the intersection and continued on the pavement but we turned off, braved a construction zone and soon were at the first summit. About a dozen ended up on the dirt option. Then down the muddy road to Lake Pacucha which was pretty, but we had to take a diversion due to construction and fooled around a bit along the lake. The lake is such a pretty natural resource you would think the roads would be paved to attract more visitors. Most stuff in Peru is not designed around tourism though. Eventually we were back on track and climb #2 started – back up to 3,400m, with some steep dirt up to 13%. The view from the summit though was worth it – pretty amazing.

After snacks, we headed down a fun descent. The dirt road switched back and forth for a long way, dropping us down over 700m to a little town called Quillabamba where most of us regrouped and ate whatever food we had for lunch. California Chris had a dog-induced crash but sustained just a scratch on her knee. It was fun to catch up with everyone, then we had a short easy descent, and finally a long long climb to camp. Climb #3 was 900m, steep and steady with slowly improving views the whole way. We rode through a village and then finally made it to the paved road, then did the last kilometer to camp, high on a pass, by some Inca ruins, at 3,600m.

It was around 3 pm when we rolled in, a group of four. It was already kind of cold and windy, but on the plus side, no sandflies. I set up my tent then spied some snowy gorgeous high mountains and climbed up to a little point by camp to see better. From there I could see down to the Inca ruins where Henk had wanted to camp so walked down there with several others. It was another amazing place – the Incas certainly had style when it came to picking locations. You could see great mountain views in all directions.

Many photos were taken, then it was time to head back for an early (due to cold) dinner. It was tasty with chocolate mousse for dessert. The wine for once was not tasty, but the beer fairy (Martin) had visited my tent earlier so I was supplied.

After dinner, many people were pretty cold and retreated to tents although the cook crew and others cranked loud music for a couple of hours and had a fun (but cold) time. I was wearing two jackets, thick wool gloves, warm hat etc and was not warm by any stretch. In my tent, I didn’t bother to take off any clothes and got in my sleeping bag, watched a Netflix show, then went out to pee and went to sleep at 8:30. I woke up at 1 am and peed again – it was all mysterious looking with mist and bright moon light.

https://www.relive.cc/view/vXvLYAKr31O

In the morning we had a super-relaxed time due to an 8:30 breakfast. The sun was partially out, sometimes drying the very wet tent flies. The dew was thick for the first time. During breakfast the sun came out harder and my whole tent was soon dry for packing. We took off at 9:30 and immediately were cruising down at 60, down a gorgeous smooth road. But it didn’t last too long – we got down to 3,000m then had to crank back up 450m. On the plus side I got to visit both California and Los Angeles.

Then the real descent Rob had talked up started. This one went from 3,450m to 1,800m with lunch near the bottom at the 45 km mark. It was so different down there, warm (hot almost) and unfortunately with quite a few sandflies. A couple of guys skipped lunch but I stayed and ate when it was ready. Jan, Andrew and I took off and finished the descent, crossing a beautiful river (rare in Peru) at the bottom. Then we had a classic “Rob Climb” (according to Andrew). You sucker everyone in with a killer long descent, then pick a super steep rocky dirt road to climb for at least 10 km. This one had the bonus feature of the air temperature being like a furnace. It was sort of a grind but at least there wasn’t any traffic to speak of. Others who took the paved option complained of lots of traffic. We went up and up, Andrew had two flats, and finally we came to Abancay. The last few km were so ugly it was kind of depressing. Do not move here. If you live here, find a way to move away.

It was quite a climb even in the town but finally we got to the “Saywa Hotel”, which is surprisingly nice. We got a nice double room, pounded my remaining beer which had stayed cold in my bag, then had hot showers. Cold would’ve been ok here but hot is a bonus. We had a couple of rounds of delicious soup, then I pounded a couple of ice creams from across the street and relaxed until dinner. The stats don’t really tell it all for today – 1,170m climbing – sounds easy, right? Then we noticed the message in the dining room. Rob pretty much never says anything is “Very hard”.

It was Sunday again, the worst night for going out to dinner. The first dozen restaurants I looked at on Google were closed but Antony’s Pizzeria was open and served up some yummy pizzas and beers. Andrew, Wim and I had a nice dinner, topped off by ice cream bars in the square, watching the kids drive around in battery powered cars. By 7:30, we were back in the room ready for sleep. The last thing I did is have a video chat with the riders who had just finished the famous San Francisco Unicycle tour (70 km, 1,000m climb, an all-day fun fest of unicycling or biking to all the famous spots in SF). I got to see and talk to Gary who is now the only person to have done it every year since 2003, plus many others. You really have to love the technology that allows connecting like this! Congratulations to everyone who did the SF Uni Tour this year!

https://www.relive.cc/view/vdvmB858GNO

Stage 34 of 109 Chincheros to Andahuayles, Day 45 of 142

73.3 km, 1,640m, 5:12, 49 km dirt

Four of us woke up in our hostal room around 6:15 and got ready for breakfast. Martin was finally feeling better and able to ride which was great. I ate a good breakfast and we started riding just after 8 am. The ride was funny – not a single bit of level or downhill for the first 19 km. We climbed from 2,800m to 3,750m smoothly and steadily, with no break at all. The temp was pretty cold – I could just barely stand shorts and short sleeves. The last couple of km were a pain – the same body position for 1:45 makes for a sore butt. On top, lunch was set up inside some kind of customs hut. It was a normal lunch but it was not even 10 am. I only could eat one small burrito and a couple of pieces of pineapple. It was pretty cold and everyone was adding lots of clothes.

We had two choices here: the vans were going on the paved road to Andahuayles which started out with a climb to 4,200m. That didn’t sound too appetizing to me and only two people I think ended up riding that way. The rest of us headed down a rough dirt/rock road. I waited for Tom and we rode the whole thing together which was great. It was drizzling a little on top but very soon, that stopped and it got warmer and nicer and nicer. The road was pretty damn rough but these bikes of ours are so damn amazing that it seemed to not matter. Pretty soon we found ourselves stopping time and time again to take photos. The DEEP canyons and giant mountains everywhere, with cultivation on impossible slopes, roads in impossible places – were just great. We kept going down, through some tiny and seemingly super-remote villages, and all the people we passed seemed friendly. Tom had brought some candies and gave some to a few kids as we passed.

After many km of this I was starting to think this was the best stage so far of the whole tour. And it kept getting better! The views were always changing and the scale so immense it was like riding in the Himalayas. We caught up to a few other riders who were likewise entranced and stopping often. We rode in a larger group for a while, down some amazing steep switchbacks.

We had some food, reduced clothes, then we hit our low point, around 2,700m, and started climbing again. Tom and I just blasted up and it felt easy. We did have a few bad dog encounters – one time I was leading and three came at me, fast and mean. I just blazed ahead, really fast down the rocky rough road but the dogs kept pace barking like maniacs. Tom and Wim stopped to see how I would fare and then I had to slow for a turn and feared the worst. But it was so bumpy it seemed like they couldn’t get close enough to bite and soon they stopped chasing. Heart rate was high.

We had to climb back up to 3,200m, then some more descending, still very bumpy. We just went at a safe and sane speed and after starting another climb, had less than 10 km to go. The last 5 km or so was paved which was nice. We got to the town of Talavera, 5 km from the end, and Tom was bonking. We stopped at the square and he bought a pretty amazing amount of pastries and coke for the equivalent of 3€. He was so happy! We sat at the town square eating and just loving the moment. Some other riders came by and Wim decided to finish with us. We had to navigate a construction zone then had a few more dog attacks (scary ones), then finally made it to Andahuayles. Andrew showed me later where one bit his shoe leaving a hole all the way through. I kicked at one, full extension of the leg, just missing its nose and for once, it worked. The hotel was just off the main road and in a minute we were reliving the ride with the others, eating delicious hot soup. What a day! I shook Rob’s hand and told him it was the best. How he ever found these routes and then had the balls to take a large tour group like this over them is beyond me but I am so grateful.

Better still, we have a rest day tomorrow! Although our shower is not even close to warm. Minor downer on a majorly fun day. Quote from Andrew: “A hot shower is a core deliverable for a hotel.” Also there was at least one injury I heard about – requiring stitches but presumably nowhere near as bad as the epic Huanuco descent (stage 24). Speaking of that, we heard from Holland that Karin won’t be able to rejoin us after her shoulder surgery. Her recovery period will be too long. But her 23 year old son may take her place. Marc recovered from stage 24 and has been riding with us for the last few stages although the inside of his mouth still is not all happy. He sure has a great attitude. My scabs from stage 24 are busy falling off these days.

Around 6:30 ten of us went out for dinner and ended up splitting into two groups of five. Our group ended up in a nice, warm, good-smelling local restaurant. I was hoping for tallarin con langostino but it turned out not today. So a veggie pizza. Not eating beef and chicken makes Peru difficult. It was a nice relaxed dinner but we did’t get back until the late hour of 9. Time for sleep!

[Update in the morning: Yvonne’s knee required ten stitches, inside and out. She was very happy with the medical care at the hospital here in Andahuayles – the bill was only 70 soles ($21). She’ll be off the bike to Cusco but should be ok to go to Machu Picchu. And our shower now emits steaming hot water, so all is good.]

https://www.relive.cc/view/vPv4JBd2YR6

Stages 29-31 of 109 Huancayo to Ayacucho via two bushcamps, Days 39-41 of 142

• Stage 29 Huancayo to bushcamp, 97.2 km, 1,075m climb, 4:28, 2 km dirt
• Stage 30 Bushcamp to Sandfly Bushcamp, 84.6 km, 960m climb, 3:47, 10 km dirt
• Stage 31 Sandflies to Ayacucho, sick, rode in the van

Where	Distance	Dirt	Climb	EFI
South America	2,835	437	36,216
Andes Trail	2,553	428	32,606	X
Ecuador	912	30	16,265	✓
Peru	1,641	398	16,341	X

Missed distance: 178 km, 2.5 stages.

We had a great rest day in Huancayo September 5. Staying in the luxury hotel was so nice; it’s the best accommodation on the whole tour supposedly. After the giant awesome breakfast, we did our normal rest day “bike love” session, washing, cleaning, lubing, checking etc. Amazingly my bike has needed nothing but chain lube, one cable adjustment early on, and love. I’ve only pumped up the tires a couple of times. Then we explored the town a bit. There was a great market district right behind the hotel where you could buy anything. For example, if you take a left at the Sex Shop pretty soon you’re in the shoelace district. Many nice shops with thousands of shoelaces all displayed. I guess a town of nearly 500,000 people need a lot. Keep going and you get to the rat poison district, then the pet/pet food district etc. Lunch was at a kind of health food place, delicious Trucha a la Plancha plus an immense jugo de lúcuma. Dinner was at a nice restaurant that had real IPA from Huaraz. All in all, a great day.

Stage 29 started out with a nicer and shorter ride though town, then easy for a few km to our big climb. It was forecast to rain but didn’t. The climb was ok, climbing 700m in 17 km. Wytze and Rob set an amazingly sane pace and soon we were on top. One bad thing was that in stage 28, Wtyze had been bitten in the calf by a dog so needed a series of rabies shots. He and Chris looped back to Huancayo after the climb. They did a double stage the next day to catch up to us – plus they got to stay at the luxury hotel an extra night. From 3,900m, we had a huge descent, quite fun and scenic, about 1,200m to a bushcamp by the side of the road. It was nice to be lower down and even with donkeys, cows and pigs running through the camp, it was fun. Watching Jens chase a little pig that got his bananas was comical. We had an excellent campfire but a little rain shower drove some to their tents early.

https://www.relive.cc/view/gh40189502433

In the morning, it was a strange situation: 9 km down the road there was a 8 am-11 am road closure for construction. We decided not to try and make it through early (since the next camp was rumored to be infested with sandflies). Instead we had a super relaxed breakfast of pancakes and french toast, packed up, then rode to the closure, waited 30 minutes and were finally let through. There was a giant landslide and the whole thing looked super unsafe. The road guys had a drone to check stuff out which was smart. We had another stop halfway though and finally about 11:30 were on our way. The road was mostly descending but had lots of short climbs. Some parts were maybe half paved and it was super dusty. Giant trucks kick up so much dust even going slow. Finally I pulled in to the camp a little before 4, surprised to be the second one there. Niek had checked out the town 800m away and found hotel rooms for 30 soles that a number of people upgraded to. Andrew and Jens didn’t stop at camp – they went straight to town to fetch beer. The sandflies were out as advertised so instantly leg warmers and gloves went on. We hung out, then I did a beer run with Martin and Tom and bought all the cans from two places. The town was very small but the people super friendly. Chris and Wytze arrived pretty early from Huancayo having done 180 km, maybe a little tired. Dinner was after dark since the sandflies go to sleep then, and it was surprisingly pleasant. There wasn’t much to do after so I went to bed. I didn’t sleep well and around midnight things went bad. I got up just to pee, but about 3 steps from the tent, my stomach suddenly emptied itself. I didn’t really feel bad or anything so it was a surprise. Didn’t sleep well the rest of the night.

https://www.relive.cc/view/gh40250105025

In the morning, diarrhea hit in force, and it was a real pain trying to go to the bathroom with the thick sandflies everywhere. I was planning to try to ride but I couldn’t really eat breakfast and carrying my bags over was hard so I joined David on the sick list in Henk’s van that goes straight to the destination with the bags. It was a record-breaking departure – fastest ever breakfast and loading. Everyone wanted out. I felt worse and worse, very weak, as we drove; there was no way I could’ve done the ride which was 78 km with 1,400m climbing. I mostly slept then we arrived in the city of Ayacucho (pop 180,000). Navigation was tricky with one way streets and we cleared one wire by 1 cm but we got to the hotel around 11 am. A few minutes later Wytze arrived – he is just a super man. After I got a room and a beautiful hot shower, I went straight to sleep, and woke up a couple hours later for soup. Then another two hour nap during which my awesome roommates Andrew and Martin went shopping for food and water and juice and beer of course for them. Later ten of us went out for dinner at a great restaurant on the square. Most of the rest of the crew was there too it seemed – I guess everyone reads Trip Advisor. I had most of a veggie quinoto (risotto made with quinoa) dish and a milkshake. It felt like I was pushing it so I went home early and went straight to bed. The next riding day is a tough one, only 78 km, but almost 1,900m climbing and lots of dirt, so I am going to do everything I can tomorrow on the rest day to recover my strength.

Stages 25-28 of 109 Huanuco to Huancayo via 2 hostals and a camp, Days 34-37 of 142

• Stage 25 Huanuco to Cerro de Pasco, 103.2 km, 2,452m, 7:10, 42 km dirt
• Stage 26 Cerro de Pasco to Junin, 82.6 km, 531m, 4:18, 55 km dirt
• Stage 27 Junin to Trout Farm camp, 90 km, 505m, 3:34, 4 km dirt
• Stage 28 Trout Farm camp to Huancayo, 107.7 km, 1,453m, 6:32, 56 km dirt

Where	Distance	Dirt	Climb	EFI
South America	2,653	425	34,181
Andes Trail	2,371	416	30,571	X
Ecuador	912	30	16,265	✓
Peru	1,459	386	14,306	X

Missed distance: 100 km, 1.5 stages.

After a relaxing rest day in Huanuco where we had to say good-bye to Dutch Karin on her way home for shoulder surgery, we set out on our biggest climbing day of the whole tour. It was over 8,000′ up to a high mining town called Cerro de Pasco. This town is at about 4,300m (over 14,000′), the highest we’ll sleep on the whole tour. The route started out gently climbing to lunch at 60 km going up a river valley. After lunch we turned off on a side dirt road that followed a pretty stream up a nice valley, but it was quite a bit steeper and of course rougher. There were km markers counting down the distance to our goal, starting at 42. The first 10 km were quite hard, then the middle section was easier, but I think just about everyone was reduced to very low speed on the final 10 km. Those last three switchbacks up to the giant smelly garbage dump were particularly steep and tough. When I rolled into the hotel at about 5 pm with Jan and Jens and Chris, I was really used up. It was hard to climb the stairs to get to the soup! Many of us had to stay in a different hostal, which had tricky showers – we gave up on ours after Andrew turned himself blue trying to get something other than ice water out. The restaurant choice was super limited so we went back to the original hostal and ate there. Things started looking up as we got giant beers and then delicious large dinners. I had trucha encebollada (trout with onions) which was great. Back at our place, I scored a hot shower in Martin’s room, then it was 8 pm and time for a long sleep. Outside it was -3°C and inside maybe warmer but the pipes did freeze. We slept under big piles of thick blankets. Some rooms had electric blankets but not ours. Martin said the altitude made him breathless when he turned over in bed because the blankets were so heavy. I slept super well as I seem to be fine with the altitude.

https://www.relive.cc/view/gh39926222453

The truck came before 8 to get our baggage then we walked back to the other hostal for breakfast. The typical. Then time to ride. The sun was out partially but it was cold and the few of us going bare-legged had our sanity questioned. But it wasn’t that bad and after some climbing in town we were blasting down the highway. The trucks were a little scary but it was only 26 km until we turned off on a dirt road that was relatively level, all the way to Junin. Rob was with us but when the pavement ended, I think he accelerated. He was gone in minutes – such an amazing cyclist. Lunch was at halfway, very nice in a little village. We were riding past Lago Chinchaycocha, a large lake at 4,100m with flamingos and other birds. There was little traffic on the road, but everyone I talked to hated it by the end. Somehow the last 10 km was just plain hard even though it was relatively flat. Jan and I finally made it together. Junin is a small town also at 4,100m with a lively square. We found the hostal and again, had to go sleep at another one. A local guy with a funny tricycle carted our luggage over; we followed on bikes. The place was small and cramped but Jan, Andrew and I all scored single rooms. Mine had windows on two sides and a shower that worked! After cleaning up we rode back over for soup, then went out on the town. At a pasteleria we had cake (and brought in beers), then Martin, Andrew and I sat like bums in the central square/park drinking beers and people watching until 5 pm, time for dinner. Since there weren’t restaurants, our Bike Dreams kitchen crew cooked us dinner and it was great. Also it was so nice and easy to just sit down and eat instead of searching for a decent place. After dinner we rode back at dark, and since the internet didn’t work in my room, I watched a couple of downloaded Netflix shows then went to sleep, again under a thick pile of heavy blankets. Like the previous night there was a sort of flannel bottom sheet but no top sheet, just the pile of wool blankets. Sleeping well was no problem.

https://www.relive.cc/view/gh39973615615

September 3: we woke up and rode over to the other hostal, with the tricycle man busy bringing a mountain of luggage over. After breakfast, the weather was looking a little dicey and we each had a choice to make. There are two different routes for stage 27 and we had both gpx files so could ride either. The longer easier one would be supported with lunch so I chose that one – also it was nearly all paved – I was tired of those dirt roads. About ten people including Mr Bike Dreams Rob took the harder route. It featured a 1,500m descent on the crappiest of rocky dirt “roads” you could imagine. And beautiful scenery at up to 4,500m. Our route was down the highway, easy out of town. After 15 km we stopped to put on rain gear but the rain was just stopping and it wasn’t that bad. We had a 7 km climb back up to 4,200m and we removed shoe covers etc on top. Then the fun started. It was a 1,200m perfect descent! You only had to brake on the few hairpins, we passed trucks in the left lane, it was scenic and getting warmer as we dropped. Lunch was halfway down, a perfect spot. Wijnand, our awesome lunch truck driver, was in a super good mood, giving cookies to local kids, cranking great music for us, and lunch was even better than usual. Avocados and yesterday’s quinoa salad added to the normal power burritos! He had picked a spot by a little church and it was perfect. The funniest thing was everyone screaming at Kees as he rocketed by – he loves descending so much he just blew by. I had ridden with a great group led by Wim and after lunch we continued together. The town below called Tarma was kind of a hell hole. Construction, terrible roads, the route impassable in several places – I don’t know why Rob said we would like to visit it. We got out as quick as possible and continued down the valley to a dirt road turnoff. A later group got to watch the sign blow over and nearly smash a car. The last 4 km was up the dirt road to a fantastic Trout Farm Rob had found on the previous trip. Smooth level green grass for our tents, trout pools everywhere, little buildings and a swimming pool, nice shaded tables to sit, and cold beer. I had arrived first for once since all the fast guys were busy with the harder route. We had all afternoon to kill drinking beer and eating snacks and greeting everyone as they arrived. Niek was the first in from the harder route, an hour after us, with tales of the crazy descent. No one else from that route came in for quite a while. After a nap, we had one of the best dinners of any camp: fresh trout cooked by Maria, the local cook. Plus potatoes and beets and then a yummy sweet dessert with whipped cream. I was serving this time which was actually fun, rushing out of the kitchen with three plates of trout, then back, repeat until everyone is served. The rushing water of the trout ponds made me sleep really well.

https://www.relive.cc/view/gh40026302317

Our 4th stage in a row was a big one. It started raining after breakfast so everyone was all rain geared but then it stopped while we were loading the trucks. No one knew what to wear and the temp kept changing so we just headed up the hill and made a few clothing stops. I rode with Tom and we had a great time although sometimes it was hard to keep talking on the steepest parts. The dirt road was mostly fine but the first 10 km was steep.

We stopped for a banana and sunscreen break at 24 km then found the lunch truck was set up just 500m after that. It started raining again during lunch so the same clothing questions started again. We just rode and rode – the whole climb was 39 km long and we climbed 1,300m. After lunch I rode with Miranda and it really helps to have someone to talk to and ride with on climbs like this. At the top Jan joined us for about 20 km of semi-steep dirt road, not too bad but you have to really pay attention on the corners. We stopped multiple times to take photos as the views were just amazing. The lighting was so cool. At the bottom Swiss Karin caught us – her front shock was frozen solid and her back one leaking air but she just doesn’t care and rides fast anyway. We had still a long way on dirt, with my chain making “I want lube now” noises but still shifting perfectly. Finally we hit pavement and it was great for a second until we turned into the wind. We had 45 km of this left and it was after 3 pm. We had also picked up Lambert and he took the lead into the wind, but then sometimes it was a side or tail wind so it really wasn’t so bad. Plus it was gently downhill. We took a food/Inca Kola break. Jan bought us everything and a big beer for himself. Then back at it. Around 90 km we entered Huancayo, a big city of 450,000 people at 3,250m. Traffic got crazier and crazier until around 100 km it was almost silly. Taxis and cars going every way, with the five of us trying to stay together weaving in and out. At one point there was a big downhill with total gridlock so we rode the wrong side of the road – scary but fun. Our hotel was just off this main road, right in the center of town. It was SO nice to arrive, and before 5 pm. No soup but we had cakes and other treats, then, the best shower in two months of travel in South America! The Hotel Turismo Huancayo is THE place to stay when you come here. Trust me. We’ve now completed the second of the nine Andes Trail sections, so we can lose and gain riders here. It turns out we don’t lose anyone but gain an Australian couple, Pip and John, who know some of our riders from previous Bike Dreams trips. Seven of us went out to a nice dinner at a regular Peruvian restaurant, telling all the fun stories of tour life to Pip and John. After dinner I had a great time in the hotel bar until about midnight with Wytze, Bastiaan, Wim, Andrew and Martin. Pisco Sours and Maracuya Sours, really expensive here (20 soles each, the cost of a dinner) but so tasty. Hanging out with these guys is worth so much more. We’ve been though 28 amazing stages together, and we’re like a big family. I never expected it to be so great. We’ve completed 25% of the riding stages now. I can’t believe this goes on and on and on until December!

https://www.relive.cc/view/gh40088820073

Stages 21-24 of 109 Huaraz to Huanuco via 3 bushcamps, Days 29-32 of 142

• Stage 21 Huaraz to 4200m bushcamp: 56 km, 1,207m climb, 3:47, 13 km dirt
• Stage 22 Over 4883m pass: 84.6 km, 1,064m climb, 5:30, 42 km dirt
• Stage 23: 50.61 km, 913m climb, 3:37, 30 km dirt
• Stage 24 with craziest descent: 98.5km 1,224m, 6:04,  88 km dirt

Whew, what an intense few days of cycling and living! I was really happy to wake up on August 27 in Huaraz feeling pretty much full strength. After missing a day and a half of riding, it was SO good to get back on the bike. The route was pretty easy on paper, a quick 40 km up the valley on a nicely paved road, then lunch and 13 km of dirt climbing to camp. It turned out it was easy to lunch, but the rough, steep road and headwind made riding to our camp at 4,200m (13,780′) tough. We did make it though and camp was nice: flush toilets in the bathroom, a nice meadow for our tents, friendly alpacas and a 10+ view. Dinner was at 4:30 due to cold and I was in bed before dark, soon after 6 pm. This is the highest camp of the whole Andes Trail Tour.

https://www.relive.cc/view/gh39707958379

I slept long and hard and felt a little stronger and better in the morning. Breakfast was at 8 am and we didn’t start riding until 9:30. All night and all through breakfast the wind did not let up. It even snowed (frozen rain actually) for a while around 6 am. The sun was out when we headed up the rough dirt road, straight into the wind, steep for a long time. The first pass was 4,820m about 18 km in, and now there was frozen rain coming down instead of sunshine and it was very cold. I had on all four layers on top plus thick wool gloves. Didn’t stop for much there. Andrew and Jens get the iron man award for doing it bare-legged. Then down a ways and back up. Lunch was on the second climb, at one point we had ten of us in the truck cab with a giant blanket over all of us. There was an accident with our large sunshades blowing over the top of the truck, then we ate very fast, then the next 10 km or so of climbing to the high point of the whole Andes Trail Tour – 4,883m, a bit over 16,000′. It wasn’t as cold here so we regrouped and took photos – the view in all directions was stunning. Peaks everywhere. We were IN the Andes for sure now. Although this is not a high altitude compared to those peaks. After a few rough km of descent, we hit the paved road and cruised 40 km to camp. It was so nice to be back in the warm thick air at 3,300m (just under 11,000′). We camped by a loud river and had a great dinner. A sheep herder herded right through our camp and there were a few spectators but all in all a good place. Bed right after dinner, maybe 7 pm.

https://www.relive.cc/view/gh39707968240

On the 29th, we had another 8 am breakfast/9 am start which was nice. Still to this point we hadn’t had to pack up the tents wet. The sun turns on like a light around 7 am. We had a short ride down the same dirt road to a village, then turned up on a … paved road! It had been paved since the previous Andes Tour in 2016. It was a nice 350m climb up to a plateau. We had some flat cruising (first in a long time), passed the truck set up for lunch at 13 km, then rode to some Inca ruins. It didn’t look very great but we paid and walked in anyway and it turned out to be quite good. The old no-mortar style of building with quite large stones, all cut at non-square angles. Then back for lunch and the fun started. We headed up a dirt road, climbing climbing climbing back up to 4,000m, then down and down and down, the last part very rough – Simon was loving the full suspension bike he’s been dragging around. We ended at a gorgeous camp on the river. It was private and comfortable and after setting up tents, many of us went in for a swim – a wash really since we had just done three full dirty days with no washing to speak of. It was super cold of course and I couldn’t get deeper than about waist deep. My hands would freeze when I tried to put them in. Wytze solved it for me by starting a massive splash war against me. So I dove in and got clean. I didn’t shampoo like everyone else, but getting all the dust out was great. Dinner was at 6:30 and then I watched Netflix until 9 something and went to sleep listening to the river.

https://www.relive.cc/view/gh39815917425

The 24th stage didn’t look too bad on paper: bit of an 800m climb, but spread out over 40 km. Then a 60 km descent which was paved in 2012 or 2014. Rob said it might be a little not so good though. The king of understatement. Breakfast at 7, wet tents, depart at 8:15. The climb back to 4,000m again was beautiful with steep parts but generally ok since we are acclimated well now, and some of it was paved. I saw the cutest piglets ever and rode once with sheep touching both legs at the same time. But the whole 60 km long 2,100m (almost 7,000′) descent was a non-stop construction zone, crazy rough dirt, sometimes that deep powder stuff that is really crappy to ride. I didn’t find out until later but they closed the road soon after Andrew and I started down so others had to take an even worse route with 200m of extra bonus climbing. Our route was pretty horrendous but Andrew kept the pace perfect and we had done close to 1/3 of it when Miranda/Martin/Karin came cruising by, going faster on their wider tires. I made the mistake of following them and crashed a few km later – slippery, tricky, deep powder over rocks. Karin helped me and I was super happy it was just some scratches and no bike damage at all. I love my bike now so much. I rode down with Andrew and we caught them later having drinks at a little shop. I sat down and soon a gorgeous young woman noticed my knee. She brought water, cotton swabs, alcohol and hydrogen peroxide and started doctoring me. Her mother (I think) was watching closely. She was so competent and perfect – it was really amazing. Miranda donated a bandage and soon I was fixed up. They wouldn’t take any money and when I asked for a photo, it took several minutes for her to fix her already absolutely perfect hair. It’s just amazing where they live, basically halfway up a truly hellish road, very far from town. I can’t imagine it. And they are SUCH friendly, helpful and wonderful people. Andrew said it was going to extremes but it was almost worth crashing.

From there we still had over 30 km to go and it was a ride from hell. First we came upon Karin, down. She had fallen and broken or dislocated her shoulder. She was in massive pain. We worked with a highway guy and got a taxi to take her with Miranda to the hospital. She will have to return to Holland for surgery – I am so so sorry for her – she’s been a fantastic part of our tour family. Wim and Martin did the hero’s job of waiting for the van – very long time – to get their bikes loaded. We continued down and soon were in long lines of trucks and cars trying to get by landslides and construction areas. It was a total zoo. We even found and passed our first van and told them about the accident. Then we met Big Chris fixing a flat with Jens. And David caught us so we all continued together to Huanuco. After forever, we finally hit pavement and that was a fantastic moment. Then Chris pumped up to I don’t know how fast but he held it even on the short uphills. The last part was a blur, and we got through town and finally spotted the Hotel Real, right on a big square. It was just past 4 pm. But how does Wytze do it? He was sitting on a chaise lounge by the pool, sipping a beer, seemingly not dirty or anything. There were no bags or rooms yet so he couldn’t’ve showered. He and Niek had taken the longer way and they took 5:35 elapsed (5:05 riding) arriving before 2pm. We took 7:50 and others finished hours after us, in the dark. Anyway, we had our beers, got rooms and luggage, barely lukewarm showers, then bought beers for more riders arriving. We heard more sad news: Marc had crashed hard on his face and was also at the hospital. Three or four others besides me had non-serious crashes – best one was Joan who fell over at 0 kph and skinned her knee. Later, we took Martin out for a pizza dinner with a bottle of Peruvian wine, then Pisco Sours (Maracuya for me) at a bar. What an epic day! We thought the big day riding to 4,883m was epic, but the scale got reset today. I hope it doesn’t reset again although I think it might…Stage 25 on paper looks harder than anything we’ve done yet…

https://www.relive.cc/view/r10007946339

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.