Quito to Latacunga. 95.9 kms. Climbing to 3500 metres.

Well, what a day. A good sleep, followed by a an excellent breakfast, and we were ready for a hit out.

I'm feeling better each day with the altitude and so is Barry. Today would be the day that we could rate ourselves against the other riders. By the end of the day we would know who is the strongest and who is the slowest. I know it's not a race, but it's just the way we ride. The only difference between this ride and riding at home is about 3500 metres above sea level. And we feel every metre.

We rolled out of the Plaza Hotel International as a group at around 9am and no sooner had we left the city and the road went to heaven. We had a good shoulder to ride on and felt pretty safe all day. I was at the back of group talking to one of the female cyclists for too long and as a result Barry was along way ahead on the climb. I'm not sure the name of the cyclist but I can't imagine what time she will get into town tonight.

I climbed through the pack and caught up with Barry after about 10kms and we still had another 3 kms to go to reach the top of the first climb. Now it was time to roar down the other side (max speed 68kph) and head towards our lunch stop. As we approached the lunch stop we could see Cotopaxi with it's snow covered peak. Quite spectacular to see, but unfortunately the clouds prevented us from seeing the entire volcano. We rolled along and found the 'Bike Dreams' flag on the side of the road notifying us that lunch was ready. Lunch was in a small grassed area off the road, and just like Africa, the kids, dogs, and geese came over to see what was going on in their backyard.

 The above photo was taken during lunch of two of our admirers. I just can't imagine what these people think when they see a huge truck with all this food and cyclists dressed in lycra on expensive bicycles with computers, navigation units and more. Sometimes a feeling of guilt does come over me when I see people who obviously will find it difficult to do what we are doing today. My lunch was 2 bread rolls with cheese, tomato and onions. I'm not one for eating too much when you have to ride 50 kms and have 1 more enormous mountain to climb.

The photo above are some of the staff of 'Bike Dreams' getting the lunch ready. All the food is placed on a large table, so when the cyclists arrive they eat till their hearts are content. I don't need to carry a huge belly fill up a mountain so I eat in moderation.

 The photo above is a better view of the lunch truck. Notice the 2 admirers sitting down near the truck. An excellent lunch was had by all. Barry and I and 2 other guys were the first into lunch today and the first to leave. Now it was time to hit the road and start the final climb of the day.

The climb started at the 35km mark and it went up and up for the next 25kms. At stages the road ranged from 5-10% gradient. We kept climbing for nearly 2 hours and the navigation unit was showing how high we were going. Barry and I just kept plugging along till we reached the summit at 3500 metres. I was stuffed. My legs were burning for the last 5kms and I couldn't afford to stop, I had to reach the summit and then I could take a rest roaring down the other side of the mountain. Max speed 74kph.

The rest of the ride into the hustling and bustling city of Latacunga was basically downhill. As we approached the outskirts of town the traffic was horrendous. Cars pulling in front and pulling out from the kerb with total disregard to the 3 of us. Rin the guy we were riding with got a puncture outside of town so we stopped and gave him a hand. We had ridden together the whole day so we couldn't just leave him there and ride on. It's just not bike etiquette. And I know a lot about bike etiquette.

In the distance you can see the the snow covered volcano of Cotopaxi.

We took a short break on the side of the road about 20kms out of Latacunga.

We made our way through the city and up near the square where all the locals were hanging. People were selling goods and others were playing music. Music is a big part of the Ecuadorean life. As we rode past the square we could see the big red fire engine parked up the road. We rode up to the hotel and were shown where to park our bikes and immediately given a key to a nice room. Two big double beds, WiFi, and colour TV. Too tired to turn it on. Time for a shower and relax. When you finish a ride each day, soup and bread rolls, tea and coffee is awaiting the riders when they reach the finish line. This is excellent to help in the recovery of tired old legs.

After our afternoon snack we went for a walk of the town. There are so many shops selling everything you could imagine. From electrical goods, food shop, clothing shops and at least 20 barbers. They are doing big business on a Saturday afternoon cutting hair. I'll wait till later on in the holiday to get a hair cut.

We did come across St Francis's church, the first church built in the city, but unfortunately the church was closed. So it was time to head back to our hotel and relax before we go out for dinner.

I found some information on Latacunga which goes like this;

Latacunga is a plateau town of Ecuador, capital of the Cotopaxi Province, 89kms south of Quito, near the confluence of the Alaques and Cutuchi rivers to form the Patate, the head stream of the Pastaza. At the time of the 2001 census Latacunga had 51,669 inhabitants, largely mesitizo and indigenous. It's situated at 2760 metres above sea level. The town was founded in 1534 and has suffered repeatedly by earthquakes between 1698 and 1798 and has been destroyed on 4 occasions. Lucky we're moving on tomorrow.

The photo above is Barry walking towards St Francis's church.

Tomorrow is another long day and more climbing at altitude. I don't intend to finish in the front group, but take it at a much more leisurely pace. The weather is getting colder as we climb higher and we still have to reach 4800 metres before we go down to the coast. I'm sure we'll sleep like bears tonight. 

There was one thing I forgot to mention, it was a strong headwind the entire day to add to my woes.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.