Mendoza to San Carlos. Stage 70, 153 kms, paved 100%, climbing 1100 metres, summit 1580 metres.

After having 3 nights in a swank hotel living it up in Mendoza it was time to get up early and catch the taxi with Barry back to the camping ground to get ready for the ride. The ride today was suppose to be 144 kms, but because I made a mistake and went the wrong way, we ended up doing 153 kms. It wasn't that bad as we had great weather and a beautiful blue sky all day.

As the other riders were returning from the city hotels I was fast trying to organise my clothing bag and put some oil on my chain. I've only had my bike cleaned once on the tour and I won't be doing it again until I get to Ushuaia. I will have to change my chain and cluster soon as they are completely worn out. I've still got another 4000 kms in me before I crash and burn. Now for today's ride.

We left as a group today because we had to navigate back through the city of Mendoza and to the outskirts of town. The Friday morning traffic with it's buses and taxis made life really difficult. Going round roundabouts was a nightmare as cars were not keen to wait and let the entire group pass. With the usual Aussie hand signs the traffic got the message loud and clear and on we went further into the city.

As soon as we left the city limits we were on our way and into one of the most famous wine growing regions of Argentina. As far as the eyes could see, were grape vines rich and green ready for the picking. As a non drinker I couldn't see all the fuss the other riders were making about the good wines in this place. Personally I'd prefer COKE.

The photo above shows one of the many vineyards with the snow capped mountains in the background that followed us all day. What was noticeable today was the drop in temperature. Prior to Mendoza it was hot and now I had to wear my arm warmers and vest to keep me warm. The breeze that was coming off the snow peaks brought with it very cold winds all day.

The photo above is my cycling buddy Barry riding past the vineyards with snow capped mountains in the backgrounds.

With the lunch truck at the 65 km mark it was a pleasant sight to see after 800 metres of climbing in the morning. Actually I was starving by the time I rode 65 kms, probably had something to do with eating a croissant and a cream tart at the hotel for breakfast.

After lunch we had 80 kms to go to reach our final destination at San Carlos. We stopped at the 120 km mark for a drink and were joined by Julia, Alec, Buck, Brian, Deb and KB. One thing I like is sitting down over a cold drink and chatting with other cyclists on the road. Some cyclists go hell for leather all day and never take photos, myself, I like to stop and smell the roses as I may never cross this part of the planet again.

As we ride on down the road, waving at the local and calling out 'Holla' I followed the Garmin's instructions and turned left. Everyone was against the decision but in any event, followed. They followed me for another 10 kms in the wrong direction. Oh well, shit happens.

The Garmin brought us back onto Route 40 which took us along a motorway to San Carlos. We found the campsite, with a pool, and wifi. After erecting 'Tent Hilton' I had my usual bowl of soup and went for a walk of the town. There wasn't much to see, most of the shops were closed, and the children were still in school. 

I headed back to camp and waited for dinner to arrive. I'm really looking forward to hitting the sack and getting a good night's sleep. 

Tomorrow we head back into the wilderness of the Andean Mountains, mountains with snow capped peaks, dirt, sand and rocky roads, in a remote part of the Northwestern region of Argentina. As my good friend Barry says, 'tell me when the fun begins'. 5 more days of hell coming up and I'm really looking forward to having a crack at another win.

I took the above photo heading to lunch. That's Barry in the distance and the snow capped mountains in the distance.

I had great day, even taking in consideration I went the wrong way. Time for bed.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Rest day 2 in Mendoza, Argentina.

After an ordinary sleep I was up by  8.30am to head for breakfast. Now I know better than anyone that a croissant, cream tart and coffee is not the way to start the day, but I don't care. As my good friend Rodney Hilton Sanders always said to me, 'relax Terry we're on holiday's'. He use to tell me that daily on our trip through Africa. 

Barry and I met up with Buck for coffee in the morning and then Buck and I went for a walk to the bicycle shop to do some shopping. On the way down we jumped in a taxi and you wouldn't believe it, my reading glasses fell out of my pocket in the taxi. I realised about 5 minutes later that I lost them. I'll have to search and buy some cheap ones until I get back to the campsite where I have a spare set. 

Buck bought a pair of gloves and nice cycling shorts whilst the jacket I was going to buy yesterday was sold this morning. That's what happens when you procrastinate over buying simple things. If it was a motor cycle or bicycle I would just buy it. I'll have to wait till our next rest day in 6 days and over 700 kms to start searching again. 

It was a long walk back to the central mall to meet up with Barry for lunch. We also invited Alec to come along and I had my first piece of steak in a very long time. I'm not a meat eater back at home. The meat was nice and covering it in tomato sauce made it perfect.

I was expecting to head back to the hotel for a nap but the boys had other plans.

 The above photo shows a piece of our morning tea.

The above photo is of the famous Buck Benson. Buck was a controversial winner of a stage in the tour recently. That decision is pending an appeal after a drug test.

And that's me of course enjoying an ice cream with my homies.

The above photo is of JR or AB or JL having desert with us. He answers to any 2 initials. Long story.

I forgot to post the above photo in yesterday's story. The southern end of the ground is where well behaved supporters of the visiting team would have stood. Unfortunately they don't have any so they're not allowed to attend the games in Mendoza.

The rest of 'rest day 2' was spent laying on my bed, playing loud music, and relaxing. Tomorrow we start another 6 long days on the road to the 'end of the world'. We have to get up early to get a taxi back to the camping ground to meet up with the rest of the riders. I only got to meet Alec, JR and Buck and Hardy this time round. Although the people I ride with are fantastic people, there are times when you need time to yourself and this was it. 

The next couple of days will be bush camping and in camping grounds. Hope to post soon.

Whilst I listen to REM's 'it's the end of the world' song, I say farewell for another day.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Going to a football match in Argentina. Police fire into crowd.

On a rest day you do very little other than eat too much, and too much of unhealthy food, and put on the weight you lost during the past 6 days. So what did I do today?

Today was a nice sleep in till 7.30 am, followed by breakfast, then off to the bike shop to buy something special. After that I went to the markets and bought yet another shirt. But this is really nice.

I ran into Hardy and we organised to go out and watch the local team play at 4.30 pm. The match was in Mendoza and the local team is Club Atletico Argentino. I don't know the name of the other team. I was surprised at the number of police and riot police at the ground. What was more surprising was that the other team were not allowed their supporters at the ground because of recent violent outbursts with rival club supporters.

The game was started at a furious pace with players being booked for foul play whilst the crowd sang and played drums during the entire game. It was an incredible atmosphere sitting with the locals who are very vocal when things don't go their team's way.

With about 5 minutes to go to half time the local team equalised to make the score 1 all. I managed to take a short video of the crowds reaction to the goal.

With half time now called, Hardy and myself met up with the President of the club for a tour of the club house. We got to see all the trophies the club had won over the years and also got a chance to buy the club's jersey. There was one jersey left and after some discussions with Hardy I decided that he could have it. The club President wouldn't take any money for the jersey which is just typical of the generosity of the people we have met in Argentina.

The above photo is one of the riot police carrying a shotgun and a rubber bullets rifle. These guys mean serious business.

The mounted police also turned up to control the crowd outside the stadium.

That's my good friend Hardy waiting outside the gates of the local football stadium.

The photo above is Hardy and the club President presenting Hardy with an official pennant from the club. Hardy offered the pennant to me, but there was no way I could accept. I've got enough stuff in my computer room and I need room to put my 3 metre X 3 metre banner on the wall. That's the photo of me balancing on my wheel on the salt plains.

The photo above is Hardy wearing his new jersey and the pennant.

The photo above was taken when the game had to be stopped temporarily due to flares going off in the crowd. When the fireworks went off, I think my heart stopped for a moment. The noise was deafening.

After 90 minutes of play the game was decided on penalties. It was a cup match and a winner had to decided today. When the players were lining up to take the penalties the riot police came onto the ground to control the crowd who were now whipping up a frenzy in the stands. They jump, shout and sing like someone being possessed.

The photo above shows some of the riot police getting in position during the penalty shoot out.

At the end of the penalty shoot out the local team lost and this caused the crowd to go off their heads. The riot police entered the stands and took up their positions and when the supporters started to come at them, they opened fire with rubber bullets. This was incredible scene of how mob behaviour can cause people to behave like animals. 

The police didn't let up and kept firing until the crowd retreated. I was just stunned watching this all unfold before my eyes. Sitting in a grandstand with people who were fanatical supporters for their local team and anything but a win was not accepted.

Eventually calm was restored and the teams left the field.  Hardy and I made a quick exit as more police were now entering the stadium. I wanted to get out and get back to the safety of the plaza and my hotel. I love excitement but when the bullets started, I was a little concerned.

We made it back to the centre of town and went our own ways. I had dinner on my own as Barry had already left. After dinner I decided to go back to the hotel instead of walking the streets of Mendoza on my own. That would not be wise.

An early night is on the cards.

Until tomorrow, safe riding. 

Tuesday 28th October 2014. Stage 69b. Uspallata to Mendoza. Paved 62%, climbing 1270 metres, summit 3080 metres. Cyclists not happy with race being cancelled.

When you decide to have a crack at staying with the real mountain bike riders you better get a good nights sleep. I woke up at 2.30 am and couldn't get back to sleep till 4 am.

I finally was awoken by Rien pulling down his tent at 6.30 am, so I had to rush to get my act together. A quick dress and down with 'Tent Hilton', and it won't be going up again for 4 nights as Barry and I are staying in a hotel in Mendoza.

By the time breakfast was finished and the trucks were packed we rolled out of the campsite at 8am for the 107 km ride to Mendoza. The race was to the top of the mountain at 30 kms and that's where the fire engine would be waiting to feed us.

Like usual I was one of the last ones to leave camp so I had to chase for the first 3 kms to catch up with Rien, Alfred, Barry, Diderick and Jurg. The person I couldn't see in the group was James the leader of the tour. I'm not sure, but he must still be back at camp. Lately we've had issues with people starting at different times who are not racers and now it looks like the racers have left James behind, and that's not cool. One of the problems I see with people leaving at different times is that those who leave early do nothing to assist in packing the tent gear and daily luggage bags away. I don't pack luggage for other people who are already on the road.

So the racers didn't slow down and powered up the mountain and onto the dirt for the next 30 kms. I never really considered myself a candidate for victory as I'm riding on thin tires that give me hell in sand and rocks. I stayed with Rien, Diderick and Alfred for 5 kms then Barry and Jurg dropped off the back. I kept going as hard as I could with my bike going all over the place in the sand, but come hell or high water, I was going to stay.

The next to be dropped was Alfred which was a huge surprise to me as he's one of the hitters in the dirt. I kept as close as I could to Rien's back wheel for another 10 kms, but with 10 kms to go I was busted. If I was to try and stay any longer I probably would have cracked and walked up the hill.

Now I was on my own as Rien and Diderick powered into the distance. All I was concerned with was to stay ahead of Alfred. To me that would be a great result and keep my hopes up for the rest of the tour.

The road kept going up for 1000 metres along the sandy track till we reached the summit at 3080 metres. The lunch truck was around the corner and so was another spectacular view down into the valley below. I put my Gopro camera on after lunch for some amazing footage as we launched off the mountain. There's no better feeling than ripping down a dirt road at full speed hoping you don't career off the side and down into the abyss.

Firstly I congratulated Rien and Diderick for their strong efforts before taking a seat and getting my breath back. I was pretty tired after this effort and Alfred was still along way back behind me. I came in at 9.45 am and Barry and boys came in close to 10.30am.

When Rob the Boss arrived he was not happy with the fact people had started to race and left James behind. As a result Rob cancelled the race and people were not happy. Personally I couldn't care less about the race, I just wanted to push myself to the limit and see how far that is.

After a quick snack it was off down the mountain.  We stopped plenty of times for photos and to take some footage with the Gopro camera which I'll be putting together to put on the 'Bike Dreams' Facebook page and YouTube.

By the time we reached the valley floor we were 50 kms from Mendoza. It was here that Robert the Boss caught us and decided to fly pass like a man possessed. We caught him and sat on his wheel for the next 35 kms at speeds of 50 kph. I was close to being dropped on some of the climbs as my legs were still hurting from the morning's effort up the mountain.

Took the above photo this morning with Rien and Barry.  Rien is leaving the tour and heading back home. Rien will be coming to Australia next year to participate in the ride across Australia I'm planning. Had a fantastic time being beaten by him on a daily basis.

 The photo above is of Rob the Boss looking down into the valley.

The view from the top of the mountain today was just amazing. That's Rien and Rob above.

The photo above is of Barry, Ellen the Chef and myself at the end of today's ride. Ellen is leaving the tour and has been replaced by another Chef.

The incredible thing about the downhill today is that it had 365 switchbacks. Now that's a lot of braking and heaps of adrenalin pumping fun.

The above photo is of today's graph. We had a fantastic day in perfect weather conditions.

The 4 of us stayed together all the way into the outskirts of Mendoza, and then it was a case of dodging buses and taxis all the way to Camping Suizo. After a bowl of soup and some chips, we got a taxi to hotel Xumec in the heart of Mendoza. We got a nice room with WiFi, TV, air con, fridge and 3 beds for 600 pesos. Now that's a bargain.

Over the next 2 days we intend to do very little. I will go on the local tourist bus around the place, check out the main attractions, and not eat as much as I did on the last rest day.

Over the last 6 days we've ridden over 700 kms over some of the toughest roads in South America. I do need to rest as I'm going to be doing exactly the same starting Friday morning. Am I having fun? I think so.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Monday 27th October 2014. Stage 68. Bareal to Uspallata. 111 kms, paved 78%, climbing 848 metres, summit 2490 metres. More heat and dirt and temperatures soar.

I packed up 'Tent Hilton', had breakfast and hit the road at 8 am with a big bunch. Barry and I set the pace for the first 30 minutes then as we hit the first climb the bunch disintegrated. We kept up a good pace and when we hit the smooth pavement we were sitting on 48 kph with a big tailwind for the next 30 kms.

 This is a photo taken whilst riding on the salt plains about 2 weeks. I think it will be one for the computer room at home about 3 metres X 3 metres.

 The photo above was taken today on the dirt roads leading to Uspallata.

 Whilst riding along the dirt road I took a photo of the snow capped mountains which have followed us all day.

 I took the above photo on the dusty roads in the province of Mendoza.

The photo above was taken whilst visiting the train cemetery at Uyuni. That's the place I met Chrisito.

The pace we were setting would have us at lunch at 9.45 am to cover the 60 kms. We were flying along with a snow capped mountain to accompany us all the way to lunch. About 10 kms from lunch we hit the province of Mendoza and that's when the road turned to crap. More sand, rocks, gravel, lose gravel, deep sand and uphill all the way.

The heat was pretty intense this morning and at 9 am it was already 40 degrees C. 

I could see the lunch truck up in the distance and after 10 kms of rough roads I couldn't wait to get off and give my ass a rest. Lunch was a quick affair and back onto the dirt for another 20 kms to reach the pavement.

The hour after lunch was pretty hard, I had to push on and leave Barry behind and do it at my own pace. The road kept going up and up and when the lunch truck past us I could see its dust in the distance for miles and miles. That's not a good sight when you're exhausted. Once I hit the pavement it was a quick 25 km ride to our campsite in the town of Uspallata.  

The campsite is another dust bowl but shaded, so it's not that bad. As soon as we got our act together we went into town and for some food and WiFi.

I took the above photo of my good cycling friends Hilde and Kristin. Too much sand and had to push.

Tomorrow is a long ride into Mendoza and finally a 2 day rest. Barry and I are going to a hotel for the 3 nights, so 'Tent Hilton' will remain in it's bag.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.  

Some amazing riding in the Andes Trail. Buck Benson takes dramatic victory in Andes Trail.

Thursday 23rd October 2014. Stage 64. Chilecito to Villa Union. Buck Benson takes dramatic win in Andes Classic. Drug test called for. 135 kms, paved 100%, climbing 898 metres, summit 2000 metres.

Today's ride took us out of the city of Chilecito and along the N40 which goes to the end of the world. We would turn off and head inland to the town Nonogasta and up over the 2000 metres ascent of the the Los Tambillos and down into the town of Villa Union.

As we left town it was raining and it wasn't long before my clean cycling gear was covered with road grime and mud. I'm starting to believe that washing my clothes is a complete waste of time. Now I've got one dirty set and one clean set of clothing for the next 5 days to Mendoza. I don't care anymore.

The first part of the road was slightly downhill for about 15 kms before we turned right and started to climb into the mountains. In the distance I could see the snow covered jagged peaks appearing in the distance and I was hoping that we didn't go anywhere near them as I didn't bring my wet weather gear with me. It was obvious fresh snow had fallen overnight.

I was riding was Barry, Buck, Jurg and Alec for most of the morning up until the lunch stop at 48 kms. It was at this point that the lunch truck was not permitted to go any further on the road. The express truck with all the camping and cooking gear had to take a 250 km deviation because of all the roadworks going on along the mountain pass. The lunch truck would have to wait till work stopped on the mountain before they would be allowed to enter the road works.

After lunch the pace picked up because Buck wanted to win a stage. I should mention that the other day when I came 2^nd to Robert the boss in the sprint, the placing were changed because there was no flag out on the side of the road. The race victory was awarded to me instead. Now I have 2 stage victories, and I want more.

Since we were the first at lunch we had a quick bite and hit the commencement of the dirt road. There was Buck, Barry, Jurg, Alec and myself all in the hunt for a stage victory. The climb from the lunch stop took us up a dirt, muddy and steep climb for 800 metres. At times we had to be careful not to be run over by the huge earth moving equipment or slide off the road due to all the mud caked on our tires. Not only have I given up on cleaning my clothes, I'm now giving up on cleaning my bike, it's just a waste of time. My bike was now carrying another 2 kgs of mud to make the effort all that little bit harder.

I pushed pretty hard up some of the climbs and all the guys were staying with me. I knew that from the top of the mountain that it was a quick 50 kms down the other side. I did manage to take a couple of nice photos of the guys doing the road work and also of the scenery in the distance. The scenery is similar to the other days but is still just as spectacular.

As we reached the summit after 15 kms of riding in terrible conditions I decided to push hard down the other side. I know Buck does not like powering down hills, so this was a chance to put some distance between him and myself. The rest of the guys were now dropping off and it was time to get into the time trial position and just keep it going. I could see Buck behind me when I hit the valley floor and he wasn't giving up.

With 20 kms to go the distance between ourselves was now narrowing. As each km dragged on Buck got closer and closer to the stage I could hear him breathing down my neck like a steam train. He kept the pressure on and powered past. I had 2 choices, chase him and sprint him in the end or just let him ride off into the distance. Barry and the boys were now on my back wheel and Buck was now 100 metres up the road. The group gave up the chase about 1 km from the finish and Buck took a fantastic victory. I was surprised he had so much power after the long climb, and I have to question whether he took the yellow or pink pills today before he got on the bike. No matter what he took, he was the deserving winner of the day.

We made our way to our campsite situated in the car park of a service station and put up tents for the night. The service station has WiFi and food and a tap for a wash. Dinner tonight is at 7pm because the lunch truck could be very late if they have to wait till 5pm before they're allowed through.

Tomorrow will be another long ride but it also takes us closer to Mendoza and the magic 2 day rest day.

Just a brief update.

The lunch truck arrived around 6 pm and Brigit and JR ended up going the wrong way so people had to go out looking for them. What happened was that they continued through the intersection where they were suppose to turn right. This would have taken them 1 km up the road to the service station where we are camped. We did 108 kms and they ended up doing 145 kms. Now that's a big day in this heat. I got a new T-shirt tonight from Julia, Carmen and Alec, it read, 'your tent or mine'. Everyone had a good laugh and now there's a competition for the funniest T-shirt on tour. I leading at this stage.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Friday 24^th October 2014 Bushcamp Villa Union to San Jose de Jachalo Campsite. Stage 65, 121 kms, paved 99%, climbing 890 metres, summit 1400 metres. A perfect bunch ride.

We rolled out of the service station at 8 am of day 2 of 6. Today would take us to the San Jose de Jachal campsite nestled on the Jachal River. The Jachal River is in the province of San Juan. It is part of the Desaguadero River basin, and one of the most important permanent watercouirses in the province, with an average flow of 9m3/'s. It is born from the confluence of the Rio de la Palca and the Blanco River in the north west of San Juan.

From it's origin, the Jachal River flows south for 75 kms, up to a ravine in the pre-Andean range, in a place called Cuesta del Viento. There it turns eastwards towards the city of Jachal, flowing for 40 kms, and then northeast-southeast, passing by the towns of Tucunuco and Mogna. It then flows 100 kms and empties into the upper Desaguadero River.

The Jachal River is fed primarily by snow thaw, rainfall being only a minor contribution in this semi-arid region. Its drainage basin covers an area of 34,232 km2, or around 23,000kms2 if considered up to Cuesta del Viento.

Now you know all about the river which is about 5 metres from 'Tent Hilton'.

We rode back down to the major intersection and turned right into the flat plains with gentle rolling hills, on perfect pavement. The slight headwind was not what the Dr ordered but I would have to make do and do my turns when called upon.

Today I put the earphones in and listened to some of my best music. Artists such as Matt Munro, Leonard Cohen, Adele, Pink and even the Boss. I get into a zone and can power along checking out the scenery and having the occasional chat with my riding partner.

The lunch stop was at 60 kms and we covered that distance by 10.15 am, a little early for lunch. There is one thing that is changing since we left the heights of the Altiplano is that is the heat. From zero degree temperature to 40 degrees days is really taking a lot out of the riders. I did get to see my first Condor yesterday and what an amazing bird it is. I'm told they don't kill, they just scavenge the remains of dead animals.

After lunch it was the same group that hit the road for the final 60 kms to our bush camp. By now the temperature was over 35 degrees and the best place believe it or not was at the front of the bunch where you got the breeze on you. In the back of the pack there was little wind to cool you down. The scenery started to change as we started to head towards the mountains.

We had 2 big climbs today which is something we haven't had for quite some time. I don't mind climbing mountains mainly because the views you get each time you round a bend looking up the road or into the valley below is just breathtaking. The road was taking us through narrow roads with canyon walls looking down upon us. The brown jagged mountains sheltering us from the midday sun saved us from being cooked alive.

The 7 of us started the last climb together, Buck was first to drop off, followed by Hilde and Kristen. Joost, Jan Willem, Barry and myself all stayed together on the narrow switchbacks going in and out of the sun for the next 30 minutes. By the time we reached the summit we were dripping with sweat. I looked back down the mountain to see the girls coming up and we all waited. The rest of the ride was a quick run down the mountain along a couple of small rises, through a tunnel and down to our campsite.

We finished the day at 1.30 pm and that's with a quick stop to fix Jan Willems' flat tire about 5 kms from the finish. The campsite is nice and quiet and I did manage to get a shower and wash my clothes again. The tent is now up and I'm close to my the mad group of Julia, Carmen and Alec.

The rest of the day is relaxing and reading in the shade. Tomorrow is a long day with a lot of climbing. I heard we will be camping in a police compound for our safety.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Saturday 25^th October 2014. Stage 66, San Jose de Jachal to Bushcamp Tocota. 135 kms, 74% paved, climbing 1860 metres, summit 2680 metres. A day of 2 stages, spectacular in the morning and brutal in the afternoon.

My sleep last night was pretty good and even though I had to wake up at 6am which sucks, I was ready to hit the road by 7.30 am.

The first part of the ride was back out of the gorge which was all climbing for about 5 kms until we reached the top of the mountain. This gave us an amazing view of the lake in the distance and what we would face for the next 70 kms to lunch.

The road took us through a beautiful gorge/canyon with mountains surrounding us for kms. The road was gently undulating the next 2 hours and we would often stop for photos whilst enjoying a beautiful day out on the bike. The sun was shining and we knew it was going to get very hot after lunch when we start the dirt section.

I was riding with Joost, Michelle and Jan Willem all morning. We stopped at a small town of 'Rodeo' 50 kms into the ride. I think I'll have to stop drinking coke when I get home or I'll have to go to the dentist and repair all the work he did after I had the head on crash.

The wind was favorable all morning to the lunch stop and it was a welcome sight. I was getting hungry and as a cyclist this should never happen. You have to make sure you eat plenty before, during and after a ride. Whilst having lunch I noticed a tourism shop close by. I went over and had a look to see if I could buy another shirt. Didn't do any good with the shopping but I did manage to quickly get on the net, before my group called out to tell me to hurry up or they were going to leave me behind. How rude, I was busy talking to the world and I'm sure there were people out there prepared to listen, if they weren't asleep.

It back on the bike for 25 kms of pavement and then 35 kms of hell. To cut this story really short, I'm now hitting the pavement.

It was 2 years ago that my Nana Doris passed away. She would have been 100 years of age. Now as I've said in the past, I've met some amazing people in my life, but Nana Doris was the kindest person I've every met. She made many friends in life and never lost one. I would never be able to say that about myself. I'll post a photo of Doris in when I reach Mendoza.

No sooner had we hit the pavement when all hell broke lose. The road disintegrated into sand and rocks the size of house bricks. I was riding with Barry, Jan Willem and JR. Michelle and Joost decided to leave lunch early as they knew they needed the whole afternoon to get the job done.

After about 500 metres, the group broke up and we all decided to ride at our own pace. This road was doing my head in, every km took forever, the sun was now over 40 degrees and not a breath of wind. We started at 1900 metres and had to finish at 2680 metres and it had to be done on the worst road possible.

We've had bad roads in the past but this was just cruel. I'd ride along hit some rocks and sand and have to get off and push the bloody bike time and time again. I was getting to the end of my tether with patience. I think I used every bad word I know when I hit rocks or sand. It's a wander Barry and JR couldn't hear me a km away I was yelling so loud.

To give you an idea of how hard this 35 kms was, I hit the dirt at 1 pm and got into camp at 4.30 pm. I passed Buck about 7 kms from the finish and he came in about 30 minutes after me. Barry came in about 1 hour behind and JR was close by.

The lunch truck stopped for a refill at 123 kms, so I could top up my bottles and get some food. The last 12 kms took 1 & ½ hours, that's because I had to walk my bike through the sand. There's one thing you do learn when riding these roads and that patience and perseverance. You have to keep pushing those pedals no matter how hot it is or how difficult it is. As the great 'Rodney Sanders' said to me in Africa, 'Gentle pressure relentless replied'. That's what I do and it works.

After passing Buck I pushed on constantly searching for the perfect line that keep me on a hard surface. I tried this method all afternoon, swapping from one side of the road to the other dodging house bricks, and quick sand. If you hit that soft sand the bike would sink and you would be stopped dead in your tracks, walk some, walk some more, and then try and ride again.

The lunch truck passed me with 5 kms to go and as it disappeared over the hill I could see the dust in the distance, a distance that would take me over 40 minutes to ride. I was exhausted when I pulled into the police compound at Tocota. This is a town I will never forget and today's ride will now go into the top 5 of toughness on the tour.

I put my tent up next to the police station and went inside to watch the local football match with the officers. I found out that they work 30 days on and then go home for a break. This is one of the most remote police stations I've seen in my life. The patrol 100 kms to the Chilean border and around the peaks of the surrounding mountains for poaches.

I went out the back with Julia and Carmen to check out their horses. Officer Jose showed us his horse and Julia got to pat the beast. Julia has horses back home and you could tell she had the touch with this beast. I stayed away just in case he got a little agitated with the gringos.

The last people to arrive were Hilde, Kristen and Knut around 6.30 pm. They all looked pretty spent. They only have a short time to get ready for dinner and to recover for tomorrow's big ride.

All in all, we had a fantastic day on tour, with extreme temperatures, no wind, and a climbing all day in a beautiful part of the world. I don't think I could have a reason to complain about that.

Tomorrow is day 4 of 6 to Mendoza and should be a walk in the park. I've spoken to my friend Peter Felvus and it's looking good for meeting up with him and his wife in San Carlos De Baroliche on the 13^th November.

I'm pretty tired and it's now 9pm and time to sleep. Breakfast is at 7am with a 8am departure.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Sunday 26th October 2014. Stage 67. Bushcamp Tocota to Barreal. 129 kms, paved 58%, climbing 695 metres, summit 2608 metres. Another day of deep sand and rocks to start the day.

We started today in cool temperatures due to being at 2600 metres altitude. We left the police compound and hit the sand and rocks for 55 kms. As we were on a huge ridge we had to go down the other side to the valley in the region of San Juan province. Once again we were belted from one side of the road to the other. Constantly trying to find the perfect line is so tiring.

Riding on the dirt has to be done on your own, it's just too hard to ride with a partner. It took over 3 hours to complete the 55 kms of rough road before we hit the new pavement at the valley floor. Now I was riding with Diderick and started chasing Barry and JR who were riding like champions today.

I stopped plenty of times for photographs and also to help Julia who had a flat tire. One of the riders, Jan Willem has had 6 flats in the past 2 days. Although I have thin tires for the sand I did let them down to help soften the blow of hitting the rocks. 

We made it to the lunch stop at around midday and sat down to a nice tuna salad and plenty of fluids. Other riders were starting to come in and soon we had about 10 riders all sitting down  talking about the sand, rocks, falling over, walking for hundreds of metres in ankle deep sand and of course sore under carriage from 4 days of extremely tough riding.

Barry and I headed out of lunch to start the final 40 kms to the campground at Barreal. 

The temperature at noon was now hovering in the low 40's and with no breeze made the afternoon seem to drag on forever. We just kept pushing on stopping for a coke and recharge the batteries. Finally we reached the campsite at Barreal around 2 pm, set up home and cleaned up.

I was pretty impressed with my efforts over the past 3 days, all very tough, Buck's drug assisted victory, and riding in the sand and rocky regions of the San Juan province. Everyone is tired and nursing sore parts. I'm sure with a 2 day rest in Mendoza we will be ready to hit the road once again on the journey to the end of the world.

After dinner, Barry, Buck, Diderick and myself went back up to the service station to surf the net and get my story posted. No photos till Mendoza in 2 days.

Tomorrow is day 4 of 6 on the road to Mendoza. More climbing, more sand, more rocks and more pain to every part of my body.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Rest day in Chilecito, Argentina. Coffee and cake.

I don't usually usually post a story on  a rest day because I walking around a town shopping and seeing the local attractions might not be that interesting to some. Today I decided to post some photos of the week past.

 The photo above shows Kristin, Walter, Barry and myself sitting down at the petrol station having a cold drink after a really hot day in the saddle. Notice who's holding the beer and who's holding the coke.

 Buck took the above the photo during our 2nd day of 6 riding to Chilecito. I was amazed at the quality of the photo on an iPhone.

The above photo was taken whilst riding along the salt plains 2 weeks ago.

The above photo was taken by Buck. He reckons that Viagra juice would help me perform better, on the bike of course.

The above photo I took yesterday of my 3 riding partners for the day. Michelle, Hilde and Kristin.

 During our many lunch stops on Bike Dreams we get to sit in some pretty cool places, today it was out of the sun under a straw hut.

The good thing about the above photo is that it was taken whilst I was at the back of the bunch, the best place to be. Most of the road yesterday was long and slightly uphill.

My final photo was taken about 20 kms outside of Chilecito. The pavement was perfect but the headwnid was a real pain in the ass.

For the rest of the day it's sitting down outside the coffee shop with my homies.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Day 6 complete. Time for a rest day in Chilecito. 120 kms today.

Tuesday 21 October 2014. Stage 63, 120 kms, San Blas de los Sauces to Chilecito. Paved 100%, climbing 842 metres, summit 1430 metres. Final day of 6, time to rest up tomorrow and check out the city.

After getting back to the tent around 9.30 pm I slept like a bear in the woods. I got to sleep in till 7 am as breakfast was 7.30 am and departure was 8.30 am. Like usual I was last to leave the campsite and had to do some chasing to catch up with the bunch.

When we left the campsite the sun was already belting down on us, so I knew this was going to be another hard day on the road. Our group was about 10 strong and by the lunch stop we were about 14 riders. Lunch stop was at 70 kms and because there were no towns in between for a coffee stop, it was a long slog to the fire engine.

The road was nice and smooth and once again the scenery was exactly the same as yesterday. At one stage when I was on the front of the pack I noticed a huge snow capped mountain in the distance standing at over 5000 metres. I never get bored at the scenery we get to see each day on tour, whether it be flat baron lands or mountains with a million colours, it's still pretty cool to be turning those pedals.

Lunch was under a straw hut out of the midday sun. I think from the pace this morning, I could tell that everyone was feeling the affects of 6 days on the road.

From lunch we had 50 kms to the town of Chilecito where we will be having our rest day tomorrow. We only had one long climb today but not steep at all, just a steady drag and a sharp left turn and down to the finish line. We rode into a city that was closed for the afternoon siesta and down to the our apartments. We have 4 in our room, JR, Buck and Barry. Since Barry got into the room first he claimed the double bed upstairs. The 3 of us will have to make do with the beds downstairs in the kitchen.

We got to the apartment at 2 pm and settled in like we always do, throw our gear everywhere and make a complete mess for the next 2 days. Since it's so hot now, we're going to rest up and then catch a cab back up into town for diner. I have no idea what this place has to see, so tonight I'll have to do some web surfing.

Currently we're all sitting outside a cafe on the local plaza. The Wifi will not allow me to upload photos. I'll find an internet shop tomorrow on my rest day and post some photos.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Santa Maria to San Blas de los Sauces. 2 big days, strong winds and heat;.

Sunday 19^th October 2014. Stage 61, Santa Maria to Hot springs bush camp Hualfin. 122 kms, climbing 685 metres, summit 2372 metres. Paved 73 %. Pushing into a headwind all day.

Last night I went over to the concert in the amphitheatre of Santa Maria which was right across the road from our campsite. I went with Joost and took up a seat high up in the stands. I sat and watched a guy sing karaoke for an hour and then a video of the famous Argentinian band Arjonas. That probably was the highlight of the night. People kept pouring in till I decided to call it quits at 11.30pm. I was so tired and their was no sign of the band coming on for another 30 minutes. Considering I had 120 kms to ride tomorrow, I decided it was time to hit 'Tent Hilton'.

The music kept blasting through the side walls of tent till 3 am in the morning. Needless to say I was tired when Barry came to my tent at 6.45 am to see if I was alive. I had 15 minutes to get my gear ready, pull that tent donw and have breakfast.

We rolled out of Santa Maria at 8 am for the long ride to the hot springs at Hualfin. No sooner had we left town and turned to the south to be hit right in the face with the strongest headwind so far on tour. We did have a strong headwind the day before Salta, but this was on a level times 2.

We quickly formed a peleton of 12 riders and stayed that way all the way to the lunch stop at 75 kms.

As we made our way south through the small villages of San Jose, Punta de Balasto, the landscape opened up to long, and then very long straight roads with little bends and small rises. Although some riders thought the day was boring I always look at things differently. The flat lands with small shrubs that a couple of months ago were green with life were slightly turning brown and dying, waiting for the rains that might come soon. The mountains were beautiful with the sun creating colours that highlighted the beauty of this region. I did see one mountain that was about 3 kms high that sloped all the way to the side of the road at least 3 kms away.

Sometimes the cyclists need to open their eyes and let their imagination run wild in this part of the Andes. I never lose sight of how cool it is to be riding on roads with little traffic, nice people, spectacular scenery, wild donkeys crossing in front of the peleton causing everyone to brake hard, or a howling headwind, I don't really care, I'm just so lucky to be able to be doing what I love doing, experiencing life.

With the red fire engine up the road it was time to get off the seat, give the cheeks a rest and eat plenty of food. The headwind was getting stronger and my Garmin registered winds of 47 kph from the south, the direction to the end of day.

Sitting down eating our bread rolls with the wind blowing sand and dust all over us and our food, I didn't care, I was too tired from a lack of sleep last night and all I wanted to do was take my mind somewhere else and just get on the bike and get to camp.

We now had 45 kms to go and it was going to take 3 hours. We couldn't go any faster than 15 kph or we would lose half our bunch. I have this view that we finish with the group we started with, unless they wanted to do something else. We hit the road and pushed on into the headwind that was now blowing us all over the road. Strong winds would bring sand from the fields, cutting into us and making riding hell. This was turning out to be a shocking day on the bike.

At one stage we took the new road instead of the detour only to find out their was no bridge. We had to scramble down the hill and across the knee deep river and back up the sandy track to get back on the road again. As the afternoon dragged on, we were getting some tired legs in the peleton so we had to slow down on the front to keep us all together.

Our last town before the turn off to Hualfin was Los Nacimientos which was suppose to be a drink stop. It turned out to be a dust bowl town of mud huts and nothing more. Oh well, I saved 20 pesos for the day.

Just as my Garmin told me to turn right up a huge dirt track I saw Roberto the driver waiting to give us directions. 4 of us decided to take the goat track up the mountain which was a stupid decision because if we travelled along the road further we would have had no hill to climb and no sand to push our bikes through.

We rolled down the hill and down onto the floor of the valley and continued on for about a km to reach the hot springs of Hualfin. I rolled into camp with Barry, Joost, Kristen, Hilde, Knut, Michelle and Buck to end a very tough day on the Andes Trail.

Now, this is what happens when one arrives at camp;

Firstly I drop my bike on the ground and it stays in that position until 7 am tomorrow morning.

Next, I go and wash my hands and devour a bowl of soup with bread, and a couple of fist fulls of chips or peanuts, followed by a cup of tea. Once all that is done, it's time to go and erect 'Tent Hilton'. Roll out my new sleeping matt thanks to Elizabeth who gave a lot of her gear away, go and have a shower in the hot springs, get dressed and go and relax and talk cycling with the boys. Wait till 6 pm for dinner and go to bed and read. Tonight I need to crash early as we have 160 kms to ride tomorrow.

The campsite is basic, a bit of sand, and a little bit of grass. Still the wind is blowing strong and everyone is in their tents taking it easy before dinner.

Hopefully the campsite and near by town has Wifi to post the story, if not, it will be the rest day.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Hualfin to San Blas de los Sauces. Stage 62, 160 kms, Paved 95%, climbing 600 metres, summit 1900 metres. A long day in the peleton.

\

Today was an early rise at 6am and it was still dark. We needed to hit the road because we had 160 kms to ride, and we didn't know whether we were going to be faced with another day of strong headwinds.

As we rolled out of the dirt campground and hit the tarmac, big Joost and myself sat on the front of the bunch for the next 30 kms. Our goal was the town of Belen at 60 kms. We arrived their nice and early, found a coffee shop whilst Barry went and bought some creams tarts. With a belly full of cream tarts and coffee we only had 10 kms to reach the lunch truck.

I should say today's blog is brief because I'm not in 'Tent Hilton' but in a park in a dusty town sitting on concrete and having ants and mosquito's attack me. Michelle is doing her blog and gave me 10 minutes to finish up because she wants to go and buy some ice cream.

OK, where now at lunch and not very hungry. A quick stop and it was back on the gentle undulating roads of northern Argentina. The landscape was once again full of small dying shrubs, huge mountains and sandy edges on both sides of the road.

After lunch JR and myself got on the front of the bunch for 10 kms then took it easy for the rest of the day. The headwind was now dying down and changing to be behind us. We had a short afternoon tea stop and drove on for the final 40 kms to our campsite.

I had completed over 160 kms and felt pretty good about it. My legs were fine but my ass is sore. I'm looking forward to the rest day after 120 kms tomorrow.

Since I'm sitting in the park in total darkness, I'll post some photos tomorrow.  Time for an ice cream and ride 2 kms back to our campsite. I get to sleep in to 7am tomorrow as breakfast is 7.30 and leaving at 8.30 am.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Lead out in race goes bad. Beaten by 12 inches. Stage 60, Cafayate to Santa Maria. 78 kms, climbing 496 metres, summit 1780 metres, 75 % paved.

Today was the day I was targeting for a stage win. We left the campsite at 8 am for the short 48 kms dash to the lunch stop.

As soon we left the campsite it was on for young and old. I did a couple of turns on the front of the bunch over the rolling hills running beside beautiful green vineyards. Being a non drinker and the only one in the tour, I was hoping the guys that drank last night might be a little slower today.

After about 5 kms Joost took off like a mad man and the chase was on. Having raced professionally I knew to wait and wait and see who would take up the chase. First it was Rien, followed by Alfred, Rob the boss, and then came Barry and myself. Now the bunch was down to 7. With a couple of more attacks down the road, the group was being decimated each km.

After 10 kms there was now 4 riders to settle into a good pace. Myself, Rien, Joost and Robert the boss. I continued to work as hard as I could for the next 20 kms and then sat on and didn't do a tap. I wanted to make sure I was strong enough to out sprint them in the finish.  I had arranged for Joost and Rien to lead me out which would just about seal the deal.

With the finish flag up in the distance about 1 km away, Joost started the lead out, followed by Rien and myself. With 300 to go Rien hit the front and now we were on 55 kph. This was so hard on my mountain bike and my legs were screaming. With 100 metres to go I came off Rien's wheel and gave it everything. With 20 metres to go Rob the boss started to come up beside me, so like any sprinter would do I took him across the road to make it difficult for him to come around me.

With 5 metres to go Rob came around me and beat me across the line by 12 inches. I was completely stuffed and couldn't hardly breath. My lungs and legs were screaming and it was made worse by losing so close to the line. The boys did a great job for me at the finish, but I didn't have it. I would love a massage on the legs after that effort.

We pulled into the lunch stop and talked about the race, over and over again. I was still happy to finish 2nd but really that means nothing when I wanted to win. I'll be back and ready for Rob next time. You can put your house on it.

After lunch James and I rode into the town of Santa Maria. This is also a part of the wine growing region of Argentina along Route 40. It's a beautiful little town with a tree lined plaza and nice little cafes to sit down and write about was couldn't have been.

The photo above is what the cyclists do on most days, eat ice cream.

We found the campsite, put up our tents, showered and Barry and I headed for town for lunch and play on the internet. We were told there is an open air concert across the road from our campsite, so many have decided to move into town and get a room. I'm staying in 'Tent Hilton'. I'll leave the room for Mendoza in 10 days time.

Tomorrow we have a long ride with a lot of dirt, more headwind, but no racing.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Salta to Cafayate. The circus must roll on.

Thursday 16^th October 2014. Stage 58b, Salta to Bushcamp Talapampa. 96 kms, climbing 528 metres, 100% paved, summit 1490 metres.

Since arriving in Salta and enjoying a very interesting party on the Monday night, there was one incident that got everyone talking. Without naming anyone, which would prove absolutely nothing, 2 adults drank too much and had a disagreement. With a little intervention things returned to normality and the dancing and drinking continued.

There was no way I was going to stay in my tent for 3 nights when an air conditioned hotel room was the alternative. I took the soft option and went into town. There were about 10 of us that decided to take the hotel and get close to the action. I could talk a lot about Salta and it's attractions, and yes it is a very nice place, but right now sitting in 'Tent Hilton' in my underwear, sweating like a pig, you will have to check out google to find out what the place is all about.

Having 2 days in Salta to rest and relax was exactly what I did. I caught up with all of the people leaving the tour and I had the best 2 rest days on the tour thus far. I love rest days and I'll have more of them when I get home in December. See, being unemployed, or unemployable as some my mates state, does have it's benefits. I get to ride all around the world and meet some truly special people.

Now for the ride.

The cyclists started returning back to the campsite at 8 am for the 9 am departure. We had one more goodbye from Elizabeth who was leaving the tour and doing other things in South America before returning home. Over the past 2 days I got to say goodbye to Patrick, David from England, about 10 times, Theo and Toast, Hardy and Elizabeth, and it always gives one great sadness to see dear friends leave. 

We rolled out of camp and headed south for the next 5000 kms. Since I've lost my riding partners I teamed up with team Norway. That's Knut, Hilde, Kristen and Dederick. There riding technique is quite simple, ride at a steady pace, stop after 1 hour for coffee, chocolate, coke, chips and whatever else they can find. They would get back on the bike after an hour, ride to lunch and take another hour break.

Today's temperature was unbearable. It reached 44 degrees C at noon and in the shade it was still 37 degrees C. I was very grateful there wasn't much climbing for the day.

After lunch we did much the same, rode for an hour, stopped for more coffee and drinks and got out of the sun in an air conditioned service station. When we came out to get the final 15 kms done, Knut had a flat tire, so it was a quick change and we were on our way again in no time.

We arrived at our bush camp around 4.30 pm. The campsite has a lot of thorns and Kristen got a flat tire as soon as she turned off the road. I ended up walking my bike in.

The above photo is of myself and David on the last day of riding for him.

The photo above is of myself and Elizabeth on the morning of the ride into Salta. Elizabeth is heading off to explore other parts of South America before returning home to the land down under.

The above photo is of Julia, myself, Carmen and Alec. We are wearing our new Argentinian jerseys.

The rest of the afternoon was spent talking and just taking in the beautiful surroundings. Dinner was nice and desert was a sponge cake with cream. I sat around with Carmen, Alec and Julia talking the night away as I was not in the mood to going to my tent yet. By 9 pm I was truly stuffed and needed to catch up on something I didn't get enough of over the past 3 nights, SLEEP. I love my sleep.

Tomorrow the circus will roll on into another town and another camping ground. I hope it has Wifi so I can post some photos of my rest day adventures and also today's action.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Friday 17th October 2014. Stage 59, Bush camp to Cafayate, 94 kms, 100% paved, climbing 940 metres, summit 1710 metres.

After a good night's sleep and hitting the road by 8 am I was looking for a cooler day and not so oppressive as yesterday. Once again I rode with Joost, Hilde, Kristen and Rien. 

The photo above is of the silky smooth pavement and spectacular mountains that will follow us all day.

The scenery today was spectacular. Riding along with the river following us all the way to Cafayate we had beautiful mountains of reddish brown, greys and greens that made you feel pretty good.

Lunch was at about 45 kms and situated near a place called Diablo's cave. I found out that this means the port of the devil. I wasn't prepared to venture too far into the place. A couple of us did go in and have a look and take some photos.

 I took the above photo whilst walking up into the cave with Joost and Rien.

 The above photo was taken looking back out of the cave. I do have to get my photo in the post every now and then.

 I found the Australian flag in the last camp so I decided to attach it to the back of my bike. Photo was taken inside the canyon.

The above photo is of Jan Willem, JR, Joost and Michelle. 

After lunch we hit the road and pushed onto the campsite. It wasn't long and we were out of the canyon and looking over a field of lush green vineyards on either side of the road as far as the eyes could see.

As we rode into the town of Cafayate we found a huge ice cream shop. I don't think I've ever eaten so much ice cream in my life as I have on this holiday, so today was not the day to change. I bought a huge ice cream and sat down outside and was quickly joined by more and more cyclists as they come into town.

I rode to the campsite and put up my tent, showered and headed back into town to find the internet shop and post a story. 

Tomorrow we have a short ride and a campground again.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.