Monday 24th
November 2014. Stage 91. Perito Merino to Bajo Caracoles, 131 kms,
Paved 100%, climbing 1359 metres, summit 1048 metres. This was one of
the toughest yet on tour.
Today was a 9 am departure on a day that could be nice
or extremely difficult. We all rolled out of camp right on time and
started to head in a southerly direction with a nice tailwind from
the north pushing us towards Bajo Caracoles where we'll be camping
tonight.
The sun was out, so that was a bonus and the road was in
perfect condition. Quite surprising at the lack of traffic in this
part of the Argentina. I rode with Barry, Buck and Jurg all morning,
and we all took our share of work at the front of the peleton. The
scenery consisted of rolling hills, beautiful green fields, and
perhaps 1 or 2 shacks all morning up to the lunch stop.
By the time we had 2 hours up we had already made 50
kms. We were expecting the lunch truck at the 60 km mark so I ate all
my food and finished all my water at 55 kms. It was at this moment
the wind decided to take a dramatic turn for the worst. The wind
changed from a northerly wind to a southerly wind. The wind was now
belting us in the face, and it was so strong our speed dropped to 8
kph. Over the next 2 & ½ hours we covered 30 kms, that's how
strong the wind was. You got very little assistance sitting directly
behind the person in front because the wind would also come from the
west and push you right across the road. If a car or bus was coming
as one of us got pushed across the road, we would have been road
kill.
I forget to mention in yesterday's blog that I saw 2
condors, about 3 Armadillo's, and 2 dead sheep on that rocky road.
As we pushed on past 60 kms we were starting to question
whether we had missed the lunch truck. We were all getting hungry,
frustrated at the strength of the wind, and travelling at 8-10kph all
over the road was just down right stupid. I should have just got in
the truck and enjoyed the day. I was not enjoying my riding for
perhaps the first time on the tour. I didn't have to prove anything
to myself or anyone else by riding in gale force winds.
After the 70 km mark, we notice the wind was getting
stronger and stronger, more so from the west now. This was probably
the hardest wind to ride in because you couldn't hold a straight line
or a constant speed. I stopped looking at my speed and I also stopped
glancing over at Barry's speed because it was doing my head in. I
knew it was going to be another hour to lunch travelling at this
speed and there wasn't a darn thing I could do about it.
At the 80 km mark we finally saw the lunch truck in the
distance. We were all tired and hungry, but at least we only had 50
kms to go in the afternoon. It was down to the creek bed, full up my
plate and take up a seat to eat like a king. As I sat in the chair
and looked at the other cyclists around me, I could tell they all
looked dejected, perhaps close to even being beaten. The wind was
causing havoc out on the road, and there were those riders who are
EFI, (that means they've ridden every km of the tour) who have to
ride, there obsessed with not getting on the truck.
After lunch we rolled up a 4 km climb and turned south.
Well, if you've ever stood close to a jumbo jet engine and felt the
force of the wind coming out the rear, well that's exactly what it
was like when we crested the mountain. I have never in my riding or
racing life ever come to a complete standstill because of the
ferocity of the wind. Our speed dropped from 20 kph climbing the hill
to 0 in a matter of metres.
We pushed into the wind for the next hour covering 8
kms. I'm not one to be mentally cracked by pressure, but this was
giving me all sorts of problems. One moment I was going straight, the
next my front wheel was pointed across the road. Barry and Jurg took
their turn at the front of the bunch and they were copping it just as
bad as Diderick and I did. Even sitting at the back of the peleton
there was very little respite for us. We were later joined by Jan and
Michelle, but extra numbers didn't help on this windy day.
On one descent, I was riding behind Michelle and we got
hit by such a strong side wind, it blew us completely across the road
and I went flying into the guard rails. I lost my front wheel in the
gravel and went 'arse over head'. I was so lucky not go over the
guard rail. Michelle went over and just getting the bike back to the
correct side of the road and get going again took all our energy.
I could see the time getting on in the day and we still
had 25 kms to go. At this rate we won't be getting in till 6pm. We
were finding it hard to sit on 10 kph, and that was using all our
strength. It wasn't a case of having an easy day and doing what's
necessary to get to the finish, it was a case of that's as good as we
could deliver on the road.
Everyone was getting tired and cranky, the wind was not
letting up, the lunch truck had passed us, so we had to ride this day
out. We had one big climb left to make before the descent into Bajo
Caracoles. As we were climbing the hill with Barry and myself sitting
on the front setting the pace, Jurg says, 'do you know the road turns
east when we get to the summit'? Well, he couldn't told us that the
last 10 kms would be a walk in the park about an hour earlier, that
would have made me feel a lot better.
As we reached the summit the road did turn 90 degrees
and we finally got to get some speed from our bikes. We roared down
the mountain, along a short flat section and found our campsite for
the evening. We are camping in the back of someone's yard for the
night, and the wind is still crazy.
Tomorrow we have another hard windy day. Day 3 of 9 is
completed, but damn it nearly cracked me.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Tuesday 25th
November 2014. Stage 92. Bajo Caracoles to Bushcamp Las Horquetas.
109 kms, paved 100%, climbing 551 metres, summit 1089 metres. Too
windy to ride, so I've decided to take the truck.
Well it's been a long time since I've got on the truck
and the last time I did it was because I was sick. After getting very
little sleep due to the winds, I could see no intelligent reason to
ride in horrendous conditions. I put my bike on the truck and caught
a lift all the way to our bush camp at Las Horquetas for the evening.
As the riders took off all rugged up, I never doubted
for one moment should I or shouldn't I have ridden the bike today.
After we packed the express truck, the 8 of us non cyclists jumped
onboard and took an option for which we all had our own personal
reasons for not riding. Some were sick, some were tired, and others
just couldn't see the sense in riding in those conditions.
No sooner had we gone 2 kms up the road and we saw
Kristin standing there waiting to be picked up. She also had had
enough and wanted to get on the truck. She had called it quits
because of the strong side winds. We loaded her bike onto the roof of
the truck and pressed on. It wasn't long and we were passing riders
and slowing down to talk to them. Each rider said the wind was
favourable from the start, and that they were having a good time. I
can tell you, no one had a smile on their face as we passed. It was
cold and windy and obviously not enjoyable.
We pulled into the lunch stop and had a quick bite and
hit the road again. It wasn't long and we were in the campsite for
the evening. It's blowing an absolute gale right now and I've got my
tent pitched in the perfect position. I suppose there has to be
benefits by catching the express truck to camp.
I now have the entire afternoon to have a nap and take
it easy. Tomorrow we have the 50km 2 man time trial which I'm riding
with Joost. Should be a good day and I should be nice and fresh for
it.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Wednesday 26th
November 2014. Stage 93. Bushcamp Las Horquetas to Estancia La
Angostura. 84 kms, paved 58%, climbing 100 metres, summit 780 metres.
2 person 'Team Time Trial' brings 6th victory on Tour.
Average 51 kph for 49 kms. Race record.
Before I get into today's ride I should let you know I
finally got to sleep at midnight. I think the 1 & ½ hour nap I
took in the afternoon was the problem. I have also developed a runny
nose and sneezing since I got off the truck around noon. Probably
caught it off one of the people on the truck yesterday who was
sneezing and coughing.
What I do find annoying on this tour is that the same
people help load and unload the truck of bags and sleeping gear.
Yesterday when we arrived one female decided to watch and do sweet
bugger all whilst others help unload the truck and also unload her
bag no doubt. The three females on the truck were Leyte, Brigid and
Viv. To make it easy on who the culprit is all the time, it wasn't
Viv.
Now for today.
I was awake at 5 am due to my tent flapping around. I
tied all the ropes down but the wind never let up all night and was
blowing just as hard when I got out of 'Tent Hilton'.
I laid in bed and finally got my act together around
6.15am. Now you know what I do in the afternoon but not necessarily I
the mornings. So this is how it goes. First I sit up and get out of
my warm duck down sleeping bag. Then I undress, get my cycling gear
on, stuff my sleeping bag away, roll up 2 sleeping mats, pack my day
bag and exit the tent. The next step is to pull down the tent and
roll up the blue tarp I have under the tent for protection.
Protection is very important. Once the tent is packed up I then put
my tent, roll up mat and sleeping bag into another bag. I then drag
the day bag, tent bag and extra roll up mat to the back of the truck
for packing after breakfast.
Before
I start breakfast I fill up my bottles and get some food for the
morning ride. Now I can go and eat breakfast. Once breakfast is
complete it's time to pack the trucks and get ready to ride. Now I'm
ready for the 2 person 'Team Time Trial' race. Today's race is over
50 kms of flat paved road. I'm riding with Joost. We are the 9th
team to start. There are some riders who elected not to participate
and would rather cruise along and take photos and take in the amazing
the scenery. Like I've said before, when you race you see nothing
other than the tarmac under your wheels.
With 8 am approaching and the wind screaming down the
road, I went for ride in a westerly direction. It was so hard into
the wind and although I usually complain about wind this was going to
blow us in an easterly direction, the way we were racing today.
Joost and I went for a warm up and waited for Rob the
Boss to call us to the starting line. I felt pretty good even though
I hadn't had much sleep last night. We had 8 teams in front of us
all separated by 1 minute intervals and we were on our way.
I
had talked strategy with Joost before the start and agreed I would
lead from the beginning. We took off and immediately went to 48 kph.
I held this speed for the 1st
km and then the big man took over. Immediately he took the speed up
to 52 kph. With the wind behind us, and on mountain bikes with aero
bars, it was tough going. After 5 kms it was time for me to come
around and hit the front. I was doing 2 km turns on the front and
Joost was taking 3 km turns for the first 25 kms.
At times I had questioned myself as to whether I could
sustain this intensity. We powered along for the next 10 kms sitting
on 52 kph. With 15 kms to go I came up beside Joost and told him,
'it's time to go harder'. I took over and sat on 58 kph for 1 km and
we alternated like this for the next 15 kms to the finish line.
What was good was flying past the other riders on the
road. After the race Michelle said she was surprised we caught her so
quickly. At over 50 kph, we were mowing down the opposition and our
legs and lungs were screaming at the same time.
With finish flag in the distance we went as hard as we
could. I stopped the Garmin as we crossed line for a distance of 48.7
kms at an average speed of 51.04 kph. Now the recent cycling world
record was set at 51 kph, so us 2 old men (which I have been
described as on this tour) didn’t do a bad job at all, and we had
mountain bikes.
Both Joost and I were elated at the result, but couldn't
have done it without the wind at our backs. We waited for all the
other cyclists to arrive and sat down and had some lunch at 9.15am.
Everyone was amazed at our speed over the distance and congratulate
us on the win.
The next part of the day was the 40 km ride to Estancia
La Angostura on a dirt road which wasn't that bad. Although we were
heading south the westerly wind had died down enough not to blow us
across the road. A rocky, bumpy road on a beautiful sunny day was
just perfect conditions for riding. I had a great ride in the morning
and was enjoying the last 40 kms to finish our day.
We arrived at the estacian at midday and now had the
entire afternoon to relax at a beautiful homestead. The tent was
erected, some food was taken and a nice hot shower and shave to feel
like a million dollars.
I went for a walk with Julia and Carmen for 1 & ½
hours out into the fields. A lot of the riders laid back on the grass
and took in some sun rays. I prefer to get out and have a look
around, I spend enough time in a campsite as it is.
With dinner approaching I was getting pretty hungry. I
was tempted to have a sleep earlier on but decided against it in case
I was up to midnight again. Tomorrow is a short ride on unpaved
roads.
Day 5 of 9 completed on the road to El Calafate.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Thursday 27th
November 2014. Stage 94. Estancia La Angostura to Estancia La
Siberia. 67 kms, paved 0%, climbing 555 metres, summit 620 metres.
Finally got to Siberia. Cold setting in.
Yesterday there was a disagreement between Max and
Michelle about how close he put his tent to hers. Now he had a
similar problem with Leyte last week which was not dealt with in an
adequate fashion. Sometimes on this trip issues arise and are not
dealt with swiftly enough. If the same issue had been addressed
correctly last week we would not have had the situated repeated 7
days later. Eventually Michelle moved her tent and Max was spoken to
by Rob the Boss. Discussions went on for quite some time between Rob,
Gurdy, Max and others, when it should have been dealt with in 1
minute. I suppose that comes with years with dealing with conflict.
I should get on with today's story.
I slept well last night and although we were allowed to
sleep in for the 8 am breakfast I still woke at 6am. Now that really
sucks. I laid in bed until 7.30am and then started the daily ritual
prior to getting on the bike. I woke to a beautiful sunny sky, not a
cloud to be seen and the fields were full of birds and a couple of
flamingos in the distance. Today was a race day but myself and Joost
were happy to cruise and get into camp Siberia nice and fresh.
We
hit the dirt road at 9am and had to take on a short climb and head
back the way we came yesterday to the T junction at 4 kms. Once at
the junction we turned south and kept going for 60 kms. The road was
fairly flat but full of rocks and lose gravel. I could see the road
rising in the distance which meant we had a climb. The climb wasn't
that tough and when we reached the summit I got to see a spectacular
open valley before me. The green fields went on into the distance for
miles. Our road would now take us down to the valley floor where we
would continue for 35 kms till we reached the lunch truck at 40 kms.
The road got worse as the day went on. The final 10 kms
to lunch seemed to take forever, and I could see riders way up in the
distance and with the side wind now blowing strong, this was going to
be a long day in the saddle. I was riding with JR today and we
stopped plenty of times for photographs along the way.
You can see in the title of the story today the word
Estancia. Estancia is the Spanish and Portuguese word for the North
American term ranch. It describes a large rural estate. The term is
used in Argentina, southern Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay. The
equivalent in other Latin American countries would be hacienda or
fazenda ( only in Brazil).
While I'm on the topic of enlightening my readers, there
is another animal I've seen recently which I haven't discussed.
Yesterday and today I've got the chance to see a herd of Guanacos.
Guanaco is a camelid native to South America that stands betwwen 107
and 122 cm at the shoulder and weighs about 90 kgs. The colour varies
very little, ranging from a light brown to dark cinnamon and shading
to white underneath. Guanacos have grey faces and small straight
ears. They are extremely striking with their large, alert brown eyes,
streamlined form, and energetic pace. The name guanaco comes from the
South American language Quechua word “huanaco”. Young guanacos
are called chulengo(s). These animals are native to the arid,
mountainous regions of South America and found in the altiplano of
Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile and Argentina.
Back to riding.
We arrived at lunch and sat around for about 15 minutes
with the wind blowing dirt all over me and my bread roll. It wasn't
the best place for lunch but in this open landscape the only
protection was the side of the truck. The area in which we are riding
over the past couple of days is more commonly known as the Pampa. The
Pampas are the fertile South American lowlands that include the
Argentina provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, and Cordoba,
most of Uruguay, and the State of Rio Grande do Sul, in the
southernmost end of Brazil covering more than 750,000 sq kms. This
land is very flat with the occasion hill but nothing of any real
significance.
After lunch JR and I continued our ride taking photos
and dodging rocks. Once again we have to constantly search for the
best track to take on these roads. Going from one side of the road to
the other in search of the perfect stretch of dirt. The wind was now
hitting us hard on our sides and in lose gravel was becoming hard to
stay upright. Some of the riders fell during the day, but JR and I
managed to stay upright.
Towards the end of the ride we came to the huge and
spectacular lake, 'Lake Lago Cardiel'. A huge turquoise lake with
snow capped mountains in the distance and green sloping hills running
down to the shore of the lake which made for a spectacular time out
from riding. JR and I sat on the side of the road and chatted away ½
an hour about life, and how we could conquer the world when we get
home. Me personally, I'm going to the coffee shop to catch up with a
couple of mates over a nice cappuccino. I'm sure they will shout the
coffee as there is no doubt they would have missed me immensely over
the past 5 months. I'm done with conquering the world, JR can have a
crack at that one.
From our time out it was 5 kms to Estancia La Siberia,
our camping ground for the evening. It's basically a huge homestead
on the side of a hill with a couple of run down cattle yards and
nothing more. There is a walking track of 5 kms down to the lake but
there's no way I'm walking 10 kms in the afternoon, I'm staying out
of the sun and wind and taking it easy. As my good friend Sam says,
'you're on holidays Terry, take it easy'.
I found a good place to pitch the home out of the wind
and am in the process of doing nothing all afternoon. I'm going to do
nothing tonight and hopefully sleep like a bear. Tomorrow is around
95 kms of the same dirt and rocky road as today.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Friday 28th
November 2014. Stage 95. Estancia La Siberia to Tres Lagos. 93 kms,
climbing 559 metres, summit 789 metres. A cold day in the saddle on
the road to El Calafate.
I put my tent up away from everyone else and out of the
wind, the only problem was I could smell cow dung all night. Because
the flu is now taking hold of me it didn't worry me that much. My
nose is sore, my lungs hurt when I cough, but I'm a male and
indestructible, or stupid, so I'm riding today.
Getting myself organised today was a little longer than
usual, the sun was out, the wind could blow a dog off a chain, and I
could already hear people coughing 50 metres away. Some people on the
trip have terrible coughs, and cough every morning and some continue
throughout the day. Once packed, it was time for breakfast which
consisted of 'French Toast', a bowl of corn flakes and a banana,
sprinkled ever so lightly with sugar. Now that's a meal fit for an
athlete. I did take a Codral cold and flu tablet that Julia gave me
last night to dry up my cold, but all it did was give me some crazy
dreams. I don't like taking drugs but I can't afford for the flu to
get any worse, as I want to visit the Perito Merino glacier down at
El Calafate in 3 days, and I need to fit and not sick. This glacier
excursion is suppose to be up with the best glacier walks on the
planet and it's a highlight I've wanted to see since leaving the Salt
Plains at Uyuni.
I suppose it's time to get on the bike and start the 93
km ride to Tres Lagos. It was a short ride from the Estancia La
Siberia and back onto the main dirt road. The first section of the
ride took us up a 5 km climb on nice hard pack dirt road. We rolled
along a plateau for a couple of kms taking in the amazing view of the
valley which run either side of the ridge we were on. Occasionally an
Armadillo or a Guanaco would run or crawl past us in their endeavours
to hide from the Gringos.
We started riding at 8am this morning and already the
wind was howling from the west. The Patagonian region of Argentina is
famous for it's strong winds and on occasions have been known not
only to push cyclists across the road and into metal barriers, but
also to turn large trucks over.
During the 55 km ride to lunch the dirt road was perhaps
the best we've ridden on thus far on tour. About 15 kms before lunch
we came across the new pavement which lasted for about 1 km and then
went to large rocks. This section caused us to ride at 8 kph and the
game of dodging boulders began. This on and off pavement and boulders
lasted for the next 1 & ½ hours till we finally made it to
lunch. The only saving grace was the wind in this section was not
that bad.
Barry and I made lunch by 10.30am and left around 11am.
I really don't like hanging around lunch for too long, as I find it
hard to get going once I've cooled down. The lactic acid that builds
up in my legs after 30 minutes of resting burns like hell when I
start to turn those pedals again and takes a good km before the legs
come good, and it's got nothing to do with being 54 years of age.
With 40 kms to go we were back on the bike and riding
with Joost, Michelle, Jurg and Barry. The dirt road was not letting
us down today and soon we were back on the pavement. I was still
coughing a lot and my chest was hurting, I had plenty of warm clothes
on and a neck band that Kristin put me onto. It's a cotton band that
goes around your neck and stops the wind from going down your chest
or back. You can also stretch it up over your head to cover your
ears. It's the best thing I bought on this trip or cycling so far.
Each rider took their turn at the front of bunch pushing
into the strong westerly winds. We are still riding the Pampa and
enjoying the rolling hills, and a landscape void of vegetation, only
for the guanacos and the slow moving armadillos. The temperature
today ranged from 8 – 14 degrees C.
With 10 kms to go we came across a nice new section of
pavement which had my name written all over it. Now if anyone can
find freshly laid pavement, it's me. I actually thought the pavement
would stick to the road as I rode over it and not flick up off my
tires and land on my bike, all over my back, all over the back of my
legs and in my hair. I had this stuff everywhere. I then decided to
ride on the lose gravel just off the pavement which made it worse.
Now I had fresh tar with tinges of brown lose gravel over my bike, my
back and also my legs and hair.
With Tres Lagos appearing in the distance I was
wandering how on earth am I going to get this shit off me. I pulled
into camp pulled out my tissues and tried to wipe some of it off my
legs. All I ended up achieving was spreading this tar to more parts
of my legs. It was just a mess. I put up my tent and went and had a
shower and the soap had zero affect on my legs, arms or my wet
weather jacket. Now I've I got something else to throw in the ocean
in Ushuaia which won't be coming home, 1 good wet weather jacket with
tar spots on the rear.
I asked Walter the truck driver if he had any cleaning
products to get the tar off, he gave me some soap and pure alcohol.
Neither did a thing. The only liquid that helped clean my legs was in
fact olive oil. It got a lot of the tar off my legs, but my jacket is
destroyed. All I can do with that is wear it to the end and leave it
behind.
I went for a walk up to the shops with Carmen and Julia
and found a little shop which had 4 nice lounge chairs right in the
front window. The young boy Allen made us a cup of coffee and we sat
around chatting and bitching about others on the tour. Later on 2
young school boys came in the school across the road and starting
talking to us about our home lands, and what we were doing in their
part of the world. One of the boys had an English learning book with
him so I decided to give him a free lesson on English. Since I'm
qualified at teaching English as a second language, we had great time
laughing and trying to get the boys to understand the basics of the
English language. Carmen made it more difficult telling the boys
Barry and I spoke Australian and that's not real English. Carmen can
speak Spanish, Italian and French can also talk underwater when
called upon. I pity her partner Robby back home in Milan.
We headed back to our campsite which isn't bad at all.
The wind is blowing hard but we're protected well by the huge trees
and large fences surrounding the property. Tomorrow we start day 8 of
9 on the road to El Calafate and although it's only 60 kms, Rob the
Boss expects the ride to be one of the hardest on tour. We will be
heading directly into the wind for the entire day, a day which could
take 4 hours of hard riding.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Saturday 29th
November 2014. Stage 96. 58 kms. Tres Lagos to Camping Hotel La
Leoan. Paved 96%, climbing 270 metres, summit 400 metres. Riding the
Pampa on an angle.
Sleeping in the confined quarters of the camping ground
wasn't that bad at all. We were all stacked on top of each other and
you can hear everything, snoring, passing wind, coughing, rolling
over on the sleeping mat, opening and closing tent zippers. Otherwise
I slept like a bear.
Breakfast was 8am and departure was 9am. We rolled out
of camp across the rough road for about 2 kms till we reached the
smooth pavement of the R40. For once I wasn't the last one to leave
the camp and found myself at the front of the peleton with Joost,
Alfred, James, Ben and Barry. Like usual Joost decided to up the
tempo and we were off racing. I told Barry to hang on and do nothing
other than keep out of the wind and try and last out the race of 58
kms.
The race would take us through the Pampa and a desolate
region just north of Lake Argentina. Rolling hills, was causing gaps
in the bunch because Joost and I would put the pressure on and try
and start dropping some riders. The wind was strong and blowing head
on into us, and driving along at 28 kph was pretty hard. Some riders
when they hit the front dropped the speed down to 23 kph which wasn't
a problem but gave me a good insight as to who we could shelve on the
next climb.
After 20 kms done we hit a long gradual climb and I went
to the front of the bunch and pushed hard. It wasn't long and James
and Alfred were off the back and struggling to keep up. I made sure
Barry was still with us which meant we now had 4 leaders, Joost, Ben,
Barry and myself.
Joost is a powerful rider and sometimes gets a little
excited and pushes too hard for some riders. On the next climb he put
the hammer down and by the top of the climb Barry was off the back
and was not coming back to us. Now it was up to Joost, Ben and myself
to continue on to the finish.
The lunch stop was at 30 kms and I totally missed it, I
had my head down at the front of the bunch and worked hard at keeping
a straight line. I told Joost I wasn't going to stop on such a short
day and wanted to have a hard day all the way to the finish. Ben was
doing his share of work and there was no way we were going to break
up our group.
Joost and I kept doing turns all the way to Camping
Hotel La Leoan to take my 7th victory on tour. Ben did
mention after the race that at times he thought he was going off the
back of us, but there was no way we would let that happen. We were
all doing our work and we all deserved the group win. At times the
wind was so hard we were busting our gut to go over 20 kph.
Most of the ride we were sitting on 25-28 kph, trying to
keep a straight line. Most of the time I was on an angle leaning into
the wind and not going across the road.
With 5 kms to go we could see the hotel in the distance
and just cruised on into camp. We had covered the 58 kms in under 2 ½
hours in pretty tough conditions. We arrived at camp at 10.30am and
now have the entire day to catch up on some sleep, have a shower and
do nothing. We haven't had WiFi for about 4 nights, so all the
cyclists from 'Bike Dreams' have now saturated the net. I'll upload
the photos tomorrow when we get into El Calafate and enjoying a nice
hotel. We have a rest day El Calafate and will be travelling out to
visit the world famous Perito Merino glacier.
I now have 7 more days of riding to end my tour. During
my time in El Calafate I'll provide an update on why I'll be coming
home early.
Day 8 of 9 completed on the road to El Calafate.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
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