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.