Stage 81, Villa La Angostura to San Carlos de Bariloche. 86 kms, 100% paved, climbing 768 metres, summit 1000 metres. A fast and beautiful ride into Bariloche and our rest day.

Wednesday 12^th November 2014. Stage 81, Villa La Angostura to San Carlos de Bariloche. 86 kms, 100% paved, climbing 768 metres, summit 1000 metres. A fast and beautiful ride into Bariloche and our rest day.

Last night was a good night walking around the streets of Villa La Angostura, a nice chilly night in a town that could resemble many in Europe. Plenty of tourist shops, eateries, and all the time in the world. I headed back to camp around 9.30pm and hit 'Tent Hilton' like a ton of bricks. I always say to Patrick my riding buddy, 'I slept like a bear'.

Today is the day that Jan Willem and Carroll leave the tour and head back to their families in Europe. I spent a great deal of time with Jan Willem over the past 3 ½ months and I can say without reservation, he is an absolute gentlemen, and a very strong rider. Jan Willem has already ridden the section from Bariloche to Ushuaia a couple of years ago, so now he can say he's ridden from the equator to the end of the world.

Carroll is a Dr who joined the tour at Mendoza. He also is a very strong rider and also a very determined rider. What's good about Carroll is that he's prepared to get on the front and do some hard work. There are some that never get to the front and always sit on. Sometimes you have to make an effort and do some work.

We rolled out of camp at 9am and hit the pavement along a beautiful paved road with pine forests on either side of the road. It took me about 5kms to catch up to Barry who was riding on his own and then we set a good pace to the lunch truck at 40kms.

The road in this area hugs 1 of the 7 lakes in this region of Argentina. All the 7 lakes have huge snow capped mountains surrounding them. It's pretty cool to ride a bike along the shoulder of a huge lake looking out over the water and over to the mountains in the distance.

Since we were on Route 40 all day the traffic was getting pretty heavy. Huge trucks and buses were now coming down on us at the rate of knots. Sometimes they came past at over 100kph within 1 metre of us. Not a good feeling. With the lunch truck in the distance Barry asked if I wanted to keep going, after all we only rode 40kms in 1 ½ hours and we had plenty of food to get us to the finish in 46kms. We pressed on with a nice tailwind pushing us along at speeds of 50kph.

When we got within 30kms of Bariloche we hit a rise and could see the town in the distance. We had to ride around the lake to reach the town and as we turned with 20kms to go we got hit by a stiff headwind. Now it was down to 20kph and pushing hard to make headway.

We finally reached Bariloche and could see the fire engine parked outside of the hotel in the distance. We made it to the finish at 12 noon and could now start our rest day which will continue till Friday morning 8am. We have a nice room with heaters, don't need air con is this cold part of the world, TV, and poor WiFi.

After a nice shower and shave it was down to town and see what this place has to offer. We stopped at McDonald’s for a coffee and cake and then continued back to the hotel for an easy afternoon. Tomorrow I'm going to walk all around this town and check out the historical sites.

I waited for Jan Willem to arrive to take a photo of his last metre on tour.

 The photo above was taken by Buck yesterday on another fantastic day of riding in the Andes.

 The photo above of Dr Carroll Tseng and myself taken today on Carroll's last day on tour.

 The photo above is myself with Jan Willem who also leaves the tour today after 3 1/2 months.

 I took the above photo after one of the small climbs today. You can just make out the lake and the snow capped mountains in the distance.

 The above photo is what we get to see all day.

 The best of the day is reserved for Jan Willem arriving at the hotel this afternoon. He has now completed the 11,000 km ride from the Equator to the end of the world.  Well done Jan Willem.

The photo above was taken 3 days ago. That's JR holding up my bike.

Not sure what we're going to do tonight, probably a nice meal, followed by a movie or a concert.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

2 days. Junin de los Andes to Villa La Angostura. Like riding in Switzerland.

Monday 10^th November 2014. Stage 79, Junin de los Andes to Ruta de 7 lagos. Paved 98%, climbing 997 metres, summit 1290 metres. No race today, steady peleton all the way. Lakes and mountains.

Last night was spent up at a restaurant having coffee and updating the website. We all then headed to the local ice cream parlor and devoured a triple crown ice cream. For about $1.50 AUS. I eventually got back to the campsite at 10 pm for bed.

I learnt that at our campsite we have 48 species of bird life, 5 chickens, 1 rooster, 2 donkeys, about 5 dogs, all about 5 metres from my tent. During the evening I got to hear them call, squawk, scream, bark, eeee orrrr, squeal to each other from 10.05 pm to 7.15 am. What a shit sleep.

Because we only had 90 kms to ride today we were allowed to sleep to 8am and departure was 9am. Didn't help much to me.

We all rolled out of camp and headed up to the highway for the slow headwind ride to lunch at 43 kms. Lunch was in the touristy town of Villa La Angostura on the lake. Today we will pass 3 lakes all of which offer spectacular views, with pine tree forests all around.

We had a peleton of about 20 riders, but what happens is that many of the riders don't like hitting the front and taking a turn, so it's the same people who do the majority of the work. It happens when it comes to packing and unpacking the truck each day. But that's another story.

As we kept together into the headwind we travelled along smooth roads with snow capped mountains and a headwind that was dragging the pace down to around 20 kph. With a couple of small undulating climbs it wasn't long before we rolled down into the lunch stop. The truck was located in the main plaza square and like usual there were a couple of cyclists who ride on by and missed it. I stopped and had a quick sandwich and the a couple of us went up the road for a coffee, piece of apple crumble pie and whipped cream. Since I had 50kms to go to reach camping Playa Falkner.

Once we got back on the road we started the 15 km climb to reach the summit for the day. I rode with Buck all afternoon, and I thoroughly enjoy his company. He comes from a beautiful part of the world called 'Lake Superior', Minnesota, USA. One day I would like to go and visit Buck and also my good friend Len DeMoss.

As we climbed away from the first lake the view looking down into the waters with pine trees and millions of yellow plants were just startling. We had no breeze and the sun was shining bright as we climbed and climbed. I stopped plenty of times to take photos of all 3 lakes and the surrounding mountains.

The last 50kms to our campsite were rolling hills with more snow capped mountains and a dramatic drop in temperature. As we got closer to camp I could see the massive pine trees above us full of snow and cloud starting to cover the peaks of all the mountains. I have no doubt that tonight is going to be one cold night in 'Tent Hilton'.

We stopped before the final descent to check out a small waterfall and then roared down into our campsite situated right on the shores of a lake. We pitched our tents on nice green grass instead of dirt or gravel with the door of the tent looking out over the lake.

Tonight I'm required to help feed the cyclists and wash the dishes. I usually grab the tea towel and dry the dishes as I don't like getting my hands dirty. The only thing I've ever got on my hands is pen in my years of work. I'm not going to change at this stage of my life.

As for tomorrow's ride, I think it's about 65 kms all uphill. As long as it doesn't rain, I'm ready for it. Day 4 of 6 on the road to Bariloche, completed.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

I had the above photo taken about a week ago. Every afternoon when we get the chance we go for a walk in search of Cerveza, more commonly known as Alcohol. That's Buck in the middle and Barry on the right,.

 The above photo was taken during our 161 km ride last week. That big fella next to me is Joost.

 I took the above photo yesterday. That's Gerdy our fabulous Chef on tour. Great meals everyday.

The above photo is of the famous mountain climbing Buck Benson. The town in the distance is the one we climbed out of yesterday on the way to our lakeside campsite at  de 7 lagos.

Tuesday 11th November 2014. Stage 80, Ruta de 7 lagos to Villa La Angostura. 61 kms, paved 40%, climbing 890 metres, summit 1143 metres. A quick 61 kms and no time to stop for lunch.

The best way to start a day is to sleep to 8.30am for a 9.30am departure. Because it's a short stage we were allowed to sleep in. I slept like a bear.

I rolled out of camp with Max and soon we were on our own climbing up and down rolling hills in a pine forested mountain. It was just like Slovenia last year with all the trees and stunning mountains all around us. It was lightly raining all morning and when we hit the dirt the road turned to mud. I slipped all over the place but Max did a good job with his fat tires and rode away from me. It wasn't a race stage so I was in no hurry to catch him. I was stopping all the time taking photos and having a relaxing time. Lately I've been feeling very strong on the bike and getting off at the end of each day feeling fresh as can be. 

 I took the above photo looking out of my tent this morning. That's Barry in the photo.

During the morning ride we had to follow the freezing cold river that came off the snow capped mountains. Today they all had cloud over them and light rain falling. 

I had no intention of stopping for lunch considering we only had ridden 35kms, so I continued on along beautiful pavement, rolling hills and only 1 climb for the day. The climb out of the lake was 5 kms long and a 480 metre climb. These climbs are now getting very easy.

Buck took the photo above the other day when we tried to watch a movie. Unfortunately only in Spanish and no English sub titles.

The temperature around 11am turned cold and the rain got heavier. I only had about 20kms to so I knew I would be in camp by midday.

As I made the final climb out of the lake it was all downhill to our final destination for the day. I was the first into camp and Barry was only minutes behind me. He also decided not to stop for lunch on such a short stage.

I just received a message from Peter to say he's not able o meet me in Bariloche. Looks like we'll have to do in Australia when I get home.

I arrived in camp and did exactly what I do every other day, so I'm not going to going into it today. 

Once Barry and I were organised we headed off into town and did some shopping. 

You wouldn't believe it, but I bought another T-shirt. I have to go back to buy the cap after coffee and cake.

The campsite is pretty good with heaps of grass and it's only a 500 metres walk into town. 

Tomorrow is a 85 km ride to Bariloche and another rest day awaits us. 

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

3 days of incredible riding in the Andes.

Friday 7^th November 2014. Stage 76b. Chos Malal to Las Lajas. 161 kms, paved 100%, climbing 1278 metres, summit 1300 metres. Day 1 of 6 on the road to Bariloche.

After a rest day it's always hard to get out of bed. My tent was under a light in the campsite so it looked it was daylight at 11pm.

I rolled out of bed at 6.30 am to get ready for the big week ahead. 6 days on the road to Bariloche and over 700 kms. This should be a real hard week on the road to the end of the world.

We left camp a 8am and rode out through the centre of town and kept going south. We had 161 kms to ride today and we expect strong headwinds about 40 kms from our destination.

Right from the outset of the day I rode with a group who had Michelle, Joost, Hilde, Kristen, Jan Willem (who was on his last week of the tour), Buck, Brian and Deb. The first part of the day was mostly downhill with a strong tailwind. We had a good pace up all morning and made the 75kms to the lunch truck by 11.15 am. We still had another 85kms to the end of the day.

The group rode really well during the morning keeping a solid pace and most of the riders took a turn up the front. I don't expect the weak riders to get up their into the wind and try and keep the pace high. The scenery for the morning was mainly rolling hills, mountains along way away from the road and no trees. Quite a baron place out here and we have it all to ourselves. How cool is that?

Prior to lunch we had this guy stopping and taking photos of our group all morning. He must be a journalist or a retired cyclist who still loves cycling. Michelle managed to get a group photo which I'll have to get at the next opportunity.

After lunch it was the same group that continued on their way to Las Lajas. At the 120 km mark the road turned and headed west. As soon as we made the turn the wind hit us like a ton of bricks. From this point on the speed dropped to 15kph for the next 3 hours. Battling into a headwind is not only boring, but a pain in the ass. We all took turns and did our bit at the front of the bunch to get this day over and done with.

I could see the town appear in the distance, but it took forever to get their. The last hour of the ride was tough.

We crossed over the bridge and rode on down to the campsite. A quick pitch of the tent and I was ready to relax.

After a shower I went for a walk of the town and had a chat with a group of teenagers. There's is one thing I can say about the kids I've met in Argentina, and that they're very polite and well mannered. Always keen to try and chat with the Gringos and help us as much as they can.

I went to the supermarket to buy a drink and ended up in the bakery section by chance. I ordered these 2 buns full of chocolate and had a brief chat with the baker. He was pretty impressed with my ride and ended up giving me an extra bun to take back to camp. There was no way I could eat 3 buns, so I gave 1 to Joost and the other to Barry.

I returned back to the campsite and got ready for dinner. Tomorrow we have to get up at 5.15am, breakfast is 6am and departure is 7am due to the tough ride ahead. 2 years ago only 3 riders finished the stage. It snowed on the summit and the winds were so ferocious the riders had to take shelter in a ditch and wait for the lunch truck to pick them up.

Bring on tomorrow.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Saturday 8^th November 2014. Stage 77. Las Lajas to Alumine. 131 kms. Paved 51%, Climbing 1570 metres, summit 1900 metres. Race to lunch and called it quits.

I went to bed very early as we had to get up at 5.15am to get ready for the day. I did sleep well so I was ready to race and try and get the majority of the day over before the winds hit us.

All the cyclists headed out of town as a group and as soon we hit the base of the climb, Diderick attacked, so Joost, Alfred, Rob the Boss and myself jumped after him. Unfortunately for James he was not able to follow us. We stayed as a group up the climb that went from 800 metres to the summit at over 1900 metres. The major problem with the mornings ride was the strong headwinds that disintegrated the entire field. I heard later that people were scattered all over the mountain and some didn't reach the lunch truck till over 2 hours after we did.

We sat on a speed around 22-25 kph up the entire climb. I should say that at times I couldn't get to the front and help out. I can climb mountains, but when it's a strong headwind, you usually find me at the back of the bunch taking protection from the wind.

As we got higher the snow capped mountains got closer and closer. What I did see were the Monkey puzzle tree. Monkey puzzle tree is he hardest species in he confer genus Araucaria. It is native to south central Chile and west central Argentina, and is an evergreen tree growing to 40 metres tall and 3 metres in trunk diameter.

In Britain prior to 1850, it had been known as “Joseph Bank's pine” or “Chile Pine”, though it is not a true pine. The tree got it's name because one of the friends of Joseph Banks said it would puzzle a monkey to climb that tree. And the name has stuck ever since.

Back to the race.

As we powered up the mountain with all these monkey puzzle trees appearing all over the mountains, Joost kicked up the pace and put myself and Alfred off the back of the bunch. We worked hard into the headwind and stayed at a similar distance all the way to lunch at the 53km mark. It was at this point the road turned to dirt and sand. Whilst having lunch I decided not to continue on racing as there was no way I could ride with my thin tires for 80 kms against these boys. I left 5 minutes after Joost and Alfred and rode the rest of the day on my own listening to good quality music.

 Some of the beautiful scenery on our long 161 km ride over the past 3 days. Spectacular clouds to follow us all day.

The above map, slightly crooked, is from yesterdays ride.

Walter is the guy in the above photo and the man responsible for driving one truck and looking after us at lunch time each day.

 The above photo was taken on day 3 riding through the canyon with the crystal clear waters following us all the way.

 At the end of day 3 I wen up to the plaza and watched the local school kids do their thing. They sounded fantastic.

The above photo was taken on day 3. Every corner gave amazing views.

From lunch to the end of the day the scenery was just stunning. With beautiful green trees and the Chimehuin River down below it made for a fantastic afternoon of riding. At times the snow would get about 100 metres from the road, but not close enough to go and splash around in for that photo.

As I rode along the dirt road I stopped many times to take some photos. I took one in particular of an old house with an older caravan next to it. With the snow capped mountains and the dirt road in view it made for a great photo.

Pushing along on this terrible road I dropped down from the mountain to find a crystal clear lake with snow capped mountains falling away into the waters. The road after lunch was tough, there can be no doubt that, but the scenery keeps surprising me around every corner.

The last 10 kms on the dirt turned to a fine gravel about 3 cms thick. This caused me all sorts of trouble trying to keep the bike upright. I was going nuts trying to find the perfect line. Going from one side of the road to the other for about an hour drive me to braking point.

Eventually I hit the pavement with 15 kms to go. The road was excellent as it meandered adjacent to the river over gentle rolling hills. I rolled into camp around 2pm, 30 minutes after Joost and Alfred. I was happy with 3^rd place on the stage, but it would have been different if I had fat tires.

Arriving early in camp gave me the opportunity to wash all my gear, shower, eat, put up 'Tent Hilton' and relax. The other riders rolled in about an hour after I did up to about 5pm. It was a tough stage in the morning but the afternoon conditions were perfect and scenery amazing.

Tomorrow we have another 130 km ride with 50% unpaved. Although it is a race day, I'm going to take it easy.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Sunday 9^th November 2014. Stage 78, Alumine to Junin de los Andes, 120 kms, paved 49%, climbing 1245 metres, summit 1380 metres. Woke to zero degrees, ate in 1 degrees and started riding in 2 degrees.

I woke today at 6.15am to freezing conditions. Zero when I pulled my head out of the tent, and it was a slow job getting dressed and pulling down 'Tent Hilton'.

Whilst eating breakfast the temperature soared to 1 degrees, which made a huge difference. NOT. I was freezing whilst trying to eat my corn flakes and banana roll. No matter what I did I couldn't get my fingers warm. By the time we got on our bikes to leave the camp the temperature had reached a whopping 2 degrees. I had my gloves, jacket, leg and arm warmers, head scarf and was cold. I couldn't wait for the sun to pop its head above the mountain and belt down on us.

We rode the first 25kms on good pavement than hit the dirt, which would continue to the 110km mark. The first part of the morning once again followed the river through a beautiful canyon and pretty good dirt road. I rode with Barry and KB all morning and we had a great time chatting about life and what it would be like to live in this part of the world.

The photo above is of Lanin Volcano.

Around each corner would be a beautiful green valley with canyon walls, a fast flowing river and small homes starting to appear more frequently. The snow had left the mountains around us but we could see the huge snow capped volcano in the distance. I know I keep saying it, and perhaps too often, but I had a fantastic morning in a beautiful part of Argentina.

With lunch at the 60 km mark we stopped for a short while as we wanted to get into camp and have a look around the town. At the campsites we've been staying at they haven't had any internet, thus no stories posted.

I left lunch and rode on my own all afternoon, firstly up a 15km climb which was not difficult and then mostly downhill into the town of Junin de los Andes. It was on the descent from the mountains that I first got a glimpse of the snow capped volcano. The volcano is called Lanin Volcano which is an ice clad, cone shaped stratovolcano on the border of Argentina and Chile. It's amazing to see whilst roaring down the rocky mountain being bounced all over the place.

I rolled on down into town and found the campsite for the night. I had a quick shower and shave today, put up the tent and headed for town. I managed to see a young school group perform on the stage in the centre of town and the music was very impressive.

Buck and I went and bought and ice cream and took up a position to listen to the school band belt out a cool South American tune.

We headed back to camp for dinner and in the evening I'm going back up to town to try and get some internet stuff done.

Tomorrow we do it all again. Day 3 of 6 completed on the road to Bariloche.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

What a week in the Andes. Heading to Bariloche to meet up with Peter and Ema Felvus.

This week has been a tough week, over 700 kms of riding in some of the toughest conditions I've ever ridden in. From sand to rock, snow and rain, we all battled through it and came out strong in Chos Malal our rest stop for today.

Perhaps the major event was winning the 153 km stage solo from start to finish. I was pretty tired at the end but it did give me a buzz winning my 3rd stage for the tour.

 The above photo was taken Buck Benson at one of our campsites during the week. Notice the boys were too soft in diving in and only got their feet wet.

 The above photo was taken yesterday during our tough stage into Chos Malal.

 The above photo was taken during the recent Sydney to Gong charity bike ride. The 2 guys are Geoff Stratton on the back and Geoff Hunter on the front. I ride with these guys with eXsight Tandems of the Illawarra. You will not meet a finer bunch of people in your life. I look forward to getting back and riding with them on Tuesdays again.

 The above photo was taken during Sydney to Gong ride last week as the 2 Geoffrey's cross the Sea Cliff Bridge.

The above photo was taken when I crossed the line for a stage victory during the week.

The week ahead will take us over 700 kms from Chos Malal to Bariloche, Argentina. I know tomorrow is 161 kms of racing, but I don't if I'll take part in the race because the winds are horrendous at the moment. As we say in Australia, 'it would blow a dog off its chain'. 

From this point on in the tour we will be mostly camping. I hope to keep you updated with my journey to the end of the world.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Wednesday 5th November 2014. Stage 75b, Barrancas to Chos Malal. 94kms, paved 8%, Climbing 1489 metres, summit 2403 metres. Now that was one hell of a ride.

Last night we camped on top of each other in this very small campsite, and I got to hear all the noises that people make inside their tents.

As I said yesterday I decided to take the gravel road to heaven. I was well aware it going to be a tough day, but I'm not one to avoid a challenge. We left the campsite at 8am and rode about 2 kms out of town and took a sharp right where the dirt began. The other 15 cyclists continued on their way to Chos Malal on pavement for the next 125 kms.

Some of the riders who took the dirt were James, Alfred, Carmen, Julia, Rob the Boss, Joost & Michelle. I rode on my own for most of the morning and was later joined by Joost, Michelle and James for the run into the lunch truck.

As soon as we hit the the gravel road we headed for heaven. Up and up we went through lose gravel, sand and huge rocks for 45 kms. Some of the rocks we had to negotiate caused me fall over about 5 times. I couldn't climb the steepness of the mountain and the winds were horrendous once again.

As we got higher and higher towards our goal of 2400 metres the winds that were blowing off the snow capped mountains froze every part of my body. My face, feet, hands were freezing and there wasn't a darn thing I could do about it.

 I took the above photo with Joost up in the distance cresting the hill. I like how close the clouds look to the ground at this altitude.

That's my riding buddy for the day Joost. He's such a powerful rider and found it easy climbing the rocky road today.

 The above photo is of James standing in front of an extinct volcano. The wind and 4 degree temperature made our day one hell of battle.

With 43 kms on the clock we rounded the final bend to see the fire engine. The wind was blowing a gale and the dust was going all over our food. I didn't care, I was pretty hungry and wanted to eat quickly and get off this wind blown mountain. The only ones ahead of were Rob the Boss and Alfred.

 After lunch I came across the only house on the mountain.

I took off from lunch on my own for the final 55 km push to Chos Malal our destination for today, and our rest day tomorrow.

I thought we would be going down as soon as we left the lunch truck but that was not the case. I still had a lot of climbing through large rocks and lose gravel. When I got the chance to go downhill I had to be so careful that the wind didn't blow me off the road, or my front tire didn't slip out from underneath me due to the the sand and gravel  I was having such a hard time staying on the road, and it was draining me physically and mentally. On a couple of  occasions I screamed out profanities about the wind, the cold, the goats, the sheep, the lose gravel and the rocks. I didn't miss a thing, but I kept riding.

 I took the photo in the afternoon showing the El Tromen National Park. The lake in the distance is at 2400 metres altitude and has flamingos, I didn't bother to ride down and take photos as I more concerned with getting out of this gravel pit.

I took the above photo of some birds that I have no idea what type they are.

As I pushed along as hard as I could I finally came to the descent which would go down for 30 kms. I was worried about my speed as the wind took me by surprise a couple of times and put me into the dirt. I couldn't go much faster than 50 kph down the mountain.

I was joined by James with about 10 kms to go and this is when we hit the pavement. From here it was all downhill into the town. As we approached the turn off into town we could see Barry and the group who took the pavement just ahead of us. We passed them and headed straight to our campsite. The campsite is a pretty dusty place but in this part of the world, it's the only option. Some of the cyclists took a hotel, but me personally, I'll wait till we reach Bariloche next rest day. That's when I catch up with Peter and Ema from Australia.

After setting up tent and doing all the other things, I went for a ride up to the plaza to see where I could get my clothes washed. I found a laundry which opens tomorrow morning at 8am who might be able to help me out.

Dinner was at the campsite and a BBQ was on the menu. We had a sausage sizzle and salad and it was excellent.

After dinner I headed up to the service station to get on the Wifi and do my story. Tomorrow is a rest day and I'm going to rest and do very little. I will provide an update tomorrow night.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

2 huge days with wind and more wind. 1 more day until the rest day.

Monday 3^rd November 2014. Stage 73. Malargue to Bushcamp Buta Billon. 115 kms, paved 80%, climbing 1012 metres, summit 2004 metres. Fierce headwinds make a short day very long.

After dinner I retired to the tent for some serious sleep. My legs were tired and I needed a good rest. During the night when I tossed and turned my legs felt like they were full of lactic acid. It was such a strange feeling in my thighs the whole night. It didn't affect my sleep, but I have no doubt it will affect my riding today.

The first thing I realised that it was 6.40 am was Carmen rattling my tent. She said she called me at 6.20 , and since I never moved she thought I should sleep a little longer, It's a big rush when your tent is a mess and you have to get dressed, pull the house down and be seated for breakfast in 20 minutes. I'll leave the tent till after breakfast. Temperature 4 degrees at 7 am.

Today's ride will take us from our nice campsite at Malargue to a bushcamp at Buta Billon, a distance of 115 kms. My legs were heavy and I looked like I needed another 12 hours sleep. It's amazing what you hide behind dark sun glasses at the breakfast table.

We rolled out of town right on 8 am. We turned at the statue of Jesus in the centre of town and continued along the famous Route 40 to the rest of the day. After we rode 10 kms, the road veered to the right and then we were hit by ferocious winds. We don't enter the windy area of Patagonia for another 100 kms, but it seems we are in for some rough times ahead.

I rode at the back of the bunch for the first part of the ride behind Hilde and Kristin. I didn't want to do too much today, other than listen to music and take in the amazing views of the snow capped mountains all around us. Everyone had all their cold weather clothing on this morning, and it stayed on until lunch. About 2 kms into the day Kristin called it quits as she was not feeling well.

The ride into the wind at a maximum speed of 15 kph. I rode with Michelle and Buck for a while and we were all over the road. It was quite dangerous at times not to be blown completely across the road. Julia called it day before lunch as she was not coping with the high winds and also a sore knee from the previous day. Many people were not going to make it to the end of the day on the bike because of the tough conditions. Me personally, I'd have to break a leg not to continue riding.

By the time we covered 30 kms, it was already 10.15 am. At this rate it will be dark by the time I get in. I pulled off the road and headed to a small cafe, whilst Buck and Michelle continued on. I found Barry, Rob the Boss and Max having coffee, so I decided it was a perfect time to get out of the wind and take time out.

After our little break it was time to get back on the bike and tackle the 10 km climb up to 2000 metres and into more wind with a chill factor of minus 2. The wind that was coming off the snow was brutal. We kept climbing and climbing

be pushed all over the road and at times I got hit so hard by the wind it stopped me dead in my tracks. I found it hard to move forward. I rode with Rob the Boss up the climb and got some nice photos of the mountains around us. I still had my leg warmers on, thermal jacket, winter gloves and my beanie to keep me warm. I should have had a balaclava to keep my face warm because it was freezing. My nose was running all morning because of the cold, and the more you wiped it, the sorer it got. I just couldn't win this morning, no matter what I did.

After reaching the summit it was downhill till lunch at the 70 km mark. Going down the other side of the mountain we had to pedal every inch of the way. The wind was roaring out of the valley and up the mountain right into our face. It's not often you have to pedal down a hill, but this is going to be common for the next 6 weeks to Ushuaia.

I left Rob as he was taking photos and pressed onto lunch riding gravel road for the last 5 kms. At least the wind wasn't too bad now. I rolled over the bridge and found the red fire engine ready to serve me my lunch. I do love my lunch stops, a couple of rolls, a drink, piece of fruit and some biscuits. That will fill the belly and get me the additional 45 kms to the end of the day.

After lunch I headed off with Barry and Diderick. We passed Michelle and Hilde shortly after lunch, but decided to ride our own pace and not theirs. We had the famous Rio Grande river following us for the next 30 kms along the flat plains of Chalahuan. The winds were now changing direction from being in our face to now being at our side. Barry and Diderick did most of the work as I was still tired from yesterday's effort. That 153 km sole ride really took it out of me.

In this part of Argentina there are a lot of road works going along, so we were constantly going from detours to new road and back to detours time and time again. I rode over some new pavement and ended up with tar over my leg warmers and ankle. Now I'm going to have to chuck them at the end of the holiday. They were my favourite pair of leg warmers.

Even though we had 70 kms of tough riding till lunch and parts of the afternoon ride with head winds, I still had a great day. It was beautiful clear blue sky all day, with not a cloud in the sky, so I was wrapped knowing I wasn't going to get a wet ass again.

We continued on with the River Grande meandering alongside us all the way to the end of day. I was glad to see the end of day flag on the side of the road, as I had enough for one day.

Once again, put up 'Tent Hilton', have some soup, have a wash, get warm, and relax. Barry, Buck and I went for a walk up the road to a small Kiosk. The boys had a beer and I had some water. I'm really over the coke thing. I got to meet the lady who owns the kiosk and adjoining house, and she allowed us to sit in the back yard to have a drink. I took some nice photos of her and her grand daughter who is a real cutey. It wasn't long before Julia and Alec found us and joined us in a drink. I had to be back at camp by 6pm as I was on kitchen duties.

I made it back to camp, help handing out the food, ate my meal, helped washed the dishes and went to bed. I wasn't in the mood to sitting around in this wind and coldness talking. I do that tomorrow on the bike.

Tomorrow is another 100 kms and more unpaved roads. We hit the Patagonia region at the 95 km mark.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Tuesday 4^th November 2014. Stage 74, Bushcamp Buta Billon to Barrancas. 101 kms, paved 50%, climbing 1208 metres, summit 1780. Climbing on a rocky, sandy road is hard stuff.

We had a vote last night to sleep in because it has been terribly cold in the mornings. The end result was that we eat breakfast at 8am and leave at 9am.

The first part of the ride was following the Rio Grande for 10 kms on paved road, then the gravel road started. To try and explain how hard it is to ride in gravel, trying running on wet sand on your local beach. It's hard work and we have to do it today for 50 kms, uphill. The road was full of lose sand, deep gravel and large rocks. To soften the pain of the constant bumps and sliding in the sand, the view of the Rio Grande was pretty spectacular. Once again the mountains surrounded us but now there is little snow on the peaks. I think it has something to do with the fact we are riding around the 1000 metre altitude mark.

 I took the above photo as Rob the Boss was riding away from during the morning climb. We get to see these snow capped mountains all day everyday for the next week or two.

 I met this lovely lady and her gran daughter after arriving at our bush camp 2 days ago. She sold beer and coke, so we were all happy.

The above photo depicts one of the many shrines dedicated to a love one who has passed away on these remote roads in the Andes.

I rode on my own all morning taking photos and taking in the magnificent views. The sun was out and it wasn't cold at all. I didn't need my vest, arm or leg warmers on this morning, and it stayed that way all day.

I had fully recovered from my race day and my legs felt strong all day. As I climbed the mountain, I noticed some huge birds circling overhead, at first I thought it might be my first sighting of a condor, but Jan Willem later told me they were nothing special. I might just google a photo of a condor and post it. Seems a lot easier to achieve.

I kept pushing at a steady pace up the rocky road all the way to the 52 km mark where the lunch truck was found. I pulled in and got some food and waited for Barry and Buck to arrive. I must have stayed at lunch today for about 45 minutes today soaking up the sun and beautiful scenery. I was in no rush and the weather was perfect to enjoy out in the wilderness of the Andes and not in a dust bowl campsite.

The photo above was taken prior to entering the region of Patagonia.

 Whilst going for my afternoon walk I noticed the horses tied up to the pole. They use to do that in Australia 50 years ago.

I took the above photo last night at camp of my good friend Knut. 

We left lunch together and had to climb another 8 kms till we reached the pavement at the summit of the mountain. I set the pace with Buck and Barry closely behind. As we reached the pavement Barry just kept riding away from us and never looked back. I stayed with Buck for the rest of the afternoon stopping plenty of times for photos and just chatting away side by side. When you race, you take no photos and take in nothing of your amazing surroundings. I only race once a week, and I choose my day carefully.

We rode on and were later caught by Hilde and Kristin who joined us for the final climb of the day. As we roared down the mountain we crossed a bridge that took us into the famous Patagonia Region of Argentina. Of course we took the usual photos to mark this significant moment on tour. Now we had 4 kms to reach Barrancas and the job was done for the day.

My trusty Garmin led us directly to the campsite which was already full of cyclists and tents. I got my bags and found a bit of dirt and dropped my gear down. The tent can wait, first some soup and take it easy.

After eating, building my home and having a shower, I went for a walk up to the plaza. I like my afternoon walks to see what these little towns have to offer. This one had 2 horses tied up outside a shop, a large plaza with about 5 people sitting around, and a shop close by. I went and splurged on an ice cream before dinner and sat in the park for ½ an hour on my own, contemplating whether I take the paved or unpaved road tomorrow.

I slowly made my way back to the campsite and tucked into a nice meal of meat, rice and cabbage. Rob the Boss handed out the instruction sheets for tomorrow which gave us the options. If I take the unpaved section I have 98 kms of terrible roads with a 45 km climb over 1200 metres. Then it should mostly be downhill till the end of the day. If I take the paved road that will be 128 kms, but with the same amount of climbing. If the westerly winds blow, the final 40 kms will be a nightmare. I know how long it took me to ride 45 kms the other day into a ferocious headwind, too long, so I'll have to sleep on it. Barry is also undecided on what road to take. If I take the dirt road it is supported by the lunch truck, so I'm leaning to playing in the sand and dirt tomorrow.

It's now 9pm and I'm ready for bed. The Garmin and Iphone are fully charged, so I'll know where to go and can sing along whilst going there.

I was just told that the temperature was zero last night.

The temperature has been good all day and we expect another beautiful sunny day with light winds. I know it will be a hard day but we have a rest day the following day to recharge the batteries.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Saturday 1st November 2014. Stage 71, San Carlos to Bushcamp. 113 kms, paved 19%, climbing 1177 metres, summit 1890 metres. 4 degrees and rain. Sunday 2nd November 2014. Stage victory comes my way.

When I got up today the first thing I noticed was how cold it was. I checked my temperature gauge on my watch and it read 6 degrees C, and with the clouds overhead it wasn't shaping up to a good day weather wise.

I put all my cold weather gear on and went for breakfast. Everyone was complaining about how cold it was, and the old doom and gloom raised its head once again. That's the name I've given to a particular male person on the tour.

At 8 am we all rolled out rugged up for a long day of riding. The first 20 kms was to a petrol station where we all stopped for a cappuccino and pastries. It doesn't take long before the cyclists take over the cafeteria with coffees and cakes. They also had WiFi, so everyone got on the internet and ignored each other over a nice cuppa.

By the time everyone had left the service station, Knut, Hilde and Kristen and myself were the last to leave and the last on the road. We went about 1 km up the road, turned off the main highway expecting dirt but were treated to another 20 kms of rough pavement. We all took turns at the front on a road that climbed 800 metres altitude in 65 kms to lunch.

As we rode along the scenery was not on my mind, the temperature had now dropped to 3.8 degrees on the Garmin and my toes were getting very cold. Kristen and Hilde had fingerless gloves on, so their hands must have been freezing cold. I had my winter gloves on, so mine were as warm as toast.

With 20 kms to lunch the road went to shit again, sand, rocks and constantly changing direction to find the perfect line. Together with the rain and freezing cold temperatures I knew that there would be people hanging to get on the lunch truck and get a ride to camp instead of putting up with the weather conditions for another 3 hours.

Once at lunch it was the usual food of bread rolls, cheese, tomato, olives, potato salad and some processed meats which I'm not keen on at all. Whilst I was sitting down Walter started to load the truck with bicycles of the people who were catching the truck. Kristen was freezing and she decided to catch the truck.

I left the lunch stop on my own and rode the afternoon with U2, Simply Red, Talking Heads & Adele blasting away in my ears. I rode my own tempo passing James and Barry on roads that needed to be ridden on by a bike with an engine not human powered. I wasn't tired at all during the afternoon ride which took us down to an enormous dam and then through a very dark 1 km tunnel. I did take some photos on my Iphone but unfortunately the lens fogged up and they turned out terrible. I'll find someone who took some photos of the day and will post at a later date.

As I crossed the dam wall and through the tunnel I then had to climb a 3 km hill to reach the summit of the day. As I was climbing the hill I noticed the lunch truck coming down the hill towards me. Walter stopped and told me the day had been cut short due to bad weather and all I had to do was reach the summit and the flag would appear. As I crested the hill I turned right at the flag and rode along another horrendous trail to our campsite for the night.

With the rain falling I quickly set up the tent and got dressed into some dry clothes. It's so hard to get warmth in the body when you're damp and cold. I went to the kitchen and got some soup, a cup of coffee and a handful of biscuits. I also took a handful of chocolate lollies just in case.

After getting my time for the day I was told Michelle had won the stage. I was very happy for her as she really wanted to win and she does put a lot effort into her riding. 2 of the big riders, Joost and Alfred went the wrong way and haven't been seen since. It's now 5 pm and they're still out there looking for them. That's why you ride in groups.

I'm staying in my tent which is the size of a coffin for the rest of the afternoon. After dinner I will return, read for a while and get a good night's sleep. As for tomorrow, I can imagine that the 13 kms less we did today will be tacked onto tomorrow's ride which will make it a cracker. I'll deal that tomorrow.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Sunday 2nd November 2014. Stage 72b. 153 kms, Bushcamp to Malargue, paved 75%, Climbing 608 metres, summit 1840. A solo effort from start to finish to claim victory today. 

Firstly an update on Alfred and Joost. The guys took a wrong turn and got lost. The lunch truck found them 40 kms from the end point and had to pick them up; They arrived in camp at 5.30pm, tired and very cold. 

Because yesterday was cut short by 13 kms, that meant we had to do those kms today. Today's total is 153 kms. 

I had a great night's sleep and was so warm. I woke to a 2 degree temperature and flakes of snow falling. It was freezing and everyone had all the clothing on they could find. After the snow, down came the rain and I headed off for breakfast. 

Because Joost and Alfred had to be picked up by the truck yesterday afternoon they lost their EFI status. That means Every F.....ing Inch. People will turn themselves inside out to obtain this goal. Carmen arranged with the forest rangers to take the boys back to the lunch stop from yesterday so could cover that ground again. That will make today's ride for them over 180 kms. Now that's chronic.

We headed out of camp at 8 am to pouring rain and 2 degree temperatures. I had my wet weather pants and jacket on, and my beanie. Oh and the winter gloves. I've got NO idea where I put my wet weather booties so my feet are going to get wet and freeze.

As we hit the dirt road to head south I thought I should put the pressure on and see who wants to go with me. As it turned out Michelle kept pace for a while and no one else followed. The dirt road today was about 60 kms long of fairly well compacted mud. At times I'd slide all over the place but it wasn't that bad. I kept looking over my shoulder, which I never did when I raced, to see if anyone was chasing. I could see about 5 people in the distance, so every climb I would quickly look behind to check on their progress. Each time I looked the gap grew larger and larger. As I pushed on in the pouring rain I was getting mud all over my face, clothes and bike. I was caked in it the stuff.

As I hit the pavement at the 60 km mark I peered around and couldn't see anyone behind. Although I had 93 kms to go I thought, 'what the heck, just go for it and see what happens'. I pushed for 20 kms until I saw the lunch truck in the distance. I made a quick stop and took off my wet weather pants, go some food and put it in my jacket, filled up the bottles and hit the road again. When I got going I couldn't see anyone for miles.

The road after lunch was nice pavement with a slight tailwind for hours. Although I was moving well, you always worry about a group of riders chasing you down. I saw 2 riders up the road and after 30 minutes of chasing, I came up behind Alec and Julia who had started from the lunch truck. I overtook them at a fast pace and just kept going, I couldn't afford to back off at any stage.

With the road getting patchy in places I did have a look around at the 50 km to go point and thought I could see a rider in the distance. When you're getting tired, there's nothing you can do other than to keep pushing as hard as you can. If they catch you then they're on a better ride than you.

As the kms ticked down and the sign for Malargue came into view, my legs were gone and I was really hungry. I still couldn't see anyone behind, so I knew I had ridden 153 kms on my own and was going to win my 3rd stage for the tour. And there was no Buck Benson to steal it from under my nose. 

I entered the town and took a sharp right at the statue of Jesus and rode on down the road 300 metres to the campsite. It was such a relief to ride into the campsite and see the red fire truck and food. I was so hungry, Carmen made me a coffee and Gurdy made a nice bread roll. 

Things to do not stop, just because you finish riding for the day. I had to put up 'Tent Hilton', have a shower and try and get warm. My clothes were saturated and I was still freezing from the snow and rain in the early morning.

I was met by some of the cyclists who took the truck for the day and each one congratulated me for my win. I know it's not a professional race, but to win on your own is pretty neat.  

After food I went for a ride up to the service station with Carmen and got on the net. With a cappuccino and a biscuit I was ready to sit down and type out today's journey.

The photo above was taken at the service station after my win. 

It's now time to head back to camp for dinner and have an early night. I have no intention of racing again until next week. I might choose any easy day than this one. One with downhills, sun and a roaring win pushing right up my, well you know the rest.

Tomorrow is another long day of pavement and dirt and hopefully no rain. The mountains all around have a fresh dusting of snow and if there's wind, then tomorrow will be a very cold ride.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.