a self-supported bicycle tour through South America

26^th August - A day ride in the Cordillera Negra

Having decided to come to Huaraz, one of the activities on the agenda was mountain biking. Julio our mountain bike guide (www.chakinaniperu.com) discussed with us the possible cycle trails we could do, allowing for our concerns over the altitude had recommended a route across the Cordillera Negra.

So the morning came and we were feeling pretty good having acclimatised somewhat more easily this time compared to Quito, Ecuador. This was mainly thanks to that of Acetazolomide, a drug we bought there, but had saved for occasions like these where we’ve needed to adjust as quickly as possible.

Alturo was our guide for the day, the taxi driver was waiting outside Olazas our B&B and the bikes had been loaded. Jen and I jumped in the back and we set off. We drove through the centre of Huaraz and out the other side and began to climb the Cordillera Negra to the start of our cycle at 3800m, 800m above our B&B.

The ride was slow, very slow. We kind of thought that Alturo thought we were absolute novices, but it soon transpired why everything was done slowly. Before we had even gone 200m along a horizontal track we were starting to feel the altitude and lack of oxygen. Although it wasn’t crippling anymore we were certainly aware of it and we soon settled into a slow melodic rhythm as we wound our way across the grass covered hills. Before long we were starting to descend very slowly winding our way along a track that for part of the way was a road that lead to Chimbote. The further we got the more remote it felt, passing small dwellings with the locals hard at work in tending to their fields, the odd dog would leap out and bark at us, some would be a little more aggressive. Needless to say Alturo was excellent at taking the flack by stopping between the dog and us and signalling for us to continue whilst throwing rocks at the ones who kept bearing their teeth! It does seem that Julio’s comment about simply stopping instead of trying to out-run them works, although it really isn’t that instinctive when you see a dog salivating at the thought of a nice juicy calf that resembles a very large, tasty chicken drumsticks as an afternoon snack….

On the plus side the view was spectacular, across the valley the Cordillera Blanca spanned the horizon, then as the day went on various clouds would form and slip around the snow covered peaks. It’s all a little weird when you first arrive at such altitudes, the sun is incredibly strong, stronger than anywhere else I’ve been. For me, factor 25 is more than enough generally in the UK or even Europe, but here, I’m using factor 50 and even that isn’t enough. The air temperature is fantastic during the day; we wear no more than t-shirts, the sun ensuring we stay warm, yet with those snow-covered mountains it makes for a very special feeling.

After an hour or so, we were starting to get a little bored with the easy traversing, then no sooner had I thought that, we were off, descending down a track off the main road heading directly towards Huaraz. At first the track was reasonable, and then it progressively got steeper and the boulders larger and looser. It made for interesting riding as I was starting to feel right on the limit of my abilities, and surprised at how well both Jen and I were doing.

It wasn’t long before both Jen and I were starting to pause and think “yeh right!” Alturo was off, round the corner and waiting, I decided that if he could do it, there’s no reason why I couldn’t. At times my arse was way behind the saddle just to keep the weight backward so as not to feel like I was going to go over the handle bars. Jen had paused by this stage and decided that she would push the small but admittedly very steep section of the rocky single track we were on.

As we got closer towards Huaraz, more people materialised and soon we were winding our way down tracks similar to ally-ways to find ourselves in Huaraz. We had been descending all the time but now found that we had to cycle through the town back up to the hotel, which of course left us slightly out of breath, a stark reminder of the altitude and what it’s like when one has to put some effort into those pedals.

That night we felt our spag bog and ice cream was well earned even though we were downhill for most of the day!

27^th August - A day ride in the Cordillera Blanca

The following day we were looking forward to having Julio and his English take us out for the day. Having someone to answer your questions and explain what we were seeing makes for a much more enjoyable day. We also love being able to find out more about the people we come in contact with….on a more personal level as it makes for a much more interesting experience all in all. Julio really is laid-back in character almost to the point he’s horizontal, but that makes for a great days ride.

As usual, the day starts with a taxi ride up the mountains, this time we’re on the opposite side to yesterday, in the Blanca. We wound our way up and stopped short of our summit for the day with Julio suggesting a couple of clicks climbing would be good as a warm up. Of course he’s right, but when you feel like someone’s stolen your breath and the taxi is comfortable, you kind of want to stay put until the top.

The slow ascent proved to be quite enjoyable and uneventful. The scenery was just stunning this time though. The white mountain peaks really made the setting and I felt like I was almost at the top of the world.

No sooner were we at the summit of the pass, Julio told us to go ahead he’d follow up the rear and for us to stop at the 12km marker. This was great as it meant that we could just let the bikes roll. In practice though, we all ended up taking a leisurely descent to the Lazy Dog Inn chatting along the way where we made arrangements for the following two nights’ accommodation there.

Luckily Diana was there and she agreed to us camping the Wednesday night and staying in a cabin for the Thursday night, seeing as she didn’t have room for us both nights and we really wanted two nights there (and you’ll see why in the next post).

From the Lazy Dog Inn we took a rugged track down towards Huaraz. Julio told us the taxi driver which had arrived at the Lazy Dog whilst we were there (with two tourists hoping for an impromptu horse ride) had taken this track up from Huaraz! Julio told him that about the new road and just couldn’t believe like us that he’d even managed to get up it with a regular front wheel drive estate car!!! We found it a little tricky at times negotiating our way down, but nothing short of a 4×4 should be able to climb this surely? But in Peru, a Toyota Corolla can go anywhere…a bit like those Land Rover Discovery ads on television.

The usual sights were seen on this descent, the lovely Peruvian women in their traditional dress, the adobe homes and a fantastic manicured green football field in amongst all the disorder of these buildings, pigs, goats and donkeys.

We arrived back at Olaza’s in time for a shower and a quick lunch stop in a restaurant recommended by Julio. It was indeed a nice place; the chicken supreme with oriental style vegetables we both ordered was somewhat of a miss-description though. When it arrived it turned out to be a very large chicken escallop deep fried in breadcrumbs with uncooked vegetables you would find in an oriental dish, but no sign of an ounce of juice or liquid that would make the dish palatable.

Another day gone and another great experience had.