August 14, 2017
After a nice afternoon of rest the day before we tackle the next section of climbs
Cycling Stats
Start Point: Uripa, Peru
Destination: Andahuaylas, Peru
76.5 km by bike, 15.2 km/h average speed, 55.3 km/h maximum speed, 5:01 time on bike
1280 meters gained, 2536 meters elevation descend, 1575 meters maximum elevation
Route Description:
You basically start climbing right away on a paved road for 30km uphill. There are no amenities. After you reach the top it is 40 km downhill until you get close to town and then it is undulating hills. There are small towns on the descent and after 15 km you reach the town of Andahuaylas which is large with lots of hotels, restaurants and stores.
Accommodations:
There are plenty of hotels to choose from. We stayed at Hostal Yobis for 50 soles for a private room with private bathroom, hot shower and wifi.
What happened…
Amanda writes: Cycling up and out of town was actually really nice. Very often I find the climbs easier when I’m mentally prepared for them. As we were cycling up for 30 km a semi truck slowly passed us and it had another cycle tourist hanging on the back getting a ride. We let out a big cheer of hello and were left feeling envious. We’ve always wanted to try that and have seen other cyclists do it. The only problem is it kind of scares us and we’re not really sure where to grab on. So the other guy sails past us and we continue climbing. It was pretty cold and windy at the top but we just bundled up and enjoyed our lunch. Then we put on our jackets and started the glorious 40km downhill. We found the other cyclist half way down enjoying a cup of coffee. He was from Colombia and a good chap to talk with. We said our farewells and headed into town.
As we rolled into town we found the bus station and immediately started inquiring about buses. We had decided that our bodies and minds couldn’t ride anymore right now and we would be taking buses to Cusco from here. The plan was to take a shorter bus ride of about 100K to the town of Abancay to enjoy a nicer hotel than normal for my birthday. Then we would take a longer big bus ride to Cusco. The roads in these parts are pretty windy with lots of climbing and descending which we’ve been doing on our bikes. When you do all those turns in a bus it can be pretty nerve wracking so splitting it into two trips seemed to make the most sense. So after finding out information about buses and times we settled into a hotel.
The aerial view of our ride: