July 9-11, 2016
Three days of cycling through Colombia enjoying incredible landscape with amazing friends.
Cycling Stats
July 9, 2016
Start Point: San Agustin, Huila, Colombia
Destination: Bruselas, Huila, Colombia
41.9 km trip, 3:13 time, 60.3 km/h maximum speed, 13 km/h average speed
July 10, 2016
Start Point: Bruselas, Huila, Colombia
Destination: San Juan Vilalobo, Cauca, Colombia
50.2 km trip, 4:10 time, 50.5 km/h maximum speed, 12.1 km/h average speed
July 11, 2016
Start Point: San Juan Vilalobo, Cauca, Colombia
Destination: Mocoa, Putumayo, Colombia
64.7 km trip, 4:28 time, 62.9 km/h maximum speed, 14.5 km/h average speed
Route Description:
July 9, 2016
The road on this day has one lane in either direction. There is no shoulder until you turn right for Macoa. The road starts with a downhill and then is undulating hills with more down hills that up. The views are spectacular and the cars were courteous. Once you turn right there is a shoulder. You begin a very gradual climb. Along the route there are a couple of small restaurants although we didn’t notice any small stores. The town had lots of stores and restaurants.
July 10, 2016
This day starts with an 18 kilometre gradual climb. The road is again single lane in either direction with no shoulder for most of the way. After you finish the climb you descend about 500 meters gradually with little grade. Then you continue over undulating hills. There are few small stores and one or two restaurants along the way so be sure to pack food. Traffic was light for us on this day.
Accommodations:
July 9, 2016
We found one hotel in the town of Burselas for 25,000 for a private room and bath or 40,000 for 4 people with two beds. As we were now traveling with 4 we took the 40k hotel. The hotel had wifi.
July 10, 2016
We stopped in the town of San Juan Vilalobo and there were two hotels and one hospedaje. The hospedaje was closed and the hotels quoted us 30,000 and 20,000 for a private room with a private bath for two people. We bartered with the 30,000K one and got them down to 25,000 and stayed there because it was newer and nicer. The hotel was called Calvar Hotel.
What happened…
Amanda writes: I was so excited about cycling with friends again. Maybe a part of me was nervous because you never really know if you’ll be compatible for not only traveling, but especially with speed and cycling. Nici and Philip and Team Prenty set out in the morning and bid farewell to Jess and Danny (the two Brits we met). They were still recovering from a stomach bug and they were on a very different schedule and speed than us. So the four of us set out and the day started out perfect and I had a really good feeling as we embarked. We were all on the same page with just taking it easy, buying some groceries and stopping whenever we wanted to stop. I immediately had a good vibe riding with these two. It’s rare to not only find people to hang with but very special to have both pieces of a couple be awesome. They both have an amazing sense of humour and I might slow my speed because I’m laughing so much. Our first day we were all on the same page with pulling the plug at the same time and our budgets are similar so restaurant and hotel selection is a breeze.
So for two days we just enjoyed the views, took lots of pictures and oh; did I mention the views? The further I travel in South America the more I am in awe of the beauty of this continent. It’s so green and lush and still the locals continue to be amazing. On our second day we were passed by a group of cyclists, one of whom was the proprietor of the hostel we stayed at in San Agustin. He told us that the Brits weren’t that far behind us. We wondered if they would catch us. And I bet you know where this is going … at the end of our second day we were enjoying a bite to eat while we decided on what hotel to choose and Jess and Danny roll up! Yahoo. They covered the same mileage in one day that took us two days. They joined us for some food and then we all headed back to the hotel with some more bargaining power (now 3 rooms) and checked in. We woke up the next morning thinking we would say farewell yet again when they declared they were going to join us for the difficult ride we were all faced with in the coming days. Again I was totally stoked!
So we woke up on day three and all took our time enjoying the sights and sounds, enjoying roadside meals and then found a hotel in Mocoa. We’re so lucky to have met people that not only want to ride with us but are such a pleasure to be with. We decided we were going to take a day off in Mocoa, maybe check out a local waterfall and then embark on our journey on “El Trampolin”. This is a road called the death road or “Trampolin de la muerte”. It is well known amongst locals and cyclists as being quite dangerous and not all that enjoyable. Or as others would say an awesome adventure riddled with excitement. Now knowing we would be tackling it as a group of six just heightened the whole scenario for me. In the days prior to our departure we had been following our friend online that we met in Northern Canada in 2014. She had just finished it and posted some amazing pictures and admitted it was hard and wet. We were glad to receive her updates and know she made it out safely. She confirmed there were many sections of the road that had land slides, but all were passable by bicycle. Here’s the preview of the coming days and blog post …