June 4, 2017
After some down time we hop back on the bikes to start the Huascarán Circuit.
Cycling Stats
Start Point: Huaraz, Ancash, Peru
Destination: Carhuaz, Ancash, Peru
34.1 km trip, 3:19 time, 49.1 km/h maximum speed, 17.3 km/h average speed
582 meters climbed, 981 meters descended, highest elevation 3042 meters
Route Description:
This day is mostly downhill on a busy paved road with no shoulder. There are stores and restaurants along the way. Carhuaz has stores and restaurants and many hotels.
Accommodations:
We stayed at Hospedaje Robri for 35 soles for two people. The rooms were moldy, there was no wifi and no hot water. Other cyclists reported they were permitted to stay at the school for free. We moved to another hotel the next day.
What happened…
Andrew writes: At last, we finally were ready to depart Huaraz with our friends Nici and Philip. Amanda was really anxious to ride, and had really been giving me the gears for a few days and it was with much relief that we left Jo’s Place for the open road and the Huascaran Circuit. The plan was to cycle up to 4800m, pass through the Punta Olimpica Tunel, descend to the east side of the Corderilla Blanca and then loop back to the west side via Portochuelo Llanganuco. I figure it will take us about a week to ride the loop. We have a great resource from Andesbybike.com which details the loop really well for planning purposes. There is even a book you can buy which lists other loops, and hikes, and mountain bike rides.
Back to the ride itself….Normally I like to leave early, but all things being equal, we didn’t end up leaving until almost lunch time. Then we were immediately faced with a challenge to find somewhere to eat lunch, because on Sundays, everything is closed. I think we rode about 20km down the busy highway before we finally found a little restaurant that was open. The food was mediocre, but all things considered, I was happy to be back on the bike. It was really strange taking such a long break after only 3-weeks removed from leaving Cajamarca.
Reaching Carhuaz, we got settled in at the hospedaje with Philip and I sharing a mouldy-smelling room. We somehow ended up with 3 different rooms for 4 of us, and managed only one working shower between us. Then it was off to a really amazing pizzeria; amazing by Peruvian standards.
Amanda writes: It was nice to be back on the bikes today. I could have left much earlier than we did but overall I was happy to be riding with friends. The ride today was easy and uneventful. We knew it would be easy and mostly downhill so leaving late didn’t concern us. It was also our first official day with our new Adde assist motors. Andrew and I decided while we were visiting Canada to make a very big investment in our trip. When we were staying in Quito we met many other cyclists at the Casa de Cyclistas. This is a home where many touring cyclists stay for free of minimal costs. One of the guests from Greece had a pretty slick pedal assist motor that caught Andrew’s eye. While we were in Canada we were able to take the time to do some considerable research and have them shipped to Canada. We’re hoping that they allow us to pick up the pace a bit as I am still the slowest touring cyclist we’ve ever met. And our first day on fully loaded bikes proved to be a good one. The easy terrain worked well for the motors and we enjoyed the little lift they gave us. Verdict is still out as to how they perform in the mountains but our first day on them seemed good.
The aerial view of our ride: