Cycling from El Remolino to a Random Esso Station in Colombia
In May 2010 I cycled through Colombia on the way from Alaska to Argentina. This blog post entry covers the day's ride between El Remolino and a random Esso Station!
Cycling out of El Remolino, Colombia
Blog post entry from 28 May 2010
I was expecting a tough day, and I was in no way disappointed!
To start off with, things were relatively easy as I cycled out of Remolino and hit the first uphill stretch. As it was first thing, I had plenty of strength and powered upwards.
Time for Breakfast (well, second breakfast)
At the village of El Manzano I met Jeff and Rose again. It turned out that they had also stayed in Remolino, and were in the hotel almost directly opposite me.
From El Manzano it was a short burst up the road to El Tablon where we all stopped for breakfast. I really hope that Ecuador has the same great meals, as I will miss them!
I parted company with Jeff and Rose at the restaurant, as I cycle a little faster than them. A further 6 km of uphill, which equated to nearly an hour in the saddle saw me to the top of a 1500 metre pass.
Cycling Mountain Downhills and Tunnels in Colombia
The views were absolutely stunning. One of the rewards for putting in so much effort!
There then followed a 19 km downhill section, during which I passed through a tunnel, and lost 600 metres of height.
Although the downhill section was fun, I would much have preferred to keep the height, as another uphill section then began. The section lasted the rest of the days cycling, and over a distance of 13 km I gained 800 metres of height.
At two in the afternoon an Esso station with hotel came into view a km or so past the second tunnel of the day. Perfectly placed, as I was sweating a bit!!
Only a 52 km day, but a LOT of climbing involved! Tomorrow promises more of the same, as I will have to peak at 2900 metres high before the descent into Pasto begins. A beer and a couple of Ibuprofen relaxed the muscles nicely !
Read more about cycling from Alaska to Argentina
Dave is a UK travel writer living in Athens since 2015. With 20 years of firsthand travel experience and over 80,000 km of bicycle touring across six continents, he's been blogging at Dave's Travel Pages since 2005. Every guide is based on places he's actually been.
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