CCT Day 3 - Ibague to Armenia

Alpha got in at 1am (so I heard the next morning).  His bike had to be built and the box shipped so Mike and Alpha were not on the road before 9:30.  Bob left a little after 6am to get a head start.  My plan was to Uber up the mountain and get out 15km from the top and ride the rest.

After getting Alpha's bike together which turned out to be a little tricky, I started lugging the bike container to the local Deprisa while they rode all geared up for the big climb.  After a block I realized  the container might roll well in an airport but not along the irregular streets and sidewalks of Colombia.  I called an Uber.  We drove around in circles for a bit and finally found it nowhere near where both Google and Uber thought it was.

Container shipped. I said goodbye and went back to the hotel and got myself ready.  Out the front door of the hotel I ordered an Uber.  He had a bike rack and off we went.  The wrong direction because he didn't look at his route but I straightened him out.  Then he tried to take the non-toll road because he didn't or couldn't pay the toll.  I said I would pay the tolls and we had some trouble getting on the freeway.  He was a pretty skilled driver in town but didn't seem to have much (or any) toll road experience.

On the road we passed Mike and Alpha about the 12km mark and they looked strong.   I took some pictures out of the window.

As we got near my drop off point which was about an hour's drive, it was getting steeper and steeper.  I was having concerns that I could ride 15km of this.  Then I saw Bob walking uphill pushing his bike.  We stopped.  He was spent.  We put his bike on the rack and at that point I decided I would go all the way to the top.  As we drove up the steep road kept getting steeper.  My decision to stay in the car was the right one.

At the top we had a snack at a little snack shop, put on our jackets and headed down.  8km down we stopped for food. Great sopa.  The chorizo, rice and beans was good too.

Continuing down I was passing trucks and a few cars.  It got warmer and then the valley opened up to show the town of Calarca and the city of Armenia.  Between Calarca and Armenia there is a steep down to the river and up from the river.

We found a nice hotel - San Jeronimo - dumped our stuff and still in cycling kit went next door for a jugo mora con leche and a Sundae.  I tried to order the smallest ice cream and picked something out of the kids section.  It was huge.

Mike and Alpha were making good time up the mountain.  We could follow their progress with location sharing.

They did really well on the climb.  I think it may be a harder climb than Alto de Letras.  There is more crazy steep stuff on the last 20 km.  Both are around 4% average.  Letras is more consistently 4% +/- 1.  Alto de la Linea has more downhill and more 1 and 2% sections.  At the top there are much longer sections of 8,9,14%.

After everybody cleaned up we went for dinner at a Spanish place called D'Maria a cab ride away.  Dinner was pretty good.

I hope I have better legs tomorrow.  I am having serious concerns about my riding ability.  I can't seem to generate any power.

CCT Day 2 - Tocaima to Ibague

Up at 5:30 and out of the room at 6:30.  It looked like a good start.  At six Mike gave Bob his courtesy wake up knock to make sure he didn't over sleep again.  We were out of the hotel by 6:40 and having cafe con leche and a pastry a few minutes later.  7:10 and we were on our way.

It was already warm and getting hotter every minute.  I wasn't feeling strong and my heart rate was to low, making my legs feel weak.  Early on I was having a bad feeling about the day.  It was harder than it should be.

It was mostly flat all the way well past Girardot with some rolling bits.  At Girardot we detoured through town to see the fish market.  It was a big disappointment compared to last year.  I did get yelled at by some fish lady for taking pictures of her fish.  Overall the detour through Girardot was a bust.  

We did have coffee and some good ice cream off one of the old square that had been turned into a parking lot.  Queue Joni Mitchell.

Outside of Girardot there was a nice bike path we took all the way to the Rio Magdalena. It was nice but it was parallel to a quiet road with a wide shoulder.

When it gets hot I stop taking pictures.

Soon we turned onto the road to Ibague.  It was a separeted 2 lanes in each direction with a wide shoulder.  It was great except for the odd time we had to cross the lanes.  Cars were going pretty fast.  It was also uphill.  Not steep but 1-4% and I was feeling weak and struggling.

We had some lunch at a truck stop restaurant just before Gaulanday.  We had tamales.  Colombian tamales are very different from Mexican tamales.  They are rice, chicken, veg, other random stuff cooked the a leaf wrapping.  Not sure what kind.  Google says plantain.  One is a meal.

After Gaulanday there was a long steep climb.  After that I was done.  Mike and Bob rode on and after the peaje I tried to get their attention to tell them I would catch a ride from there. 

Across the two lanes in the shade was a bus with a driver taking a break.  I asked if he went to Ibague and he said yes and then I think he tried to direct me to the bus stop a few hundred meter closer to the peaje but gave up and let me on the bus.  When we circled around and picked people up I realized that's probably what he was trying to tell me.

We were in the country so there were few people n the bus.  I saw Bob sitting at a gas station and yelled at him freaking out the bus driver.  The bus rolled along through countryside until it split from the route I designed.  We were headed through all the suburbs of Ibague.  The bus started getting more crowded and I started to feel bad the the bike was blocking 3 rows of seats.  I thought it was much closer to Centro and got out.  Checking my map I was still 11km out.  I thought even in my condition I could eride 11km.  Major mistake.  I could not.  I was going 500 meters at a time a stopping.  I had trouble getting out of my lowest gear.

Because I had no SIM I could not call an Uber or taxi and the traffic in the road was horrible.  I saw a place with an outdoor patio in a tiny strip mall.  I ordered drinks and got them to log me into their WiFi.  I ordered an Uber and fit the bike in after taking off the wheels.  I had dropped the pin in the wrong place and got out 1km from the hotel.  Riding through Centro Ibague at 5pm is insane.

While I had Internet at the bar I realized there is no way I can exist with our data and switched to the GoogleFi International plan.  Unfortunately while quite cheap for one phone I have 5 phones on my plan so they all get it.  I was in my hotel room when it kicked in.

Finally got to the hotel to find Mike and Bob already checked in.  50000COP for a small room with a big bathroom and water so hot I was warned 3 times..  Not bad.  I was completely dead.  There is no way I can make that climb tomorrow.  I can get an Uber most of the way to the top.  Ubers are pretty cheap here.  My 10km ride through horrible traffic with a huge tip because she was so patient with the bike was 15000COP.  On my credit card it showed up as less than $3.

We go it a late start to dinner and it turns out there is pretty much only fast food in the Centro area.  We wandered far too long before settling in broaster chicken.  They give you plastic gloves instead of cutlery.

We got a bit of good news at dinner, Alpha got his bike, was in a car and on the way here.  Bad news is he won't get in until nearly midnight.

CCT Day 1 - Bogota to Tocaima

We all met for breakfast after each of us getting the bikes and bags and most everything ready.  Alpha's bike was supposed to be on an 8 am flight but at breakfast we watch the Airtag on his bike not move.  Copa had no flight this day from Toronto.  Alpha's bike would not arrive until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.

It did not seem unreasonable to get a driver to take him to Ibague missing two days of riding so that became the plan.

We then lugged our bike containers the 500 meters to the Deprisa shipping depot.  Next stop for them: Medellin.

Having Alpha around sure makes a lot of things easier.  He speaks Spanish.

We said goodbye for now to Alpha who was going to go off and explore Bogota.   We started riding at 11:30 ... a very late start.

Bike paths from the hotel and a shouldered multi-lane road out of the city.  All flat and urban until Mosquera.  A few kilometers after that we had our first climb.

This was supposed to be an easy day riding down a mountain.  This, however, being Colombia they slipped in 800 meters of climbing.  It was a hard easy day.  At first the elevation profile looks all downhill but the scale is deceiving.

As we descended it got hot and at first there were many cyclists grinding up the hill.  Quite a few passed us as well.  Long fast descents with heavy braking followed by 1 to 5km, 100 to 200 meter climbs.  The scenery was beautiful but it was hard to take photos as you were either flying or grinding.  Also the traffic was heavy enough and the curves were tight enough you had to really focus.

We stopped for lunch about 2:30 and it was getting pretty warm and we were only two thirds of the way down.  I had the ajiaco soup and it was definitely a full meal.  It's basically chicken soup with potatoes and a piece of corn on the cob with giant kernels.  On the side, which you dump in, was avocado, rice and sour cream.

More of the same riding.  We got into Tocaima after 5pm.  A beer, cleanup and off to dinner at 7.  

Because we carry so few clothes we have to do laundry every night.  Laundry strips are great for this as they take up no space, weigh nothing and do a pretty good job taking the funk out of your stuff.  I use a hearty plastic bag as a washing machine.  I used to use the sink but many sinks don't hold water and wherever I am this works better.

Mike declared this the worst hotel we stayed at in Colombia.  I don't know that I can think of a worse one.  

Dinner after checking all the places in the main square was the place closest to the hotel.  We all had hamburgers and they were pretty good.

We went back to the square and went to the supermarket to buy water.  Mike and I are both being far more cautious after last year's GI problems.

Bedtime and an early start tomorrow.  Hopefully, we see Alpha!

CCT Day 0 - Bogota

Travel days are not much fun.  My watch says I got two and a half hours of sleep in the first flight.  I think I nodded off a few times my watch didn't catch.  The short, squat woman beside me was leaning into my space which out parts of me in the aisle.  Being in the last row beside the WC I got bumped a lot.

We arrived in Panama and firt my first time I was in and out of the new Terminal 2.  It is new, spacious and I'm happy to not have to go to the cramped Terminal 1.  The lounge was nice too.

To Bogota I had the window and saw some imposing mountains, the Magdalena and a lot of what we rode on earlier trips.

I landed in Bogota to the best weather I have ever experienced here.  Warm and sunny, but not too hot.

Immigration was a breeze and my bike beat me to baggage claim.  I should have gotten cash at the ATMs before Customs but went into the main Terminal and it was a lot more crowded.

I tried to get a SIM but it looks like my phone is blocked.  This is going to be a pain.  I thought about bringing a second phone and it turns out I should have.  I may have to live off of WiFi for a while.  In Colombia you are supposed to register your phone to prevent theft.  That usually gives you a few weeks and last January must have put me over.

I got to the hotel by cab because I was standing on the wrong level and got tired of waiting.  My instructions from the hotel said "door 5 lane 2" but they meant level 2.  I accidentally gave the cab coordinator a very large tip when I mistook a 5 Euro note for a COP 5 mil.

At the hotel I checked in, got cleaned up, build my bike and waited for the guys to come in from Toronto at 5pm.  Didn't hear anything when I expected and thought this is taking longer than it should.  Turns out Alpha's bike was still in Toronto.  This was catastrophic news.

When they got to the hotel on the shuttle I did not find.  We discussed over dinner at the hotel how to proceed.  Dinner was actually pretty good this time.  I do have to remember not to order beef h steaks here.  The flavor is good but they can be pretty tough.  I guess that's what happens when you let animals run around.

Figs and caramel as recommend by our waitress.

Alpha's bike was supposed to catch a flight tomorrow.  We would start after shipping our boxes and he would take an Uber or something to meet us in Tocaima.  Fingers crossed.

Colombia Coffee Tour - February 2023

The story continues with a new Colombian tour!  I'm sitting in SFO at gate A4 waiting to board a flight for Panama City on Copa.  It's about midnight and after an uncomfortable 7 hours of sleep I will change planes and on to Bogota.

We have a slightly different crew this year.  Me and Mike as usual.  Bob makes his Colombia return after 5 years and we welcome new comer Alpha.  Alpha rides with Mike club.  So one Californian and 3 Toronto area riders this trip!