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.
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