Leg Distance - 82.9km
Leg Time - 5:05.35
Total Distance - 576.39km
I had been cycling for about an hour and a half out of Villarica when I bumped into Carl having a bite to eat on the side of the road. Carl, from Oxfordshire, had been on the road for five weeks having started in Bariloche and we were both heading to Temuco, so we cycled on together. A couple of hours later we stopped for a break when Patrick, from Switzerland, rolled up. He was also going to Temuco so he joined us and to quote Kris Kristofferson, we had ourselves a convoy. (Patrick, it later transpired, had been on holiday to the Falklands not three weeks ago. My first questions: "Did you go to the Vic? Did you see the daylight clock?" I was beside myself with glee (pride almost) when he answered yes to both.)
In the evening we headed out for a food and a much-needed beer and talked bike for hours: the annoyance of dogs that chase, the sheer genius of petrol station air pumps where you can preset the tire pressure, gravel and tarmac roads... We are all on our first tour and all too keen to share our fresh experiences of touring with other cyclists - there aren't many non-cyclists whose attention you can keep for long with the eternal debate of 26" versus 28" wheels, I can assure you. But it was much more than comparing battle scars, it was validation of sorts, and short of sacrificing a goat and drinking it's blood, it was probably as close to an initiation rite as we were going to get. We will all be going in different directions tomorrow, and even though it has only been one day I for one will miss the company, but having all started independently we all have different routes, different budgets and more importantly, different expectations, so probably for the best.
Either way, Temuco has proved a milestone of sorts as I will have been on the road for 4 weeks tomorrow and have now passed the 500km mark. Another 800km (maybe more) to Valparaiso now (depending on the route I take), which all going well should take me 5 weeks or so (Carl is going by bus tomorrow, it will take him 10 hours, I still get surprised by the sheer difference in time scales when travelling by bike). There I will have to make some decisions about my route, which won't be easy as at the moment I'm changing my mind on a daily basis.
On another note, I will be posting less often from now on. At the risk of tempting fate, I think I've found my stride and there is less for me to, well, whine about, so the blog will probably all the more interesting if there is more time and events in between updates. I will still be posting the leg data on a regular basis for those of you who are interested or simply taking bets on my progress and need the distances to alter the odds accordingly. Winks, remember what we said, fifty-fifty on all takings.
Leg Time - 5:05.35
Total Distance - 576.39km
I had been cycling for about an hour and a half out of Villarica when I bumped into Carl having a bite to eat on the side of the road. Carl, from Oxfordshire, had been on the road for five weeks having started in Bariloche and we were both heading to Temuco, so we cycled on together. A couple of hours later we stopped for a break when Patrick, from Switzerland, rolled up. He was also going to Temuco so he joined us and to quote Kris Kristofferson, we had ourselves a convoy. (Patrick, it later transpired, had been on holiday to the Falklands not three weeks ago. My first questions: "Did you go to the Vic? Did you see the daylight clock?" I was beside myself with glee (pride almost) when he answered yes to both.)
In the evening we headed out for a food and a much-needed beer and talked bike for hours: the annoyance of dogs that chase, the sheer genius of petrol station air pumps where you can preset the tire pressure, gravel and tarmac roads... We are all on our first tour and all too keen to share our fresh experiences of touring with other cyclists - there aren't many non-cyclists whose attention you can keep for long with the eternal debate of 26" versus 28" wheels, I can assure you. But it was much more than comparing battle scars, it was validation of sorts, and short of sacrificing a goat and drinking it's blood, it was probably as close to an initiation rite as we were going to get. We will all be going in different directions tomorrow, and even though it has only been one day I for one will miss the company, but having all started independently we all have different routes, different budgets and more importantly, different expectations, so probably for the best.
Either way, Temuco has proved a milestone of sorts as I will have been on the road for 4 weeks tomorrow and have now passed the 500km mark. Another 800km (maybe more) to Valparaiso now (depending on the route I take), which all going well should take me 5 weeks or so (Carl is going by bus tomorrow, it will take him 10 hours, I still get surprised by the sheer difference in time scales when travelling by bike). There I will have to make some decisions about my route, which won't be easy as at the moment I'm changing my mind on a daily basis.
On another note, I will be posting less often from now on. At the risk of tempting fate, I think I've found my stride and there is less for me to, well, whine about, so the blog will probably all the more interesting if there is more time and events in between updates. I will still be posting the leg data on a regular basis for those of you who are interested or simply taking bets on my progress and need the distances to alter the odds accordingly. Winks, remember what we said, fifty-fifty on all takings.
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