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| The journey through The Andes |
The journey starts at The Equator (The Middle of The World) just north of Quito in Ecuador on August 6th 2010. The journey takes the riders south through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile reaching the Argentinian city of Ushuaia (The End of The World) and the most southerly city on the globe on December 12th 2010.
Here is a breakdown of the route through the various countries it visits:
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| Ecuadorian route |
The start point is at an altitude of over 2,800 metres above sea level, an eye popping thought to most riders who come from much lower altitudes! There are a number of long climbs during this phase and altitudes of over 4,000 metres are covered. Throughout the whole journey there is a mixture of paved roads and off-road tracks, thankfully the paved roads account for about 70% of the total distance.
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| Peruvian route |
At Huanchuco the route drops down to sea level for a brief respite from the high altitude, but it soon returns up above 2,000 metres for the rest of the trip through Peru. During the rest days at Cuzco there will be an opportunity to visit Machu Picchu the famous Inca site which is an amazing place to see.
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| Bolivian route |
La Paz is the highest city that the riders visit and most of the route through Bolivia is above 3,000 metres! One of the most surreal elements of this part of the journey will be the crossing of the Salar-de-Uyuni, the largest salt flats in the world. Here there are no roads, or even defined tracks, just salt to ride across to get to the other side!
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| North Argentinian route |
The altitudes get a little lower once the riders enter Argentina but there are still many climbs, this is still The Andes Trail!! Maybe a bit of wine tasting in Mendoza will be of interest and help to soothe the aching body!
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| South Argentinian & Chilean route |
The route crosses over the border into Chile on occasions and this part of the whole journey is also known as the journey through Patagonia which is a region combining a large area of both countries. Although the altitude may be kinder to the riders there is a new element to test their stamina - the wind! It can be very, very windy here and the last edition of this ride is historical proof of that - look it up on the Bike-Dreams website!
Eventually the end is reached at sea level in the city of Ushuaia after 11,000K of riding!
Facts about the journey:
- Approximately 105,000 metres of climbing over the 11,000K distance
- Highest point about 4,800 metres above sea level
- Longest stretch of uphill riding around 65K
- Longest stretch of downhill around 60K
- Most climbing in one day around 2,600 metres
- Longest riding day approximately 160K
- Temperatures ranging from -14C at night in Peru to 40C during the day in Argentina
- 5 countries and 7 border crossings along the way
- Total journey time 129 days including 22 rest days
