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wingingitonwheels · 20 days ago

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Day 1: A change of plan: Santiago - San Fernando - the green valley

Go Day

There’s nothing quite like cycling through a city to get the heart going. The population of Chile is 19.63 million. 50% of them live in Santiago. So whilst I made a decision to delay Carretera Austral accepting too it would add around 1400km to the overall journey, a city start didn’t make it easy! The weather was perfect and I avoided another wait and another flight, and watched as a group of Americans collected their bikes for my missed onward leg. One chap sidled up to me as I collected mine asking quietly, “Are you doing the Austral?” To which I quietly answered “I sure am…see you on the road”. He probably expected to see me on the plane. I’m now picturing how wet they’re all getting as they set out today.

For me, Puerto Montt is now anything up to 9 days and now 750 miles down the road, having ridden 108 miles yesterday. I don’t think there can be any rider in the world who says “City cycling: Ace!” It’s been a long time since I’ve inhaled so much crap. Fumes, dirt, the stuff that came out of my nose when I reached San Fernando was black. It will take my lungs a week to recover. It’s also interesting that my highest heart rate was achieved whilst continuing to run the gauntlet in the city boundaries, which took 90 minutes to escape. It’s not too often I can feel palpitations, but yesterday my heart took on its own “rhythm”, like a crocodile playing the drums.

Because of this decision, Olive is now a full pannier which won’t be opened until Puerto Montt, most likely. She contains all my wet weather and cold weather gear, tent pegs and frame, sleeping bag and mattress. Espresso contains my daily essentials and has just enough room to stuff in food bought on the road. My tent is bungied to the top of the rack along with my trainers and one book I HAVE to read (and as soon as possible) so I can donate it to someone. It’s something I always miss when I’m doing these trips…a real book rather than a phone.

Whilst the weight of my bike and gear is soul destroying, I thought my biggest regret in this decision would be my tyres. They are bomb proof (I hope) and made for serious gravel, and just not what I’ve ever contemplated for any trip previously. But with much of the route between Puerto Montt and Ushuaia loose gravel or mud, they’re a necessary evil. I didn’t expect to be so grateful in Santiago, but with badly maintained and potholed roads and serious amounts of traffic for much of yesterday, I could ride in sections of the road unthinkable on my normal set up and stay more out of trouble. So whilst I’m slower both because of weight and tyres, I’m more likely to make it to the end! I’ll also be honest and admit that not carrying a backpack for 9000 miles and a titanium frame makes for a comfy ride. I’m definitely getting older. It will be cleats on crocs next.

The route I took was made up as I went along, as the hotel WiFi set up didn’t allow me to download any route to my bike computer. So winging it I was once again! Mountains on my left, ocean on my right and aim to have the sun on left shoulder, then back, then right shoulder. This largely worked except for Chile’s arterial road, Ruta 5, the Pan American Highway. This cuts through every possible plan of going south safely. At one point, I was forced onto it due to a wide river delta. I held my breath and went, praying to the Bike Gods to spare my life. A few miles later, I was directed again. I refused to go, and instead prepared some Spanish to plead to ride through a private residential estate because Autopista no bueno.

Whilst the roads surrounding Ruta 5 are lush and green, it feels so entirely different to Argentina, stone’s throw away over a mountain pass. Perhaps as I get further south, the busy to intermittently quiet roads will become tranquil and I’ll feel carefree. Mark reminded me that within 100 miles of Lima on the coastal road it was the same. So I look forward to progressing south to feel the romance of Chile in I hope the same way as Argentina. In terms of density of population, Chile looks quite good: 69 per square mile compared to UK: 740, USA: 98 but most impressively, Argentina: 43. The thing with Chile is because it’s so narrow with the Andes on one side and Pacific on the other with around a maximum of 75 miles between the two, it has created a fertile valley which runs north to south where it seems EVERYONE lives. So some creative thinking may be needed.

For many, many years I’ve wanted to ride the country. Its 3 geological zones have always excited me. End to end it’s 2647 miles long and covers 38 degrees - 17 degrees south to 58 degrees in the north. This trip I most likely won’t visit Cape Horn and won’t do Chile/Peru border crossing (I feel like I rode some of Atacama in Peru last trip). But I love solitude and remoteness. It will come, I’m sure but I may have to wait until Puerto Montt and beyond. In the meantime, I’ll experience people, culture and dogs!

I met some beautiful people today but I’ll save that for another day, as I need to let off some steam about an article I recently read and some of the regular comments I get about cycling in South America. That will take some time and probably needs a trigger warning. Instead I’ll focus on the animal related events of the day.

My first dog chase was within the dirt boundaries. But being well-acquainted with these events now and having panniers for extra protection, I was cooler than previous trips. The dogs are everywhere and as chilled as those in Argentina. Just that one mental dog was perhaps an escapee from Peru or Bolivia. My one Attenborough moment was watching a snake just in front of me with his head high, gunning it across the road. The sun bounced off his skin as he slithered elegantly but with purpose, unaware perhaps of the speeding car approaching. I tried to wave the car to stop but alas, Sylvester the snake was obliterated, his tail still wiggling after his head was decimated. I was truly sad. I get I’m not Chilean and perhaps he was deadly, but surely, left to his own devices, harmless to humans and not looking for trouble.

One of the best things about coming away is when you can finally hear the countryside, listening to how the bird song changes, dependent on country and in America, region of country. Right now, I’m surrounded by parakeets and other sub-tropical birds. I wonder how that will change as I ride south.

Now, I wake up on my second morning, warm, dry and rested. I’m staying with Joanne, who has 6 dogs and 2 cats. She renovated her place herself and is a beautiful and peaceful human of about 40 years. She and her place of loving animals is quite different to the wrong place I turned up to down the road: a love shack hotel. I was pretty tired by then and would happily have taken a cottage and observed all the shenanigans going on. I wouldn’t have lasted long though as I passed out around 8pm!

I’ve managed now to get a route on my computer. I’ll follow it for now, but if it doesn’t get quiet enough for my liking and Ruta 5 continues to blight my dreams, I’ll be heading over the Andes for a while so let’s see! Hasta Luego, Amigos!

#chilebybike #not afraid

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