La Linea

06/11/2012

After stalling for way to long in Ibague I had myself a rather late day of cycling, From Ibague to Calamarca was only 31km and several people had told me that the road doesn’t start to climb until after Calarmarca so I wasn’t too worried about the afternoon and I set off from a prolonged lunch in Ibague at about 3, leaving the city was a hell of a climb and it didn’t get much better from there if that terrain was flat in the eyes of the locals I had asked I was incredibly worried about ‘la linea ‘ of which I have been told by numerous people is almost vertical. As the afternoon passed the km’s were passing at an incredibly slow pace and I was becoming very tired, exacerbated by  the heat, I was in first gear working hard and climbing the whole way, I didn’t arrive in Calamarca until almost 7pm  way after dark, the small decent into the town was quite scary with my rather inferior headlight, I arrived in a state of absolute exhaustion, due to the late hour and my state of being I cut myself some slack and found a cheap hotel, It was actually quite nice for the price which would convert to about £6. Dinner that night tasted amazing, the cold beer I had been thinking about all afternoon tasted like a gift from heaven.

07/11/2012

La linear, this was one of the most physical days I can remember, 30km of climbing at gradient of ridiculous,  up to an altitude of over 4000 metres, In some parts it was almost impossible to pedal with all the weight, even in my easiest gear. It took me all morning to reach the top. I must admit I cheated a few kilometres, Near the bottom of the climb as I was putting some serious effort into each meter a big truck passed me with a young kid skitching behind it grinning at me as if to say “why the hell are climbing when you can just grab onto a truck and get to the top for free” I kept climbing with the intention of trying to grab the next truck to pass, but nothing passed me for an hour or so. I came to a spot where for hundred meters or so the terrain was flat, giving me the ability to gain the same speed as a truck if one were to pass, I waited about 10 minutes until I heard the low rumble of a heavy vehicle and took my chance, pedalled like a maniac to catch it but got a good hold and after feeling a bit sketchy to start with got used to the balance and gained myself some free kilometres until my left arm was almost dead at which point I had to let it go. Another chance a bit further up at a stop sign for some work on the road I took another opportunity and grabbed another truck, the driver saw me and was quite happy to help, I found out later that I just needed to signal the driver and he would slow down enough for me to grab on but I could only last a few kilometres at a time until my arm was done, I had a lot of weight to pull. The last 5 kilometres were the worst, incredibly step, I had to walk a few kilometres because my saddle and my arse were not getting along very well. And when I did pedal I was maxing out at 5km an hour the exact same pace as I was walking. As the top approached a real sense of relief hit me as I realised that It meant 30 km of sweet sweet downhill. On the decent I swear my breaks were smoking and I was still going at 50km an hour, if I let gravity take me it felt as if I would reach terminal velocity. Awesome. Arrived within half an hour in Calarca and ate. As I was debating whether to climb another 30 km to the town I wanted to stay, Salento, I met a fellow cyclist Fernando who after chatting a while invited me to stay with him and offered a hot shower and a professional cooked meal (he was a chef) I accepted without a thought. He had a beautiful house and owned a hotel and restaurant, with pool and all.  I spent the night in luxury and good company thanks to his kindness. He offered to take me on a guided cycle tour of the area Quindo which is a very famous coffee region when I pass by his place again in a few days after returning from Salento. Salento is a little north of my route but I’m told it’s a beautiful town and well worth a visit.

08/09/2012  

After feeding me a nice big breakfast this morning Fernando accompanied me, with his empty touring trailer in tow, a few kilometres to the end of town and the turning for Salento. I felt great today, it was an easy day, only 30km of climbing but it felt very easy after yesterday’s gradient, my spirits were high after a beautiful long comfortable rest last night. At one point I even wondered if I had left a bunch of my things behind as pedalling felt so easy. The route was beautiful especially the final 10 km, 6km of descending an empty, very peaceful, winding road with a spectacular view and 4 km of climbing up the other side of the valley. The weather was good and I felt as if this trip might have been a good idea after all. I am writing to you now from Salento, I found a beautiful hostel/campsite and I will stay here for free for a few days in return for a few hours of work each day.