Training Log Archive: Carbons Offset

Last ride of the trip. We decided to not do a huge day, which was nice, leaving us some time to relax and/or pack up the bikes. After the ride, I took advantage of the huge shower in our upgraded junior suite to wheel my bike right in and spray it down.

Headed south toward El Retiro and La Ceja. The temperature was beautifully mild, almost cool, and the humidity was low. If I go back to Colombia for cycling, I would consider just flying into Rionegro (Medellin airport), staying at this nice hotel, and just doing a series of rides from here. You could also ride to Medellin and back via Las Palmas, or go to Parque Arvi without having to ride across Medellin.

Bought a nice Colombia cycling jersey along the way.

The stomach is really not doing well. Have switched to the BRAT diet, so today's exciting breakfast was three pieces of toast and two bananas, plus a bit of rice.
Raul and Revy took our bags to the next hotel near the airport in Rionegro, then came back and we all rode out together. The first couple of blocks behind the hotel looked like they had some cool shops and would be nice to wander; worth remembering if I am back.... I would gladly come back for another trip and more good riding.
Again not feeling great today, can't push, and today is about pushing with some steep climbs heading out of town via the Las Palmas route, popular for local cycling and on the Tour of Colombia. Survived, but would love to come back when I am feeling strong. That said, I'm probably also tired at the end of the biking trip.
Had some views back to town as we ascended. Lots of fast traffic on this route but also a good shoulder for most of it. We then turned off onto a side road which added a little distance and was really nice... suddenly way less traffic and some nice countryside / acreages. There were several short and very punchy climbs. I was starting to feel a little better and would get some bursts of energy (maybe I was partly feeling better because we were no longer on the super steep pitches that were maybe too much for me). I could stand on the pedals and attack the hill; if it was short, I could make it to the top before I would die... but sometimes the hill would last longer than I would (and Carbon would come zipping by).
Finished with a really fun fast swoopy descent on great pavement into Rionegro. Carbon had a dog run out and bite her on the foot! Fortunately it didn't bite through her shoe. The rabies shots before the trip were a good idea... dogs love to chase cyclists (Carbon didn't have time to get the third shot in the full cycle but I'm guessing two would have been better than none).

Sante Fe to Medellin
Lots of good climbing today, everyone seemed to really enjoy this day. I wasn't feeling great (stomach not doing well) and felt like I couldn't push, so it was more of a day of just hanging in there. Put it in an easier gear and spun what I could while Brook and Carbon rode ahead. Nice scenery, green landscape up through the mountains and usually a view off the one side to the valleys down below. It started to pour and fortunately we were barely starting to get caught in it when we reached a bar. They didn't have more than snacks, but we pieced together some things to eat (A.R. junk food fueling) and Brook and I played pool (to the entertainment of the school kids who were also seeking shelter here) while Carbon tried to avoid the two very drunk guys who looked like they have been at their table all night and morning. The others passed by and when the rain let up, we headed back out too. I continued to not feel great and spun my way up to the summit. Folks were at a little roadside place to eat so I grabbed some food too but folks were looking to get going right away because they had been there a while and were cold. Shoved the food in and got back on the bike.
Had some serious off-road on this descent, used the mountain bike skils, until we reached the main road to Medellin. It was raining, so we didn't get to stop and enjoy the views as much as we would have liked but I think I did recognize one view from the opening of Narcos so that was a cool experience for this superfan. Then used a bunch of the city pathways to navigate through the big city to our very fancy Carlton hotel.

From Cauca Viejo to Santa Fe de Antioquia
The girls and Brennan (13 years old) left an hour before us to get a head start and beat some of the heat later in the day. Met up with them at km 50 after 1:50 of riding. It rained hard last night, so the roads were wet. Couldn't draft without eating a lot of spray and grit but I probably still benefitted from riding down the middle behind Revy and Seani (Raul) who were riding side by side in front of me for most of the way.
The road was often quite rough which made it a little more tiring. Unfortunately for the girls, they had three flats in their group. Carbon got to practice lots of tube replacements and folks were a little tired of it all when we met them. Soon after, the roads were dry and we did get a few stretches of smoother road.
Hit the main square in town, grabbed some food, then dealt with getting our bags brought over to our hotel (our shuttle only took all the bags to the one other hotel that part of our group is staying in). Then a bit of a gong show getting into our rooms as the hotel lets people stay pretty late and our rooms weren't ready yet. It seemed to take about 4 people to get us checked into our rooms. Oh well, shits and giggles. I felt pretty good on the ride today, it all seemed to go by at a decent pace without working too hard, and I was super impressed by our 13-year old riding partner who just did his first 100 km day.
Hardly any towns along the way today, so not many spots to take a break. Several creeks that we crossed were scenic when you looked up into the mountains; all chocolatey brown. Crossing one big river, you could see a bunch of people swimming at the river below.

C • Awesome! 2