Peru keeps on giving!
September 24, 2023
Straight out of Cusco, we ride yet again into a significant climb al the way to 5070 masl. The first in a series of five before entering the continuous heights leading up to the Altiplano; a high plateau spreading throughout south-eastern Peru and western Bolivia. The body is strong, but with a slight cold the breathing nearing 5000m gets really hard.
"Almost there koek.
Yes.
See you at the top, have fun.
Yes you have fun. I need luck today..."
A quick fist-bumb and off we go. Half an hour later, we meet at the top. This one required a bit more pushing, but the reward is even greater. Endless stretches of land covered with mountains. Peru keeps on giving!
We left early to reach the top of the pass without rain, snow or hail. The weather has been hunting us for days now. Mornings are good. But the afternoons come with heavy storms. Unfortunately, today too. Right in the midst of the most overwhelming scenery we have seen so far, we get caught by a giant hail storm. We see a small roof-covered bench situated on the top of a saddle point we have to cross to the next village. We rush onward and seek shelter. The green meadows turned completely white within minutes. It's cold. We cuddle up and wait. Time passes by until we notice the hail turning into snow. Still no visibility, but we decide to go. Dragging our bikes through the snow we reach the nearest village and find a bed under a solid roof. Survived. The day after, we wake up to clear blue skies only to be hit again by snow at 5100 masl. We laugh. It's not always perfect, but always worth it!
Onward, the landscape is changing. The steep ascents are fading away and make room for wide open valleys. For the first time, we face a new challenge. Wind! Feels like home. It's clear we are ending our Peru adventure on to a new chapter. We have one more climb ahead of us. The last one in Peru. We include it in a long 100km day. The downhill is fantastic. Like being in a roller coaster. We take a moment to reflect on all the climbs we tackeled. Some tears flow. Proudness, exhaustion, memories of Jaap sr. (boy would he have loved this). A special moment. Can't wait what Bolivia has in store for us. Next stop La Paz!
Route: Cusco - Pitumarca - Chillca - Phinaya - Macusani - Crucero - Putina
