Patagonia is spectacular!

February 12, 2024

Patagonia is spectacular! From what we have experienced so far, it is one of the most incredible places on earth. Yet, it is not all rainbows and unicorns. Cycling through these lands can be quite a pain. 

The elements are against you, all the time. The wind is ruthless as ever, but now there is rain too. It is common to be wet, dehydrated, hot, cold and completely blown away all in a single day. And if you are lucky and the day is calm bringing only a warm sun, you are eaten alive by flies while the high humidity makes you feel like you're cycling the mountain roads in a sauna. 

Yes, as a cyclist in Patagonia, life can be rough. So why bother!? Because nothing is more fulfilling than to experience little glimpses of beauty amidst the hardship. A ray of sunlight through a dark sky illuminating one of the many mountain tops. A small patch of smooth gravel on a rocky road, allowing you to look up and see huge rock faces that disappear into an azure blue lake. An incredible view of a massive ice sheet that is revealing itself slowly through the clouds. A rainbow piercing through the sky as it rips open above a distant mountain range. A dark thundercloud in the rearview mirror breaking on a pass you just crossed. And waking up in the middle of nowhere to a silent world after a stormy night. These moments take your breath away, and are lived ever so intensely when exploring this vast, wild world, being highly exposed on just two small wheels.

Route: La Junta - Villa Mañihuales - Coyhaigue - Puerto Ibañez - Chile Chico - Puerto Guadal - Cochrane - Villa O'Higgins