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Patapampa pass Peru
Helmuth DEKKERS
The idea to cycle the
Patapampa pass (~4860m) in
Peru was born during the
descent from the Patapampa
pass by bus to Chivay.
This descent is absolutely fantas-tic!
Hairpin turns take you
down to Chivay. Did some one
say hairpin turns? Yes! Ah
wouldn't it be nice to be able to
cycle up from Chivay to the
Patapampa pass? Note that my
digestive system was not in
good shape as in foreign
countries not everyone can
handle the food and water as
good as at home :-( But what
the heck who cares there are
hairpins to be cycled! Cycling
at altitude. But when and how?
There is this joke that I share
with the President of the BIG:
NEVER ask why, ask how!
That's why I wrote how.
The next day we first went to
see the Condors soar at Cruz
del Condor in the Colca
Canyon (one of the deepest
canyons in the world). So by
the time our guid could help us
to rent MTBs in Chivay it was
half past one. Did you note the
us instead of the I?
That's because Erwin, our son,
wants to come along to cycle
up the Patapampa pass too. So
we go with our guid, Dirk, to
Victor Hugo Isuiza who rents
out the MTBs. Victor asks 120
Solles (~34 Euro) for the rent
of 2 MTBs and for picking us
up at the Patapampa pass.
Deal! This is really a fair price.
So me and Erwin change
clothes, fill our camelbak with
water and put it in a small
backpack with some extra
clothing. The rest of our group
is waiting so we have to hurry a
bit. But then we are ready to
roll.
Victor guides us out of Chivay
so we are on the correct road,
BIG Review 2009
as my Spanish is to poor to
understand his instructions, and
we're cycling.
Not too far outside Chivay I
notice that my tyre is feeling
soft. A flat tyre? Well, MTB
tyres are always softer than the
tyres of racing bikes.
But I indeed have a flat tyre. I
call Dirk with my mobile
phone, I have still coverage
fortunately, and he in turn calls
Victor. And then we wait
beside the road in the shade.
After some time an assistant of
Viktor, Thomas, arrives on
another MTB and we can
continue our trip while Thomas
heads back on foot to Chivay.
We started at 3,633 and cycling
at this altitude is surprisingly
easy. Even the uphil part goes
quite well. We have a view
here and there and can see
Chivay below us. We pass
some people who try to sell
things to tourists. The children
that are there have to laugh and
ask us where we are coming
from. Hollanda! Funny Dutch
who want to cycle uphill at this
altitude. A little bit further we
stop for a quick sanitary
stop.
83
You may think that drinking is
easy with a camelbak. And this
is true I guess but not at this
altitude. You have to suck the
water out of the camelbak and
then swallow the water and by
then you need AIR! I had to
gasp for air. Due to the hurry
we were in when we got
started I did not take my
heartbeat nor altimeter along.
The first one I do not really
need. As from the Spinning I
do once a week I can feel
when I approach my anaerobic
threshold (177 bpm) as that is
the point I feel it get's tougher.
But I feel OK so I know I am
still doing well.
It's a pitty though we cannot
see at what altitude we are :-(
The altimeter would also give
an indication on how much we
still need to climb.
Ah well, we'll just have to do
without it.
When we started it was warm,
remember we waited for
Thomasd in the shade and we
did so for a good reason, and
we started cycling in shorts and
t-shirts with short sleeves. But
by now we feel a brisk breeze.
Good when we feel it from the
back as it helps us but the road