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We hooked up our bikes to aclimbing rig and sent it to the otherside of the canyon, and one at atime traversed the line, wishing wehad gotten here before sunset toenjoy the view.Control Point 9: (3:30 AM)CP 9 was just a few minutes away.There was another chasm to cross.This time it was inside a metalgondola.We came skidding into the nextcontrol point to get our passportstamped.Control Point 6: (11-Midnight)We rode along the river andcrossed a bridge looking for avirtual checkpoint. Somewherenearby there was a sign with threewords we needed, only it was notprecisely located on the map andwe were unsure what to do.The team waited at a bus stop whileI pedaled around trying to find thesign further up the river, just in case.I was only able to find belligerentdrunks out at that hour, and cameback empty-handed. The lack ofsleep was catching up. JJ and Iwere still pretty strong and lucid,but Sean was starting to deteriorateand Pedro was on fumes.Control Point 7: (12-1 AM)Our virtual checkpoint was justfurther up the road and we madeour way along a gradually inclinedroad for what was described by atienda clerk as a “giant bird” at thebase of a rockslide.Sure enough, on a poorlyconstructed artificial tree sat an8-10 foot bird, and our next CP wasa steep 5 mile climb away.Pedro rounded a bend, slowlypushing his bike up. “I justvomited,” he told us.“Drink some water, we are almostthere.” I said. But the truth was, wewere not almost there. We still hada pretty significant climb before wemet up with our support crew.Control Point 8: (2.45 AM)“It is 2:45 A.M.” the volunteer atthe Tyrolean traverse told us, “thecut off time for the Cotalo CP is3 AM. And, you have 5 miles ofsteep switchbacks ahead of you. Ifyou want to continue, we will letyou go across, otherwise you mightwant to radio your support crew.”I looked over at my teammatesand watched the effect of the newscrush them. As if our report cardhad been handed back to us with abright red F. We talked it over anddecided we did not want to botherour support crew, and would ratherride it out to the end.Climbing up the switchbacks to thefinal control point as the sun rose,teams were wiped out along the way,sitting against the embankmentswith vacant expressions. We hadlong ago run out of water andsnacks, never imagining that a60-kilometer bike ride could takealmost 14 hours.Throughout the climb, Pedrowould vomit at least three times ashe pushed his bike all the way toCotalo. I imagine he was happythat the race was over.Control Point 10: (6:30 AM)Our support crew was awakeand waiting for us with a feast,including freshly made guacamole,fried potatoes, and quesadillas.They were a bit delirious havingnot slept through the night, andcheered us up by obnoxiouslyspraying cheap champagne all overus and excitedly cheering us on.The girls promised a big party forus later.After getting our passport stampedone last time, I gazed at the 10 holespunched through our card, eachrepresenting a sliver of adventure:muddy trails through dwarf forestsand pedaling through indigenousvillages in the night.Adventure World Magazine May 2009 20