Following our arrival on Friday night, we went to bed around 3am. The following morning we drove for about 30mins outside the city and went to a house in the foot hills of the Andes Mountains for mountain biking. To say that it was challenging would be an absolutely huge understatement! It was the hardest bike ride I've ever done in my life period! Everyone from elite athlete to professor said the same (and he does 200mile road bike trips)! It was also one of the funniest rides I've ever done in my life. The weather was sunny and 95 degrees. The mountains were absolutely beautiful. We started out going 30mins up a "mild" 5-7% gradient (that was the warm up). I should have known we were in for a treat when about 1 hour into the ride I go to peddle and realized I had sheared the crank off of my bike (this is the peddle and arm that holds the peddle for you non bikers out there... this means I am clearly VERY strong!!!!). While funny, it is a bit hard to bike with no peddle!!!!!!!! Luckily the guide switched me bikes so I only had to deal with using peddles for clip ons with sneakers (also not easy) for about 90 mins (no big deal, I am a trooper).
From there, the real ride started. The first climb was another 1hr and 15-30mins, and this time there were tons of switchbacks, rivers, places we had to walk our bikes, and at times we could only peddle maybe 20-30ft before we had to get off the bikes and start hiking again. It was the most epic ride I've ever been on! We also had a really nice lunch in the mountains (salmon and some sort of mixture of rice/peas/mayo, and an incredible fruit kebab mixture), had some time to through the Frisbee around, and had a couple bottles of vino (ok... 5, but there were 7 of us?? good thinking Julio our guide... as if there werent enough crashes on the first half). From there, we started the second hill of the trip (I know after a big lunch and the wine). That made it pretty interesting. We were all doing more hiking than biking and it was at least 95 degrees! After about an 1hr and 30min death march (the hills had to be at least 10-14% gradients....spiking to 15%+ at times).....and I'm absolutely not exaggerating. Everyone who went fell at least once if not more (my prof fell twice). Jeaven only fell once, but was able to run out of it. He did however, run into a pricker bush that stuck him like a freaking knife. I have a bunch of little cuts and scraps all over my lower legs, a few on my arms, a slight puncture wound on my hand. (I'M FINE!!!!!!!!!...character building injuries :-)). I fell a few times, I believe twice although it was quite possibly three... ( I blame it on the heat, perhaps it was the wine?) THe last fall was the worst, I was mashing down the mountain when my tire hit a HUGE boulder in the middle of the road, stopped my momentum and sent me flying over the handle bars into a bush and rolling down the side of a cliff... I was fine once my bike got caught on something and stopped me, trapping me beneath, thankfully Jeaven came running to the rescue and held me up by my ankle dragging me up the side of the mountain. I must admit that Jefferson took the cake when it came to falls... you know its a steep hill when the professional biker guide starts walking his bike, but Jeffer decided he was king of the mountain and could take anything on, proceeded to go flying down a trail straight into a massive boulder, popping his tire, and sending him flying into a lake... I wish we had it on camera. It was quite funny, I may have peed myself watching.
The end of the ride was the absolute best! We flew down the mountains at 20-30mph on our mountains bikes for about 25mins. It was the most fun I've had on a bike in a long time. I did really well....and all I can think about is man.....when am I going to get to do that again. When we got back to the ranch many of us collapsed on the lawn to discuss the ride and take in a well deserved Chilean beer. We all took pictures of our cuts and scars......and a couple of groups pics and then headed home (we left at ~ 9:30am - ~5:30pm). My professor summed it up as saying, "there was plenty of mud and blood on this trip, a lot of mud, but mostly blood" Had a great discussion with my professor on the way back about work and work/life balance...and making work life CHOICES.
All in all, it was a great day, super fun, but incredibly exhausting!!! Attached are a few of my favorite photos of the day with a few more from others to come in later posts (i.e. me laying half down the side of a mountain under a bike and a large bush laughing hysterically at myself saying "i cant get up! im stuck! but im ok!!!!!!!!!!!!11 THAT WAS AWESOME!!!!) In fairness the pictures really just do not do the trip justice... we came home absolutely filthy animals and it reminded me of being a kid playing in the mud when my mom would insist i go around back and hose off before she ever let me in the house. I looked in the mirror and I was caked in dirt from head to toe and my gym shoes are practically ruined. We are walking around like we got in fights with giant rolls of barbed wire (thanks to the pricker bushes) and are covered in large red gashes, gaping wounds, and numerous bruises. Good thing people dig battle scars and it makes for a good story....
A special thanks for my co-writer on this post, the infamous Jeaven Mrazeck (Dream Team Affiliate and Vice President)
Goodnight from Santiago!
T
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