Tackling the mighty Huascaran Circuit in Peru's Cordillera Blanca

Country: Peru, Region: Ancash, Mountain Range: Cordillera Blanca, Route: Huascaran Circuit, Challenge: Off The Scale!

 Cleaning my bike in Caraz. A waste of time? A few days later it was caked in mud again. Poor old thing has taken a lot of abuse in the last nine months but she's holding up well.

 After a hard earned rest day I was ready to hit the road again and set off on a record breaking ride. Travelling from Caraz to Yungay I covered a whole eight miles! Never have I ridden less in one day on this trip.

It was well worth the journey. Though Yungay is smaller than Caraz and with fewer services there was a traditional Andean market in full swing. People clothed in traditional dress and...

 ...lots of produce available at low prices. I did a little well natured haggling but at no point did I feel I was being charged the gringo price. Although Westerners clearly stand out I've rarely felt that I've been treated too differently to locals. Spanish and a bit of gentle humour usually helps to break the ice.   

 With the rest day in Caraz and the record breaking eight miler under my belt, I'd effectively had two days to build my strength and recover my energy to get going again. The Huascaran Circuit is said to be a classic Andean bike route, for those brace enough to accept the challenge. I was game for it!

 From Yungay to the first pass, Portachuelo de Llanganuco, it was a 30 mile, 2200m climb, unbeknownst to me, all on dirt trails (I'd assumed some of it was on paved roads, I failed to read my guidebook carefully, or at all!). A sharp climb out of Yungay took me first to Quebrada Llanganuco - quebrada means gorge, providing access to the mountainscapes above.

 Still clean bike taking breather before the final push to the pass.

 I have to admit that, 23 miles into the ride (7 miles short of the pass), I had a crisis of confidence and considered heading back down to Yungay. The weather above looked gloomy, the track was getting increasingly rocky and it was proving to be a real slog. I stopped for a couple of minutes to take stock and reasoned that I was carrying waterproofs against the weather, the track would not get less rocky if I came back another day and as for the slog, well the last nine months have been a slog, what's new?!?

I carried on.  

 What reward, some stunning views as the cloud occasionally broke.  

 Cheerful, this was a sunny moment an hour or so before reaching Portachuelo de Llanganuco, 4710m. 

 Is it just me or have I aged significantly since the last photo? This is the other side of the pass, the beginning of the long ride down. As you can see, the weather had worsened and, without waterproof gloves or shoes, I was getting cold very quickly. 

 I did my best to race down the switchbacks as quickly as possible to reach warmer, more comfortable climes. It was quite hard work though, the track remained incredibly rocky and, fighting tiredness, I had to concentrate hard not to make any mistakes travelling at speed. In some ways the climbs are easier as, moving at snail's pace, the risk of accidents is minimal.  

 This was a wonderful moment for me, riding down the valley on a now much smoother track, the pleasant late afternoon sun warming my back. The village of Yanama comes into view, my stopping point for the day. 51 hard miles but what a ride! 

 The plaza at Yanama. As you can see, the weather was not quite playing ball with lots of blue sky but the spectacular mountain peaks still shrouded in cloud.  

 Breakfast at the hospedaje in Yanama - bread, coffee, eggs, banana and manjar blanco, a sweet, sugary local spread. Also  a podcast to listen to and, today, closer scrutiny of my guidebook about the trail ahead. 

 Gloves drying after yesterday's inclement weather. As you can see, the hospedaje is in a typical, traditional Andean house - whitewashed walls and red tile roofs. Often the rooms are very basic but so cosy and oozing character. The owners are invariably very friendly and willing to provide hot water for drinks and a place to wash clothes.  

 A break in the clouds gives a hint at the surrounding scenery. Cordillera Blanca simply means 'White Mountain Range'.

 More spectacular scenery riding on from Yanama; I was rapidly falling in love with the region.  

 On the approach to Chavas, my destination for the day, I came across a group of villagers celebrating Labour Day, effectively the May Bank Holiday. I was invited to join in the festivities and eat lunch with them. What a result! I sat down to a huge bowl of lamb, rice and potatoes, washed down with chicha de jora, a fermented maize drink. 

Was I the guest of honour? Not quite, but I became a bit of a spectacle - the token gringo, and my taped up shoes caused much amusement. As for the lycra cycling shorts, well, I feel self conscious enough wearing them while zipping past people at speed, let alone attending a party. What could I do, ask to slip into something more comfortable? 

 Free lunch? Not quite. Once the eating was done the music started - two violins and a harp, and then the dancing - this was the price I was to pay. I think I had 30 seconds on the sidelines before I was beckoned/dragged onto the dance floor. Ever so slightly awkward in my lycra but I had a choice, remain on the sidelines looking timid and slightly morose, or be a good sport and give it a go. I chose the latter, to be a good ambassador for the UK and, in truth, it was good fun. 

Here I'm pictured with Dina, a Peruvian married to a Brit so she has great English and took me under her wing (while forcing me to dance). 

 Traditional dress. 

 After a couple of hours at the party I biked on to Chavas, another absolutely charming Andean village. 

This was to be a pivotal day in the whole trip in fact. I'd thought long and hard about what I want to do with the final six weeks of my journey, considering pushing hard to reach Bolivia or perhaps biking on to the south to visit Cusco and Macchu Pichu. Either of these options would involve six more weeks of hard pushing. 

A better option was staring me in the face. Stopping in this Ancash region, spending more time biking the dirt tracks between the traditional villages and taking the pressure to cover immense distances off of me. I just don't think it's going to get better than this and I would be a fool to rush through this absolutely charming area. Decision made, I felt elated, the weeks of unrelenting hard pushing (over 1400 mountain miles in April!) were over.  

 As a starting point to my new approach, I took two rest days in Chacas. Not much to do here besides soak up the atmosphere of a traditional Andean village. Bliss!   

 Chacas 

 Chacas

 Chacas 

 After two wonderfully relaxing rest days in Chacas, lots of reading and podcasts, it was time to move on and tackle the second pass of the Huascaran Circuit, Punta Olimpica. What luck I had with the weather; a crisp early morning start and the reward of stunning mountain views.   

 Proudly wearing my OXFAM shirt.  

 I'm not usually so diligent when it comes to taking photos, I find it can be a distraction from properly enjoying the views, but today, surrounded by majestic 6000m + peaks, I couldn't stop snapping! 

 The higher I rode the better the scenery got. As you can see, today's climb was largely on asphalt so it wasn't such an energy zapping ride. Furthermore, Chacas is a higher starting point so the elevation gain was not so great. 

 I believe this peak is Contrahierbas, 5954m.  

 Crazy switchbacks, the norm in Peru.  

 May is a great month to see flowers blooming like these lupins. 

 At the pass, Punta Olímpica, motorists have no choice but to travel through the tunnel. 

 Lunatics on bicycles have the option of diverting onto the old dirt track and riding over the old pass. Just to the left of my head, at the bottom of the v in the skyline, is the dirt track pass.  

 What I didn't know is that it would still be covered in snow! A new experience, dragging the bike through snow. Great fun and at this point my altimeter read 16,090 feet, just over 4900m.   

 Fortunately, I must be well acclimatised as, despite the considerable physical effort of pushing and pulling my bike through the snow, I was rarely out of breath. 

 Nevertheless, after half a mile or so of snow, I was glad to be back on the dirt track. Until...

 ...I encountered multiple landslides and rockfalls covering the path. With the building of the tunnel the dirt track is unlikely to be maintained into the future and may become impassable.  

 So I was lucky to have the chance to tackle it, scrapes and grazes and all.  

 Lovely couple from Colombia riding up from the other side. I encouraged them to skip the tunnel and take the dirt track above. I hope they got over alright as, by that time the clouds were closing in and it was getting cold again.  

 Quebrada Ulta, my exit route from the mountains towards Carhuaz. 

 Quebrada Ulta 

 Cordillera Blanca  

 Hostel in Huaraz and gone for the next few days. 

Don't miss this, Daniel Moden speaking from Punta Olímpica: VIDEO

Well, that's all for the moment. As I say, don't expect any more monster mileages in the coming weeks, it will be an easier paced style of riding to allow me to explore this mountain paradise of a region. With nearly 12,000 miles covers in less than ten months I think I've earned a breather! 

With six weeks to go, I'm £500 short of my £3000 OXFAM target, I think YOU should help! (yes, YOU).