2016-08-04 Depart Cusco, 4080m pass, camp at top, long slog up from 3300m. Follow ‘cycle way’ out of Cusco around airport, end up lost once trying to find the dirt road turn off. Turn right past ‘plazavia’ up the valley. 40km in 4:24

2016-08-05 camp 8km before Acomayo @4033m. 59km in 4:48

2016-08-06 drop 800m to Acomayo, larger town, buy pan, avocado, and tomato for lunch, 600m climb to ‘tourist resort’ for the night. 50km in 3:39

2016-08-07 On the main road to Pitarmarca, meet 6 other cyclists coming back from Pitarmarca. 28km in 2:03. stopped because I need more food.

2016-08-08 to base of climb, tourists going to ‘rainbow mountain’, quite the site. 40km in 4:07

2016-08-09 climb to 5080m pass and down to Sibinacocha. 38km in 3:49

2016-08-10 meet Dan from USA cycling and climbing in the area. climb 300m to abro chimboyo, 5080m, camp just over pass. road degrades to a motor cycle track. snows over night. 29km in 3:06

2016-08-11 Wake to white out and have to hang out until 9:30 to see where the road goes. Stomach problems, but a 1000m drop to Corina, spectacular rock spires all along the road. Road down from pass is good formed road. 39 km in 2:25

2016-08-12 Corani to Macasani. drop 400m to river and climb out to main road. Then smooth rolling to Machasani. 53 km in 4:51.

2016-08-13 Machasani to San Anton. rolling along hw down hill. Clibing out over pass snow interrupts lunch. San Anton is a truck stop town with one hotel. 85 km in 4:37.

2016-08-14 To Azangaro. Sunday market in town, and festival. Brass band plays til about 10:30, and starts again at 6:30. 55 km 2:56 on smooth sealed road.

2016-08-15 plaza breakfast of porridge (cooked in plaza on my stove). camp 20km from Juliaca. 62.5 km in 4:18, on dirt road.

2016-08-16 To Puno, busy road, stomach problem, calibrate arriving with a dose of Tindazanol. 72km in 4:15.

Almost cycled 1000km so far (923 km) by my cycling computer.

The Cante-Hyancayo road was quite with no trucks or buses, so a good way to get into the mountains.

Route map,

Almost fit now, and acclimatised to the altitude now. Able to ride the passes without exploding.

To make up some time, I’ll catch the bus to Cusco.

day log below,updated photos on flickr.

2016-07-19 day in Huancayo

2016-07-20 dept Hyacayo, following road to Huancavelica, stopped in small town, hospeaji. 47 3:53

2016-07-21 highway to Huando, 42km 3:22

2016-07-22 local bicycle ride to Huancavelica starting from town I was in. Started day with 300+ other cyclists. 64km 5:00 trashed at end of day

2016-07-23 rest day Huancavelica

2016-07-24 dept Huancavelica, to camp at 4376m. 31km 3:31km

2016-07-25 camp after 4700m pass, 43km 3:25

2016-07-26 to Licapa, mostly down hill, passed lakes, and small towns have shops. kiwi cyclist going the other direction in town. 62km 3:57

2016-07-27 17km of climbing to pass at 4750m. rolled down other side for 40km dropping 1000m. 57km 3:47. Could not find camp spot, or hospetaji, talkedm my way into staying with the road workers staying at the municipal accommodation.

2016-07-28 down and up pass to Ayacucho, dropped down to 2750m. 62km 3:49 arrived descending into big city.

2016-07-13 Started up hill, climbing up a river valley all day, gained 600m in 45km, stopped at Catatorsi, off the edge of the LP guide book now (though i think they have gone down hill, catering to different class if tourist than they used to). Finished in the hot sun, maybe the coast was not so bad. There are also sand-files around. 46km in 5 hours

2016-07-14 Setoff to the next town, thinking that somewhere about 40km would be somewhere to stop, at 20km stopped in a town to find lunch, to no a vale, managed to buy some bread rolls and bananas, which would have to do until the next town 30 km away, and 500m higher. Made it to Magdalana about 4pm quite a slow day. Tomorrow will be another day of up hill an no town along the way.

2016-07-15 Left accommodation just before Alic, at 3000m, climbed to 3800m, where I found an excellent gated road to nowhere, and camped on a rise where there was no view from the road, water below, and a locked gate 50m away to get to me. This whole day was in a narrow canyon. 20km 2:40

2016-07-16 Really tough day, started at 3800m 15km from pass with 900m to climb. Spent most of the day walking at less than 3km/hr, well actually stopped catching my breath. However made the too of the pass about 4pm, and down the other side till I could pickup water for camping. So exhausted did not have anything for diner. Went to sleep with a headache, and work up at midnight feeling much better. 19km in 2:44

2016-07-18 Started day from camp at 4550m, woke with headache gone, felling much better. Apart from another pass at 4680m 10km away along the flat its all down hill to Huanacyo. Made it to Huancayo at about 4pm, major town at 3600m. 88km total in 4:47

2016-07-06 Depart Hobart 6:20, bike already packed at Mark B’s. The new 29er fat bike does fit into a qantas bike box.

2016-07-06 Arrive Santiago, Chile. Flight late and missed connection to Lima. Rebooked to Lima at 4:15

2016-07-07 Depart Santiago, Arrive Lima approx 7:30. Unpack bike at airport and set off into Lima traffic to find Miafolores hostel. Ride ~20 km

2016-07-08 Spent day in Miaflories, sleeping recovering from 24+ hours of travel and looking around.

2016-07-09 Set off for Punta Hermosa, through suburbs, then onto the pan American highway south. Punta Hermosa is surf beach on the coast, but not at this time of year. Weather is cloudy and almost misty at times. The coast land is devoid of vegetation, nothing grows, only a few places where this is water is there any green, other than that its brown sand. 43 km in 2:25.

2016-07-10 Further down the coast to Purta Rossina, easy to find food and accomodatiin along the highway and coastal strip. Divided highway had verge and easy riding. 67km in 3:40

2016-07-11 Ok enough of the pan American highway, into the mountains. The coast is damp and humid, and has that very nice oder of the tropics. Into the mountains to Lunahuana, only 30 km from the coast, the damp was gone, and I arrive in blue skies, sun, heading up a river into dusty mountains. The fat tyres do quite well even on pavement and are not too hard work. 84km in 5:20.

2016-07-12 Hanging out in Lunahuana, there is river rafting here earlier in the year, now there are more rafts in town than tourists. The centre of these villages are what I remember, with a plaza which is pleasant to hang out in and watch the world go by. Have not seen any western tourists yet at all. Minor adjustments to the bike and setup today, other than that the new bike is running very well, thanks Tim Stredwick.

Some phots of the trip along the pan American highway