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Peaks of Pleasure

In our previous blog post, we highlighted a few of the gems we’ll be experiencing on Vuelta Sudamericana – the epic 6,000 km bicycle tour through South America.  This time we take a look at some of the wildlife we’ll most likely come across while travelling through Argentina and Chile.

We’re not saying it’s going to be a pedal in the park, but let’s face it, riding a bike through the Andes Mountain range will be worth every revolution of those bicycle wheels.


Andes Mountains, Chile by Alex e. Proimos

The Vuelta Sudamericana Cycle Tour crosses from Argentina into Chile through this magnificent mountain range, that extends its languid 7,000km (4,400 miles) length through 7 countries. Stretching almost the entire length of the country, the Chilean Andes includes the highest segment of the mountain chain, consisting of lofty, often snow-capped peaks, deeply incised valley and steep slopes.

Considering that the range is home to an incredibly rich variety of flora and fauna, its extremely likely that you will see some of the most beautiful and unique creatures imaginable – beside your fellow cyclists that is!



Andean Condor by Eric Kilby

Keep your eyes open for the Andean Condor which will either be seen perched near its nest on the steep rocky crags or soaring effortlessly on the heat thermals on which it glides, seeking prey. Some sources say they can travel for miles on these air currents without a single flap of their wings.


Armadillo by Racatumba

Closer to the ground, much closer in fact, is the delightful little Armadillo, whose name in Spanish means “little armoured one.” These fascinating creatures have developed some wonderful abilities to help them survive the world at large – some species are able to curl into a little ball, so as to be able to roll away from danger, while others are able to hold their breath for six minutes under water!



Puma by fpat

And when there are predators, such as the magnificent Puma, prowling the slopes, highly developed defense mechanisms are essential. Pumas, also known as cougars are some of the largest wild cats in the world. These powerful predators have been known to leap over 20ft to bring down their prey. But fear not, extensive research has shown that they prefer deer and other smaller animals to the metal and rubber of a bicycle!

Vuelta Sudamericana 2011 departs Buenos Aires on 25th September and finishes in Lima on 13 December.  Full tour and sectional spaces are available.

For more information:

http://www.tourdafrique.com/tours/vueltasudamericana

or email the team:

info@tourdafrique.com

Posted June 15, 2011 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Vuelta Sudamericana 2011



We are pleased to announce the dates, prices and route for our next expedition through South America in 2011. Please check them out.

Registration is now open.

Posted February 12, 2010 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Habs Fan



Ryan Stotland has worn his Canadiens hockey jersey for almost the entire 12,000km Vuelta Sudamericana while raising money for two very important causes. Now that is a fan!

Watch his video here!

Check out his Website!

Posted November 27, 2009 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Bolivia

Check out one of the Vuelta riders in Bolivia on YouTube!

Posted November 10, 2009 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Gaucho Gil



One of the most noticeable and curious thing when you bike (or drive) anywhere in Argentina are small shrines dedicated to miracle worker and healer Gaucho Gil.

It appears and depending which guide books you read that Gaucho Gil was a sort of Argentinean 19th century Robin Hood who refused to fight in a civil war or may have deserted from the army, robbed from the rich and gave to the poor, until he was caught and promptly executed. Before he was executed he told the executioner that when he goes home, he will find his son gravely ill but again depending of which version you read, Gils blood or proper burial will save the son.

And when the executioner showed up home, there he found his son very ill and did what Gil told him and his son recovered.

Since then many miracles have been assigned to Gil as well as prayers for safe returns and as we travel we see dozens of shrines all smothered with red flags, kerchiefs, plastic bottles (go figure why the plague of 20th century is used as a tribute) and many other gifts.  



We actually had an honor to pass by the place where Gil was supposedly executed about 26km from Mercedes, where a whole village and industry has sprung up in memory of Gaucho Gil. When I stopped there to take a look I found a statue of Gaucho Gil on left side of a church, a statue of Angel of Death on the right side of the church and a church decorated on the wall with everything from bicycles to a gallon or was it 5 gallon of a bottle of Chivas Whisky left by pilgrims. And everywhere I looked there were pilgrims praying and touching the statues.

Posted September 11, 2009 by Henry Gold
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Roller Coaster Ride



This is the vertical profile of the route from Cuzco to Paracas in Peru.  The horizontal axis represents distance in Km’s and the vertical axis represents the elevation in m’s.  As you can see these climbs are bigger than the Blue Nile Gorge in Ethiopia, at a higher altitude and there are two of them consecutively.  Cuzco is at km 0 on this chart and Nazca is at km 655 where the curve begins to flatten out. The 70 km descent into Nazca is gonna be fucking wicked!  This 655 km stretch will probably be the most challenging stretch of the tour
  If you would like to join us for this incredible roller-coaster ride, you can do so by registering for the 'Gringo Trail' section of the 2009 Vuelta Sudamericana.

Posted July 02, 2009 by Randy Pielsticker
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The Missing Link



As I continue to retrace my steps through the Vuelta route, I keep meeting other cyclists.  They are all riding a variety of different routes for equally different purposes.  Ironically, regardless of their direction of travel or objectives, they all seem to complain about the wind.  Befriending them by servicing their bikes, or sharing a meal I keep hoping to get the inside tip on some incredible roads to ride, but I end up disappointed every time.  Most are travelling the panamerican highway or other major roads.  There is nothing like the freedom of exploring a foreign land completely self supported on your bike, however I realize the true advantage to the support that our expeditions offer.  It allows us to get off the beaten path and to explore the back roads and hidden gems of these fascinating continents. It took me 3 days of scouting to find what I call the “missing link”.    North of La Serena, Chile there is a small town called Puento Choros.  Its nothing more than a coastal village with a few accommodations, two restaurants and a soccer pitch.  The people there are mostly fishermen who subsidize their income by taking tourists on sightseeing tours of the penguin and sea lion colonies or the whales during migration.  According to maps the roads end in this town, but google earth would beg to differ.  I had to work the route from both directions before I could map out the connecting route. Although the distances will be short to accommodate for the terrain, it will take us two days to reach Huasco the next town along the coast.  The night in between we will spend in El Higuero, a ghost town nestled into a remote slot canyon.  I believe it was a mining settlement but the western end was buried by a landslide, what remains are several buildings without roofs, a couple goats, a cemetery and an intricate system of relic dry stone walls.  From there the road gets pretty hairy.  Its not flat, but there are no monster climbs, however the switchbacks crossing the pass are so tight that our big support truck will not be able to cross, it will have to do a u-turn and detour around. A challenging ride for sure, in fact it may be the most technically demanding two riding days of any of our expeditions.  Greater the challenge, greater the reward.  This route traverses some incredible coastal dessert and canyon terrain, the scenery is spectacular.  And other than some recent mining developments this territory would appear to be untraveled by anyone in a long time.  Beating your own path is the best way to get off the beaten path. 

Posted June 10, 2009 by Randy Pielsticker
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