22nd May 2017
Today was a grind, and certainly a regret that I don’t own, or thought to bring, a warm water proof jacket, new waterproof Troy Lee shorts were a good investment though. My bike got treated to a new rear wheel though, after the bearings in the old one exploded at the end of the day before.
An hour drive from Ollantaytambo up to around 4500m of the Pumamarca pass, and the trail of the world’s highest enduro race. Bloody hell, what a nightmare, a challenge on foot nevermind a bike. Bogs, river crossings, off camber corners, death pit rock gardens, and to top it off it was raining. I’m a little annoyed at myself as I wasn’t riding well and let myself get frustrated. I also have no interest in riding in the wet.
Anyway after lunch and a quiet work with myself I doubled up on jackets and got on with it, bombed down the jeep track, and cut off back into the forest, still getting wet and not really riding well, but stuck in. The trail was tough, and didn’t let up, bike was all over the shop too. Later found out my tyres were rock hard, which had probably nearly everything to blame for the morning riding, or certainly one of my excuses!
Pressures dropped and things improved, but the day was almost a write off, only took one photo, and filmed nothing. Scenery was again stunning, passing through living villages unchanged since Inca times and the huge terraces near the village of Huilloc, which also provided a great little technical descent with some shelter from the rain back down to the hotel and some wheelies through Ollantaytambo.
Good rest at night and hoped to be on better form tomorrow.
Strava – Track 1 Strava – Track 2 Relive
