Cycling from Atocha to near Tupiza in Bolivia

This bike touring blog post covers my day's ride from Atocha to a wild camping spot near Tupiza in Bolivia. Part of my Alaska to Argentina bike tour.

A tough start to the day's cycling

Blog post written October 25th 2010

A breakfast over at the railway tracks of two fried things and a couple of cups of coffee before I left wasn’t quite good enough to get me up the initial steep hills without pushing the bike.

This was due to a combination of factors, such as every time a piece of my gear breaks, I have to replace it with a locally sourced alternative which is usually heavier. I was also tired from the day before, and the uphill really was very steep.

A motorbike on the road near Atocha Bolivia

 

Not a great start, and in fact, this was to become a bit of a theme for the day, with me doing more pushing than I remember doing throughout the trip so far.

bikepacking out of atocha bolivia

Today was a brutal, painful day.

bike touring dirt roads in bolivia

A day where I could easily have become weak had alternative transport been available, but with rush hour traffic being a vehicle every hour, this wasn’t really an option.  

A sign indicating steep roads in bolivia

 

 This sign was not an exaggeration… It really was that steep, and I had just cycled up it! 

llama-pens

 

Much ascending, descending to a dry river bed, and ascending again. Much to forget in fact!

At 18.30, and with 70 kms covered, I called it a day, and set up my wild camp at the top of a mountain. Pasta and tuna never tasted so good!

Read more about cycling from Alaska to Argentina

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Adventure cyclist Dave Briggs bike touring the PanAmerican HighwayDave Briggs
Dave Briggs wrote this bicycle touring blog post during his cycle trip from Alaska to Argentina.

Check out more of his bikepacking blogs, tips and gear reviews here: Bicycle Touring Tips.

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