Last December was a very special month. Not only did I have the opportunity to come back to Argentina, but I was also able to celebrate my birthday deep into wild Patagonia, a unique opportunity I have been waiting for a long time.
What an amazing experience it has been. Along with a few other Argentinian cyclists we embarked on a few days bikepacking self supported trip through the Andes.
From Bariloche, we started crossing some of the “estepa” patagonica: a quite arid and deserted area, and then diving into a more humid forestry part, with a common factor in all of them: very strong and cold wind. I was ready, the morale was high and my Vaude bikepacking bags allowed me to set up the bike in the way I wanted. I was carrying the essentials but at the same time I was able to face any possible inconvenience.
If December is considered the portal from Autumn to Winter in the Northern Hemisphere, you would expect to find the opposite in Argentina (being in the Southern one). Well, that was not the case: in the south of Patagonia, where I was, despite being only 2 weeks away from the beginning of summer, the weather wasn’t very much in our favor. Dressing up with layers with chances of also facing rain is what we had on the menu for this time. Cold wet starts with big temperature excursions and a cold wind picking up usually from noon: that was the common trend. My preference was to use a merino based jersey to prevent any skin irritation and have better breathability with a waterproof jacket against wind and rain at the beginning of the day on top.
Despite that, a great enthusiasm and the love for the outdoors made us enjoy every single bit of the road. Yeah: the road. In Argentina, like in many other countries of South America, you will most likely encounter only a little percentage of the streets paved in tarmac, the rest of them are gravel roads, “ripio” like they say here. Less expensive to make and maintain, these types of roads see their biggest reason to be in winter with snow: better grips to vehicles during a steep climb or descent.
Riding with a fully loaded bike is a totally different thing than riding any other bike. Learning how to distribute the weights nicely and arranging things inside so you can easily access them with the right priority, was fundamental for the journey but also for the handling of it. With time I learnt that during this type of event, enjoying the whole process and proceeding with a steady but constant pace was more beneficial than rushing it to destination with the risk of a muscular injury or a crash with consequential scratches and the necessity of assistance.
Speaking of which, one of the most important things I learnt while riding through these desolated and vast lands, was to be self-sufficient. Being able to repair your bike or be ready to come up with something in case of an emergency was, like it or not, the only possible way.
And because it’s never only about sports, I also want to highlight the generosity I felt, being in a different culture. People in Latin America tend to be more community oriented, and this is such a special thing in an experience like that. Despite being in the middle of nowhere, I always felt supported and in company, something that plays an immense role when embarking on an adventure that requires physical strength but also mental one. Once I read “be not inhospitable to strangers, lest they be angels in disguise” and I feel like this is something we -cyclists and sportive persons in general- can learn everyday.
Text & images: Alessandro Salvaggio
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