Category: Aconcagua

  • KOM: King of the mountain

    KOM: King of the mountain

    After weeks of riding through the remote heart of the Andes, I finally approached the end of the toughest part of my route across Peru. From Huaraz to Cusco, the road tested my legs and patience, endless climbs, freezing nights, and thin air above 4000 meters. But little by little, I could feel the rhythm returning, and the mountains start to feel like home again.

    The top of the hill

    After about two weeks of cycling from Huaraz, I reached Huancavelica. This was almost the end of the main difficulties. Just before arriving, I crossed one of the last 4800m passes on my bike. I realised that this might be the last + 4800m pass I’ll ever do on a bicycle in my life… so I told myself: you better enjoy it! Although it’s not easy, I’ve learned over many years of adventuring to appreciate the things around me, even while suffering.

    A cold on top

    In Huancavelica, I took a day off. The many hard days of cycling and a cold that didn’t seem to end forced me to rest for a while. Still, I knew the journey wasn’t finished yet. The endless up and downhills weren’t over, and I knew that until Cusco, it would still be quite a struggle. Despite my cold, I was making good progress on the bike.

    Huancavelica felt strange and nice at the same time. There were many food options and a comfortable bed, but it was also strange to suddenly see so many people again. I felt like a stranger after weeks on remote roads and through small villages. It’s a feeling that returns often the transition from solitude to a busy town always takes some adjustment.

    A not so bumpy ride

    After my rest day, I felt motivated again to tackle the last hard stretch to Cusco. It was still a long way with plenty of elevation gain, but at least most of it was on asphalt roads. I feared there would be a lot of traffic, but in the end it was better than expected. Except for the part just before Ayacucho, that was horrible.

    Mostly, riding here is good, but when I see how people drive, it can feel as if they have no sense of danger. It frustrates me to see that people are reckless not only with their own lives but also with those of others. The contrast with the peaceful countryside couldn’t be bigger. Add many aggressive dogs along the way, and you’re in for a stressful ride now and then. You really have to stay alert all the time.

    Cruising along

    Still, despite some obstacles and (maybe thanks to) a few personal challenges, I made steady progress toward Cusco. More and more, I found myself enjoying the ride again. I felt freer in my head and stronger every day. One day, while cycling up to a 4200m mountain pass, I felt like I could keep pushing hard all the way to the top. That feeling of endless energy is amazing and I had really missed it.

    Now in Cusco, I feel my body is ready for the next part, and I’m definitely getting into shape for the mountain to come. I’m taking a few days off to recover, as I still have a bit of a cough. The good news is that Steven is joining me until the end of October on the bike. We’ve done several cycling trips together already, so I’m really looking forward to sharing the road with him again.

    By the end of the month, Fien will join as well, so I’m feeling very confident that I’ll soon be physically and mentally ready to climb the 6th of the Secutec Seven Summits!

    But first: rest, relax, sightseeing, and maybe a bit of rock climbing too…

    Reaching Cusco feels like a small victory, a pause between two big chapters. The road from Huaraz tested my patience, my lungs, and my legs, but it also reminded me how much I love this rhythm of moving every day. Soon, the focus will shift to the mountain, and the next stage of this journey begins. For now, I’m enjoying the calm before the climb.

    Many thanks to my sponsors who make this crazy dream possible ! Secutec has just extended their sponsorship, since 2016 I’m having the best sponsor I could imagine. They celebrated their 20th anniversary a couple of weeks ago and proud to be part of the team!

  • Peru divide part 2, good company

    Peru divide part 2, good company

    Cedric and I decided to start together and see where we end up. The climb starts very steep and takes us up to 4800m. A rough ride but we made it up. The descent is thrilling and by the time we are down we get a hailstorm on us. We wait it out a bit and continue riding after that to find a good place to camp higher up. The next day we take our own rhythm, but meet again in the same place to have dinner and some conversations. The third day of cycling together Cedric stays in the place we have lunch and I carry on. 

    Do you understand?

    It was nice to have some company and great to be meeting other cyclists.

    It’s nice to meet other cyclists on the road, I’ve met an Australian couple, an English cyclist and Cedric by now. The thing is, I like to give an insight of what it’s like to be doing things like this. But it’s hard to feel really understood. Except for these cyclists. I see them and they see me, we all know we’re going through the same hassle. A couple of days ago I met Marina for just 10 minutes. She had a broken brake, she was tired and had a long climb ahead. She started to cry. I immediately understood why, it’s something that happens to me once in a while too here. You’re tired, cold, sick,… and it just gets too much. It’s just very important to show those emotions and not keep them constantly to yourself (in the right place of course). Things like this help me not to feel lonely or go crazy when I’m alone on the road. The same goes for those times at home…

    Alone at the top

    After Cedric and I split up I get going up again, this time for the highest pass I’ll be cycling on this trip. After a full morning of cycling uphill I reach 4910 m. I enjoy the view, the calm weather and appreciate the downhill a lot! A recent call with a friend helped me remember how I keep myself going on projects like this. I’m not going to lie, this is hard and after 12 years, sometimes I’m sick of it. I’m struggling more to find motivation, and although I will finish this, I wanted to get my joy back. She asked me to think of something I could look forward to in the near future. It made me think and realise that usually I focus on small progress. Small things to be grateful for, like food, a place to sleep, a shower… But sometimes I’m trapped in this tunnel vision looking at details and small things. Then it helps me to zoom out, what am I doing here? I’m cycling in Peru! In all this beauty, looking around! I’m fulfilling my dream! Talking about this helped me find my motivation back and enjoying this more. So then again, grateful for that conversation. 

    Gratitude

    I took a couple of longer days in the mountains and I got rewarded with the most amazing views! The diversity of this country is beyond words and I’m finding myself getting emotional again from time to time. Just to be able to see all this beauty and be able to experience that is so special.

  • Peru divide part 1

    Peru divide part 1

    The day my brother left I got food poisoning and I stayed an extra day in Huaraz to recover from that. The next couple of weeks I’d be cycling alone to Bolivia, where Fien will be coming to join me. For this section there’s the famous Peru Divide. A bikepacking trail that takes you to remote places and high (up to 4900m) passes.

    The sound of silence

    Getting out of Huaraz was easier than getting in. Traffic wasn’t that bad and gradually I was climbing my way up to more remote places. The first challenge was a mountain pass up to 4800 m by the Nevado Pastoruri. It took me a while to get up there, without seeing anyone else. The weather got colder and an occasional shower of hail hit me. Finding camp spots was easy, no one around and water everywhere. The silence was deafening, but the solitude felt good. Perfect to process everything from the past weeks. I felt alone yet alive, no distractions, just me and my thoughts and feelings. 

    The long shortcut

    After the very long descent I thought about making a “small” variation to the Peru divide. I saw that the Huayhuash trek is nearby and I cycled in the rain to Tupac Amaru, yes that’s a village here! From there it’s hike-a-bike up to the national park. I hoped that many sections would be rideable but I was wrong! Mostly I’m carrying and pushing the bike up steep rocky sections, but enjoying the amazing views. It takes me about 2 very hard days to get back on the normal circuit. I even had to climb over 2 fences and convince a guard of a dam to let me through… Just before the last mountain pass at about 4700m I end up in a storm. It’s always scary to be in your tent, when there’s lightning and thunder. After an hour it settles down and there’s a fresh layer of snow around. 

    Back on track

    Back on the normal track of the Peru divide it became easier to ride again. Not easy at all with all the up and downhill on gravel roads, but at least I could ride my bike. After an hour riding in the rain I arrive in Parqiun, a village before a very long climb. When I arrive I see another cyclist on the main plaza. Cedric is a cyclist from France heading the same direction. There’s a couple of locals drinking because it’s Sunday. They’re really nice and offer their help and support. I get my dinner and go to sleep in the park, the next day I’m expecting a long climb. 

    Read more in part 2

  • Sharing the views

    Sharing the views

    Dusty roads

    The further we head into the mountains, the more remote everything feels. Roads getting smaller, less people and easier to find camping spots. This, and the whole route in Peru is full of climbing and descending, but it’s extremely beautiful! Every time we get up a hill we got rewarded with amazing views. When we reach Huamachuco we check into a hotel, call our loved ones and head to the hospital for the second shot. I tell my brother that from here it will only become more beautiful. I’ve been looking forward to this next section with its crazy climbs and canyons. 

    Extending our roots

    We head out of Huamachuco and very soon we find ourselves on a traffic free dirt road. We relax and enjoy the views! The uphill is not too steep but after a couple of hours we reach 3600m, a new altitude record for my brother. His previous one was at 3400m, Pico d’Aneto. That was my (and his) first mountain we climbed about 18 years ago. We cycled from Belgium to the Pyrenees, traversed them in the length and climbed the highest mountain there. That’s where it all started for me and I’m grateful we can share these big milestones. We continue over low traffic routes to another section I have been looking forward to. Mollebamba and the everlasting hairpin turns. Maybe it’s the masochist in me, because I knew this was going to be hard. A steep descent over countless switchbacks, only to climb up the other side of the valley in the same way. Pretty tough on a loaded bike, but oh so rewarding! 

    Canyon life

    Once we were up in Pallasca another beautiful descent of about 60km lay ahead of us. Because it’s off road, our brakes got tested to the limit. We went from one canyon to the other, offering amazing views the whole way down and up. My neck still hurts from tossing it to all sides to enjoy the view. It’s never a dull moment in these places and the variation is just mind blowing. The last section before Caraz, there’s the Cañon Del Pato. A narrow road with many tunnels to cross. Another breathtaking section of crazy views and steep canyons. Crazy to see how cars and busses are able to pass here… Our progress is slow, mainly because of the time we take before and after every tunnel to see the views and take some pictures. The steep cliffs we’re cycling along are impressive. 

    Crazy driving

    The road from Caraz to Huaraz was full of amazing views as well. This time no canyons but many +6000m peaks. Another treat to be cycling under these giants but the only downside was that the closer we got the more intense and crazy traffic was. The contrast is always difficult, after cycling on nearly traffic empty roads, it’s hard to process the constant noise and threat of traffic. It’s exhausting and we find ourselves frustrated after a while. In the last part the views are blocked by a hill ridge and we just want to get to our goal! When we reach Huaraz, a big relief comes up. We made it after 830 km of difficult cycling, I’m very proud of my little big brother! 

    Lonesome town

    I can make this post on how strong I feel, how motivated I am to finish this. And while this is true, I feel vulnerable again. My brother is headed back home, and I’m continuing alone again. I feel strong and motivated. But vulnerable at the same time. Finding a new rhythm and balance again. Making decisions on my own, it makes it easy, but difficult at the same time. It’s a new phase again and I’m curious and excited but the first couple of days will be with a heavy heart on the road…

  • New energy to Aconcagua

    New energy to Aconcagua

    After my kayaking and cycling trip from Panama to Chiclayo, Peru, I went back home as planned in December. I needed some rest and preparation for the final stage to the 6th summit of this project: Aconcagua. My time in Belgium was great, seeing my friends and family again. A couple of weeks ago it was time to leave, with a heavy heart to be honest. This time for about 4 months, cycling from Chiclayo to Argentina and to climb Aconcagua by December. But first a 5200km cycling trip through the Andes.

    I made myself a promise about a year ago, to do as little as possible alone. I’m 12 years into this project now, I have done so much on my own and that’s great, but I’m tired and happy to share my experiences with others.

     Good company

    That’s why my eldest brother Peter decided to join me for 2 weeks, we cycled to the Pyrenees and back 15 years ago, and climbed our first mountain together. Fien, a good friend from uni, will join me later from Bolivia to Argentina. Then Rik and Bertrand will climb Aconcagua with me. 

    A fresh start

    About 2 weeks ago I left Belgium with my brother to Chiclayo, Peru. There we immediately set up our bikes and started cycling south. For him it’s a whole new experience here, and it’s great to see his point of view on things. After many years of adventuring I tend to be less surprised about random stuff. For example the first cactus he sees he’s like: “damn! I’ve never seen such a big cactus in my life”. It’s great to feel this new energy again and I love to share my experiences with my brother. This way he can get a closer insight into what my life has been in the past 12 years. 

    New experiences

    The first day we started in the desert, a long boring road, the Pan-American highway. It’s Peter’s first time in a desert and the feeling of the magnitude of such place can be overwhelming. Despite headwinds we make steady progress and after 70km we take a left turn, straight to the mountains. In a day we get so much variation, from a chaotic city, to the desert, to rivers and mountains. We try to find a good place to camp but locals always tell us to go further for our safety. In the end of a long day we pitch our tent at the side of the road, next to a bridge, out of sight. That night my brother doesn’t sleep well, a car passes by and wakes him up as it stops. He thinks they saw us and can’t sleep for the rest of the night, worrying something might happen to us. 

    That’s in big contrast to my experience, I learned to fall back to sleep after such events as I’m sure we where well hidden. Still, in all honesty, it took a long time for me to wild camp without a worry. Every sound you heard at first, wakes you up and makes you wonder if someone/something is coming.

    Up on the hill

    The next days we head deeper into the mountains. Full days of cycling uphill as we are set to head up to our first big obstacle, a mountain pass at 3200m altitude. Just before we reach the top, my brother gets bitten by a dog. Luckily we are not far away from the next big city and we descend down straight to the hospital. Since he had had his rabies shots in Belgium beforehand he would only need 2 shots to be safe. Rabies is a disease not to be taken lightly. Once you start having symptoms, there’s no chance of survival. A couple of hours later and 3 euros lighter we head to our guesthouse for some well deserved rest. We talk about what to do next, where can he get that second shot? After asking around we head to Huamachuco, there should be a hospital with the vaccines too. Perfect timing would allow us to cycle in 3 days to the city, get the shot and prepare for the next section.

    Curious about what’s next? Click here

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