Spokes and Shoes

Intro I spent the morning in the hostel kitchen in Cajamarca, my mind already halfway to Chachapoyas but my body tethered to a laptop and a pile of damp clothes. The sky was a non-committal grey-blue, partly cloudy and indifferent to the fact that I was trading my pedals for Read more

Intro Cajamarca is holding me still today, and for once, I’m not fighting it. My legs are still humming from the relentless 1,000-meter climbs of the past week, and a stubborn headache meant the bike stayed leaned against the hotel wall while I navigated the city on foot and by Read more

Intro Good Friday has draped a strange, heavy quiet over Cajamarca, a sharp contrast to the brutal 1,000-meter climbs of the previous days. The sky remained mostly sunny and indifferent to my exhaustion, reflecting off the paved streets and polished cobblestones of the historic center as I swapped my cycling Read more

Intro I left Yanacancha this morning with a stomach full of nothing but four small, over-sweet bananas and a handful of dry biscuits. The sky was a heavy, unmoving grey, and the road immediately turned into a steep, loose gravel grind that forced me into my lowest gear before I’d Read more

Intro I’m writing this by the light of a single bulb in Yanacancha, my legs still humming from the 1,081-meter climb. The morning in Bambamarca was heavy and overcast, the kind of grey that makes the decision to take the unpaved 3NB route feel like a serious roll of the Read more

Intro I’m writing this from a hotel room in Bambamarca, my skin still humming from a 34-kilometer day that felt twice as long. The morning in Chota began with a heavy, overcast sky and the realization that the Andes don’t care about my planning, whether it’s for today’s 821-meter climb Read more

Intro I’m sitting on a balcony in Chota tonight, watching the light fade over the Plaza de Armas while my quadriceps twitch in a slow, rhythmic protest. Today was only 39 kilometers on paper, but with 1,290 meters of vertical gain, it felt like trying to scale a skyscraper made Read more

Intro Chancay Baños is a quiet pocket of heat and sulfur after yesterday’s 1,300-meter vertical grind. The sky was mostly clear today, and for once, the bike stayed locked in the hotel room while I navigated the gravel side-roads on foot and by moto-taxi. The air here feels heavy with Read more

Intro I’m writing this from a small balcony in Chancay Baños, my legs finally still after a day spent grinding up 1,300 meters of vertical gain. The ride out of Catache began under a patchwork sky, transitioning from the dry heat of the lowlands into a lush, green ascent. Most Read more

Intro The morning at Puente Cumbil began with a heavy, humid stillness under a partly cloudy sky that promised heat without the relief of a breeze. My legs were already tight before I even hit the first incline of a 1,100-meter climb, staring at a road surface that alternated between Read more