Challenge Prep begins!

The dust is settling on my last challenge... settling back into normal life is complete. The book is out... A Divide of Two Halves      and the documentary of the same name is also available  (CLICK HERE)  So what happens now??

Essentially the feet begin to itch and I start chasing the plastic carrier bags of my dreams as they are blown by the wind (see ABSOLUTE REALITY- for the reference).

So what does that mean?
It means that the planning phase for my next challenge has begun.

After much debate and various temptations .. the destination is settled....
ECUADOR and the route of the volcanoes!

So how does one go about planning a challenge of a lifetime? (number 4 and counting)
Over the course of the months between now and the day I go I will be blogging about different aspects of planning a challenge. What considerations there are? Choosing kit... making plans B,C..X for when things don't go as planned. Where do I start? And so on!

But Firstly a bit about the route I have chosen and why I think it will live up to being 'A Challenge Of A Lifetime'.

I found the route on a fantastic site called bikepacking.com. It seems to live up to everything I ask for from a journey and more. The route itself is only 900 miles.. off-road and mainly double track. I disgarded the singletrack option, reasoning that I had done enough 'hike a bike' to last me a few years. But did that leave enough of a challenge?

Well .... I am going out of my comfort zone as it will be the first ride in a non english speaking country... Spanish and the local dialect of Quecha are spoken. English may be fine in the big towns but this ride goes mainly through tiny mountain villages where English will not necessarily be understood. Item 1 on my to do list... learn a bit of Spanish.

Secondly... although the route is only 900 miles (compared to the whopping 2400 of Route 66 for example) it is at considerably more altitude than any of my other rides, even the Tour Divide. With the highest point at just over 15000 ft it is a good 4000ft higher than previously cycled by me!

No bears this time (I think... research on that not yet done) but packs of dogs are a distinct possibility and I think I would rather face down a charging Grizzly than face hordes of (possibly rabid) dogs!

A description of cycling in Ecuador goes like this :-

The first two Spanish words you learn will be "bajada" and "cuesta." A "bajada" is a downhill and a "cuesta" is the opposite. Between these to words, the former will quickly become your favorite. The Spanish word for "level" you will not need to worry about. In other words, mountain biking in Ecuador alternates between tormenting cuestas and extreme bajadas. 

Hmmmmm

That aside... my plan is as follows...

Ride the 900 miles, including transfers to the route start and from the route end, in 3 weeks. Then in my final week... go and climb the Cotopaxi volcano. (Just to finish me off!) 

Cotopaxi is a proper climb. Done over 2 days and requiring crampons, ice axe and ropes, it reaches 5,897 m (19,347 ft) which is only 2000m lower than Everest... like I said... a proper climb! 

That's my plan.. well Plan A at least! 

So given that the route is already laid out for me... thats a lot of work done... leaving me time to fill in details.

Filling in the details starts with a list. This list is comprised of lots of parts... equally important to the final outcome.

They are as follows:-

Country specific stuff... things like checking which currency they use... which immunisations to get... if I need a visa... which areas are NOT SAFE... which of the local wildlife do I have to be concerned about... what language... credit cards or cash ? Weather???

Travel Specific stuff

Travel insurance (does it cover biking in remote areas) SPOT tracker subscription.. Emergency numbers... flights... transfer to start and back from finish... when to go???

Route specific stuff

What towns/villages do I go through... where can I camp/stay... where resupply is possible... how far in between resupply... water availability... distance to cover each day in time allowed... type of climbs... type of roads... 

Kit specific stuff

Which bike... which tyres... what spares to take... how to transport bike... which camping kit... which clothes... 

And that's not the whole list!!!

So as you can see... there is a whole heap of stuff to think about and plan. That is part of the fun!

And then there is training!! In all honesty... I hate training... but some needs to be done. Over the winter I had little enthusiasm for my bike or cycling in this country and so now it is officially summer.. it is time for me to get my fat arse in gear... lose some weight and gain back the lost muscle and lung capacity. Its going to hurt... big time. 

So keep an eye on my fb page One Challenge At A Time for all the planning updates.... subscribe to this blog.. and sit back and relax whilst watching my plan come together...

Lets go on another journey!