Across Andes 2025 - my story
I finished the Across Andes 2025 gravel cycling race just before midnight on 27 th November, about eight hours later than planned, but sixteen hours within the 128-hour time limit. It was a good time to finish because the after-party was going strong, with the riders who had completed the race before me celebrating surviving one of the most challenging cycling events they would ever attempt – 800 km on gravel roads with 12000 m of climbing. A Columbian man congratulated me saying that at age 58 he thought he was the oldest finisher until he saw that I was 71. I believe that I was the oldest rider by several years. At the start, with a clean bike for the last time in 5 days Departing Pucon with the Villarica volcano in the background I started in Pucon with the other 257 riders at 8 am on 23 rd November. Half of them were “solos” like me, who had to ride alone, and the rest were “duos”, who rode ...