Cycling The Globe

Distance: 88.45 km
Ride time: 5:19:08
Average: 16.62 km/h
Max speed: 53.25 km/h
Total: 29373 km

I left Chala early in the morning and headed into another “gray area” on my map. Nothing was mentioned for the next 160 km although I expected a few small villages on the way.

I did indeed pass a few kiosks and restaurants during the day. I enjoy to sit down for 30 minutes, having a coffee, perhaps reading a few pages on my Kindle before continuing.

After lunch the coastal fog was lifting but at the same time the winds really picked up. Luckily the wind was coming partly from the back, partly from the side, which meant I could keep up speed but had to pay a lot of attention when the trucks were passing.

If this had been a straight head wind I don’t think it would have been possible to cycle. Now I was making steady progress but with the sand from the surrounding dunes drifting across the road. I was hoping I wouldn’t get a flat tire as there was absolutely no shade from the wind and all my things would have flown away if I needed to open my bags.

My route then turned inland, and I was enjoying a strong tail wind blowing me towards the village of Lomas. There I found a road side restaurant with a friendly mama serving local dishes. When I explained that I planned to cycle into the desert and camp there she looked terrified. “You better put up your tent next to the restaurant as there will be nothing and nobody out there”. I tried to explain that “nothing” and “nobody” actually sounded like a pretty good place to camp to me, but the mama didn’t seem to agree.

I then spent another few hours chatting with the family in the restaurant until sunset when I put up my tent in the back yard. Tomorrow I should reach Nazca, home to the famous Nazca lines!