Distance: 108.48 km
Ride time: 5:14:56
Average: 20.66 km/h
Max speed: 50.23 km/h
Total: 33849 km
For the first time since leaving Cali, today’s stage was a flat one. The next couple of days I will be following the mighty Cauca river towards Cartagena. Compared to cycling in the mountains this means that several things have changed.
First of all it is a whole lot warmer. The morning hours were nice enough, but at midday things started to get uncomfortably hot. I will need another week to adjust to these temperatures well above 30 degrees. Luckily there are plenty of kiosks along the way where you can buy an ice cream and a cold drink.
The other thing that has changed is the fact that the landscape is much more monotonous. Yesterday in the mountains I took 100 photos – today I took one.
Cycling on flat roads is certainly easier than all the climbing I have been doing lately. On the other hand, in the unbearable midday heat I wanted to be back up there in the fresh mountain air again. The grass is always greener…
Caucasia is halfway between Medellin and Cartagena. As I arrived I found a somewhat anonymous town but with a hotel (with wifi) and a supermarket – pretty much all you need as a cyclist. I think I might make a rest day out of it tomorrow as I have some office work that needs attention.
