All riders are now off the course and safely returned to Punta Arenas for the race party tonight. Those who have been here for a few nights will have been enjoying the food offering after a few bland days of food on the course. The remoteness of Tierra del Fuego island cannot be overstated, most of the inhabitants of the island are two flights away from the capital city and much of the food and supplies make a very long and arduous journey south from the more arable land further north. There’s no shortage of guanacos and sheep down here though!

The final stretch of the route is spectacular and perfectly experienced at the speed of a bicycle. The climax of the route traverses two climbs into the Cordillera Darwin; the organiser had saved the two highest climbs in the race for last, some may call it a sting in the tail, some a reward for their efforts over the previous 1,000km. Over the last night of riding, the rain in the lowlands turned to snow atop the passes which made for a beautiful sunrise. Many riders stopped in the final CP at Lago Blanco in order to summit these passes in the daylight, even though it only left 120km of the route. With the exclusion of the top few riders, the remaining riders were mostly content with their efforts to Lago Blanco and ultimately prioritised the experience of enjoying the remaining 150 kilometres in the daylight, which were always promised to be special, over arriving at Caleta Maria the night in a sleep deprived state.

Winner, Juan Carlos's, bike with a photo of his family and a drawing from his young daughter taped to his saddle pack. Image: Luis Bustos

The Last Night

The two remaining female pairs (Suazo sisters and Francisca and Valentina) were all rescued on the last night before the two climbs as the cold set in. Given it was snowing atop the mountains and they were cold before the climb, this is exactly what the SOS button is there for. The race is held in such a remote location that the absence of public transport and passing traffic meant the organisation needed to provide the race's extraction services themselves. They did this by having a total of eight pick-up trucks on course at all times, completing a mix of tasks from rescuing riders to media and logistics, such as shuttling riders on the 5 hour drive from the finish at Caleta Maria back to Porvenir, for them to take the boat to Punta Arenas.

Results

The official results have been released and can be found here for the and .

You will notice in the Ultra results there are a handful of men who are noted as finishers, without finish times. These are a group of friends from Mallorca, Spain who decided before the race that they wanted to ride together, with the exclusion of one rider who would be included in the race. Each year they partake in an endurance event together, they are trail runners by trade but made the journey to Chilean Patagonia together to tackle their first bikepacking race. By the time they arrived in Puerto Natales they had agreed on a change in priorities; they would prefer to ride in each other’s company, take good rest in accommodation each night and ride only in daylight hours. Considering they did such little riding in the dark, and there is less than 12 hours of daylight, they did tremendously well to finish within 5 and a half days and enjoy their first bikepacking event!

Header image: Benja Villela

As of the afternoon today, our women’s race has a podium. Ashley Wedelich took the top step having finished on Wednesday while local riders Margarita Sepúlveda Rebolledo finished second and, earlier today, Camila Malig took the final step on the podium after 5 days and 10 hours of riding. The two arrived on the Island of Tierra del Fuego on the same ferry and Maggie took a seventeen hour gap over the second half of the race largely due to differing sleep tactics. Maggie arrived at Caleta Maria minutes before midnight on day 4 taking thirteenth overall.

Image: Luis Bustos

Maggie hails from Punta Arenas, the capital of the province of Magallanes and the location of the finisher’s party on Saturday evening. Riders are being shuttled from the finish at Caleta Maria to Porvenir, from where they will take a ferry to Punta Arenas and continue their homeward journeys independently. Maggie will be quick to leave Porvenir as her stay there during the race will not be a night she’ll be looking to repeat. She was tucked up in bed and all was well in a quiet empty hostel until water blasted from the kitchen tap in the middle of the night, waking her up and robbing her of any sleep for the rest of the night. I suppose even ghosts can dotwatch.

Maggie, Camila and CP volunteer Paola at Caméron CP. Image: Benjamín Villela

Camila has a ring-bound collection of mantras a good girlfriend wrote and made for her which I particularly enjoyed reading. They are handwritten and hand-taped for waterproofing! The mantras are mostly supportive phrases a friend on the end of the phone would say in a moment of need, with the exception of “ride like your ex is following you”, which was my personal favourite!

Image: Benjamín Villela

The last CP at Lago Blanco closed today at 6pm and all riders made it within the time cut. The final riders were the two female pairs: Valentina Cerday and Francisca Aqueveque, and the Suazo sisters, Pamela and Maite. Both pairs left Porvenir this morning and spent the first half a day riding through the mild but persistent rain! They all remarked on how their favourite part of the route was the ride up to Lago Blanco through the autumnal forests, they’re in for a treat with the rest of the route given the forested hairpin climbs and descent towards the finish. The pairs are going to continue riding through the night with the hope of making it to the finish in the dark hours tomorrow morning ahead of its closing at midday. Two of the women remarked on their sore and painful knees, Francisca so much to say she no longer has any knees! Fran is due to be at work in Punta Arenas tomorrow morning which is looking unlikely but everything is possible.

For both Fran and Valentina this was their first ultra bikepacking race, they have both done brevets and gravel races around Santiago before, but never ventured into the wonderful world of bikepacking. Maite and Pamela both raced Across Andes in 2022, but as solo riders, and they finished side-by-side. They were the last racers at this event and claimed they approached it more like an “extended social ride” which is also how they’ve approached this event and are due to arrive as the lanterne rouge into Caleta Maria tomorrow morning. As sisters, they’ve been honing their communication skills since birth and there are many things that go without saying which makes spending such intense time together much easier and enjoyable.

The pairs category was won by two Romanian riders who had travelled a long and convoluted route just to make it to the start! Vlad and Silviu finished the Silk Road Mountain Race as a pair in 2022 and are both veterans of UTMB PTL, the 300km tour of Mont Blanc, so are no strangers to inhospitable environments. They live within a few hours of Bucharest so do very well to be prepared for such extreme races when their own training grounds are more civilised.

Header image: Benjamín Villela

English

One overarching sentiment of the race is the solitude of the riding down here. The pampa is, on the surface, an empty and barren landscape but much life hides beneath this illusion, it's just invisible to those moving through with a purpose. The occasional guanaco is the only thing riders will see moving across the landscapes with them but, for the most part, the riders are the only visible movement in an otherwise stationary and stoic landscape. Ashley Wedelich remarked on how formidable the landscape is and how it must have defined those who live here. It's also a landscape that has allowed these riders to show their own fortitude.

The road up to the control point at Lago Blanco has been a firm favourite amongst riders. A handful of riders arrived in the dark last night and left in the dark this morning so were not able to enjoy the splendour of the road to and from the CP through the lenga and ñire forest, but the ones who could remarked on how special it is. All finishers will be shuttled back to Porvenir by the organisation from where they can take a ferry to Punta Arenas and their onward journeys back home. The logistics for this race are gargantuan; a point to point race with zero transport infrastructure means the organisation provide all transport and it's a heavy task!

Photo: Clemente Diaz

Our winner arrived at the end of the road, marking the end of race, in the early hours of this morning. Juan Carlos Escolar arrived after 65 of riding, over two hours ahead of his closest rival, Andres Arias. Fin Camino is a fitting end to a rider’s race, having ridden from Puerto Natales to cross the Magellan Strait and the length of the road in Chilean Tierra del Fuego. The end of the road is at a small bay called Caleta Maria which sits at the bottom of the Darwin Cordillera, which is full of a stunning 60 glaciers, one of which is in view from the Fin Camino sign. Now, how many podiums are overlooked by a glacier?

The podium. As understated as it gets. Riders from left to right: Andres, Juan Carlos and Ashley. Photo: Andrew Figueroa

Here is the list of finishers at midnight on the 16th April.

Juan Carlos Escolar - 65 horas 02 minutos

Andres Arias - 67 horas 11 minutos

Ashley Wedelich - 76 horas 36 minutos

Wayne Hitchcott - 79 horas 18 minutos

Felipe Mallea - 79 horas 34 minutos

Diego Castro - 81 horas 03 minutos

Felipe Ravena - 83 horas 55 minutos

Nicolas Miller - 84 Horas 52 Minutos

Ashley is the only rider from the US at this race and Wayne the only Brit. His background in Ironmans, GB age group triathlon and road racing has translated well to bikepacking. Coincidentally, these two foreigners both finished the Atlas Mountain Race in 2023 and Patagonia caught their eye. The vast majority of racers are Chilean, and even though this is their home country, for many this is the first time they are visiting Tierra del Fuego and jumped at the chance to ride here. It’s a remote and inhospitable archipelago to a country that shares the title of being at the end of the world, which should give you some idea of how rarely visited the Chilean side to this island is.

Header image: Andrew Figueroa

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Un sentimiento general de la carrera es la soledad de rodar por aca abajo. La pampa es, en apariencia, un paisaje vacío y estéril, pero hay mucha vida oculta bajo esta ilusión, sólo que es invisible para aquell@s que la atraviesan con un propósito. El guanaco ocasional es lo único que l@s ciclistas verán moviéndose con ell@s a través de los paisajes pero, en su mayor parte, l@s ciclistas son el único movimiento visible en un paisaje por lo demás inmóvil y estoico. Ashley Wedelich comentó lo formidable que es el paisaje y cómo debe haber definido a quienes viven aquí. También es un paisaje que ha permitido a estos ciclistas mostrar su propia fortaleza.

La carretera hasta el punto de control de Lago Blanco ha sido una de los favoritos de l@s corredor@s. Un pequeño grupo de corredor@s llegó ayer de noche y se marchó de noche esta mañana, por lo que no pudieron disfrutar del esplendor del camino de ida y vuelta al CP a través del bosque de lengas y ñires, pero los que pudieron comentaron lo particular que es. Tod@s l@s finishers serán trasladad@s de vuelta a Porvenir por la organización, desde donde podrán tomar un ferry a Punta Arenas y regresar a sus hogares. La logística de esta carrera es gigantesca; una carrera punto a punto sin ninguna infraestructura de transporte significa que la organización proporciona todo el transporte, ¡y es una tarea pesada! Nuestro ganador llegó al final del camino, marcando el final de la carrera, en las primeras horas de esta mañana. Juan Carlos Escolar llegó después de 65 horas de pedaleo, más de dos horas por delante de su rival más cercano, Andrés Arias. Fin Camino es un final apropiado para la carrera de un ciclista, después de haber pedaleado desde Puerto Natales para cruzar el Estrecho de Magallanes y la totalidad de la carretera en la Tierra de Fuego chilena. El final del camino está en una pequeña bahía llamada Caleta María, al pie de la Cordillera Darwin, llena de 60 glaciares, uno de los cuales se ve desde la señal de Fin Camino. ¿Cuántos podios están dominados por un glaciar?

El podio. Más discreto imposible. De izquierda a derecha: Andrés, Juan Carlos y Ashley. Foto: Andrew Figueroa

Esta es la lista de finalistas a medianoche del 16 de abril.

Juan Carlos Escolar - 65 horas 02 minutos

Andres Arias - 67 horas 11 minutos

Ashley Wedelich - 76 horas 36 minutos

Wayne Hitchcott - 79 horas 18 minutos

Felipe Mallea - 79 horas 34 minutos

Diego Castro - 81 horas 03 minutos

Felipe Ravena - 83 horas 55 minutos

Nicolas Miller - 84 horas 52 minutos

Ashley es la única corredora estadounidense en esta carrera y Wayne el único británico. Su experiencia en Ironmanes, triatlónes y carreras de ciclismo de ruta se ha reflejado muy bien en el ciclismo de montaña. Casualmente, est@s dos extranjer@s terminaron el Atlas Mountain Race en 2023 y la Patagonia les llamó la atención. La gran mayoría de l@s corredor@s son chilen@s, y aunque este es su país de origen, para much@s es la primera vez que visitan Tierra del Fuego y no dejaron pasar la oportunidad de pedalear aquí. Es un archipiélago remoto e inhóspito para un país que comparte el título de estar en el fin del mundo, lo que debería darle una idea de lo poco visitada que es la parte chilena de esta isla.

English

At latitudes so far south in autumn there is less than 12 hours of daylight, combined with such large temperature swings from day to night in the steppe, this has made for some long lonely nights for our riders. I’ve never been to a race where most riders are wearing tights and not shorts with leg warmers. That should give you an indication of how reliably cold it would be here at this time of year. However, none of the leaders seem to be too affected by the bitter cold at night and have maintained good spirits. If the wind was to blow or the heavens open, then this would undoubtedly change.

I’m writing this from the last control point at Lago Blanco. I thought the last CP at Cameron was stellar but I now have a new favourite CP. The cabañas here in Lago Blanco are a paradise. The view from the cabañas over the lake is second only to the road here. The road was forged through the lenga forest which is so dense it makes the road feel much like a hollow way and the autumnal colours have added another dimension to the beauty. Tierra del Fuego is supposedly named the Land of Fire due to the indigenous lighting fires on the beaches when the colonists arrived, but you would be forgiven for assuming it’s due to the colours of the deciduous lengas. Little remains of the green summer leaves as the orange and red have burnt through since the turning of the season and the landscapes appear to be ablaze. I could wax lyrical about the beauty of this place but I should move on to writing about the race.

Juan Carlos and Andres have managed to extend their lead over Ashley after she took a 6 hour sleep in Porvenir, so much so it will take some bad luck on their part to change things this late in the race. Juan Carlos and Andres are good friends and this isn’t the first time they’ve raced each other. At Across Andes last year, Juan Carlos trumped Andres to finish tenth, two places ahead and Andres was hoping to return the favour here but he’ll fall short. He’s had repeated puncture problems and has lost his rhythm having to regularly pump up his tyre, even after he tubed it. Approximately two hours separates these two men now but with only 10km to the finish for Juan Carlos, it's all but won.

Julen and Ivars retired from the race this morning in Porvenir having struggled with their respective challenges; Julen’s stomach reacted badly to some expired carbohydrate mix he took on the first day and he has struggled to refuel sufficiently since, Ivars’ Di2 battery died yesterday lunchtime and was stuck in the small chainring which wasn’t much use for the long flat stretches across the pampa yesterday!

I will be stationary at the CP in Lago Blanco until it closes at the end of the working week so will pick up more stories from the midpack then as I’m aware I’ve focused too much on the leaders and neglected the best part of the race! Almost all riders have crossed the Strait of Magallan and are on the island of Tierra del Fuego.

Photos: Luis Bustos

The frost is settling in for the night and there are a handful of riders due to arrive before sunrise. The comfort of the bed and fire may be too much to refuse, although it's only 150km to the end of the road at Caleta Maria.

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Día 3 - El otoño en todo su esplendor

En otoño, en latitudes tan australes, hay menos de 12 horas de luz, lo que, unido a las grandes oscilaciones térmicas entre el día y la noche en la estepa, ha provocado largas noches de soledad para nuestr@s corredor@s. Nunca había asistido a una carrera en la que la mayoría de l@s corredor@s llevaran bib largos y no bib cortos con perneras. Eso debería dar una idea del frío que hace aquí en esta época del año. Sin embargo, ninguno de l@s líderes parece demasiado afectado por el intenso frío nocturno y han mantenido el buen humor. Si soplara el viento o se abrieran los cielos, esto cambiaría sin duda.

Estoy escribiendo esto desde el último punto de control en Lago Blanco. Pensaba que el último CP en Cameron era estelar pero ahora tengo un nuevo CP favorito. Las cabañas acá en Lago Blanco son un paraíso. La vista desde las cabañas sobre el lago sólo es superada por la del camino hacia acá. La carretera se forjó a través del Bosque de Lengas, que es tan denso que hace que la carretera parezca un camino hueco, y los colores otoñales han añadido otra dimensión a la belleza. Tierra del Fuego recibe supuestamente el nombre de Tierra del Fuego porque los indígenas encendían hogueras en las playas cuando llegaron los colonos, pero se podría pensar que se debe a los colores de las lengas caducifolias. Poco queda de las hojas verdes del verano, ya que el naranja y el rojo se han ido quemando desde el cambio de la estación y los paisajes parecen estar en llamas. Podría extenderme líricamente sobre la belleza de este lugar, pero debería pasar a escribir sobre la carrera.

Juan Carlos y Andrés han conseguido ampliar su ventaja sobre Ashley después de que ella durmiera 6 horas en Porvenir, tanto que hará falta algo de mala suerte por su parte para que las cosas cambien a estas alturas de la carrera. Juan Carlos y Andrés son buenos amigos y no es la primera vez que se enfrentan. El año pasado, en Across Andes, Juan Carlos superó a Andrés y terminó décimo, dos puestos por delante, y Andrés esperaba devolverle el favor aquí, pero no lo conseguirá. Ha tenido repetidos problemas de pinchazos y ha perdido el ritmo al tener que inflar regularmente su neumático, incluso después de haberlo entubado. Aproximadamente dos horas separan ahora a estos dos hombres, pero a sólo 10 km de la meta para Juan Carlos, todo está prácticamente ganado.

Julen e Ivars se retiraron de la carrera esta mañana en Porvenir después de haber tenido problemas con sus respectivos desafíos; el estómago de Julen reaccionó mal a unos carbohidratos caducada que tomó el primer día y ha tenido problemas para repostar lo suficiente desde entonces, la batería Di2 de Ivars se agotó ayer al mediodía y se quedó atascada en el plato pequeño, que le rindieron mucho para los largos tramos llanos a través de la pampa de ayer.

Me quedaré en el CP de Lago Blanco hasta que cierre al final de la semana laboral, así que recopilaré más historias del grupo intermedio entonces, ¡ya que soy consciente de que me he centrado demasiado en los líderes y he descuidado la mejor parte de la carrera! Casi todos los corredores han cruzado el Estrecho de Magallanes y se encuentran en la isla de Tierra del Fuego.

La helada se está imponiendo para pasar la noche y hay unos cuantos ciclistas que llegarán antes del amanecer. La comodidad de la cama y el fuego puede ser demasiado para rechazar, aunque sólo hay 150 km hasta el final de la carretera en Caleta María.

English

One quirk this race has is the organiser’s decision to include a bagdrop due to the remote and unreliable nature of resupply; riders have been able to send ahead a bag to the CP in San Gregorio. Most riders have filled these with food, spare tights and some basic bike maintenance items, such as baby wipes and lube. Juan Carlos pulled out a running vest he had pre-stuffed with gels, sweets and electrolyte tabs. A phenomenon I’ve seen much more in Chile than Europe is the use of trail running style equipment and nutrition. This approach puts a little more weight on a rider’s body but diminishes as they eat and keeps the bike light.

CP San Gregorio - Halfway

Juan Carlos, the leading rider, arrived at the sixth control point in San Gregorio at 7:30am, half an hour over the 24 hour mark at almost exactly the halfway point. This checkpoint is significantly more upmarket than the previous camp! The community hall is warm and has hot showers, which a rider is yet to use, hot water and plugs to charge.

Andrés arrived a mere 30 minutes behind Juan Carlos but left first as he forewent any sleep at the CP, unlike Juan Carlos who bedded down for an hour. Ashley and the pair of Ivars and Julen arrived together having all slept well. Ash tucked into her bivvy for four hours sleep roadside, while the pair took three hours in a bed in a hotel just off the route near the previous CP and were treated to a great breakfast. Accommodation is few and far between down here so it often comes with a price tag which will be outside of many riders’ budgets given the short length of their sleeps, so we’re unlikely to see many riders sleeping outside of the CPs.

Today, the bikepacking Gods have given with one hand and taken with another. Andrés was gifted an extra half hour advantage over the following four as their scheduled ferry was delayed due to a refuelling of one of the ferries. This delay did allow Ashley to catch the three men ahead of her as she had taken her time at the CP to make the most of the amenities. The gods decided that was enough good luck for one day and Ivars was struck with issues to his Di2 and Andrés with puncture problems. Having repumped his rear tyre repeatedly, he was forced to detour into Cerro Sombrero and fix this with some superglue. The roads roughen after Porvenir so he will be hoping this fix holds.

At the CP in San Gregorio and at the ferry, there was a noticeable difference between the efficiency of the riders who arrived having not slept and those who had. The pair and Ashley arrived together, they were methodical with their bag drops and left swiftly, whereas Andres and Juan Carlos were in less of a rush. This efficiency has compounded during the day as Ashley, Julen and Ivars were able to close in on Andrés and Juan Carlos. They are all currently around Porvenir and with the longest climb of the race ahead of them and heading into a long remote stretch before the next CP at the King Penguin Park, they’re rolling the dice on whether they will need to sleep tonight and finding somewhere suitable. Temperatures drop significantly overnight in the steppe and the wind rattling off the Pacific Ocean chills things evermore, although the wind tends to calm down overnight.

The Zine

Each rider has been given a magazine which includes the many points of interest en route. These are not the usual POIs of bikepackers, perhaps they should be called points of importance. It’s not a list of resupplies and bike shops, but instead a collection of historically significant places, including those of indigenous and colonial importance. The ferry from mainland Chile to the island of Tierra del Fuego crossed the Strait of Magallanes, named after Fernando Magellan who, in 1520, captained the first ship to successfully navigate the uncharted route through the islands and fjords south of the South American mainland from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Fortunately, riders have GPS units nowadays and Tito has scouted this route multiple times for them so there’s nothing uncharted about their rides!

I'll endeavour to include some more information about the route and its rich history over the coming reports.

Español

Una de las peculiaridades de esta carrera es la decisión del organizador de incluir una bolsa de avituallamiento, debido a la remota y poco fiable naturaleza del avituallamiento. L@s corredor@s han podido enviar una bolsa al CP de San Gregorio. La mayoría las han llenado con comida, mallas de repuesto y algunos artículos básicos para el mantenimiento de la bicicleta, como toallitas humedas y lubricante. Juan Carlos sacó un chaleco de running que había llenado previamente con geles, caramelos y tabletas de electrolitos. Un fenómeno que he visto mucho más en Chile que en Europa es el uso de equipamiento y nutrición estilo trail running. Este enfoque pone un poco más de peso en el cuerpo del ciclista, pero disminuye a medida que va comiendo y mantiene la bicicleta ligera.

CP San Gregorio - Mitad del recorrido

Juan Carlos, el corredor de cabeza, llegó al sexto punto de control en San Gregorio a las 7:30 de la mañana, media hora por encima de la marca de 24 horas, casi exactamente en el punto intermedio. Este punto de control es significativamente más lujoso que el campamento anterior. El salón comunitario es cálido y dispone de agua caliente, enchufes para cargar y duchas de agua caliente, que aún tienen que ser utilizadas por ciclistas.

Andrés llegó apenas 30 minutos después que Juan Carlos, pero salió primero porque no quería dormir en el CP - a diferencia de Juan Carlos, que si se acostó durante una hora. Ashley y la pareja formada por Ivars y Julen llegaron junt@s tras haber dormido bien. Ash se había metido en su vivac para dormir cuatro horas junto a la carretera, mientras que la pareja había dormido tres horas en la cama de un hotel justo al lado de la ruta, cerca del anterior punto de control, y disfrutaron de un estupendo desayuno. Aquí el alojamiento es escaso, por lo que suelen tener un precio elevado y como para dormir solo unas pocas horas, estará fuera del presupuesto de much@s ciclistas, por lo que es poco probable que veamos a much@s de ell@s durmiendo fuera de los CP.

Hoy, los dioses del bikepacking han dado con una mano, y han quitado con la otra. Andrés recibió media hora más de ventaja a l@s cuatro siguientes, ya que el ferry previsto de ell@s se retrasó debido a que uno de los ferrys tuvo que repostar. Este retraso permitió a Ashley alcanzar a los tres hombres que le llevaban ventaja, pues había aprovechado su tiempo en el CP para disfrutar al máximo de las comodidades. Los dioses decidieron que ya era suficiente buena suerte por hoy e Ivars tuvo problemas con su Di2 y Andrés con un pinchazo. Tuvo que desviarse a Cerro Sombrero y arreglarlo con un poco de pegamento. Las carreteras se vuelven más duras después de Porvenir, así que él espera que este arreglo aguante.

En el CP de San Gregorio y en el ferry, se notaba la diferencia entre la eficiencia de l@s corredor@s que llegaban sin haber dormido y l@s que sí lo habían hecho. La pareja y Ashley llegaron junt@s, fueron metódic@s con la entrega de bolsas y se marcharon rápidamente, mientras que Andrés y Juan Carlos tenían menos prisa. Esta eficacia se ha acentuado durante el día, ya que Ashley, Julen e Ivars han podido acercarse a Andrés y Juan Carlos. Tod@s ell@s se encuentran actualmente en los alrededores de Porvenir y, con la subida más larga de la carrera por delante y dirigiéndose hacia un largo tramo remoto antes del siguiente CP en la Reserva Natural Pingüino Rey, estarán decidiendo si necesitarán dormir esta noche y encontrar un lugar adecuado.

La revista

Cada ciclista ha recibido una revista que incluye los numerosos puntos de interés en ruta. No son los POI habituales de los bikepackers, quizá deberían llamarse puntos de importancia. No es una lista de reabastecimientos y tiendas de bicicletas, sino una colección de lugares de importancia histórica, incluidos los de importancia indígena y colonial. El ferry de Chile continental a la isla Tierra del Fuego cruza el estrecho de Magallanes, llamado así en honor de Fernando de Magallanes, que en 1520 capitaneó el primer barco que navegó con éxito por la inexplorada ruta a través de las islas y fiordos al sur del continente sudamericano desde el Atlántico hasta el Pacífico. Afortunadamente, hoy en día l@s ciclistas disponen de un GPS y Tito ha recorrido esta ruta en múltiples ocasiones, así que su recorrido ahora no tiene nada de desconocido.

Me esforzaré por incluir más información sobre la ruta y su rica historia en los próximos informes.

The leading riders on the Ultra are approaching CP5, which is unglamorous by bikepacking standards! Two tents, a table and two flags are all that welcome riders as they turn off the main road onto the gravel road; a stretch which the organiser has dubbed complete solitude. It’s a long, straight and relatively flat road which, especially at night time, will do little to stimulate the waning minds of the riders.

Our current leading rider is Ashley Wedelich, a Colorado native who’s raced in Chile multiple times at Across Andes before and has finished first woman at races around the world. She’s had her fair share of bad luck racing down here in Chile, so she’ll be hoping her luck has turned. Before the race, she claimed she was feeling in the best racing mindset she’s been in for over a year and it certainly looks that way!

Four riders trail her closely, including Andres Arias. Another Across Andes veteran who, in March, rode the 2,000km from La Serena, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina in 6 days, crossing the highest pass in South America and the width of the continent from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Coast. Andres is riding solo and leads the pair Julen Gastellau and Ivars Grinberg, and Juan Carlos Escolar.

All five of these riders are due to arrive in Villa Punta Delgada in the early hours of the morning, leaving them a handful of hours to rest before the first ferry across the Strait of Magallanes at 8am. From there, the race will start in earnest!

English

For many of the riders on the 250km Sprint route, this morning’s start will be the only sunrise they will see on the race. While some are hoping to make it back to Natales before midnight tonight, the majority of riders are simply hoping to finish. There are 42 riders on the start list of the Sprint, many of whom have flown in from Santiago for a long weekend of riding as their final event of the season before winter takes hold. The Sprint riders are not on the tracking so I’ll endeavour to keep you updated with the riding from the media cars.

Across the Sprint and the Ultra, there are six riders from the Gravel Academy, a gravel development community from Santiago working to upskill gravel riders and encourage them to take on new challenges. Their holistic approach to learning includes skill workshops, online seminars and long group rides to consolidate all the learnings. Last November, they also sent a group of riders to Across Andes. At one year old, they’re just getting started!

The 250km route is the loop from Natales into the striking Torres del Paine National Park and back. It includes the roughest and most rugged riding of the whole route thanks to the gravel condition. Riders on the Ultra will be relieved to know that when they leave the park the worst is over early in the race! It also includes some of the most stunning scenery of the Ultra, the skies are mildly cloudy today so there’s a good chance riders will catch a glimpse of the towers and all their glory.

Español

Para much@s participantes de la modalidad Sprint de 250 km, la salida de esta mañana será el único amanecer que verán en la carrera. Mientras que algun@s esperan regresar a Natales antes de medianoche, la mayoría aspiran simplemente a terminar. Hay 42 participantes en la modalidad Sprint, entre cuales una gran parte han volado desde Santiago para pasar un largo fin de semana de ciclismo como último evento de la temporada antes de que llegue el invierno. L@s participantes del Sprint no están en el seguimiento, así que me esforzaré por mantenerles informad@s de la carrera desde los carros de medios de comunicación.

Entre el Sprint y el Ultra, hay seis ciclistas de la Gravel Academy, una comunidad de desarrollo de la grava de Santiago que trabaja para mejorar las habilidades de l@s graveler@s y animarles a asumir nuevos retos. Su enfoque holístico del aprendizaje incluye talleres de habilidades, seminarios en línea y largas salidas en grupo para consolidar todo lo aprendido. El pasado noviembre, también enviaron a un grupo de ciclistas a Across Andes. Con un año de vida, ¡no han hecho más que empezar!

La ruta de 250 km es el circuito de ida y vuelta desde Natales al Parque Nacional Torres del Paine. Incluye los tramos más duros y exigentes de toda la ruta debido al estado de la grava. L@s participantes de la Ultra se sentirán aliviad@s al saber que lo peor ya ha pasado al principio de la carrera. También incluye algunos de los paisajes más impresionantes de la Ultra. Los cielos están ligeramente nublados hoy por lo que hay una buena probabilidad de que l@s ciclistas puedan alcanzar a ver las torres y toda su gloria.

English

Welcome to the inaugural Gravel del Fuego! The world’s southernmost bikepacking race in Chilean Patagonia passing through some of Chile’s most beautiful places.

Patagonia is notorious for its inclement weather, primarily the wind and its gusty nature! The route has been designed to be ridden from north to south to profit from the prevailing northwesterly which means we could see one of the fastest bikepacking races on the calendar. This wind rattles off the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, so needless to say it’s rarely a warm wind!

The race starts at 7am (GMT-3) tomorrow morning and riders make a loop from the start in Puerto Natales northward through the Torres del Paine National Park and back to Natales to complete the first 250km. This first loop also serves as the Sprint distance of the race, but for those on the full route, there’s still 800km of riding further south to tackle.

Riders leave the dramatic scenery behind as they head into the steppe which is not the typical landscape you might associate with Patagonia. Long gone are the views of the the snow-capped Andes Cordillera, and what lies ahead is a vast, open, equally inhospitable landscape. Riders will eventually be rewarded with more exciting views once they reach Tierra del Fuego, the race's namesake location, at the halfway point and will return to the Andes later when they approach the finish as the mountains wrap around the southwestern part of Chile.

Ferry Exciting

Arguably the most decisive part of the race will be the ferry crossing at the 513km mark, almost exactly halfway. The estimated time of arrival for the fastest riders is around 3am on Sunday morning, which is rather inconvenient considering there’s no boat until 8am! It’s likely we will see a tactical race to the ferry as the most competitive riders will be aware that the race really starts on the other side of the water. The fastest women are likely to arrive during its operating hours so they will know every minute counts on their ride to the ferry as the ferry runs once per hour from 8am to 11pm.

For any dotwatchers who followed Across Andes in November will know the havoc a temperamental ferry can wreak on a race! The ferry cannot run when the winds are high (over approximately 90km/h) so we could be treated to a momentary armistice amongst riders if the ferry is stopped to wait out the bad weather.

I’ll share more about the route later today, but for now it’s time to head to registration!

Español

¡Bienvenidos a la edición inaugural de Gravel del Fuego! La carrera de bikepacking más austral del mundo en la Patagonia chilena, pasando por algunos de los lugares más hermosos de Chile.

La Patagonia es famosa por sus condiciones meteorológicas adversas, sobre todo por el viento y sus ráfagas. La ruta ha sido diseñada para ser recorrida de norte a sur para aprovechar el viento predominante del noroeste, lo que significa que podríamos ver una de las carreras más rápidas del calendario. Este viento sopla desde el Campo de Hielo Patagónico Sur, así que no hace falta ni decir que no suele ser un viento cálido.

La carrera comienza mañana a las 7 de la mañana (GMT-3) y los corredores hacen un circuito desde la salida en Puerto Natales hacia el norte a través del Parque Nacional Torres del Paine y de vuelta a Natales para completar los primeros 250 km. Este primer circuito también constituye la distancia Sprint de la carrera, pero para aquellos que participen en la ruta completa, aún quedan 800 km más hacia el sur.

Los ciclistas dejan atrás el espectacular paisaje y van hacia la Pampa, que no es el típico paisaje que se asocia con la Patagonia. Atrás quedan las vistas de la cordillera de los Andes cubierta de nieve, y lo que queda por delante es un paisaje vasto, abierto e igualmente inhóspito. Los corredores se verán recompensados con vistas más espectaculares cuando lleguen a Tierra de Fuego, el lugar que da nombre a la carrera, en la mitad del recorrido, y volverán a los Andes más adelante, cuando se acerquen a la meta y las montañas rodeen el suroeste de Chile.

Ferry emocionante

Podría decirse que la parte más decisiva de la carrera será la travesía en ferry en el km 513, casi exactamente a mitad de camino. La hora estimada de llegada para los corredores más rápidos es sobre las 3 de la madrugada del domingo, lo que resulta bastante incómodo si se tiene en cuenta que no hay barco hasta las 8 de la mañana. Es probable que veamos una carrera táctica hasta el ferry, ya que los corredores más competitivos serán conscientes de que la carrera empieza realmente en el otro lado del agua. Es probable que las mujeres más rápidas lleguen durante las horas de funcionamiento del ferry, por lo que sabrán que cada minuto cuenta en su trayecto hasta el ferry, ya que éste funciona una vez por hora.

Los dotwatcher que hayan seguido Across Andes en noviembre sabrán los estragos que un ferry caprichoso puede causar en una carrera. El ferry no va cuando los vientos esten fuertes (más de 90 km/h aproximadamente), por lo que podríamos asistir a un respiro breve entre los corredores si el ferry se detiene para esperar a que pase el mal tiempo.

Más adelante contaré más cosas sobre el recorrido, pero por ahora es hora de ir a la entrega del kit y la charla técnica.