One of the curious things about embarking on an epic trip like this is that only before you’ve embarked on it, and presumably after you’ve returned from it, does it feel epic. When you’re in the middle of it, as we are, it’s surprisingly easy to lose sight of its scale.
The old football manager cliché rings true. We take each day as it comes: planning routes; checking maps; finding somewhere to stay, something to eat and something to do. And in so doing, the grand, multi-continental trek that took shape on our drawing board becomes a jumble of day rides, the majority of a wholly unremarkable distance.
For keen cyclists, 100km – or 62.5 miles, as we used to call it before we started touring through metric-minded countries – doesn’t constitute much of an achievement. At home, we might pop out on a Sunday morning, ride a 60-mile there-and-back into Essex and still be back in the city for lunch. One hundred 100km rides, though, is a pretty fair shift, especially when you’re hauling your life around with you.
We haven’t yet done a ton of tons, but we have at last managed its equivalent. On Good Friday, at the edge of the riverside railroad town of Mariscal Cáceres, our odometer finally ticked over into five figures. A long way, and it was fairly satisfying to chalk it there in the fading light near the end of an exhausting day, but that isn’t the half of it. Literally – our best guess is that we’ve got at least another 12,000km to go.
We don’t write much about cycling on this journal, mostly because we think that to the dispassionate reader, it’s probably the least interesting part of our journey. But, of course, we wouldn’t have a journey about which to write were it not for our bicycles, which define everything from the pace of our progress to the state of our health. It can be hard work, and not always as enjoyable as we think we make it sound. And we wouldn’t do it any other way.
from Huancayo, 12, Peru
12 comments
Fiona says:
Apr 20, 2014
Congratulations on reaching the 10,000! Amazing achievement. x
Hilary says:
Apr 20, 2014
Happy Easter! You two are amazing! Roll on the next 12 000km. Best wishes Hilary
Howard says:
Apr 20, 2014
You would be welcome to come and join us on the Bigfoot London-Brighton-London ride next week , if you want to put in a few extra training miles.
Howard
Ruth & Will says:
Apr 21, 2014
Are you offering to carry our bags?
mark says:
Apr 21, 2014
Awww…lovely photo of you two! We are missing you both. Congratulations – a phenomenal achievement – your friends back here are appreciating the journey and the fantastic posts and description of what you are doing , seeing, experiencing – keep it coming – nearly half way there?! X
Will says:
Apr 22, 2014
Hello! I was thinking about you yesterday – labouring up a long climb, I was listening to ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ on my iPod, and I started wondering if you’d insist on packing a turntable for a trip like this. Still wouldn’t make Stevie’s drumming sound any better…
Sonja Kramer & Christoph Keller says:
Apr 21, 2014
Congratulations! 10K is a good job:)
We are following your blog – thank you for the great pictures and stories. Even when we are a bit jealous;) We are back to work since January… but thinking every day on the great adventures we had on our trip.
Hafe a safe trip and enjoy…!
Sonja & Christoph (we met your very first week next to Rio;)
Ruth & Will says:
Apr 22, 2014
How lovely to hear from you! We hope you’re still finding time for a little adventure at weekends – or perhaps you’re already planning your next trip? Keep in touch – you never know, we may yet ride home via Switzerland and surprise you…
Jo Paton says:
Apr 23, 2014
Congratulations!! You’re amazing. We’re not doing anything half as adventurous in London… we made our pond bigger and found some frogs and unusual newts. Hmm. That’s why I’m not writing a blog. Lots of love xx
Ruth & Will says:
Apr 23, 2014
Jo, we would totally read a blog about unusual newts. You need to make this happen.
Simon says:
Apr 25, 2014
Wow wow wow. Very proud of both of you. Can’t wait to read the book, see the film, get the t-shirt and the sequel ‘Uphill from Patagonia’. … And is been building a … Shed :-/ keep it up, I’m login’ it! Xx
tamsin says:
Jun 10, 2014
Yes, lovely photo. Positively beaming, Root. Stay safe. Oh, and Jem was intrigued by the Capybaira (?) postcard. Txx