PowerCycle

10/24 4 more big climbs today. The last one was an unpleasant surprise because it was right before the city and I was already pretty tired. The hard part about the hills is that once you get to the top you immediately start to descend again. Those downhills only last a couple minutes and then it’s right back up again. I’m pretty funny for thinking I could have ridden here from Aguachica in one day. Traffic was kind of brutal too. Normally the best day to arrive in a big city is Sunday but if it was light today I’d hate to see it on a weekday. Tomorrow morning should be exciting.

A guy selling freshly squeezed orange juice from a cart was my new best friend. 6 glasses only cost 50 cents. The charm wore off quickly though. Bucaramanga is one of the dirtiest cities I’ve been in. Garbage is all over the place. I keep seeing people just casually toss crap into the street so no wonder it looks like a dump.

The little cell I slept in last night worked out OK. When I was packing to leave a spider about the size of my hand crawled out from under one of my bags. Not sure what kind it was but I didn’t mess with it. Some guy told me they jump at you. That would have been special.

Scenery has been lackluster. At the top of all the climbs I keep hoping to see an unblemished valley floor ahead but people are all over the place so there’s usually giant patches of trees missing. The rivers are all brown thanks to run-off. Hopefully things get better as the elevation increases.

Saw a whole bunch of spandex guys riding road bikes today. They rode in a pack and zipped right by me as I cranked up the hills in the highest gear. They seem a little friendlier here than the primadonnas in the States. Quite a few waved and gave little cheers when they rode past.

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