ECUADOR ROAD CYCLING

There are no activities planned on the first day for you to be able to explore the beautiful city of Quito on your own. Please keep in mind that there is a meeting at 18:00 in the hotel’s lobby to meet your guide and the rest of the group as well as learn about what’sin store for the days of your expedition!

The day awaits us with the greeting of the rising sun northward towards Cayambe, the third highest summit in Ecuador. A pit stop for delicious Ecuadorian coffee and biscotti with cheese and caramel, a local delicacy, gives us energy for our cycling adventure. On the road from Cayambe to Olmedo we will witness some amazing views of the wheat, barley, potatoes and corn plantations that line the foot of the volcano. After an exhilarating morning ride, we will stop at Zuleta Hacienda, home of former president Galo Plazo Lasso. Architecturally stunning and historically a jewel amidst the mountains, the hacienda is known for its gourmet take on local Ecuadorian fare. Here we will lunch and savor the complex flavors of Ecuador; all dishes of which have ingredients sourced directly from the hacienda itself. The afternoon takes us riding through the Imbabura province, home to many different indigenous groups who can be seen alongside the road farming, selling locally grown and harvested vegetables, among other local goods.

Continuing north, we will head to the city of Tulcan located on the border between Ecuador and Colombia. The capital of El Carchi province, this is also the hometown of some of the best Ecuadorian cyclists. Not only do we get to the to hit some of the ambitious and high-altitude routes that these champions train on but we even have the chance to train alongside some of them! There is no challenge that goes unrewarded on this expedition! Our prize for pushing ourselves both mentally and physically is a stop at the house of Richard Carapaz, champion of the internationalcompetition Giro d’Italia 2019—the first Ecuadorian to have achieved such a feat.

Traverse the fields and plantations of northern Ecuador. Starting from San Antonio de Ibarra, famous for its wood carvings and other handicrafts, we will have the opportunity to peruse the shops of local artisans before hopping back on our bikes to ride the old road towards the small indigenous village of Peguche. Learn about weaving techniques used by the locals and the meaning behind the many patterns and materials used to make the universally recognized and stunning textiles. A yummy and very traditional lunch of quinoa soup, one of the many crops grown and harvested locally, brings us to our final stop of the day: the Otavalo Market—The largest indigenous market in Ecuador. One step into the shaded stalls and endless aisles of intricate fabrics, sweaters, carvings, and jewelry will transport you out of one world and into that of the local indigenous people.

From the chill of the mountain breeze into the temperate cloud forest, a rich biodiverse area where the cold currents of the upper Andes marry with the warm breeze of the Pacific, we take off on our day’s circuit. Passing fields of brilliantly colored flowers we will descend into the town of San Jose de Minas stopping at a rose plantation to learn about the cultivation of the world’s best-known flower. After an early afternoon of frolicking amount the flowers we continue on to the most demanding part of the ride over the hills and through the valley before descending to the river Pisque where our transport will take us back to Quito. A moment of wind-down time and farewell fare at our departure dinner sees us to the end of an epic expedition.

As you depart we thank you and wish you safe travels to wherever your final destination may be!