March 15, 2007
Hola! Que Paso?
Ah summertime! It doesn’t get dark down here until 9 pm here, but
there still doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day. Traveling
safely, finding accommodations, good food, laundry, and of course
lots of training is seemingly all we can manage.
Mike and I are definitely getting into the swing of the south
american travel and are doing quite well... it has been an amazing
two weeks since we arrived...Here is an unedited recap for those
who have some extra time on their hands
March 1
We arrived in Santiago, Chile pretty worked over from the long
travel, not to mention the days of logistical planning leading up
to it. Communicating solely in espanol, just off the red eye was a
colorful experience as I pried my tired brain for vocabulary.
Getting directions out of the city from the rental car agent with
charades brought the humbling realization that i was going to have
to study my spanish dictionary more. we got it all worked out after
a few wrong turns , just enough for a peek into this shockingly
polluted city.
After stopping for H2o and some travel rations at a local gas
station (the sniffer dogs found my contraband almonds and dried
figs in customs), our next priority was to find a place to rest and
re-up on precious sleep.
We chose Pichilemu, a small town on the coast known for its epic
surf. Although it is only about 300 km away from Santiago, a bit
of being lost, overtired and driving on back roads made our trip a
long 7 hours. We were both pushing our limits to be cheerful by
this point, But happily made it to “Pichi” just before dark.
We ended up finding a small shack to rent in the barrio--sort of
rustic, but more importantly it was inexpensive and right near the
ocean, and one of the best surf breaks in the area. there were
kitchen facilities and we were more than happy to unpack and unwind
here. Mosquitos aside Sleep never felt so good.
The dusty town of Pichi has a beach and carnival flavor with open
fruit markets and vendors selling local crafts . the majority of
the streets in town are dirt and all are full of horse drawn
carriages and early model cars giving this place a comfortable
feeling fo being left in the past. there is definitely a sense of
people just getting by day to day ... living a slower pace of life
than we are accustomed to seeing. The majority of the local people
here seemed happy and friendly, and refreshed us to the idea
that perhaps there is something to taking things a bit easier.
The surrounding countryside was a bit depressing as seemingly all
the indigenous trees have been harvested and the once beautiful
hills replanted with industrial looking eucalyptus and pine. It
seems like the drain on natural resources is typical of most
places we see around the world but in Chile it seems even more
extreme.
Within a few hours of arrival Mike found a board /suit and was
off to hit some solid waves. Over the next few days we figured
out some good training loops in the hills, and were catching up
with our rest and yoga.
The drive south...
There is one major highway , route 5 , running from north to south
thru Chile--though it is the major connector for the country there
is surprisingly little traffic. The majority of vehicles are
transport trucks , then busses, bikes and finally only a few
personal cars. pedestrians crossing the hwy and toll booths every
few km keep you on your toes.
We appreciated seeing a bit of Chile and made sure to take some
dusty back roads to as we drove the 1500 km south over the next
few days. it was refreshing to not see fast food chains nor high
rises. nothing but countryside, ramshackle towns and road side
fruit and food stands. We passed thru some beautiful wine country
and saw the landscape change from dry desert like to lush green
hills as we made it further south.
We made our way east over the Andes into Argentina on a small
winding road that passed thru dense rain forests. We passes huge
tropical plants and bamboo that narrowed the road to a path and
through the fog we got an occasional glimpse of a towering andean
peak
We passed through 3 borders and a random police stop, definitely
surprised by the absurdly extensive customs procedure for
crossing into Argentina: lines to wait in, papers, multiple stamps,
forms and about ten people to report to, of course all and only in
spanish.
March 8
We arrived to the race venue in Villa la Angostura, 4 days before
the race. This is a beautiful and quite well off Patagonian
town. This place is more like a quaint ski town in the Swiss Alps
than the ones we had visited so far in south america.
Mike and I got out on the race course that afternoon and were
pleasantly surprised by a well designed, flowing course. Almost
all fun twisting single with a good mix of climbs and descents.
gorgeous forest scenery with some older trees, water crossings,
some sketchy looking (but safe) hand made stick bridges.
Over the next few days the rest of the national team arrived and it
felt as if the race season had officially started. It was great
to see our friends who came from all over the states and to hear
their colorful stories from the off season.
Race day ...
The women’s field was stacked with the top 4 us women; georgia
gould (our national champ) took the lead from the start. i was
hoping to catch her but was trapped back behind riders who were
letting a gap form on the initial single track climb. I spent a
good deal of energy trying to get around them, which i eventually
did, but immediately after, I felt my hard effort-- and the hills
seemed steeper than i remember in training... After 4 laps (2
hours) of suffering, I gave what i had, riding strong and pulling
away from the rest of the field but never closing the gap on
Georgia. I could definitely feel that it was early season, and
that my training has not brought me to a racing peak. I am looking
forward to this changing as the season progresses. This race was
another good learning experience, especially remembering how
important the start is.
Mike had a solid race and was riding for most of the day just off
the lead pack in 7th to 10th position. it was amazing to see
the varying levels of fitness due to different times of year in
opposite hemispheres. The south americans were in peak form for
this race as it is the tail end of summer. The north americans
were coming out of winter... Mike was stoked to finish as 4th
American in 10th place. Solid uci points and a good start to the
season. Todd Wells was winning the race until the final minutes
when he had a mechanical problem and two canadian men came around
him for the top podium spots. Riders were fighting hard as this is
a high ranked uci points race and a good result will bring better
call up a the next race.
We are still in Argentina, north of the race venue in a small city
called San Martin de los Andes. We have had the opportunity to get
in some big rides and get at least a glimpse of the incredible
riding that is seemingly everywhere here. Luckily the weather has
been fabulous and we have stumbled upon more beautiful singletrack
than we thought possible without a guide or even a clue. we even
make an incredible ride out to some remote hot springs and swam in
the clearest glacial streams that we have ever seen. Argentina is
certainly a special place and We are cherishing this amazing
training and travel opportunity.
We are now quickly making our way north back to Santiago and will
depart this Monday (mar 19) for Puerto Rico for a category one
race that takes place next weekend (Mar 25).
Thinking fondly of you all.
Mary and Mike
Watch out all youSport guys, the Pacoima Prowler will be training soon and bringin it to ya! Abelardo Vaca Nava (beginner champ at Am Cup in 2005) has returned from a year long absence in Macau, and came to the race at Bonelli to cheer on his teammates less than a day after landing in Burbank. Let's see...Abel flew for 15 hours from China and still made it to the race, but Betsy and Oscar who were less than five miles away couldn't make it. SHAME.....
