Day 3 – Thursday, January 29, 2026

Kick-off by bike was at 8 am, downtown was easy, but the outskirt was not too bike-friendly, lots of construction. Here I chatted with a friendly biker, David, on his commute to work. I reached a nearby town, Colina, where I had a race with a horserider...The road became friendlier for a while, but it was actually a highway, where bike-riding is prohibited. Still in Colina, I talked to a friendly person responsible for the security of the town) (BTW, I came to realize, all Chileans are accommodating), who told me to ignore the restriction - so I rode on, pretty much uphill, in the heat. I got to a small village, Chacabuco, which played a part in the Battle of Independence in the 19th century - and boasted a wonderful church.

I realized a dangerous tunnel was coming up. It would have been mighty dangerous to ride through it. Here a guy, working as tunnel supervisor, whistled at me. He first offered cold water and told me to wait. Some 10 minutes later, a truck with yellow flashing signs showed up - and they loaded my bike and hauled it to the other side. Did I mentions Chileans are really nice...? Now it was downhill to Los Andes, where I had some fast-food (salad witha fajita)- which was pretty tasty. Interesting- this was in a mall, where there is a dedicated bike parking, with an attendant, who ensures things stay safe.

Refreshed, I started riding towards the east, with a secret (we'll, as of now, it is no longer one) plan of hopping over to Argentina. The only issue is that the Andes mountain range separates the two countries, with the pass at 3,300 meters for cars and 3,800 for bikes (again, no bikes allowed in the tunnel).

So I was riding uphill, not really tired, but noticed in a village the next one would be 25 km away ' better find a place to rest, it was 7 pm. Here I found Berta's hostel in Valparaiso (San Esteban), a hip and cool place with lots of room to chill, with simple, but comfy rooms. I paid around €20 and five more for getting my laundry washed.

That day, my "production" as 100 km and around 1,000 meters of climbing- quite OK, all things considered. Next day would turn out to be both half and double...