Panamerica

[panamslam]

Hi.

This July I am going to set out from Pudhoe Bay in Alaska and ride to Ushuaia in Argentina. I've joined cycle chat to try and get as much advice from as many people 'in the know' as possible.

The plan is to do the ride quickly, which I know does not sit particularly well with the traditional philosophy of bicycle touring. I'll still be carrying all my kit and camping at the side of the road though so I hope you'll all forgive me

Has anybody else on here cycled between these two points? I'd like to do a lot more homework on my route, any ideas about the swiftest way south? Google map is good but it's always gonna be hard to know if a road is suitable for cycling when it's on a map. Personal experiences would be better.

Also on my mind for Central and Southern America are the border crossings. Anybody been down there and experienced a few?

Well, there's a couple for starters, I've got plenty more questions if you guys are willing to help. Any questions about the trip, ask away!

 

[vernon]

I don't recall ever seeing anyone discussing your proposed ride in this forum. However over at the touring forum at www.bikeradar.com there is a someone who uses the pseudonym Jibi who started from the southern end and rode northwards before abandoning the ride after more than a few scrapes and adventures and diversions.

I think that you'll find that are large stretches of South America that are poorly mapped. The roads where they exist are variable from mediocre to poor and there's the Darien Gap to cross - it sounds a bundle of fun....not!

Anyway have a look for Jibi's posting and contact him over on bikeradar. He's a helpful chap and is currently back in the UK after touring Australia, chunks of Asia and Southern Europe.

 

[rich p]

If you look on www.crazyguyonabike.com you'll find a few who have done that route and many who have done parts of it.

 

[Cathryn]

Also worth reading 'Thunder and Sunshine' by Alastair Humphreys if you haven't done so...awesome book, wonderful bloke and a really inspiring read.

Welcome to the forum. We'll all really enjoy being part of your amazing adventure! My lurchings round Europe don't really compare!

 

[rualexander]

I cycled some of your planned route back in the nineties so things will have changed a bit since then I guess.
In 1992 I rode from New Mexico to Alaska via Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, British Columbia, Alberta, BC again, Yukon and over into Alaska via Top of the World Highway from Dawson City. I got as far north as Fairbanks but not to Prudhoe bay.
In 1997 I rode south through Patagonia starting in the Argentinian Lake District, crossing back and fore into Chile and back again. Did most of the Careterra Austral (although its easier to go further on it nowadays as there is a more southerly crossing into Argentina). I flew a bit between Perito Moreno and Calafate due to time and concerns about water availability, then cycled from Calafate to Punta Arenas. Didn't go as far as Ushuaia.
I haven't been to any of the places in between these trips
Both were great trips though and going all the way would be a great adventure!

 

[panamslam]

Cheers for the links and contacts guys, very useful

rualexander, how did you find the roads down in Patagonia? Would you say they were on the whole pretty poor, or if one was of a mind to go somewhere along a more major road could a decent surface be found? Also, how poor is poor? Will a standard tourer be up to the job?

 

[hubbike]

My ambition is to cycle from Patagonia to the Caribbean later this year. At the moment I am just at the saving up money stage. . .Anything you learn I'd be keen to have passed on!

 

[rualexander]

The roads in Patagonia (which is actually a much larger area than many realise : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pat_map.PNG) vary from lovely good tarmac to very rough corrugated gravel, but mostly if you are on the gravel, or 'Ripio' as it is known there, it is ok. It depends how recently it has been graded (churned up and re-smoothed), so its hard to say any one stretch is particularly bad all the time. And it is ten years since I was there anyway.
Depends what you mean by a 'standard tourer', but as long as you have strong wheels and pannier racks and good tyres you should be ok, I would recommend 26" wheels though. And make sure all your bolts are tightened and check them regularly.
And watch out for the famous winds!

 

[Brains]

We drove Ecuador/Bolivia/Peru/Chile back in 2001/2 - Only dodgy boarder crossing was Bolia to Peru. Cross with large groups, ideally on busy market days, and don't leave it to the end of the day as it can take hours.

Remember every local thief congrates on the borders, and many of them are in uniform.

 

[raybo]

This page lists lots of tour journals (most are in English) of tours along the Panamerican Highway: http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Island/6810/#Continental

Check out www.biketouringtips.com for more links to specific places. As an example, this page lists 8 links to information about bike touring in Alaska.

Good luck,

Ray