48,9km – 1044m up – 1265 down – 2430 kcal – 4:08h
We left San Jose Pinula in a convoy for the first kilometers. Fortunately it was a Sunday and the roads were not that busy. Neverth
eless, due to road construction works with some lanes closed it was good to have a vehicle in the back to slow down and control the traffic. It must be said, that the drivers in the cities do not have the same respect for cyclist as in the rural areas. We were going slow on the first ascent out of town before we headed into a deep and steep descent, facing a beautiful volcano in the morning light. I stopped the fast descent to take a photo and found Bill, my roommate, standing there with a flat, no chance to stop
any other of the fast passing fellow riders. I fixed his puncture, guarded by the police, as he couldn’t fix it himself. Many riders have lost power in there arms from either falls or from the pondering gravel roads, just not being able to turn screws or lift tires from the rim. Sometimes just must even help to open the cap of a bottle.
The first 30+ kilometers were fast and an easy warm-up session for this day’s climb, with a maximum grade of 23%. Once over the top it was Christmas, birthday and Easter at the same day. The downhill into Antigua was fantastic on a wide highway. At many turns it gave view onto the 2 volcanoes ‘Aqua’ and ‘Fuego’, the latter being the active one that erupted just 2 months ago. We stay in Fernando’s Hotel Los Nazarenos in Antigua Guatemala and have a whole day to spent in the old town, after already arriving at 11 o’clock.
