90km – 1269m up – 2427m down – 3628 kcal – 5:20h
It was the long expected day with the huge drop into the lower regions of Guatemala. We rolled out of Santa Cruz in the morning fog at temperatures around 15°C. It was nice to ride without tension and pressure, since we know it is going to be a short (time wise) cycling day. So we enjoyed to cruise along the hills and the 
buildt-in houses and plantations. However soon the topology and vegetation will change as we dive into a big plain and the low lands of northern Guatemala.
The sun burnt away the remaining fog and temperatures were up to 33°C at 10am, so that even the ‘always cold German’ could 
change into a short sleeve jersey. The downhill was fast and lunch at 60km was reached very early. 
It was rather a deferred breakfast at around 10am. The downhill continued thereafter. However, the morning heat made the rollers a bit harder than expected, maybe this was the reason, we were accompanied by a red-cross ambulance car. Nevertheless the remaining kilometers clicked away and soon we reached Chisec, a small town where nobody expected to find a hotel big enough to fit us all. However surprise was big, when we finally saw the huge facade of the ‘Hotel La Estancia de la Virgen’, where Cristiano, safely guarded, gave us a warm welcome.
