TransAndes Day 2 - Huilo Huilo to Huilo Huilo

We chowed on massive amounts of delicious pizza at the local brewery yesterday and watched more dancing and folk music. All good, except my icebreaker sweater on the back of my chair went missing. Hoping someone picked it up and realizes its not theirs, only long sleeve I have here and if it's cold tenting, I'll need it. Bugger, especially after my prescription Oakley sunglasses stress cracked across both lenses, presumably temp related, as both of them were done as tight as possible holding the lens in place from the optometrist so it probably put undue stress on the lens.

Had a great sleep. Slept in, and did breakfast in the cabin instead of at the breakfast tent. Pickings were a bit slim, but better use of morning time.

Start temperature was nice, Trish and I seeded well, then it was off to straight climbing. Same climbing today as yesterday but 30km less distance (I prefer having some road miles). Big first climb, "small" second, middle last.

First climb was crowded, some guy toppled over and fell into my front wheel with his hands which didn't work really great. As it went on Trish and I got to some open space and did our thing. Did a little descent on singletrack to move away from the crowd (actually, knowing after we really pulled away as it sounds like some people missed a turn after us - I've found the course markings here to be excellent).

Pulled into the base of the big climb on our own which was perfect - it was a washed out old logging road or something, and with the giant erosion rut had only one narrow rideable line. Trish just spun away, and my double caffeine gel kept me close all the way up. Perfect that with only one line, teams who pushed couldn't do pushing.

Once the climb crested, there were a few k's of descent and then lots of hike a bike climb. Eventually that wore me out, Trish gapped ahead. I caught up at a feedzone on the way down, then chowed down on potatoes, then caught Trish and gave her a bottle on the descent. Next climb was hot, steep. Trish passed a bunch of guys walking by just spinning along like a sewing machine. It was fun to watch from 20m behind... then 30m... then it's apparent that on 15%+ logging cut roads that we aren't quite the same power to weight ratio. Maybe cause I weigh 50lb more?

Today's let's be a solid team motto: "till death do us part"*

*except for super steep logging roads that go on for more than 40 minutes.

Passed the jittery cows at the top, then tried to rail the descent to catch back up. That worked well on the next flat section, then the final climb kicked off with a straight up the mountain cut line that just kept getting steeper. I did my last caffeine gel and stayed with Trish for about half, then kept her in sight for the rest a turn or so ahead, meeting back up at the feedzone on the descent. Fun rip down a fast road, then the same singletrack/river crossing/singletrack finish as yesterday. On the flats I get the joy of breathing a bit less hard and picking the lines.

I think it's official that we're different but haven't slowed each other down. I was timing some of the climb corners and figure at max we go 60-90 seconds apart. We don't know results but think we had a good day.

Steve had a good day but did take a 4k climbing detour just cause his legs felt legendary (or something like that - must have been the massage). We haven't seen Gerry yet other than Steve passed him out on course.

The interior of the hotel here is crazy cool, the whole thing is concentric circles, kinda feels bee hive like. Only building I've been in with same shape was Guggenheim. The smaller ones on the sides feel like hobbit houses. It's like being in another world. It's relaxing with all the organic shapes and natural materials.