November 28, Day 41: Talca to Curicó
Third to last cycling day today. Once again the start and finish are on the Ruta 5 so to mix things up I took a route out west, along the river. This adds a bit of time but it means I'll follow a river which should be worthwhile, right?
Today's lunch plan is "I'm sure I'll pass a nice pasteleria". I also need another isotonic drink. The route out of Talca was a bike lane on the main road; I passed three schools or Universities and zero pastelerias. No problem, I pass San Rafael soon, I'll pick something up there.
Over the bridge, turn right, up a hill and it's only five minutes but I'm in the wilderness, no sign of the city I just left. The hill felt like a serious climb but checking the elevation profile shows nothing to get excited about. So I guess I’m still warming up.
The hills are brown with small scattered trees, and no shade - it reminds me of cycling in Spain.
San Rafael comes up after two hours. I'm happily making good progress and don't really want to stop - but at the turnoff where the road crosses over the Ruta 5 and heads into the mountains, I still haven't passed anywhere to get lunch and there's no more good options for the rest of the day, so I should do something about that. Google Maps says there's a pasteleria 300m back - the road basically has a park in the middle so I didn't see it when I went past. In the shop is a family arguing, I politely stand back and look around for empanadas. They have a fridge with Lucozade! Just one left. Family Dad is browsing the fridge, taking his time, he’s probably not on an eight-hour workout in the sun, but he grabs it anyway and I'm foiled. Also this place doesn't have anything savoury. I process my feelings of injustice by getting two muffins.
Back on the road. I'm keeping a more watchful eye out for empanadas now. Several places go past, but they're shut. I go past an open minimarket ... and then have second thoughts and go back to it. They have Lucozade (vindication!) but nothing really right for lunch except fruit. Some bananas and an apple will do. Or maybe it's just an overreaction to the muffins.
From left to right: villages on the way. The haul from the last minimarket in San Rafael. Open road and no traffic.
The road through the mountains is pretty respectable. There's a bit of space on the side for bikes: not as much as I'd like but I'm past the white line and separated from traffic. Traffic is light, because who really wants to go down this road? It leads to a string of tiny towns called Villa Prat, Hualañé, Licantén (population 6000). To be fair each of those places had a Wikipedia entry ... although they were so similar they look like they were generated by a script.
At La Huerta is a T-junction, I turn right on to the J-60 and I'm leaving town when Komoot tells me to take a gravel sideroad. I'm not inclined to after it's tried to route me into rivers so many times recently. But I check the map, and it's legit: there is a small parallel road beside the main one! It's only a single lane, so perhaps it's the original road. But it's good asphalt, totally deserted, and I have it to myself for nearly ten kilometers. It's the best bike lane this week.
I'm now beside the river but it's not quite the view I was hoping for. There's trees beside the road, and trees beside the river so it's just an occasional glimpse. There's no shoulder, and traffic is getting a bit busier, but everyone is giving me space.
From left to right: the countryside which reminds me of Spain. Discovered bikepath! The views from the riverside road.
I'm sure I'm going faster than I used to, and I expect it's the new pedals. The old ones were smaller and I could clearly feel the end of the pedal under my foot. The new ones are bigger and are as wide as my shoe, so I can put more force down. I've also picked up a few scrapes while walking the bike because they stick out further.
The final section is all the way across town; I'm arriving from the west and I'm staying in a place on the far east. When arranging accommodation in Curicó several places were fully booked, so when I found somewhere with availability I jumped at it. Usually I have several options and weigh up cost vs location vs rating, but not this time. Tomorrow morning I go out west again, and I'll retrace ten kilometers. If I'd had other options I would be somewhere better.
Some squeaks have started to develop over the last few days. It's been a long trip and the bike needs a long visit to the mechanic. The zipties holding the pannier broke, the pannier is still attached but it's held by one clip and a strap. There's no more gravel this trip so it should hold up, but it needs a new set of clips.
But we've got through the day. Friday is another full day ride, Saturday is a rest day, and on Sunday it's the final ride to Santiago.
