12-30-2022, 11:15 AM
Hello All,
Wish you all a warm, safe holidays and New Years.
Before this ride, I had primarily ridden on roads, some gravel and some mountains in the US. I had done one week of riding on the Great Divide Route (GDMBR) in Montana. But none could have prepared me for what I experienced on TEMBR (Trans Ecuador Mountain Bike Route). We chose the "mellower" option, TEMBR-Dirt Road. The "mellower" version still has 115,795 feet of total elevation gain with 14,780 feet being the highest point. The route passes through a few national parks (Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, Sangay) and some beautiful, remote parts of Ecuador. 70% of this route is unpaved and 100% of it is hard..:-) I walked quite a a bit while pushing my fatbike (in a bikepacking-setup) but can't wait to do this again.
I am sharing my blog here and will share the video, once I make it. I highly highly recommend TEMBR and in-fact, I'm hoping to do it again if I have some company. Parts of TEMBR are very remote with difficult weather. So, doing it with others is highly recommended. Great Peru Divide is next on my list..:-)
https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/mistergordo/
The TEMBR part starts with blog entry, "Palomitas y Tour de "de te rumbe"
Take care,
Girish