Distance: 58.35 miles

Time: 6:54

Elevation Gain: 3,599 feet

On exiting the campground, I rolled back down to the main road, seeing the German couple whizz past just as I was reaching it.

Setting off along Ruta 7, I’d only gone a couple of miles when I saw the couple again, down off the road, exploring a fine-looking pedestrian suspension bridge, and as I slowed to a stop, I discovered the large group of cyclists from yesterday, gathered at a bus stop.

One of the Australians was needing a 10mm Allen key, as his crank had worked itself loose, so I checked my multitool, but as expected 8mm was the largest I had.

Two of the group, stepped forward to introduce themselves, Connor and Gregor, from Glenrothes, and as they pointed out to the others, we only lived half an hour apart. They were over here for a 5 month trip, and it seemed to be going quite well.

Soon afterwards, I reached a major junction, and one of the few places where there was a choice of routes. Ruta 7 took a more direct route towards Coyhaique, but featured a large climb, and the road surface was ripio, or gravel. The alternative route, following highways X-500 and 240, took a pronounced dogleg in the direction of the coastal resort of Puerto Aysén, but was tarmac and flatter, and like many of the cyclists I met, was the choice I made.

As I pedalled along a picturesque but long-drawn out valley, I was listening to a podcast featuring the women’s winner of the 2025 West Highland Way race, and was amused by the fact that she waited until the last few moments of the podcast to share her real opinion on the race, that it wasn’t her favourite race in the world and that sections of it were dull and monotonous. Probably not a popular response in a podcast promoting the race, but after I’d spent the last 30 miles following the Río Mañihuales in the same direction, I could sympathise a little.

Eventually, I reached the junction with the road to Puerto Aysén and started to head upriver alongside the Río Simpson, a point of interest for any of my readers named Simpson, no doubt. From the sudden increase in the amount of traffic, it was clear that Puerto Aysén must be a busy town, and traffic-wise, this was the busiest stretch of road so far.

Luckily, the road had a shoulder for the most part, but I was still pleased to take opportunities to get off the bike, to stop for a late lunch in Villa Los Torreones, and to scope out, the cascada la virgen, waterfall.

On approaching 50 miles for the day, I knew there was still a climb ahead, so was dismayed when a sign at the bottom warned of ‘pavimento mal’ for 12 km, not what I was hoping to see.

The climb started steeply, before disappearing into first an open tunnel, and then an enclosed tunnel, for which I stopped and put on my lights. As I exited the tunnel at the top, the views down over the Río Simpson were fantastic in the early evening light, and as I continued to force my way up the ever busier road, the surface turned into a sort of poorly-laid monoblock, the sort of surface that the phrase rolling resistance was invented for.

Over the top of the climb Coyhaique came into view, situated across the valley it looked very much like progress would be of the down then up nature, with the road plummeting down into the valley, before climbing steeply up the other side, into the town.

I had booked a nice looking hotel, the Hotel Diego de Almagro, but by the time I arrived, it was after 9 o’clock, and I still needed to pop out for dinner, so I wouldn’t have long to enjoy it.

• bikepacking
• cycle-touring