This is one of a number of signposted off-road routes in the Department of Cundinamarca that have been developed in recent years. This one is about 50% off-road, and is a great way to get acclimatised to Colombia’s altitude and gradients. It takes you on a loop through the mountains to the east of Bogotá […]
I rode this route in late 2022, after dreaming about it for almost two decades, and wrote an article about the trip for Deriva, a Colombian gravel cycling magazine. It’s a 600km loop, the middle of which follows an old cattle trail through the jungle, plains and scrubland of eastern Colombia, and up into the
This picturesque loop takes you through the verdant coffee plantations to the south of San Agustin and returns along the edge of the archeological park. The first part follows a super-steep paved descent out of the village down to River Naranjos at 1,500 masl. The climb back up is paved for the first couple of
San Agustín – Naranjos Loop Read More »
This route takes you on a loop through some lovely southern Colombian scenery on a mostly paved b-road that descends down to the River Magdalena past the iconic Estrecho (a 2m wide gully with the entire River Magdalena thundering through it, less than a metre below the edge), up to the picturesque town of Obando
San Agustín – Isnos Loop Read More »
Desierto de La Tatacoa is technically a tropical dry forest rather than a desert. But it sure feels like a desert when you’re riding the hot, dusty, sandy trails that rise and fall as they traverse a largely barren landscape full of amazing sand and rock formations, with seemingly infinite layers of mountains in the
Desierto de La Tatacoa Read More »
This is the second part of the route across the Central Cordillera; a great way of avoiding the busy Panamericana Highway if you’re riding north (or south). It can also be used between La Plata and Neiva to avoid the main road running through the department of Huila. The route is 65% paved and follows
Tierradentro – Neiva Read More »
This route is a great way to cross the Central Cordillera. It rises up from Popayan on a picturesque paved road to the village of Gabriel Lopez at almost 3,400m, where a long gravel descent begins. The vistas all the way up and down are absolutely magnificent. The climb is an impressive 50km long, but
Popayán – Tierradentro Read More »
This rollercoaster route goes from El Calvario to Fomeque through the rugged mountains of the Eastern Cordillera, and it’s just as insane as the route to El Calvario described in another post, perhaps a little more so as the total elevation is the same over a shorter distance. The route is 95% gravel and climbs
El Calvario – Fómeque Read More »
I rode this crazy route from Fómeque to El Calvario in the rugged mountains of the Eastern Cordillera with a group of friends in late-2022. The first part follows a well-maintained gravel road with great views and a few challenging climbs, and then a gentle 25km paved descent takes you through a couple of tunnels
Fómeque – El Calvario Read More »
This popular route takes you out of Bogotá using the Alto de Patios paved climb, before turning off onto the dirt just past the Teusaca River. After a few kilometres of rolling terrain, you reach a short but mighty gravel wall up and over the brow of a hill, with gradients reaching 20%. After that,
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