Downhill tour from Chimborazo

At 6:30 am sharp, we were picked up by our guide Jose. We were super excited. Especially me because of the 🐕 dogs :-(!

So now we should go up by car for about 1.5 hours to 4,600 m. To the refuge located there, where our 38 km long downhill tour should start.

After a short stop at a restaurant - where we picked up our lunch package - we were already going towards the volcano 🌋 Chimborazo. The drive led through several small villages and now I paid even more attention to the stray dogs. Some looked really mean and even ran after our car. Jose gave us the advice, if a dog should come: stop and protect yourself with the bike. Hmmm, I had my jacket pockets full of dog treats, that should be my tactic👍 :-).

After a short drive, we had a fantastic view of Chimborazo. A blue sky and the snow-covered 🌋 looked great. Jose stopped and we were able to take some photos. Then there was a sign indicating that vicunas could cross the road. I finally wanted to see the alpaca-like animals in the wild and they were already everywhere by the roadside and on the steppe meadows. Wow, mega cute 😍 these little animals and there were also young ones among them :-). Here too, Jose had to stop so that we could take dozens of photos.

At 8:00 am we reached the entrance to the Chimborazo National Park 🏞. From here it went relatively quickly to the starting point. Having arrived at the refuge on top, we put on our winter clothes 🥶 again. Brrrrr, despite the sun, it was incredibly cold. We looked like Yetis :-). Now Jose handed us our bike equipment, which consisted of a helmet, elbow and leg protectors. The equipment gave us a feeling of safety! Jose also gave Daniela a walkie-talkie. This way he could always inquire about our well-being during our descent and give us directions. Now it was time to get to know the bike and then we were given the GO👍 for the descent.

Guys, I have to write it like this: The start was MEGA AWESOME, sorry, but it was simply like that🙂🙃! The wheels rolled down the trail, fat rocks or deep lava sand made the descent more difficult. At a tricky spot, I wanted to warn Daniela, but she already took off over the handlebars. Fortunately, she landed with the protectors and was able to roll away - thank goodness unharmed 🤗. We continued riding and the longer we zoomed down the trail, the better we got along with the bike and the trail. Jose was also very satisfied with us and we continued riding the bike trail. If we had any problems or fears, we could have ridden on the road. Luckily, we continued on the trail and then we rode through a cloud and couldn't see each other anymore. Here caution was required because it was a fast passage with numerous bumps. Without a crash, we left the cloud behind us and suddenly there were dozens of vicunas next to and on the trail. We stopped briefly for photos and then we shot off again. It was truly gigantic and the landscape was super 👍 beautiful. We were so glad that we had chosen this tour. From time to time, we took breaks to drink and refresh ourselves. Downhill is super exhausting, you constantly have to ride with foresight and find the best way.

Now a small village followed and there it said: BEWARE OF DOGS! We let the wheels run, I rode ahead and kept announcing dogs 🐕. I immediately reduced my speed as soon as I saw a dog. I made eye contact with them and luckily no dog ran after us. One dog ran after Jose's car, but he did not pay any attention to us.

So now I also felt safe regarding the dogs. At one break, a dog came up to us - but friendly - I put treats down and it ate them :-). As a thanks, he followed me 😆....laugh.

Now it was time to ride another trail with bumps and nasty deep ruts. I let my bike roll and raced down at full speed. Fortunately, I had braked before a blind curve because a local was walking there with a herd of sheep 🐑 and pigs 🐖 along the path. I stopped at the edge and waved at her. She laughed and thanked me.

Jose came to us and said that now it's only 10 to 15 minutes on asphalt and through a town. After that, the tour would be over. Okay, well then let's get on the bikes and enjoy watching the dogs and the descent again. What can I say - no dog attacked us - yippi. We arrived at the destination without any injuries or further falls. Thanks Jose for this mega awesome downhill tour!

Arriving at the hotel, we freshened up and talked about this tour over and over again. We walked proudly through Riobamba and explored the city. We both didn't like Riobamba that much, somehow the city lacks charm.

We are looking forward to continuing to Cuenca tomorrow by bus 🚌.

Best regards from us :-)