Day 687 7th June 2018
40 miles (Paysandu to tres bocas junction of nr 24 and nr 25) Average speed 9.1 mph Top speed 23 mph
I got up at 8 and used the last of my gas for a coffee and three teas with hot water from the shower, which I’d plugged in the night before, with tortilla in pastry from the baker in Guaviyu. I cleaned up the bbq to save my friendly groundsman from doing it. Then I packed up and showered before leaving at 10.30.
I went into town and found a cambio to change my Paraguay guaranis into pesos and checked the price of the hotel as the wind was cold, but I decided to push on as the hotel was £26. I bought some empanadas and drinks for the journey, as there were no shops or villages en route, and finally left town at 11.45.
Back on the road
As soon as I turned onto the ruta 3 the wind was against me. Four Lycra clad cyclists breezed past me saying hello, but then stopped at a garage. The next time I saw them they were holding on to the back of a lorry going up a hill. Now that really is cheating and very dangerous!! About 30 mins later I saw the fourth member of the party drafting another lorry. This seems to be a popular pastime here but I can’t imagine why you would want to breath in the fumes of a ten ton lorry for the pleasure of cycling fast??
First sign of the roadworks – 10km
Although the wind was hard work at least the road had been good until I turned onto the 24, which soon became a nightmare. The first roadworks sign greeted me as I turned right, but it proclaimed 10 km of roadworks, so I thought I could manage that until the tarmac ran out and I was left on hard stones and rutted tracks.
Old tarmac, ruts and stones
The next sign appeared after 10 km to welcome me to another 10 km and so it went on for the next forty km. ouch! The wind was not much use blowing head on or to my right and those 25 miles proved extremely tough.
Never-ending – or so it seems
Camping behind ancap garage. Free.