On the road to Lima!

15.06.2024

Louis Margot has left the city of Santa Marta to head to Lima by bicycle.

On Friday, May 31st, at the crack of dawn, Louis departed from the Colombian seaside resort of Santa Marta after spending nearly a month there. Accompanied by about ten cyclists from a local association for the first few dozen kilometers, the Morgien then continued his journey with a local cyclist and a resident of the region who follows them by car. The route is currently roughly mapped out to Bogotá, where he will meet part of the Human Impulse team coming directly from Switzerland to accompany him on a portion of his journey. Up to the capital, ‘there aren’t many routes to choose from; there’s just one main road that avoids too many detours,’ says Louis. ‘It’s a bit like a highway: the speed limit is 100 km/h, so I ride on the shoulder.’ Since he is being followed by a car for the first few days, safety is ensured, ‘and it’s much more reassuring that way,’ says the adventurer

A Very Steep Elevation

Despite the relatively flat beginning of the journey, many elevation changes await Louis further along. Before starting, forty thousand meters of elevation were anticipated, averaging a thousand meters of elevation gain per day: ‘But that’s an average, so it means some days there will be none, and other days there will be two thousand.’ ‘It’s tough!’ he says with a touch of irony. ‘I understand why Colombians are so good at cycling!’

Now in the mountains for a few days, Louis no longer has to deal with the problem of trucks on the main road. His only limit is himself once again. He will have to push his limits to climb all the mountains with his load, making the journey even more difficult: ‘With my luggage, my bike, water, on a ten percent slope, it’s hard!’ But regular supply points offering drinks and food help to lighten the load.

‘The Restart is Tough!’

The restart is quite challenging for Louis, as he hasn’t cycled in five months, except for using the pedal set on board, and hasn’t done any sports for nearly a month. Contacted about six days after his departure, the cyclist feels his fitness returning, even though he is not yet at his peak: ‘In two weeks, it should get better, and I’ll be able to perform well.’ But in such an adventure, he must go at a pace that suits him for the long haul and not destroy himself: ‘I’m not going to do two hundred kilometers a day for nothing. I have time, and I need to arrive safely in Lima. So, I make sure not to go too fast downhill, for example.’

Article : Jérôme Laurent

Carte du projet Human Impulse de Louis Margot, en juin 2024.

Share !