Preview: 2017 Andes Pacifico Enduro
This week begins the fourth edition the of Santa Cruz Andes Pacifico, with 88 racers making the journey to Chile to race from the challenging heights of the Andes to the beach of Cachagua on the Pacific Ocean. With some of the worst forest fires on record currently blazing just south of Santiago, this year the organizers have had to make some last minute plans to re-route around the affected areas. In the past, racers only spent two days in the Andes before heading south and west to the coastal range, but for the 2017 edition the Andes will be featured for three of the five days, and racers will head north along the coastal mountains to avoid smoke and wildfires. As always, racers will be treated to delicious local food, beer, and of course, trails, as they experience the hospitality of Chilean culture first hand.
Racing will once again be hotly contested as defending champions Francois Bailly-Maitre and Tracy Moseley are in attendance, as are EWS regulars such as Yoann Barelli, Jerome Clementz, Marco Osborne, Casey Brown, Cedric Gracia, Mark Scott, and Iago Garay. And let's not forget the local winners who could very easily come out on top such as Milicades Jaque, Nico Prudencio, Pedro Ferreira, Andreas Bretas, Antonia Wurth, and Florencia Espineira.
Racing kicks off shortly from the 3600 meter summit of La Parva, and will end in a few days time, but not before racers descend more than 13,365 meters spread throughout 18 timed stages.
Hold on to your hats...
Santiago, Chile, is home to over 5 million people., all of who have incredible riding within close proximity. Upon arrival we rode the hills in the background, and on the second day Iago Garay tried to jump the sunset from the opposite side of town.
Local rider Nico Prudencio played tour guide the first few days leading up the the main event. If you are envious of the dusty trails in his backyard, you are not alone.
Yoann Barelli trying to come to grips with the #AntiGrip dirt before the main event.
There's a joke in here somewhere.
This track was used in the three previous runnings of Andes Pacifico, but for 2017 it has been retired. For at least one year anyway.
Casey Brown getting low like the evening sun.
It might look pretty from afar, but the cactus lining the trails here in Chile are not something you want to get up close and personal with.
Defending Andes Pacifico champion, Francois Bailly-Maitre has signed on with Ibis for 2017 and is using the Andes Pacifico for some real-world race testing prior to the EWS kick off next month.
Jerome Clementz drifts into yet another epic Chilean sunset on the eve of his first big race for 2017.
Francois Bailly-Maitre, Yoann Barelli, and Iago Graray got into a bit of a drift off on Chile's slippery surface as soon as they got off the plane.
Neil Donoghue decided to escape winter in the UK for a place where the sun shines more than once a month.
Off we go...
Bags on bags on bags as racers pack up and head for the hills where six days of camping and five days of racing are on tap.
The race starts high in the Andes, under the scorching heat of the summer sun.
In five long days it will end in the cool waters of the Pacific Ocean.
A fleet of 4x4 trucks will shuttle racers to and from campsites and occasionally up some of the remote liaison stages through the week here in Chile.
We might be camping, but the organizers of the Andes Pacifico always pull out all the stops the keep things classy.
Fresh fruit for days everywhere you look in camp.
Did we mention the free beer truck that greets every racer as they return to camp?
Jerome Clementz and Marco Osborne keeping things relaxed and chill ahead of what will be a brutal week of racing.
The sun sets on the tent city that has formed in a valley just below the Andes. When it rises again in the morning racers will head into the mountains for the first day of competition.
Last minute prep under the lights in the service tent. Tonight it is pretty quiet, but after the first day of racing it will be packed with racers well into the night.
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I also love the atmosphere of this race
Keep it up
props to all the brave who are racing this monster and props to montenbaik for making it possible!!!!
#werideforchile