Andes Pacifico Enduro: Day 1 and 2

Frosty nights and early morning wake up calls set the stage for the first two long, hot days of racing in the Chilean Andes. After leaving camp racers traveled via truck, ski lift, and hike-a-bike to reach the 3,500-meter summit above the village of La Parva, just as the sun began to creep over the surrounding peaks. Dropping in just below Cerro Plomo, a massive high mountain glacier that would be the backdrop for the first two days, racers got their first real taste of the infamous anti-grip dirt this event is notorious for.

Day one consisted of four long timed stages with liaisons made up mostly by shuttling in pickup trucks, while day two would feature only two stages with long liaisons by bike. While some of the stages were brand new, many were made up of trails raced in one of the previous three years but in a different order and with some tweaks to keep everyone on their toes. A consistent theme of steep, loose, fast, and riddled with switchbacks and drifty corners, was found throughout.

When the dust settled and riders retreated to the campsite and nearby river to cool off it was the French duo of Jerome Clementz and Francois Bailly-Maitre locked in a battle with former Chilean national Champ Pedro Ferreira and compatriot Miliciades Jaque. With Jerome leading Miliciades by only nine seconds after over one hour of racing. For the women, it's no surprise to see defending Andes Pacifico Champ, Tracy Moseley, out front with her teammate Casey Brown following behind in 2nd. Emily Slaco from Canada is 3rd and the top Chilean is Florencia Espineira in 5th.

Tomorrow we head back into the Andes for a massive day with five timed stages, and two very long and physical transfers before packing up camp and heading towards the coast for the final two days. Stay tuned for more as the action unfolds each day in the Chilean dust.