Quito
to Banos.

Now we have our bikes, let’s ride.

North to a motocross comp with some locals we met randomly, then south to the equator to get a picture (which we lost and had to recreate), then into the hills and past active volcanoes, again giving some tourists a lift.

Goneriden

This week’s route

Quito - Ibarra - Equator - Puyo - Banos

1Quito
2Ibarra
3Ciudad Mitad del Mundo
4Puyo
5Baños

Week 20 routeEcudaorRegional context

Approximate route using modern roads · OpenStreetMap contributors · route via OSRM

Memorable moment

Memorable moment.

After finally getting the bikes from customs, we were taken to a reputable bike shop by biking fanatic Ricardo Rocco.

There we had approximately 1 hour's work done when we were informed that, because we were travelling, the work would be performed for free. After tipping the mechanic anyway, we were invited to ride as a group with the management and their friends, 2 hours north to Ibarra, to witness an Ecuadorian motocross meeting.

After being treated to breakfast, we arrived in Ibarra, passing spectacular panoramas along the way. There we saw an impressive pit area sporting numerous bikes, from brand new YZs, CRs and of course KTMs, to old DT175s made to look the part with performance parts and stickers.

Of the large number of participants racing, only a handful stood out as brilliant riders, but one more in particular: a young lad no older than 12, riding a KTM 65, showing absolutely no fear and with skill to match. He had the whole crowd hypnotised, and after timing his laps it was evident that he would have given anyone there that day a fair run for his money.

Original Week 20 account

Pictures of the week

Three moments from the road

Mechanic at the Motociclismo in Quito. We were asking questions about bikes and altitude, and were informed that the bikes had a device to automatically adjust the mixture for altitude.

Having lost the real equator photo, we did a re-enactment.

Quote of the week

"The work on your bikes is done for free for travellers; it’s company policy" - Management at bike dealership in Quito.

"We need a photo of our bikes in front of the monument for the article we are writing for the newspaper" - Goneriden crew, sweet-talking security at the equator.

Competition

Unfortunately, we have no photos, but an arm wrestle took place on the line at the equator, north versus south. Just for the record, north was victorious.

Highlight

Finally getting the bikes out of customs after 3 days of waiting at the airport was a huge relief, and the excitement at being back on the road was welling up.

Risk activity

After some smooth talking, the Goneriden crew were persuaded to taxi two new friends into the mountains surrounding the town of Banos. However, due to recent mudslides, the road had been washed away, leaving gaps up to 50 metres across and almost as deep. No warning signs or roadblocks made discovering these hazards frightfully nerve-racing, especially with a passenger each.Risk factor9/10

Lowlight

On the Monday we rode to the equator, which lies 22 km north of Quito. We spoke nicely to security, who then allowed us to take our bikes up to photograph them in front of the monument on the line. Unfortunately, the data gathered was accidentally deleted from the camera's memory stick, along with about 12 other photos.

Road tally

Off to a late start leaving Quito in pouring rain, we were travelling around in circles and eventually forced to change our destination plans due to time. It would be safe to assume that the roads had the upper hand.

Week 20 photo diary