December 25, 2010
Buenos Aires - Ranchos.: A ride from Avenida 9 de Julio to a village on the Pampas.
The ride out of the city didn't quite go the way I'd planned. I was cycling down Avenida Belgrano when Christian, not the hostel owner's son but another, a cyclist, caught up with me. A fellow cyclist, he was interested to know where Is from, where I'd been on this cycle-tour and where Is going next. I told him that today I was cycling to La PLata via the Autopista. "Ah ah", he nodded his head negatively, "se prohibe por La Gerdameria", he added, basically what he said, it's not permitted to cycle on the Autopista and if the Gerdameria stop you they'll tell you to get off. Christain then when into detail on an alternative route and offered to accompany me if I waited a while as he had to return to his house first. I declined his offer ere I was keen to get going as it had already gone ten. I thanked him and he bade me goodbye and good luck.
I returned to the widest street in the world, Av 9 de Julio, as instructed, there, turned left and cycled South. I past through Plaza Constitucion which I'd never seen before. There there was a railway-station pink in colour and another of those grand big buildings from the golden era of Argentina's past when it was the second riches country in the world.
The street thereafter ran parallel a bit with the elevated Autopista then continued along a wide thoroughfare with commercial buildings either side, car exhaust places, supermercados and the like, all of which were closed today. I did however come upon a Shell petrol station whose shop was open so I bough a cold drink. The surface, all the way, was the usual rough uneven jolty urban street. There were only a few cars and a few people about. I past a little park where there were some young people that looked to have been on the go all night. They were having a party, drinking and listening to loud music, music that I wouldn't recommend. I rode away quickly before they saw me and invited me to join them.
I past through Avellanda and the next town should've been Quilmes famous for beer, but today I would miss out on a visit to a brewery as the next town was actually Lomas Zamora, perhaps a village surrounded by pampa once but now part of the Buenos Aires sprawl. I had deviated on the route to La Plata but it didn't much matter, as I was getting out of the city and I didn't care to where.
The rest of the day was dull and uneventful, one of those days, or one of many getting to a place of interest or with stunning scenery. I past through the towns of San Vicente and Brandsen, by now the last remnants of the city had been left behind and there was countryside between, albeit drab dry grassland, seemingly wasteland without cattle to graze it down. I cycled on with a light wind blowing hot air one moment from my right and then the next, head on.
There was one solemn moment though, when I came upon a roadside memorial to an accident victim. The young man that was being remembered had been a racing cyclist. There was the front half of a racing-bike, black for sorrow, bolted to a concrete structure with his 2009 UCI licence left between the front wheel spokes.
I reached the village of Ranchos and tonight I'm camping on a private camping-site. There are many people here it being the beginning of the holidays. I hope they don't make too much noise as am tire and my legs are jelly.
The day has gone well to have gotten this far out of the city. I am now better placed tonight, more in the direction I wish to go than if I'd finished in La Plata this evening. It was a stroke of luck me meeting Christain this morning whose directions I followed but then somehow missed a turn and finished up coming this way. The day has gone better than if I'd planned it.
Today's ride: 122 km (76 miles)
Total: 7,259 km (4,508 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |