Friday, January 13, 2012

Matasanos (Climb to Don Matias)

I finally kicked off the 2012 season this week. Wednesday was an easy ride up Las Palmas, but today I climbed Matasanos with Gustavo Duncan of Altimetrias de Colombia.


The name, Duncan, is a coincidence. As you might guess, there are not many Duncans in Latin America. Gustavo told me that one of his ancestors was originally from the United Kingdom. Many UK'ers made their way to the Caribbean in the 1700s and 1800s. At some point, likely in the early 1800s, some of these immigrants traded weapons for land with Simon Bolivar. And thus, there are Latinos in Colombia and Venezuela today with fairly common Anglo names.





Anyway, our ride took us up Alto de Matasanos to Don Matias. It as a 900 meter climb. And Gustavo's father was kind enough to drive our support vehicle. Don Matias is famous for its Bocadillo. Click here for more information on Bocadillo. 


I am off to Mauricio's finca (country house) in Pintada (80km south of Medellin) tonight with a few good friends. We'll be riding all weekend. Stay posted for updates. 











The main square in Don Matias.




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