Ruta 3 (en)

From Sunday January 7 to Sunday January 14, from San Julián to Trelew province of Chubut .

The great outdoors

On January 9 we left San Julián, after 4 days waiting for a favorable wind. We continue on Ruta 3 and have to cross desert areas, and with a headwind it is impossible to move forward. In these wide open spaces, there is little to see apart from the wildlife and the pleasure of riding there. The first evening we reach Tres Cerros, an isolated village in this immensity. At the last census there were 28 inhabitants. We sleep at the gas station which rents rooms, it’s more comfortable. For our comfort, when possible we prefer hostels to camping.

On Ruta 3, there are a few estancias where we could sleep, but in general the buildings are not visible from the road. The unpaved access roads leading there can be 20 or even 30 km long. This is representative of the surface area of ​​farms which can reach or even exceed 50,000 hectares. On January 10 we slept in Fitz Roy, again in a gas station.

The roar of the sea lions

The following day, still on Ruta 3, we head towards Caleta Olivia, a town with many oil wells. Before arriving in the city we visit a colony of sea lions. They strut on the beach, roaring constantly. It’s almost scary and it’s not recommended to get too close, it’s a pretty sight.

We arrive at Caleta Olivia by the port road but as it is closed to bicycles. The maritime police stopped us and checked us to find out what we were doing there, fortunately everything ended well.

A first for this trip, a short interview at the tourist office and then we make the front page of their Facebook page.

No budget but a record

On January 12 we leave Caleta Olivia to go to Comodoro Rivadavia. We drive all day on a road that has been under construction for about 20 years. We are alone without a car, what happiness. The work was stopped due to lack of budget.

The next two days we cross a 400 km zone with only one gas station located 180 km in the middle of the route. The day is tiring and long. We camp near the gas station. The following day we ride the entire route with a fairly strong wind at our backs. We record the distance record in one day, 197km. We sleep in Trelew. A town of 110,000 inhabitants located in the province of Chubut. It is the most important wool textile center in Argentina.

Our road

During these 7 days we covered 834 km with very long stages. Find the map of our route on the site or by clicking on this link.

We did not meet any cyclists on this portion of more than 800 km, only:

• A couple of Brazilian bikers Natanael and Nathalia
• José Manuel who sells cherries on the side of the road. He offered us 2kg.

Did you know: sea lions, also called sea lions, live in colonies. On the east coast of Argentina, maned sea lions are found. They can weigh up to 350kg.