C[omp]ute

From: andrew cooke <andrew@...>

Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2025 13:34:10 -0300

i'm writing this note partly as a diary, and partly as a guide for
gringos thinking about cycling from santiago to valparaíso when the
roads are closed for the pilgrimage.  i am likely going to describe
things that are really obvious to locals, but might not be as clear to
foreigners.

it is based on my experience riding the route (for the first time) on
december 7, 2025.  here's my strava record -
https://www.strava.com/activities/16685380450

the main highway was closed from 4pm sunday till 8am monday (so
really, just overnight for cycling), but a small section near lo
vásquez was closed all day monday which doubled travel time returning
monday by bus.

leaving home at 3pm i made my way to the service station at
https://maps.app.goo.gl/2wZ5KFT6ioN8dHiU8 via the alameda ciclovía and
av gral oscar bonilla.  route 68 is closed from the intersection with
vespucio just east of there.

i arrived maybe 15min after 4 and the road was already closed to
traffic, although there were still people arranging cones, police on
motorbikes telling people to move over, etc.  so it was working but not
"established".

still, there were a fair number of people - enough to be able to catch
a passing peloton, but not enough to slow you down.  if your main
emphasis is on the ride (i will discuss the social aspect below) then
this is a good time to start, i think - i arrived in valpo at sunset.

riding to the first tunnel (lo prado) was an easy uphill, but the
headwind was pretty fierce.  i followed a group, that helped provide
shelter, but i was a little cautious about entering the peloton, not
knowing the riders (i should say that i didn't see a single accident
all night).

more generally, you could divide cyclists into 3 rough groups. the
fast guys (almost all men, carbon frames, deep aero wheels etc etc),
the sports cyclists (mainly road bikes, lycra, more women, a few flat
bars), and the casuals (mainly mtb).  i was passed by, and would
re-pass, the same the riders again and again, as we stopped to eat,
took climbs slowly, etc. in retrospect i should have chatted more with
people.

my original plan was to cycle 50km or so (maybe to curacaví) and then
return. but the returning lane still had traffic at that point, i was
feeling pretty good, there was a big climb to return to the tunnel,
and i had somewhere to stay in valpo, so i decided to push on.

in fact, it was not a simple descent to the coast, as i had hoped (see
strava link for profile).  there were a couple of long, moderately
steep climbs before the second tunnel, and then some smaller climbs
after, before the final step descent into valpo.  the total distance
was 124km (from providencia) which was my longest ride this year
(just) and i should have paced myself better.

there were a lot of small stalls on the route, selling everything from
bottled water to completos, so you could do the ride without taking
food and drink (if you had cash), but i managed perfectly on two
bidons, two bars of manjar, and two pouches of fruit purée (the kind
made for kids' lunches) - my usual for this length ride.

i should mention temperature.  it was actually lower then expected, and
with the wind was comfortable in a thin, long sleeved top - i had been
preparing for a hotter ride (changed to normal sized bidon just as I
went out the door).  but still it was warm at the start, and cool near
the sea. i could imagine a hotter start and cooler finish would
require adding an extra layer as well as more water (maybe start in
short sleeved and put long sleeved over the top later; no need for
thicker fabric).

lo vásquez was a surprise.  the right hand lane - where everyone had
been riding - was a mass of food stalls, extending maybe 1km along the
road.  i switched to the left lane to continue to valpo, and passed
rows of buses, trailers, vans, all to carry people back to santiago (i
had seen some of these advertise on instagram the weeks before - i
didn't see anyone selling there and suspect they were fully booked).

looking at instagram the next day (as i write this), it's clear that
there is another, very different way to experience this route, leaving
later, in the dark.  my impression is that there are many more people
then, with a larger proportion of what i described as "casual" riders
above.  it looks like it would be much more difficult to keep a decent
speed, but that the environment is a lot more like a party.

and there are also the randoneurs - i started to see groups of people
riding the return after leaving the second tunnel.  this would imply
much of the ride in the dark (and with the big climb before lo prado,
but with the wind on your back).

if you want to ride something like my original plan - a limited ride
out to experience the closed road and tunnel, and then a return - i
think it would be better to leave later then i did.  doing this would
let you experience the party vibe and return when other cyclists were
also returning.  even so, i worry some people will use the left lane on
the way out when there are many riders, with possible accidents.

on the steep descent into valpo i was the only person going in my
direction (most people stop at lo vásquez, and i suspect many that
continue will go to viña).  the road was closed all the way until the
top of av argentina!

i was lucky enough to have access to a flat (appt) in valpo, so i
arrived, ate, and slept.  next day i left my bike there and returned by
bus (a longer, but very scenic route).


would i do it again?  it might be interesting to ride slower, later at
night, stopping to eat, chatting to people.  as a long ride, it's a
pleasure riding on well maintained (generally) tarmac, but i don't
know if this outweighs the inconvenience of having to get my bike back
at some point, or the risk of booking transport.  el toyo and
farellones are both more attractive routes, and (usually) the wind is
against you for only half the ride.  maybe i would do it again if i get
fit enough to ride the return too?  but i am getting old...

andrew