They’re back – and shattered – having cycled 430k over 6 days from the foothills of the Andes to the Pacific coast of Chile and raising over £8,000 for Computer Aid with their efforts so far. Ruth, Helen, Matt and Joe did a sterling job and seemed to have a great time doing it. They even took BioMed Central’s mascot Gulliver along for the ride.
As you can see the scenery was something else! Ruth and Matt agreed the amazing surroundings kept them going and their trip took them all the way across the width of the country – impressive, even if Chile is remarkably thin!
One highlight was seeing hundreds of seals jumping and surfing on arrival at the coast. Another highlight included Matt receiving an award for the “Best Toilet Related Injury’ which involved a run in with a nettle bush. 
The team slept in Cabanas most nights and described the food as ‘some kind of salty fish or meat and potatoes everyday, followed by a dessert straight out of a kid’s birthday party; jelly, ice-cream and litres and litres of Angel Delight!’ Hmmm, maybe someone should research the benefits of sugar based powder deserts on cycling.
Even with 180k of their trip being off-road and by the look of the pictures uphill, our Cycle Chile crew say they would all love to do it again and are excited about the exotic locations Computer Aid has planned for future cycling tours.
Please continue to show your support on the Cycle Chile team’s Just Giving site, as always there is more money to be raised. https://www.justgiving.com/bmcchile/
More photos of the Cycle Chile tour are available on our Facebook page
Great trip! Congratulations. If you ever decide to come back to this far-away terrain, do drop a line and we will look for a healthier alternative to eating lots of salt & sugar, among other things!!
Hi EG, thanks for the kind offer. It was indeed a great trip though I think it’s safe to say our Cycle Chile crew is definitely over freeze-dried sugary desserts so we may well call on you for some healthy options!