Huanuco to Cerro de Pasco

You've no idea how wrapt I was to be getting back on the bike this morning, having spent the last week or so in the truck. I mean sure I was trying to get over a rotten cold, but (and no offence to Conan or Mark) but I was worried I was beginning to turn from cyclist into a fireman, I was spending so much time in the back of the truck. 

Essentially they are former fire trucks from Germany, which have subsequently been reconfigured to carry a million bits and pieces of camping, cooking gear along with a few bikes, riders and of course all the luggage we've brought with us....

Whilst I obviously must have missed the starter's gun, the majority of the peleton not being in sight as, Carmen, Julia and myself headed out of town. Being tail-enders, though at times marginally faster than several of the back markers, no alarm bells were rung, as we anticipated catching up to several of them at least, before the obligatory coke / coffee stop. It wasn't to be however and so we did stop had some light refreshments at around the 30KM point and then continued on up the road, as the Three Musketeers. 

By the time we had ridden a further 30KM and what we believed to be some 7-8 past where we anticipated seeing the lunch truck, we'd begun to get more than a little hungry, given that by this stage we'd spent close to four and a half hours in the saddle, riding up a somewhat boring stretch of road. Fortunately the lunch truck had come out / found us, just as we were about to enter into a cafe / truckie restaurant for lunch.Being that it was getting close to 1.30PM we subsequently decided to call it quits for the day and to pop our bikes on the roof. With another 40KM ahead of us, and about 1000 metres of vertical climbing (at altitude) it would have taken a month of Sunday's to reach our final destination had we decided to continue on!

Jumping into the truck after we had eaten, didn't mean the fun and games had concluded for the day, given that we became somewhat bogged and on a rather precarious angle, when our driver - Walter - endeavored to give some oncoming traffic room to pass and had the front of the truck slide into a ditch given the soft growth on the verge of the road. 

Fortunately the spectators of a local football match put down their supporters banners and so on, and helped pull us out of our predicament something for which we were eternally grateful. I think in a way it made their day being able to help out some daft Gringos!