After my heavy fall I'm back on my bike! I continue during the rainy season and am now in Ecuador. There are two different versions of the mountain bike route through Ecuador. One is on various dirt roads and the other is for singletrack and hiking trails. Despite it being the rainy season now, I will try to try as many off-road roads as possible to get as deep as possible into the Ecuadorian wilderness.

I am now driving at 3000 meters altitude and already quite a few kilometers continuously over the edge of the mountain. It's wet, very wet. Despite that, I'm having a great time. I'm in the middle of the cloud cover and it's really great to see!

The next few days it clears up and I cycle again in shorts and in a clear blue sky. I have company for a while, because I have been accompanied by a dog that keeps following me for about 10 km. I've always had a soft spot for this and I decide to stop for a while to give him some food. He follows me for a while and later I continue alone

A while later I have deviated from the road and I am really driving off-road. There is no bike path here and I have to push the bike a lot over hills and through water. My average speed is now 1km/h… I was really hoping to be able to cycle more, but the terrain is super swampy or full of rocks, making it really impossible to cycle. Luckily I have enough food and drink to last for four days, so I'll keep going!

Every now and then I'm really lucky, after my overnight stay I wanted to pack my tent and it was dry for fifteen minutes, so all things are packed dry, which is very nice! But unfortunately… 10 minutes later it completely turned around again. I am completely soaked and in mud up to my ankles. After many hours of going very slowly it is finally dry again and luckily I can continue.

According to the GPS there should be a trail that I can follow, but that is not the case. The trail has not been used in years and is completely overgrown. I walk 2 kilometers to see if there is still a road I can cycle and luckily I find one that I can follow. Finally on the road again!

Time for a viewer's question: Why don't I actually use a lighter bike that's made more off-road? Well that's a very good question. My bike is optimized for what I do most, riding on well-maintained roads. Although in my video it may seem like I'm driving over rocks almost all the time, it's not that bad. A stable touring bike like my KOGA WorldTraveller can handle anything. This does not mean that I recommend this bike for the rocky part of the Andes Mountains, but it is perfect for a cycling experience that will last more than a year!

A few days later, nature again does not cooperate. It is very windy, it rains and the trail is no longer doable. Although the day before was perfect, today is anything but ideal. I can't turn around, so I just have to keep going. Fortunately, after a while it is not too bad and I can continue cycling.

I'm through the mountain pass and this is a world of difference. The weather was just terrible with rain and wind, while it is wonderfully sunny and dry here! A perfect reason to continue with a fresh mind!

I'm going to climb a volcano called the Chimborazo. The tallest volcano there is. Although I have seen enough volcano in my life, this one is the most impressive. Clouds curling around the top and beautiful red colors in the rock make this a feast for the eyes. And at the top it's time for a meal! Fun fact, I'm now making the closest meal to space!

After the overnight stay it is time to go back. And if I thought a little, I'd take the way down. But that's no fun, so I take my own route along the edge of the volcano! First over some rocks and then speeding down over the sand! That's fun!

My favorite road here is south of Angamarca. The road goes along the mountain and you can enjoy fantastic views all the time while on the road. I will definitely continue this road and see you in the next video! So stay tuned!