Epic Colombia
with Rob Taylor

Meet our staff in Reception at the Hotel Movich at 9:00 am for a brief Orientation Meeting where the Thomson Trip Manager will walk you through what to expect during the week ahead. At 10:00 am our mechanics will be on hand to help with the bike build followed by lunch at the hotel pool at 12 noon.

After lunch you’ll head out on your first ride in Colombia. From the hotel you’ll head south to Arvi Natural Park is the destination for your first big ride in Colombia. Relax and enjoy the first 15km (9 miles) of the ride, the only flat section of the entire route today. At the end of this flat section you’ll arrive in Guarne which signals the start of the Alto Medina climb.

At the top of the Medina you enter into the Arvi Natural Park and from there until the end of the ride you’ll follow a roller-coaster of short climbs and descents through the magnificent natural splendour of the natural park.

Today’s destination is the town of Guatapé which claims to be the most colourful town in Colombia. Along the way you’ll stop at the famous Peñón de Guatapé for some extra training. The Peñón is a massive rock that sticks out of the surrounding landscape – and our staff will encourage you to climb the 740 steps to the top (yes – that’s correct – 740 steps!). The magnificent views of the huge reservoir and hundreds of islands below make it well worth the extra effort.

There’s also a fair bit of climbing to do – on the bike. Only one long climb, the San Carlos climb, but there are lots of short, steep climbs.

A challenging ride today and definitely a day where you’ll need your climbing legs. Our ride has no less than 6 categorised climbs and a total elevation gain of almost 2,900m (9,500ft). Your destination is the beautiful colonial town of Abejorral, which was recently declared a national monument in Colombia.

The ride is a roller-coaster through rural Antioquia. Enjoy the riding along traffic-free, quiet roads that wind their way through the green fields and valleys of this beautiful part of the Andes mountains.

After yesterday’s big ride and another big ride on the agenda for tomorrow, we’ve prepared a shorter ride today. From the hotel it’s all climbing for the first 10km until you reach Santa Elena. The rest of the ride is typical Antioquia rolling terrain, through Retiro and La Ceja and eventually to the ceramic capital of El Carmen de Viboral where you can admire the local artisans at work whilst enjoying a coffee in the main plaza.

Today’s ride is an epic ride, that’s one of the favorites of the local pros.

From the hotel , you’ll head south to La Ceja where you’ll start the climb to Alto de la Union, one of the key climbs used by local riders, like Rigoberto Uran, to train for the Grand Tours. The ride continues through the town of La Union with a series of ups and downs, culminating in the 6km (4 miles) climb to Sonson. Enjoy a coffee in Sonson before heading back to La Union and eventually down the Alto de La Union descent to La Ceja and the final 20km (12 miles) back to the hotel.

Today’s ride features a magnificent out-and-back route to the village of Concepción. The road through San Vicente and over the Alto de las Frias was recently paved, opening up this fantastic ride to road bikes – and in true Thomson style we just had to include this new ride in our trip.

After today’s ride we’ll do a checkout at the Movich hotel, and we’ll heat out to the Eje cafetero. We’ll take a short flight to Pereira.

A shorter ride today to help you recover for the days ahead. The ride takes you through the heart of Colombian Coffee country to the beautiful town of Salento. Even though it’s a short ride you’ll still have a couple of categorised climbs to contend with, the Cat 2 climb to Filandia and the final climb to Salento.

After yesterday’s “recovery” day, it’s time to get back to some serious riding with a seriously EPIC Colombian ride over the infamous Alto de Letras. After breakfast you’ll have a short van transfer to avoid the busy cities of Pereira and Manizales. The ride will start out of Manizales at the bottom of Letras. At only 26km (16 miles), this is the easy side of Letras, with the summit sitting at 3,660m (12,000ft). From the summit, enjoy the 50km (31 miles) descent followed by a magnificent ride through Manzanares and Victoria to your boutique hotel in Honda.

Tip: be prepared for some significant changes in temperature on the climb. At the summit, expect temperatures of between 5 and 10C (40 to 50F) so make sure to bring appropriate clothing in the support van.

Another epic day at the office. On Today’s menu we have three categorise climbs. Today’s ride provable it’s not the hardest one, but provably it’s one of the nicest ones, be ready to ride in the Colombian countryside.

Alto de Sifón – the longest climb in the world! With a total distance of 87km (54 miles) and an elevation gain of over 4,186m (13,000ft), Sifón is in a category of its own!

Tip: 2 important things to keep in mind. First thing to keep in mind is the temperature swing. You’ll start the climb in +35C (95F) heat and finish between 5 and 10C (40 to 50F). Make sure you bring appropriate clothing in the support van. Second thing to bear in mind is the time factor. Depending on your fitness level, you’ll be climbing for 5 to 7 hours, maybe more. Hydrate and eat accordingly and prepare yourself mentally!

Today’s it’s our last ride in Colombia, for this year! We saved something special, After yesterday’s ride with one of the longest climbs in the world (Alto de Sifón).

The starting elevation of hotel is 13.000 ft high! We have a short but an interesting high altitude ride with three categorised climbs.
After today’s ride we have a lunch at the hotel to celebrate you completed this amazing and hard trip!

Unfortunately, your trip across Colombia has come to an end.

Our shuttle will drop you off at Manizales Airport. From Manizales there are regular flight connections to the international airport in Bogota.