Cycling Colombia - Part 2

After 6 days of hard cycling in Colombia the rest day on Saturday 17th January came as a welcome respite. A group of us set off to downdown Medellin to replenish bike parts, visiting the bike shop established by the famous Colombian climber, Ramon Hoyas Vallejo, now run by his son, who was happy to serve us.
Leaving Medellin was a delight: on Sunday's the main highways in the city are closed to traffic and we joined the throng of cyclists, joggers, skateboarders, and dog-walkers having a car-free fun Sunday. We soon climbed out of the rim of mountains surrounding Medellin, with cable cars whizzing overhead providing access for the ramshackle neighbourhoods clinging to the hillsides high above the city.
The day provided 2,137m of ascent, over 54 miles, reaching the mountain top town of Santa Rosea de Rosas in late afternoon.
Monday saw the greatest descent of the tour, my computer registering 3,531m loss of altitude, (but also accompanied by 1,215m of gain). The descent from the highest point in la Cordilera was exhilerating, my hands aching from braking for over an hour, as I peeled off the layers with the temperature increasing nearly threefold from 12 degrees to 34 degrees.
On Tuesday a change of hotel required a route change, with a bus transfer to avoid the worst of the hot coastal Savannah. Our destination, after 60 miles of cycling, was a lively seaside resort on the Caribbean - dipping my wheels in the sea followed by a welcome swim to cool off.
Our last cycling day was a long hot slog of 113miles to the delightful Spanish colonial town of Cartagena, a World Heritage site. Finishing the tour led to hugs and congratulations all round, followed by a beer or two - most recognising the tour as probably their toughest cycling challenge.
Today was spent boxing bikes and enjoying the hot and steamy ambiance of Cartagena, and preparing        for flights to Bogata, and hence to London.
Bring on the Surrey hills!