Here There Anywhere

Ecuador lies in between Colombia to the north, Peru to the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Ecuador has four distinct geographic regions, La Sierra with it's highlands,  La Costa on the west coast, La Amazonia on the east part mainly covered by dense rainforest and The Galapagos islands about 1000 km off the coast.

Ecuador’s location on the Pacific Ring of Fire makes it prone to volcanic activity. Its position on the equator also gives it a stable climate year-round, though each region has its own microclimates. 

Climate

Ecuador is often described as having an "eternal spring" climate, especially in the highland cities like Quito, Cuenca, and Loja. This is because of its location on the equator and the moderate temperatures found in the Andean region.

In these areas, temperatures usually range between 15°C to 25°C year-round, with mild days and cool nights—similar to a perpetual spring. However, the country’s climate varies depending on altitude and region.

Riding above 4000m

Starting in Quito the capital which sits at 2850m above sea level. Taking a few days to get use to the altitude is necessary. You can feel a little more tired and notice your breading is more heavy, besides that it doesn't really change that much if you are in shape.

This 5 day trip took us up and around the flanks of 2 main active volcanoes. The Cotopaxi standing at 5,897 meters with a side road leading us up to 3,600 meters.
You can find several fully equiped mountain lodges in the middle of nowhere on the Cotopaxi flanks.

The roof of  this trip was more challenging going around the Mount Chimborazo which is the highest point in Ecuador standing at 6,263 meters (20,548 feet) above sea level.

The long climb that led us around took us at 4,500 meters above sea level followed by a high plateau lunar landscape before diving down in a endless winding gorge that brought us back in the main high valley and town of Ambato.

A fun fact, due to the Earth's equatorial bulge, the summit of Chimborazo is the farthest point from the Earth's center—even farther than Mount Everest meaning if you measure from the Earth's core rather than sea level, Chimborazo is technically the tallest mountain on Earth.

Getting there

Traveling to Ecuador from Europe is not that crazy. Exploring direct flights from the major EU cities is usually available or if you live a little more remote a short connection to Madrid Spain will bring you to direct flights between Quito and Madrid.  

Building a 5 day route

For this adventure we partnered up with local riders and founders of Clipped Experience a top level cycling tour organisor who could help us set up the perfect route. Co-founders Ramiro Jacome and José Luis also owner of Velodrom Ecuador are both pasionnate cyclist who gave us a warm welcome and the necessary support for building the stages. 
Shoutout to Vito the mobile van luguage transport compagnon.

Studying maps and using Komoot is always an option. If you are looking for an all in experience, Clipped Experience is defenatly a great option to consider.