Colombia - Medellin to Bogota

Andrew & Yvonne Lindsay, Otford, England, UK

Really enjoyed trip. Excellent group. Great tour staff. We enjoyed Colombia.

Richard Bedal, California, USA

Here is an article I wrote for our Cycling Club Newsletter:

BIKING COLOMBIA One of the first things I learned when preparing for our Colombia bike trip is that the country’s name is spelled and pronounced differently than the Ohio city with a similar name. After looking at the ride profiles provided by our bike touring company, I also quickly learned that the Andes are well represented in Colombia. Another clue that Janet and I were in for some challenging climbs was the 25 mile taxi ride from the airport to our Medellin hotel—the last 10 miles was all downhill, with a grade ranging from 8% to 15%. We were afraid we would be climbing this hill when we left this city surrounded by mountains. Watching the numerous cyclists zoom in and out of traffic and pass our already too fast taxi, on a windy road, did not allay my growing doubts of the wisdom in choosing this bike trip. Fortunately, the first meeting with our guides that evening was calming and made me believe I could do this. Although I was the oldest on this trip, our four cycling companions were not 20 or 30 year olds who I feared would only be seen at breakfast and dinner. Additionally, the guides assured us that the support van would always be available. Our first day of riding was on Sunday in Medellin (pronounced “med-a-gene” by the natives), with a population of 2.5 million. Not to worry. Every Sunday they have a Ciclovia, where they close some major roads to cars from 7am to 1 pm, to encourage physical activity, such as cycling, skateboarding, walking, running, etc. There are over 60 cities throughout Colombia that have a Ciclovia every Sunday. On the second day our guides had us leaving at 7am to avoid the commuter traffic. Apparently unbeknownst to the guides the Medellians are early risers. Although the natives are respectful of cyclists, they do not have a three-foot rule. Our cycling guide got us cleverly through town on some major roads, without any mishaps. Soon after we got out of town we were on rural roads, with little traffic, in the midst of beautiful green mountains and canyons. We stopped to take pictures, and then around the next corner there would be another beautiful view. The pictures I took really don’t do it justice. Besides the scenery, the people and their culture were a delight to embrace. Our guides, being from Colombia, are very proud of their country and enjoyed sharing it with us. We met many people, young and old, and had many enjoyable, memorable experiences. One that stands out occurred in a very small town. I was sitting on a curb with a 10 year-old boy who wanted to practice English. He took out his text book that had pictures of items. I helped with his English pronunciation and he helped me with the Spanish. Perhaps the most memorable is when Janet and I, while cycling, came across a young man who was using a machete to trim the vegetation on a bank next to the road. What first caught our attention was his ladder that was hand made out of bamboo. Janet asked, in Spanish, if we could take his picture. He thought a brief moment and said "Gringos." He wasn't being rude, judgmental or critical, but merely stating a fact. We chatted with him for a while in our meagre Spanish. He then posed and we took this photo. We liked him. He was much like all the Colombians we met—kind, friendly, self-assured, and confident, with a strong work ethic. Oh, lest I forget, bicycling up the hills was very challenging. Twice I had to use the support van. Once, when my blood sugar got too low, I got a ride up part of the way. On the other occasion, Janet and I were so slow bicycling up this long climb (27 miles and 5,800 feet of climbing), with lengthy stretches of gravel, we had to get a ride the last three miles because we were going to miss dinner. However, on another day I was able to complete a 50 mile day, with 7,500 feet of climbing and a 12,000 foot pass, the highest point of our bike trip. If anyone is interested in biking Colombia, I highly recommend Red Spokes Adventure Tours. We also used them when we cycled in Chile and Argentina.

Cheryl Hyslop, Ottawa, Canada

Another excellent Red Spokes tour! The Colombian people were incredibly warm and welcoming. The scenery and cycling terrain were amazing. We do not have that many shades of green where we live! 

Adrian, Julian, Javier, and Geovanny Jr went above and beyond to make sure that everything went smoothly and that we had opportunities to experience the best of the area. Many thanks for a great trip.

Eli Baron, Texas, United States

The Colombia trip was outstanding with extremely beautiful scenery and a great support.

Robert Travers, Maryland, Baltimore, USA

I thought redspokes did a great job for its clients in the cycling adventure in Colombia. This is for the experienced cyclist as well as the intrepid traveler. I truly enjoyed seeing the beautiful countryside while riding my bike and the staff was wonderful

Robert Oddo, San Molina, Peru

A way to explore a very interesting country and culture!!!

John Lingford, London, England, UK

An excellent way to see the Colombian countryside and small towns.

Ms Sharlene Rainford, Lewisham, NSW, Australia

Wonderful trip. Colombia is forever in my heart and the crew were just lovely. I never thought I'd enjoy cycling up mountains so much. Be warned, the cycling on some days isn't for the feint hearted. The 130km day is pretty tough especially in the heat. The 'monster mountain climb' however was fantastic and not as hard as it sounds. The views are spectacular and of course there's the downhill reward. Be prepared for fairly same-ish food most of the time but it won't matter because Colombia is a special place!

André BINON, Beloeil, Belgium

wonderful discovery of Columbia with an excellent team

Cornelia Demmel, Munich, Germany

This trip rates amongst the best ones I have done in my life - just everything worked out perfectly: a magnificent country with wonderful genuine people and picturesque countryside, an absolutely fabulous support team that looked after us well beyond the call of duty and a terrific group of fellow cyclists sharing the adventure on and off the bike. Thank you redspokes for having organized yet another great tour. I will be back again.