Belen – Londres – Cuesta de Zapata – Tinogasta
This is a nice day-ride on the deserted old Ruta 40 from Belen to Tinogasta. The road is often not in very good condition and is intransitable to normal cars, but it is just about all rideable on two wheels. Though we’ve cycled the road in both directions we took better notes when cycling from Belen to Tinogasta, so describe the road travelling in that direction. Going this way is ever so slightly easier as you have the worst sections of surface whilst descending. There is nowhere to get food or water between Londres and Tinogasta, so take all you need with you.
| Total dist. | Stage dist. | Description |
| 0km | Belen (1,250m). Town with an ok bike shop, ATM, accommodation, shops, restaurants. | |
| 19.5km | Paved main road to Londres (14.4kms to main square). Go through town and 5.1kms from the main square turn off the paving at an unmarked junction. | |
| 19.5km | Junction (GPS01). This is just after a long bridge and ‘Artesanias Adan’. The main road goes L on a bend, but carry on straight onto a ripio road. | |
| 31.2km | After 4kms, go straight at a junction. Main track goes R. In another 4.1kms go straight at another junction. The last house (may be possible to get water) is just after this junction. In 9.8kms you get to the first high point on the road (1,710m). To here the road is mostly ok, with a couple of short, bad patches that require pushing. From the high point the road descends to a low point at about 1,640m, before climbing to the Cuesta de Zapata. Road ok, gentle gradients. | |
| 50.7km | Cuesta de Zapata (1,880m – GPS02). | |
| 31.6km | Descend quite steeply for 5.5kms. Surface often bad – very bumpy – but all rideable going downhill. (Pushing required when climbing up in the opposite direction). Then descent becomes more gentle for the rest of the road to Tinogasta. 29kms from the Cuesta de Zapata a road joins from the right (so if heading in the opposite direction to Londres/Belen go R here). This junction is in the middle of the filthy unofficial town rubbish dump. 2.6kms from the junction, get to the ‘Ruta 3 Intransitable’ sign where the tarmac begins near Tinogasta. | |
| 82.3km | ’Ruta 3 Intransitable’ sign (GPS03) near Tinogasta. |
| Details | |
| Time taken and amount climbed | 7 hours: Belen – Tinogasta (980m climb). |
| Traffic | Ripio section: 2 vehicles the first time we cycled this, none the second. |
| When we cycled | Mid May 2010, and late December 2010. |
| Difficulty | 2 |
| How much we had to push on this route | Less than 0.2kms going Belen to Tinogasta. Slightly more going the other direction. |
| GPS Point | Description | Lat/Long/Altitude |
| GPS01 | Junction 5kms after Londres | 27.7368 S, 67.1720 W, 1,230m. |
| GPS02 | Cuesta de Zapata | 27.8879 S, 67.3535 W, 1,880m. |
| GPS03 | Ruta 3 Intransitable sign | 28.0485 S, 67.5685 W, 1,220m. |
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