by Chris Geiser

Longitudinally, even a little further South than San Juan, Argentina, where we last raced (at GFNY Argentina), in early November, is the beautiful beach town of Punta Del Este, Uruguay. Situated on the Atlantic, about a 2 hour drive from the capital city of Montevideo, Uruguay, Punta Del Este has been the home of GFNY Uruguay since 2016. Now, with two races in Uruguay on the calendar for 2020, Punta Del Este has become a GFNY entity unto itself. With the GFNY Uruguay shifting to the beautiful vacation destination of Colonia, Uruguay, a short ferry ride from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Somehow 52 years had passed without setting foot in South America, and here we are, on our way to South America for the second time in 6 months, and probably the second of three trips within a 12 month span, all under the GFNY banner. There is a pattern here. Beyond the obvious – the constant flow of cycling stories from Colombia, the riders, the races, the pros going there for training – cycling is definitely a thing in South America. in anticipation of this next adventure, I was able to catch up with Nestor Piñon. Nestor and Andres Borras Fernandez are the organizers of GFNY Punta Del Este, and now also GFNY Uruguay in Colonia. With the Punta Del Este race on the Brazil side of Uruguay and the Colonia race on the Argentina side, Uruguay has become a GFNY destination for racers all over South America.While in San Juan, we noticed that cycling was everywhere. Casual cycling, commuting cycling, racing, and mountain biking. We had been hearing so much here in the States about Colombia, but to see it thriving in Argentina, brought home the notion that it was a cultural mainstay, and that Colombia while it may currently feel like the center – is not the limit So, I of course had to ask – what is happening with the explosion of South American cycling?

“I don’t know, I guess like we have heard cycling is ‘the new golf’. Executives tend to be younger than several decades ago, and so they like to be more fit, but still have the social networking (face to face) opportunities that they can have during golf. South America craves sporting victories, sporting heroes. Cycling gives the rider a chance to emulate, or follow in the footsteps of major winners from Colombia, and even here in Uruguay, where we had the Olympic medalist (Milton Wynants) in the points race in track cycling. This is the food for the craving of South American athletes. Cycling gives the chance for someone working alone and almost anyone can do it. It’s also no news that cycling gives a special kind of camaraderie among riders, and this is catching on. It’s like an addiction that is catching on and on and on.”

That said, bringing cyclists together in beautiful seaside locations from all over South America is a no brainer. Naturally – Mr. Curious that I am, I have to see more of this for myself. With February making us shiver, with each pedal stroke we deliver, starting March with the smell of the brine, and the sound of the waves lapping the beach in Punta Del Este seems like exactly the right way to go about it.

GFNY Uruguay – The Colonia Del Sacramento Experience

“Colonia and Punta Del Este are the main touristic points, here in Uruguay,” Nestor continued, “we thought in the beginning Punta Del Este would be mostly Argentinian riders but we were surprised to see that it was mostly Brasilian riders. So for Colonia, Argentinians come to Colonia to ride and vacation. It’s a historic town and just a few kilometers away, you are in the country. Over in Buenos Aires, they have to drive two hours to get out of the city. For Colonia, just a one hour ferry ride.” A one hour ferry ride to a place where once out of the quaint resort that sits in a small, preserved town that might look a bit like a town you would see in Europe. According to Nestor, “a paradise for a tourist getting away for the weekend – like a town from the Pinocchio story.”

With beautiful farmlands outside the town riders will be treated to empty roads, as the race will take place outside of the busy agricultural season. The course is not very demanding from a climbing perspective, but at a distance of 160km, and mostly flat, you can bet that it will be a fast race from the start. On the 11th of October the race will be on, and the town of Colonia Del Sacramento will be alive with the GFNY Guppo going all out!

GFNY Punta Del Este Awaits — Just Around the Corner

But now it’s back to the mental and physical preparation that goes into the next race. The first on my GFNY 2020 calendar. Plans for this GFNY calendar year are “A tutta” to say the least. WIth new races being added to the calendar, and old grudges (mostly with climbs) to be settled, it will be a busy year, starting on March 15, in Punta Del Este. The course in Punta Del Este is not all sea and sand. Rolling out to the West from the beach start area, the 170km course is one of the longer GFNY courses in the Global Cycling Marathon Series. With 2000 meters of climbing, it’s not necessarily the toughest in terms of climbs, but Nestor assures me that it is challenging. “We are starting on the main street on the causeway. So it will be 171 kilometers, with all together almost 2000 meters of climbing, it’s not steep but there is 70km of constantly going up and down. There is one climb that is steep.”

As this is the kickoff to my GFNY 2020 season, the length may present a challenge. Having gone that distance last at GFNY Argentina (and even then not that far), the training plan has mostly been stretching to the 100km mark. While the climbing isn’t steep – there is a concentrated amount of it for that 70 kilometer stretch as Nestor indicated, very similar to the stretch from Bear Mountain to the bottom of Cheesecote on the GFNY World Championship NYC course on the #thirdSundayinMay.

I asked Nestor for some advice: “Pace yourself, and study the course. Check out the tips that we have been giving on the news letters. We are about to send crucial information, little pointers about the climbs. If you don’t know this about the climbs, you may miss how deceptive that they are. Around the curves, you may think the climb is over, but you may pay for that later.” Sage advice.

But as the climbs turn into the descending route back to the beach, what awaits at the finish. Sun, sand, sea, as the finish line right on the beach makes a complete #SurfGFNY experience on the Punta Del Este beach. “We are having the finish line by the ocean. The award ceremony will be on the sand and we will try to take over the beach, and hope that people will dive into the ocean. (Bringing back memories of plunging into the bay in Cascais, Portugal after the inaugural GFNY Portugal in 2018). If you take dry clothes to check, and dive into the ocean, take some sun, and wait for the pasta party. And enjoy the true spirit of Punta Del Este. Everything is about the beach.”

I cannot wait to see Uruguay. #GFNY2020 #theLuckySeven awaits to follow the #GFNYHighFive. We might need two more fingers on that hand.Tal