B3ta birthday indulgence - proud dad moment
Not only is today my B3ta birthday, but also today my son completes the Peru Great Divide; a 1,000 mile cycle ride through the Andes, having set off on 26th May. He believes that at 20, he will be the youngest person so far to complete the trip solo.
The highest point reached was 16,372 ft where oxygen is 53% of that at sea level. For context, the summit of Mont Blanc is 15,774 ft. With a total ascent of 125,000 ft he will have climbed over 4 times the height of Everest.
The rear hub on his bike is close to failure and he has 10 km to do today to reach the official finish point. He then has a further 90 km to reach the town where he can plan his return to the UK. I'm immensely proud of what he's achieved.
Edit: He's officially completed the trail; everything now is all about getting home.
Typical scenery:
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Varmint, Sun 12 Jul 2026, 8:28,
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Almost as awesome as the plague of candles
G'don'im.
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simbosan is too tired, Sun 12 Jul 2026, 9:17,
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Happy mega candles
Wow, I mean I struggle to get to the top of the stairs, so fuck
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Fadgebadger Sweaty sumo wanks for everyone!, Sun 12 Jul 2026, 11:00,
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happy candleday, varmint
good that your boy made it one piece, some of those drivers on peruvian mountain roads think they're wearing plot armour
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cumquat may will not be commenting further on the allegations, Sun 12 Jul 2026, 11:46,
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Not as bad as expected
He said all the drivers that passed him gave him loads of room and a chirpy horn blast as they overtook. Only surprise was being overtaken by one of the big mining trucks, only to find a couple of hundred yards later it was lying on its side having left the road.
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Varmint, Sun 12 Jul 2026, 13:23,
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i had a long bus journey in my younger days, and they didn't afford the same courtesy to the bus
lima to cusco. still, not as bad as india on a comparitve scale. fuckers would pass other trucks and buses around blind hairpins. all you could do was hold on and pray to brahma. good to hear your kid made it through nevertheless.
I googled the great divide routes, it's a fair undertaking. Also discovered the term "bikepacking". having done a few long trips of actually roping a backpack sideways onto small rear bike rack, I'm disappointed to only to be hearing the term now.
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cumquat may will not be commenting further on the allegations, Sun 12 Jul 2026, 15:35,
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He did see two trucks, one overtaking the other on a blind corner. So, yeah, they do it.
Bikepacking is essentially bicycle touring, but more minimal, lightweight and quite a bit of off road.
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Varmint, Sun 12 Jul 2026, 18:24,
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Congratualtions to Son of Varmint and Happy Candlemas!
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Octo I ruin everything., Sun 12 Jul 2026, 18:24,
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Happy Candleday!
Also top work from your son
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wheresthefish Partly filled with wrong, Sun 12 Jul 2026, 22:06,
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Candles
And well done to your son!
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hoppitygoestotown The temporal displacement occurred exactly, Sun 12 Jul 2026, 23:10,
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I can still see the afterglow from the candles.
Or could it be that your progeny is already outshining you at twenty?
I'm just teasing. Happy b3lated b3taday.
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jonbob loves you, Mon 13 Jul 2026, 4:28,
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That's amazing!
Happy candles!
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Quiver Search for FATALISTS on Spotify, Amazon, Apple, &c, Mon 13 Jul 2026, 6:37,
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I rode my bike to the shops today
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ProjectWeasel The Bird is the Word, Tue 14 Jul 2026, 22:29,
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