| Date: | 25 July 2004 |
| Location: | London, England |
| Total Miles Cycled: | 13,500 miles approx. |
| Weather: | Surprisingly nice for England. |
| Altitude: | Approx. 20m |
| Last Day Off: | 22nd-24th July 2004 |
| Latest Bike Problem: | Beth's rear gear cable snapped |
| Proposed Route: | We have completed our route and our bikes sit idle in pieces within cardboard boxes. Before we use them again we will restore them to proper working order - which is a state they have not been in for some time. We have read about a off-road route around the English Lake District which might well be the first proper ride they will have but probably not until November. |
| General Notes: | The final leg of our journey from the Brazil/Argentina border to Buenos Aires was less than smooth with poor road conditions initially in Argentina together with strong headwinds and low temperatures. Things improved considerably having crossed into Uruguay with traffic levels much reduced but headwinds making for extremely long days of cycling well into the night. We calculated a worst case scenario and figured that in order to guarantee achieving our goal we needed to reach 80 miles each day which would often take us in excess of 12 hours on the saddle. In the end the winds gave us some small periods of respite where we managed make significant progress with our final arrival in Buenos Aires leaving three clear days before our flight. Finding accommodation and boxes for our bikes was relatively easy in Buenos Aires where the locals are familiar with the needs of travellers. We were able to spend our last few days enjoying the luxuries of the amazing food, wine and atmosphere that the City offers. The completion of the journey on time and without major instance was incredibly exciting but obviously sad for us in that it spelt the end of a long adventure and the way of life that we had settled into over the last year. |
| Location Map: |  |