Khach Me If You Can

alright, alright… technically the third longest climb in the world behind an extended Mauna Kea route (#1) and Wuling Pass (#2), but those nitty gritty details failed to make it to the sign at the top of Letras proudly proclaiming it as having the coveted “est” qualifier. Letras does still get the consolation prize for being the longest mountain pass in the world, meaning it isn’t an out and back route. Regardless of the official length ranking Alto de Letras is an incredibly difficult and rewarding climb with absolutely awe-inspiring views. This legendary stretch of road into the high Andes is what inspired me to pack my bike up and book a flight to Medellin, Colombia to see if I was up for the challenge.

The Metrics

Alto de Letras is an absolute monster, but as an engineer/ data obsessed cyclist the term “monster” needs some numbers to define it.

• Length: 50.5 miles (81.3km)
• Elevation Gain: 12,820′ (3908m)
• Maximum Elevation: 12,070′ (3,679m)
• Average Gradient without descents*: 7.5%
• Fiets: 15.6
• Climb Category: HC
• Difficulty: Extreme
• KOM: 3:05:42 (solo KOM 3:20)
• Non-technical classification: Epic as all hell

*The average grade is sometimes listed as 4%, but this factors in the negative grades of small descents on the climb. When you are climbing expect to be working!

For a detailed analysis down to every tenth of a mile of the climb I recommend checking out PJamm Cycling. They are always my first stop for planning out a big climb.

The Pursuit of Thin Air

There is something about a great bike climb that makes you realize how special that carbon triangle with a couple wheels you ride around on is. For some it’s the challenge, for others the incredible scenery, maybe someone goes through all that effort to reach a summit just for the religious experience of bombing down hairpin descents with a white knuckle grip… for me it’s all of the above.

Anyone who has purchased their first bike eventually encountered their first hill. Usually this is a glorified speed bump, perhaps a few hundred meter section of road at a 4% grade. Turning the pedals suddenly becomes more difficult, heart rate accelerates, breathing increases… but you make it. That’s the moment you realize all this riding a bike stuff can actually be a bit of hard work! You make it to the top of this mound and feel a sense of accomplishment. As you become stronger that first climb becomes nothing but a part of the route on your way to bigger and badder challenges, and if you’re like me, you begin to seek out these climbs. The views on a good climb make every painful pedal stroke worth it afterall.

I chased that dragon to the mountains of New Hampshire, then to the incredible Santa Monica Mountains, to the rocky terrain of Utah and then eventually found myself in a Google rabbit hole… “The best cycling climbs in the world”.

Colombia is known for it’s incredible cycling routes so the idea of getting my bike another passport stamp to see for myself had been lingering in the back of my head for some time, but then… THEN.. there it was… the challenge I had been looking for, “the longest climb in the world”, Alto de Letras. My Googling shifted to anything Letras related. After enough reading and Youtube videos about this epic climb, my search shifted gears one last time, “Flights from Boston to Medellin.” I needed to ride this thing.

Fast Forward

Through the time spent preparing for Letras and a week of epic riding in Colombia that brought me to Mariquita, the town at the base of Alto de Letras.

I did an overall recap of my time in Colombia in a previous blog as well as in a video that can be found here:

If you enjoy the video PLEASE like, comment, subscribe… it makes a huge difference as to how the video appears in the search results and makes all the hard work spent editing worth it. Anyhow…

El Hotel de los Ciclistas

Sitting at just 1600 feet above sea level, Mariquita is a small town in the Tolima region of Colombia and function as the base camp for an Alto de Letras pursuit.

There isn’t much to see or do in this town so I would recommend arriving the day before a planned Letras attempt.

El Hotel de los Ciclistas is an awesome hotel I would recommend staying at the night before the climb. It isn’t some lavish 5 star hotel… not by a long shot, but it is on theme with the trip with everything you can possibly make bicycle-themed exactly that. From the chain murals on the walls to the in-room bike racks to the make shift Letras gift shop, the hotel will certainly put you in the mindset to take on the challenge. It also offers a pool and lounge areas to rest your legs before the climb with a menu of pasta offerings to properly carb up the night before emptying your legs.

At this low altitude the climate of Mariquita is quite tropical with high humidity and temperatures rising well past 80 degrees. Fear not, these cycling themed rooms also boast some powerful AC to help you get the rest you need before riding into the sky.

Rise and Shine

or rise and ride and shine… my alarm went off at 5:00 AM when other members of the group had already started turning the pedals in their Letras pursuit. After getting kitted up and having a large breakfast it was time to start my own journey. At 6:15 my Emonda rolled through the quiet streets of Mariquita just as the sun was beginning to rise behind the mountains. After about a mile my guide, Juan, pointed at a arbitrary section of pavement that slightly began to tick upward, “Letras comienza aqui.”

It was go time.

Mariquita to Fresno

There is a town roughly every 20km of the 80km climb. The first town is Fresno at 24km (14.9 miles). The first 5km of Letras kicks off with about a 7% average grade to get the legs burning and awake from the get go.

As the road points East the sun crests over the mountain landscape spilling light onto fields full of cows and coffee.

After the initial 5km there is about 12 km of rolling hills and flats offering a good opportunity to open the legs up and push. As tempting as it is to sit back and catch your breathe I would recommend getting into the drops and banking some time where the opportunity presents itself.

For the final 7km of this section the road again turns skyward at about 4.5% into the first town, Fresno.

Fresno isn’t much for seeing or exploring but it offers an opportunity to refuel and fill up the bidons if you don’t have on-road support.

Elevation: 4,806′

Tips:

• Focus on finding a good rhythm and power in this section. I was targeting about 70% of FTP for the duration of the climb, but altitude can throw a wrench into this plan (more on that in a bit)
• Remain hydrated. The base of the climb is hot and humid so you’ll likely be sweating quite a bit. It’s crucial at this stage not to fall behind on water and electrolytes.
• Attack the flat sections. This is a great opportunity to bank some time where you won’t get the same bang for your buck upping the wattage on steeper grades.
• Keep a steady influx of carbs going throughout the entire ride. The only thing that could make the end of the climb at high altitudes worse is bonking while you’re up there.
• At about the 13k mark there is a sharp right turn in the descent that sneaks up on you. You want to check your speed going into this corner as it is deceiving and can easily result in a crash. This turn IS marked with a sign.

Fresno to Padua

Leaving Fresno the gradient kicks up a notch to about 6% and remains fairly steady over the entire stretch. There are a couple very short flat sections that offer a brief recovery before the hill comes back to smack you in the face all over again. Steep ascent, recover, ascent, recover.

Over this stretch of the ride the climate zone begins to shift into the Paramo zone. The air is a bit cooler, a bit crisper. The dense tropical vegetation of Mariquita begins to break way to smaller plants with steep lush green hills filled with grazing horses and cows. Smaller vegetation also happens to mean better views as one side of the road is bordered by vertical cliff faces as the other drops into the valley below. Take some time to enjoy these very early rewards of the climb, but don’t let off the power to the pedals. If you are acclimated there is still enough oxygen in the air for this section to manage a strong effort.

By now you will notice locals cheering you on as you pass. In Colombia it seems the American cycling wave or nod greeting has been replaced with a loud whistle. Let this flashmob cheering section motivate you to keep pushing. “Dale! Dale!”

Ride a short descent into the town of Padua, another opportunity to top off your water and fuel before taking on the next section of the climb. You’re at 40k, half of the distance of Letras, but the hardest parts are yet to come.

Elevation: 6,700′

Tips:

• Keep a steady flow of calories and electrolytes going in. Make sure to mix in “real” food along with gels and liquid calories as you still have a bear of a high altitude effort to come.

Padua to Delgaditas

Leaving Padua the climb gets steep again with a average grade of about 7% for 6.2km. After this is a short descent before a more manageable average grade of about 5% for the following 10km. This section offers some of the most beautiful views of the entire climb as you ride sections of the ridge with the terrain precipitously dropping off on either side of the road.

This section is also where fatigue and the altitude begin their one-two punch. With every 100 meters of ascent there is approximately a 1% drop in the amount of oxygen in the air, and about an equal drop in your power output at the same level of effort. At this section expect to see your power numbers begin to drop despite the same level of perceived effort.

Dig deep! This is where the mental battle really begins.

Delgaditas is barely a town compared to Fresno and Padua so if you blink you may miss it. Once again there’s an opporunity to refuel and rehydrate before attacking the final 20km of Letras.

Don’t celebrate too early! The hardest part is yet to come.

Elevation: 8360′

Tips:

• Continue to stay on top of the fuel and hydration as the increasing altitude and duration in the saddle will make this all the more paramount.
• There are 2 corners on a section of descent to be wary off at approximately 46km and 49km. At 46km the reverse camber of the road will trick you into thinking you have the corner until it is too late. I am told this is the most common spot on Letras for a crash. At 49km the sharp turn IS marked with a caution sign.

Delgaditas to Letras Summit

The final 20km! You’re “almost” to the top and you may be thinking you have Letras in the bag at this point, but WAIT… do you hear that? The pain train is about to roll through! The toughest bit of the climb lies just ahead.

The 13km leaving Delgaditas features switchbacks with an average grade of nearly 8%, with several sections exceeding 10%. Not only have 60 km and nearly 10,000 feet been covered already, but at this altitude there is only about 70% of the amount of oxygen in the air as there is at sea level. Expect to see your power drop off precipitously for the same rate of perceived exertion. This section of climb offers a very brief 300m descent marked by a statue of the Virgin.

At about 74k the road crests again before a 2k descent that will bring you to the base of your final effort. You’re up in the thin air now and this descent will likely be quite cold. 74k is a good place to through a jacket and gloves on if you aren’t pushing for a best time in which case its time to deal with even more discomfort and keep pushing to bring home the summit.

The final 4 km average just under 6%. The contrast with the hell of the previous 13 km paired with the fact that you are almost done can breathe new life into your legs. Push with everything you have left and continue past the signs marking the top of Alto de Letras to make sure your segment is complete before heading back to the signs.

Hard Earned Photos

Unclipping from the pedals in front of one of the three sponsored signs on the top of Letras is about the time it clicks, “Holy shit! I did it!” There isn’t much of a view at the summit, but the signs offer a great commemorative backdrop.

My plan was to pace at 70% of my FTP for the duration of the climb, which if the descents were eliminated from the average I hit almost on the nose. My time to the top of Letras was 5 hours plus or minus a few minutes, depending on which .gpx file to trust.

Its easy to ignore throbbing legs and burning lungs for a minute as a massive sense of relief and accomplishment arrive. This is DEFINITELY the time to put on some warmer layers as after that effort your body is about to get shocked into some cold standing around at over 10,000 ft.

Bundle Up Buttercup

For some the top of Letras is the end of the ride and they are hopping in a vehicle to get a lift to a hotel with the goal of getting horizontal as soon as possible. I would argue what’s the point of doing all that work to get to the top of a mountain if you aren’t going to get into the drops and bomb down it?

If you are of a similar school of thought my tip is this… Bundle up. The descent off the back side of Letras to Manizales was the coldest I have ever been on a bicycle. I had a wind/rain jacket, gloves, a neck buff, and a cap on and still was shivering uncontrollably with my hands completely numb.

Most people who race are familiar with the post-race shivers. Even if it’s warm your body may be shivering uncontrollably as sweat soaked clothes suck heat away from your body that is likely also experiencing vasoconstriction from the effort. A hearty push up Letras will likely have the same effect. When the watts stop flowing, the temperature drops, and your relative air speed jumps up all at the same time, it’s a perfect storm for a deep freeze. I had to stop to craft a makeshift gilet out of a piece of cardboard and sip hot sugar cane water just to get back on the bike. If Macgyver was a cyclist I’m sure he would have tipped his cap at this moment of ingenuity.

Stay Alert – Post Note

It’s easy to get lost in the views and the suffering on the way up Letras, but it’s absolutely critical to stay alert of any hazards ahead as you climb. Now you may be thinking… I’m climbing and for the most of this ride will be well in control going at relatively low speeds. Well sure… but like snotty kids used to say in grade school. “It’s not all about you!”

While climbing Letras there were 3 accidents where a large truck had lost control on a descent and either flipped or careened across and off the road into a tree, or through the wall of a home.

While descending Letras with the steep grades and hairpin turns, trucks are continuously riding the brakes and trying to keep a low enough speed to prevent them from overheating. Apparently this doesn’t always go as planned and on the day I climbed there were exactly 3 divergences from the plan before 11 AM. I did not see any of this in real time, but based on the aftermath I could tell that one truck flipped over spilling it’s cargo across the road, one was stopped by a ditch on the opposite side of the road, and one was brought to rest after busting through an exterior wall into someone’s living room. As for what to do if you have a runaway truck headed towards you, I haven’t the slightest clue; however, I’m betting you would have a better chance of a positive outcome if you saw it coming in advance.

Letras Video Breakdown

For a video highlighting my Letras climb and some epic views click below!

Thank you

….for reading. More content to come soon!