Organization letter

At the end of the year, everyone begin to plan the summer activities. And this is how it supposes to work for the teams that want to be part of the Patagonia International Tour on next February.
Prepare to enjoy a unique race, because it will be in a unique place in the world.

You will pretty much enjoy every challenge, but living in the camps is what makes this adventure unforgettable.
Participating of the Patagonia International tour is a unique experience, is the perfect combination between mountain bike, friends and nature.

All the teams, since the official ones to the others, plan their participation with the same enthusiasm and responsibility.
This tour is not only about climbing more than 200 km of mountain, it’s also planning the trip to San Martin de los Andes in Argentina and everything related to logistic.
Today, more than 60 competitors of more than 20 countries have already signed and paid the inscription for the 2010 tour and now they are trying to optimize the training, and also everything related with the accommodation and the logistic, that will need for the race camps.
Some of the teams come to Patagonia from to far, like Norway, Spain, United States, Dominican Republic; and they are getting their plane tickets and preparing the bikes for the trip. In Venezuela and Brazil, teams are meeting to change information and making the trip easier.
The Patagonia International Tour organization is also preparing all the race details, the deployment, the course and the camps.
Please pay attention about the changes we have made in relation to the obligatory equipment.

Welcome to the Patagonia!!
Welcome to the Patagonia International Tour!
We will wait you to enjoy a unique adventure in a spectacular place in the world.

Sebastian Tagle
2010 Patagonia International Tour Director

There are a very few places for the 2010 Tour

So far exceeded the 340 teams signed. Because of logistic reasons in the Hua Hum ferry and issues of capacity in the camps site, the amount of teams that can participate in the 2010 tour is limited.
For now, we can’t have more than 380 teams signed, but the organization is trying to reach 400 teams (800 competitors on board).

Categories

The teams count with 2 competitors and participate in some of the following categories.
Important: The organization has decided that each category will be open with 10 teams as minimum.

MAN OPEN
2competitors have to be men and the sum of their ages at 31st December of 2009 is more than 80 years.
LADIES OPEN
2 competitors have to be women and the sum of their age sat 31st December of 2009 is more than 80 years.
MIX
1 competitor’s man and 1 woman
MAN CAT A
2competitors have to be men and the sum of their ages at 31st December of 2009 will be between 80 and 100 years.
MAN CAT B
2 competitors have to be men and the sum of their ages at 31st December of 2009 will be over 100 years.
LADIES CAT A
2 competitors have to be women and the sum of their ages at 31st December of 2009 will be between 80 and 100 years.
LADIES CAT B
2 competitors have to be women and the sum of their ages at 31st December of 2009 will be over 100 years.

San Martín de los Andes y la Patagonia Argentina – Chilena

A unique place in the world!!!
San Martin de los Andes is the host of the 2010 tour. This little mountain town under the Andes chain and next to the Lacar lake is a great place to enjoy before and after the race.
With their excellent restaurants, their handmade chocolates and mountain architecture, is a town to live it intensely.
The teams of the town prefer staying at typical cabins, most of them with capacity for 4 or 6 people.
The competitor’s friends and family could make several excursions and enjoy trips trough tourism agency.
For all the competitors but specially to those who come from other countries, we not only recommend you to arrive a few days earlier to train and get involve with the place, also to enjoy the hospitality of San Martin de los andes people.

The route of Tour 2010

The technical information of the 2010 road can be seeing with every detail at the official site: www.tourdelapatagonia.com

But here is a little description of each stage:

First stage
The first stage departure from San Martin de los Andes with a control start up to the surroundings of the town.
The competitors will advance for the nº48 International route that link San Martin de los Andes with the frontier with Chile. It’s a typical road with climbing, descents, curves that goes along the Lacar Lake. In some occasions you will have to leave the road and should go trough paths that will need a major technical level.
It is the shortest stage with 42 km aprox and a drop of 1440 meters with a departure at 65 mts s.n.m. You will reach 1625 mts s.n.m.
The end of the first stage is in the Nonthue camp, a few km of Chile frontier.

Second Stage
With no doubts, this stage is the most difficult but also the most spectacular. With a length of 118 km aprox. The departure since the Nonthue camp (Argentina) will be the intersection (no competitive) to cross the Paso International of Hua Hum. Each team must do all the migrations paperwork at the International Police of Chile, Duty and the agricultural Service (sag)
After that, you will continue a few more km up to Puerto Pirehueico (Chile) where you will board with your bikes in the ferry. After 90 minutes of navigation trough one of the glaciar origin lake more beautiful of Patagonia, the ferry will arrive to Puerto Fuy (Chile) that is next to Choshuenco Volcano which always has its top cover with snow.
At Puerto Fuy will be the timer departure. After a few kilometers with some drops, start a mountain road with heavy climbing next to Naltume Lake.
In just 10 km the course will pass of 260mts s.n.m to 890mts s.n.m and again will go down 240 mts s.n.m. When the mountain road move away of the Neltume Lake, start a climbing to reach 1400mtss.n.m and get to Lliquiñe town (Chile).
At Lliiquiñe will be a neutralization and you will be able to make repairs and prepare to start the final part of the stage.
The departure of Chile will be trough the Paso International of Carririñe, one of the less busy and at the same time the most spectacular. This passage is closed 9 months of the year.
This final step will be in a calm descent up to the Laguna Verde camp (Argentina) next to a beach of volcanic sand.

Third Stage
These are the finals 68 km. You will go trough the road that goes along the Curruhue Grande Lake and the Curruhue Chico Lake with an unbelievable views.
Since the departure stage (1050 mts s.n.m) continues a descent in this third stage with a total drop of 950 mts, to reach the arrive at the heart of San Martin de los Andes where the high teams will play their last chances to win the 2010 Tour.

 

Camps and food

We will have 2 camps during the race, both of them at the Parque Nacional Lanin at Argentina. They are rugged camps and you will have to consider that there are minimum amenities.
Will be chemical bath but won’t be shower service
The Organization will also move to the big camps electric generator and campaign kitchen. It will be each team responsibility the installation of the tent. You will also take care of the environment and maintain the silence at the rest hours.

The Tour organization will give you the lunch and the dinner the Friday 12 and the Sunday 13 dinner to all the competitors.
The meals are obligatory and you could get then at the check-in. every meal cost u$15. And includes entry, principal dish, dessert and drink
The Sunday 13 lunch is free, and as you will be in the territory of Chile, we recommend you to take pesos chilenos or dollars to buy the meal there.

International racers

At the 2010 tour, besides of argentine and Chilean, are participating competitors from other countries.
Brazil, Colombia, Spain, United States, Mexico, Norway, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela are some of the countries that have already signed to be at the 2010 tour.
The Organization invites the competitors of those countries fraternity meeting where you can exchange anecdotes, gifts y know more about each one of the participants of this adventure.
Before the race, the Organization will give you more details, place and the date this meeting is going to be.

Race schedule

February, 2010

Tuesday 9: arrival of the teams at the race place.
Wednesday 10: check in. Administrative control and technical revision. Expo tour Patagonia
Thursday11: check in. Administrative control and technical revision. Obligatory meeting for the teams. EXPO TOUR PATAGONIA
Friday 12: Departure 1st stage
Saturday 13: Departure 2nd stage
Sunday 14: Departure 3rd stage
Arrival of the Patagonia International tour
Prize giving at the Lacar Lake shore.

Logistic and containers at the camps

 We ask you to pay special attention at this point because there were changes in relation with the previous communications.
In case of bad weather, the Organization has stipulated that each team have to consider a container, sleeping bags and equipment for each camp.

Each team must show at the check –in:

2 containers
2 tents
Sleeping bags and elements that will go in each camp

One of the containers will be send to the nº1 Camp and the other one should be send to the nº2 Camp. The elements that will be transport for the organization to the first camp, you won’t have them at the second camp. That’s why in each container you have to put a tent, 2 sleeping bags and all the clothes that you will need for that camp.

For those teams who need to rent nº1 container, the organization rent it by paying u$30.There are few, so if some of the teams need it, have to make the reservation.
The container won’t be reserve if it’s not paid.

Hydration

The Patagonia International tour organization will give hydration before and after the race. Gatorade will give a special service for the competitors.

Training

In different countries many people are forming training teams to participate en the 2nd edition of the Patagonia International Tour. These teams are trying to get in perfect conditions and share experiences.
The training team also promotes solidarity and team work during the race.

Accommodation

The organization will give a list of different accommodation options to make the reservation easy before and after the race.
The one who wants to hire cabins and hostels should contact to info@tourdelapatagonia.com . San Martin de los Andes people will take care of your necessities.

We remind you that February is the high season of truism in San Martin de los Andes, so we recommend you to see the accommodation thing as soon as possible.
Remember that Friday 12 and Saturday 13 the competitors must sleep at the Organization official camps.

Official Teams

As the first edition happens, there will be a lot of official teams that represents the leader brands in the world: Giant, Trek, Specialized, Merida, Gary Fisher, among others; that prepare themselves all the year with the best competitors

Assistance

The Patagonia International Tour is an adventure race and it is not allow receiving external assistance. Only one competitor or the organization can assist another competitor without been penalized. The Organization is working for you, so you can count with technical assistance at different points if the course. These points of “Neutral Assistance” will be the only authorized to give you the mechanical assistance.
So, it won’t be allow the entrance of foreign vehicles to the circuit and to the camps.
The Organization will severely penalize, also disqualification, those teams whose friends or family stay at the camps.

2 ( two ) Tent for each team

There was a changed on the obligatory equipment. Now, each team should take 2 tents at the check in. One will be use at the first camp and the other one at the second camp.

Rent of tent´s, sleeping bag´s ando vivisac.

The Organization will offer a renter service for sleeping bags, tents and vivisac.

The cost of these elements are:
Tents: u$30.
Sleeping bags: u$12.
Vivisac: u$10.

The ones who are interest on rent these elements, must reserve them with anticipation because the stock is limited.
To make the reservation you have to send an email to: inscripciones@clubdecorredores.com writing as a subject: RESERVA ELEMETOS TOUR DE LA PATAGONIA 2010.
It is very important for you to know that to confirm the reservation of these elements you should make a deposit. The stock of these elements is limited and they only will be reserve with the payment bill.

Chips and timing

The inscription cost includes the using of AMB Activ SYSTEM. Each competitor will receive before the competition a CHIP by consignment. This system is the same as the tour of France and the Olympic Games use. This technological advantage let the competitor’s departure in groups when the circuit and the security requires. The lost of the chip means a us$90 cost.

Documentation

The Patagonia International tour will take place in 2 countries: Argentina and Chile. Even the government of both countries gives to the organization a lot of help; none of the competitors will be exempt of the migratory law of each country.
At the frontier you should have the International Passport, or the Identification for those competitors who have a bilateral agreement with Argentina and Chile.
The International Authorities not allow the entrance of fresh food (fruits, vegetables, meat, etc). If some of them were detected, you should pay a fine or will have important delays.
Each competitor will be responsible of having their documentation in order.

BICICLUB

The biciclub magazine is one of the communication media and sponsor of the Patagonia International tour 2nd edition. Will be gifts of the BICICLUB        in the competitor’s kit and a special cover of the magazine in each stage of the tour.

International TV

The Venezuela, Brazil, Uruguay and Chile T.V will send journalists to cover the Patagonia International Tour.

FM de la Montaña

The radio will make the transmission of this edition. The transmission will be to all of the countries because you can tune the radio www.cotemax.com.ar

Sebastián Tagle
Patagonia International Tour Director
CLUB DE CORREDORES
www.tourdelapatagonia.com