Yesterday was one of those good days, bad days rides. It started with a nice 6k downhill through the green and lush coffee country. At 6k, it began to drizzle, but the scenery was fantastic as the clouds and mist clung to the mountains. Also, at 6k, we started our long ascent that would be the longest of the Octoodyssey. The grade was manageable, and we had a coffee stop at 26k where a woman was cooking up a big pot of stew and smoking sausage. This is where it started to rain, but not too hard, just enough to soak me. After 40k of climbing, we stopped for snacks, and I changed into a better-quality rain jacket. The ride was still pleasant and on a good road with pretty buildings and homes dotting the route. I left the snack stop but only to return @after 500m as it had turned cold while sitting in the car, and the rain had intensified. I pulled on my leg warmers and set out again. As we entered a national park, the excellent road turned to gravel, and potholes appeared. The road got worse, much worse. It was like riding on the surface of the moon after a monsoon. As we climbed, the temperature kept dropping to 9c, and the wind picked up. At 60k of climbing, another welcome stop. The girls had prepared a hot lunch of spaghetti and coffee. We were wet and frozen. I added a wind shell and another jacket that gave me five layers, and we set off again on the world’s worst road. The only good thing was it was a hard surface, and thus it was not muddy. We reached the summit at 3200k after climbing 2300m on a 76k climb. We picked up a good road once again and started downhill. We were in a race against darkness. Unfortunately, darkness, rain, wind, and cold won the match, and we called it quits around the 100k mark and got in the van for a 35k ride. I dug out my bottle of rum and purchased some hot coffee from the hawkers that sell their wares at the road construction sites, which there were a few along the drive. That helped warm up our insides. We arrived after dark and checked into a lovely boutique hotel. After a hot, hot, half-hour shower, I headed to the restaurant. Now, it is the following day, and I am still chilled.