Today I entered to Tiera del Fuego. As I get off the ferry I see 2 bikers from UK. They told me they are part of a group of 22 bikers going to Alaska in only 2 months. Then I see a trailers full of tires and realized they paid for a organized tour. How much$$??? I'd like to know. I came all the way from Canada on the bike, did it in 6 months, and it felt to me I was rushing at the end.

At the hostel at night, met 2 cyclists that met the group at their first night out of Ushuaia. They told me the group was a week late on schedule due to some delays getting the bikes from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia by plane. They saw a cruiser, women sitting on the back of a few bikes and described them to appear as "normal" people. I mean they were not atheletes that done it before and now trying to beat a personnal record, no, just normal Joes with apparently more money than common sense.

A cruiser can do it, 2 up no problem, normals Joes can do that trip, but in only 2 months?? Why?? They won't make friends or see anything what's the point? Why not just do a smaler portion in 2 months? What's the company from UK selling these tours?

anyway it blows my mind I thought I had to share this.

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Current trip: Canada to Ushuaia
http://aventuresdesimon.blogspot.com

Simon, I envy you, not them...

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Fernando Costa
Ilhabela, SP BRAZIL

Met them too...nuts!...what a holiday!..some are two up!..Nick Sanders is leading this tour

I envy all of them!

Madness, utter madness.

I'd guess they will head up Ruta 3 and across to Osorno so we may see them.

Simon, I'm guessing that you are the same Simon we met in Panama (with Marcus), so may see you as well if you are heading to BA.

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http://www.ytc1.co.uk

There was an interview in Bike magazine with one of the riders who went on this tour last year. Made me laugh when he described a guanaco as a 'llama type animal' - he hadn't even had the time to ask anyone what they're called - and they;re bloody everywhere in Patagonia!

Fair dues to them though, it can't be easy. Sanders rides an R1... now that's crazy!

Two months is quick for sure, I did TDF to States in four and a half and still was a rush. But then I have gone on trips just for the fun of the ride and see some country. Bottom line, they will have some fun but miss out on what some (me too) would call the most important, the people and culture.

Each to their own, I wish them well.

RJT

Lot of riders out there can't figure out what a guanaco is....or how they're different from vicuñas. This doesn't seem to have much to do with how fast they're traveling; it's more about their curiosity (or lack thereof) about the world around them. Plus it's sometimes more difficult to learn about your surroundings when you travel as a couple or a group.

But....two months doesn't strike me as much fun, and I'll bet there's a lot more they fail to grasp than the names of the wild animals they pass. I'd have to be extremely well-compensated. On the other hand, didn't I hear somewhere that the record is something like three weeks?

Mark

I had a look at one of these tours before. They were charging US $40,000 for a trip from Alaska to Patagonia. I could travel the whole world for that and spend a year doing it.

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Ride on
Kev

Sounds awful. I can fully understand doing a 2 or 3 week tour of an area where bikes are provided if you have the cash and are short on time but just can't get my head around the daft timescales some of these companies come up with for their longer tours.

So why not try London to Kathmandu in 3 weeks instead...

Kudu Expeditions - London - Kathmandu Motorcycle Trip - Tour Africa by Motorbike

(Yes that's UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal) Thankfully looks like an old tour but I guess someone must have paid to go on it.

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Mike


www.singapore-scotland.blogspot.com
www.argentina-alaska.blogspot.com
My little Vid: India/Pakistan

BMW R1150GS
Suzuki DR650 SE: Ride it like ya stole it. Oh, somebody just did...

TWO MONTHS !!!

Sounds like utter hell........ They will have to sit on the boring Pan American doing mega long days and barely any rest/sightseeing days.

What a waste of money !!

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Nick got famous doing very short blasts around the world so I guess some of the tour 'appeal' is that people can 'do a Nick Sanders'. I have utmost respect for the man but if I was trying to get that sort of distance done it would be on my own. More people = more delays. Delays are fine as long as you're not on a schedule!

This tastes a bit like people buying GS's because it was marketed as an essential part of the 'adventure'. BIG bike + BIG miles + BIG budget = BIG trip?

Less than an ideal timeframe for such a trip, that's for sure.

There are however some people for whom fast rides can make sense.

Some like the adventure and accomplishment of getting from Point A to Point B quickly and pushing their limits. I have friends that do this in running, mountain biking, ski touring, etc. and while it's certainly not for everyone, it makes perfect sense to them.

Others have a hard time getting away for many months to do the long trips in the typical time frame due to work, family, and the usual commitments. They want to accomplish a lot and try to squeeze as much as they can into the time available. The average person acts in a similar manner in their daily lives so it's not too hard to understand how one might convince oneself that it seems reasonable for a holiday as well.

Not sure what the profile of the different riders are, but I'd give them the benefit of doubt that they gave due consideration to the reasons that they are doing the trip and they made sure that the trip matched their desires, at least initially.

If a person has the time, then certainly travel at a pace that makes the most sense to you. If not, then be aware of the tradeoffs.

I'm sure they'll still have the trip of a lifetime. For the next two months, they'll be riding in the warm sun of the Americas for 10 hours a day. No doubt they'll be having fun compared to the rest of us who will be sitting in an office for those same 10 hours and staring out the window.

A bad day of riding beats a good day of working...

Simon,

Agree totally. How can a group of riders, this size, make friends with the locals? They are, just like anywhere in the world, only touris or victims.
The vultures are just waiting, in third world countries, quite under standtable.
The size of riders, often make the difference. I would invite one or two, but what about more?
Let us know about your experience?

Cheers

Helgo

Say no more !

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Take care out there
Brian

Britch's Holidays Dreaming of the BIG one :-)