So, there we were, just north of Concordia, the citrus capital of Argentina. This whole area is quite flat but also completely developed into agricultural land, so my first impression was that it would not be that interesting to cycle around, unless you like to stick to the main asphalt roads, hugging the shoulder while trucks (heavily loaded with the citrus) and other traffic drive by. But we just crossed the border from Uruguay, and we felt it would be nice to have a few days off, relaxing, since the weather would be nice too (It is winter here at this time of year). We found a nice spot for camp in a recreational area on the shores of the Lago Salto Grande.
When we were there I noticed some plastic ribbons hanging down from the trees and bushes as if they were marking a trail. At first I associated them with a trail that was marked for motocross, but then again I did not see or hear any motocross. I did see a lot of mountain bikers. And I started thinking that there might very well be a nice trail following the irregular shores of the lake. So, the next day I took the bike for a spin and followed the ribbons.
I soon found out that it was indeed a trail for mountain bikers: many traces of knobby tires could be seen. So I followed them, but of course the next question was: where does it lead me too? Well, A very fit guy that overtook me showed me the way. Right after we were almost knocked off our bikes by a group of Corzuela’s (local deer) He told me that he was training for a competition event that would take place during the next weekend. He would happily accompany me for the rest of the route.
And actually, this -temporary- route was plotted by the local mountain bike club just for this event: the Fronteron. Which is a series of biking events held in the vicinity of the three-border point between Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. Each country hosts an event in turn, and now it was Concordia, Argentina’s turn.
So, why would I be biking like a Dutchman? because this loop reminded me a lot of home. If you would replace the eucalyptus and palm trees for European Redwood, (Pinus sylvestris) it looked and felt very similar to my home trail in the Netherlands! including the sandy surface, with roots and all, a mix of double and single tracks. the single track sections were really curvy, winding between the trees and even the little up-and-down hills were there. Actually one section of this course even had the same trees as at home! Only thing is, we don’t have capibara’s at home…
So, I really enjoyed riding here. the next day I went for another ride.