The E-Bike Diaries

Xmas bay to Wolfs Point

Luca Zanetti / Chile

José a 74-year-old cattle farmer (that didn’t know who Che Guevara was) was amazed to find my mother pushing an eBike near his ranch.
My eBike comes to an abrupt stop when one of the plastic hooks that stabilizes one of the rear side bags, cuts lose and finds its way between the cut open parts of the break disk, blocking the wheel and crushing the disc.
A surfer girl about to join the line-up at the left point break Punta de Lobos
Punta de Lobos a world famous left point break near the town of Pichilemu.
Cactus covered cliffs surrounding Punta de Lobos

From the Bahia de Navidad the road detaches from the coast to head inland and uphill. Asphalt turns into compacted gravel; a gentle fresh onshore wind blows. Gravel makes for unpleasant and unstable pedalling. We take air out of the tiers to increase the supporting surface, shift into the small gears and press the Turbo mode on our eBikes. The going gets a bit easier but we have to push for sections, when the compacted earth turns into sand. José a 74-year-old cattle farmer (that doesn’t know who Che Guevara was) is amazed to find my mother pushing an eBike near his ranch. Back on asphalt we have a great lunch in Litunche and fill the tiers again at the Copec petrol station. From Lituche we head south then west towards Pichilemu. The head wind is strong, the many bags hanging from the eBikes, lend lots of air drag surface making for a slow advance. My eBike comes to an abrupt stop when one of the plastic hooks that stabilizes one of the rear side bags, cuts lose and finds its way between the cut open parts of the break disk; blocking the wheel and crushing the disc. After repairs we roll into Pichilemu (the town of Chile’s world-renowned big wave surfer and fisherman’s son Ramon Navarro) and head straight to Punta de Lobos or Wolfs Point where Navarro learned how to surf.