In its 5224 km of extension, from Cabo Vírgenes in Santa Cruz to the city of La Quiaca in Jujuy, Route 40 has several stretches in a very bad state of preservation and in this article we are going to tell you where one of the most challenging segments is. We are also going to give you some tips so that you can travel it in the best possible way.
Route 40 still has parts of the original route that were never paved and, consequently, its design has not been adapted to modern road standards. These are narrow parts of the route, with curves without visuals, winding between private homes, steep hills or rock formations such as the Quebrada de las Flechas (Arrows Gorge). A good example of this is the stretch that goes from Cafayate to San Antonio de los Cobres, passing through Molinos, Cachi, La Poma and Abra del Acay.
The unpaved parts are about 1,100 kilometers, or 21% of the total route. Adventure motorcyclists like to ride on gravel, dirt, dirt roads, gravel. It is still part of the folklore and mystique of a motorcycle trip. The parts without asphalt that maintain ancient traces are at the same time very picturesque, full of history and one can cross and empathize with the people who live on the side of the road, which at certain times of the day is an extension of the courtyard of his house. One walks slowly, enjoys the smell of smoke from the kitchens and tolerates the dust and dirt just as these riverside inhabitants of Route 40 tolerate it.
But there is a sector of this Route 40 that the popular culture in social networks has called "the 73 cursed", in the Province of Santa Cruz, between Gobernador Gregores and Tres Lagos, is a segment that runs parallel to Lake Cardiel and continues south-southwest for 73 kilometers that is not paved, but for a reason that give much anger: corruption. The route already has a modern and wide layout, and all the soil movement of hill cutting, bridges and filling seems to be done. In some parts it seems that only the asphalt has yet to be poured. There are court cases that carry forward the accusation and determination of responsibilities and there is enough journalistic information online that explains the corrupt dynamics that left this section without asphalt. I will not go into those details here. Just to say that this gravel bothers me, makes me angry, irritates me every time I drive on it.
Is it dangerous, why "cursed", how does the "wind" factor play a role?
For a 4-wheeled vehicle (or more), it represents neither a problem nor a danger, except when it rains a lot or when there is snow. In one case, the clay/clay substrate of the soil makes it quite difficult to drive on, and in the other case, when it snows, you lose the reference of the edges and what is underneath, such as, for example, areas with large half-buried stones that can damage a tire or a crankcase if not dodged in time, but otherwise, at a prudent speed, as on any gravel or dirt road, it can be driven on without any inconvenience.
The main problem is for motorcycles, especially on a 10 km stretch located in the southern half of the 73 km. This section is completely made of very loose, uncompacted boulder or gravel material, in which the wheels of the cars cause deep ruts of up to 40 centimeters deep that are very uncomfortable and dangerous, whose edges or "bardones" lock the front wheel and cause falls. You have to ride with a lot of technique and experience helps a lot. But all riders, even the most experienced ones, deny the experience and do not enjoy it at all. For those who have light or very heavy motorcycles, carry a passenger, have small wheels, do not have enough experience on gravel roads or do not use the right techniques, the experience can become a real ordeal.
To all this, we must add the wind factor, which is always present and persistent. And there are times of the year when it blows even stronger than average and reasonable, making the already difficult transit through the loose gravel, a challenge that can undoubtedly be described as "cursed".
Our recommendations:
1) Always wear high and rigid boots, enduro-motocross or adventure type, very rigid. This avoids blows from flying stones, avoids fractures in the event of a fall and, above all, gives us the security of being able to "put our foot down", "kick the ground" and recover the balance and equilibrium of the bike in the event of a possible "loss".
2) Stand up, in the attack position, that is, with your torso on the handlebars and your tail well back, with your knees in firm contact with the fuel tank and your head upright, allowing you to look far away. You can also ride seated (because there are bikes on which it is very difficult and uncomfortable to ride standing up), but you must be ready to lift your tail off the seat and stay on the pedals resting on the metatarsals (the part of the foot immediately behind the toes). Shifting your weight back and keeping the handlebars firm but not too stiff always helps to relieve the front wheel and allow it to find its new direction or balance in case it gets stuck in the boulder of loose rocks.
3) Use your eyesight, which is the key factor for riding a motorcycle, you should be looking far away, about 40 to 80 meters. Do not focus on the details through which the front wheel is passing. It is a trap and the most direct way to the ground. Looking far away allows us to choose the best sectors of the cursed road, to look for shallower parts and allows us, above all, to ride within a course or course (as if we were a boat), where we are not very interested in the wave or the nearest stone but in the point on the horizon towards which we are heading.
4) If you ride in a group, leave a lot of space between your companions because a bad maneuver or a fall is very difficult to avoid for those who are behind, managing their own problems. And the dust that does not help to see and the stones that fly also influence the experience when riding too close.
As a general rule to use on any road: if you can read the license plate of the motorcycle in front, it is that we are riding very close.
5) Be patient. Like all bad things, it almost always ends. It's okay if it takes us 3 hours to get through the damn ordeal as long as we get to the other side in one piece and with our bikes working well. Stop, drink water, take pictures, rest and after regaining strength, do a new section. If you are heading south, the reward of the Chaltén and the Glaciers will justify the inconvenience; if you are heading north, the goal of returning home safe and sound is the incentive to get through the unspeakable "73 damn 73" of Route 40 in the best way possible!