Since our wonderful ride to the source of the Río Magdalena in Colombia a month or so ago, we've been itching to get back into the saddle. A fantastic-sounding opportunity presented itself shortly after we arrived in Riobamba, a short distance south of Latacunga and sited in possibly one of the most impressive locations of the Avenida de los Volcanes. Towering over the city is the huge, snowcapped peak of Chimborazo, Ecuador's highest peak and - strange but true - the closest spot on Earth to the Sun. Due to the planet's pronounced equatorial bulge, the peak of 6,310-metre Chimborazo is considerably further away from the centre of the Earth than Everest, a fact Ecuadorians are rather bizarrely proud of...although I suppose standing closest to the Sun is a nice idea. Towards other side of town
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