RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CYCLE TOURING

These are minimum necessary recommendations to make cycle touring a great experience.
Obviously all items listed here are not absolutely necessary to bring.

To decide what to bring consider facts as: utility, need, functionality, weight and size.

This advice is intended to help minimize the risks and enhance the chances to overcome any difficulty.

They apply depending on the type of trip, duration, destination, supplies and services available on the way, etc. it is up to you to decide what best fits your needs.

Always keep in mind to travel as light as possible and to bring the minimum necessary useful stuff.

Sometimes we ride in the altitude above 3,500 up to 5,000 m.a.s.l., under this conditions we must know what to do against the effects of he high.

Basically it is recommneded to the people from lowlands not in use with altitude to rest and relax.

Sometimes, if necessary, we can use a pharmaceutical product with the  active ingredient called “acetazolamida”, also called Diamox

Diamox is used to reduce the strenght and length of the altitude sickness symptoms: stomach disease, headache, difficult breathing, dizzy, fatigue, lack of energy.

It is an emergency use medicine that sometimes is useful to accelerate the aclimatization, it is often used by mountain search and rescue teams.

Diamox reduces blood pH changes.  In the altitude blood alcalinizes due to CO2 (carbon dioxid) excess, this excess is due to the fast breathing (hyperventilation) me make trying to get more oxygen from the rarified air of the altitude.

Diamox  makes kidneys to eliminate bicarbonate (the base form of CO2), this re-acidifies the blood, balancing the efects of the hyperventilation.  In consequence urinary frequency will be noticeably increased, therefore to drink lots of water is recommended when using this product.

The blood re-acidification acts as respiratory stimulant that allows easy smooth breathing during the night avoiding the apnea and so increasing performance during the day

WARNING!
Diamox is a sulphate based medication, persons allergic to this compound should not take it

When taking Diamox some side effects are: numbing, humming ears, creeping or vibration in hands, feet and lips.  Taste alterations, metal flavoring.  Rare side effects are: headache and nausea.  Few mountain climbers have reported blurred vision.  All these effects disapear when stop taking Diamox

Diamox is not a magic inmediate remedy against “soroche”.  Treatment process takes 24 – 48 hours or 12 – 24 hours, depending on the person and altitude.

The Diamox treatment must start 24 hours before getting up to the altitude.  The dosis is one 250mg every 12 hours.  Once at the altitude continue taking until relief is reached or the side effects become intolerable.  It would never be longer than 3 days

The truth is that the best solution against “soroche” is just taking time to aclimatize resting before any activity in the high, recommended is to drink plenty of water, “mate de coca” also helps, but not alcohol, soft analgesics (paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofeno) only if headache is too intense.

The soroche natural evolution process leads to feel better and often it is enough just resting in the high at which you feel bad.

Symptoms get better usually in 1 or 2 days, but could extend to 3 or 4 dyas.  To descend is an option too and recovering faster.