From Freediving to Alto de Letras

By Juan Pablo Sumarraga

Cycling is fairly new to me, for as long as I can remember the ocean has been my first love. Growing up just 20 minutes from the ocean gave me  the opportunity to spend many hours in the water. The sense of freedom and the contrasting feelings of calmness and adrenaline at the same time made me love freediving from a very early age.

With time and as part of growing up, the opportunities to go freediving became more scarce. I graduated from College as an Engineer and opportunities to work abroad came along. It was a very exciting part of my life but sacrifices (such as freediving and spending time with my family) came along. However, being exposed to so many cultures introduced me to cycling. 

I found everything about cycling fascinating, from how much aerodynamics, weight, material types and composition played a role, to how progress could be measured in watts or VO2 max while at the same time you forget about all of that while looking at the beautiful landscapes in Colombia.  

In May 2024 I got a “small” taste of what Colombia has to offer. Pablo organized what has been one of my biggest challenges and an amazing experience, climbing Alto de Letras. The climb started in the small town of Mariquita which has an altitude of 468 meters above sea-level. By the time we reached the top at the Páramo de Letras pass, we were at an altitude of 3,663 meters climbing for 80km. Those 80km of climbing are at an average gradient of roughly 4%, providing an elevation gain of just under 3,800 vertical meters. That said, the gradient was between 6-9% for most of the ride and there were also many 10%+ ramps that were a challenge but that I really enjoyed.

Being part of Andes Domestique represents more than just a hobby, is the opportunity to spend time with family, challenge personal records, bring back those feelings of calmness and adrenaline that I used to get from freediving, learn from amazing people and to keep falling in love with Colombia.