In the department of San Carlos, is this desert whose name comes from the word “Huayco” which means cause or dry stream. Described by the Mapuche nation and the Pehuenche peoples who inhabited the Sancarlino territory as “spears of fire”, the Huayquerías -palabra from the Mapudungun- constitute one of the most enigmatic and unknown landscapes of the Uco Valley.
It is a challenging terrain on a volcanic relief, with dry channels that are due to the erosion of water on the sediments that were deposited there.
Formed by staggered walls of clay soils that form a sort of labyrinth, this desert that was used in antiquity for the physical and spiritual training of the warriors is today one of the great tourist and sports bets of the department of San Carlos. Those who have ever traveled know that they face a land full of surprises.
The Huayquerías challenge is a rural sport / rural rally proposal, for adventure runners from both Mendoza and the rest of the country, destined so much to want to constantly challenge themselves as for those who only participate for fun, surrounded by a landscape without equal. Therefore, the layout of the circuit is very simple design and easy to access. In addition, the organizing entity is of very high quality so that special attention is paid to the signage of the place since in rural areas the speeds developed by cyclists are much higher and need more accurate and noticeable signals, such as arrows of lime alongside the Road, horizontally tape pulls to reinforce in places that can cause confusion and personnel to help the participants and ensure fair play.
The start and finish of the circuit is the Fortunato Perazzoli sports center, in the sancarlina head town. It consists of three extensions of 26km, 37km and 46km that will be addressed by the different categories.
The route begins by crossing a cord of dunes of 19 km long and 1.5 km wide called Cordón de las Casas Viejas, which are the product of the deposition of sediments of mountain origin brought by rivers and winds. It is an area with a dense network of furrows and steep walls, with absent vegetation and soil prone to erosion.
Within the desert is the Cañadón de la Salada, which turns out to be a canyon that ends in a sporadic water gorge collected by the rains and where you can see the high walls that surround it. Specifically, cyclists start from the municipal sports center to Baños de la Salada, in a stretch of net footprint. Then you will enter the first stretch of path to the Footprint of the Comahue, to reach the Los Loros stream passage. From there you will continue until you find the Huayquerías stream and board the Los Corazones path that will lead you to the starting point. A very promising circuit but hard at the same time.
In all cases, the bikers will have nice challenges ahead because they will have to deal with sand tracks, paths with stones and clay, complicated ascents and descents; in addition to entering the attractive dry creek of the desert Huayquerías.
