Chimborazo is a dormant volcano 6,263 metres high, the highest mountain in Ecuador, and it holds a remarkable record. Because the earth bulges at the equator, the summit is the point on the planet's surface farthest from its centre, further out than Everest, a fact that sounds like a quiz answer but feels real when you stand in the thin air at four thousand metres and look up at the glaciers. The mountain is also revered by the Andean peoples who live around it, as a powerful presence, and the scientist Alexander von Humboldt tried to climb it in 1802 and reached about 5,800 metres, the highest anyone had been at that time.
The reserve around it is a stretch of high moorland, called páramo, a windswept landscape of tussock grass, lichen and sand, and it is home to vicuñas, the wild relatives of the llama, which were reintroduced in the 1980s and now graze in small herds beside the road. The air is thin, dry and cold, with strong sun and sudden showers. A paved road reaches over four thousand metres, and refuges higher up, which climbers use as a base, can be reached by gravel track. Nearby towns include Guaranda, a hill town of twenty-two thousand to the west, and Guano, famous for its woollen carpets, to the east, and the cities of Ambato and Riobamba are on the main road and have fuel and services.
The riding to the reserve is an experience. The road climbs from the valleys through fields and eucalyptus plantations to the open páramo, with big sweeping bends, long views, and little traffic except for the occasional bus, truck or llama herder. Bikes lose power in thin air, so be prepared for slower acceleration, and altitude sickness is a real danger, causing headaches, nausea and fatigue; ascend gradually, drink water and take it easy. The weather swings: you may have sun in the morning and hail at noon, with fog hiding the summit, which is often clouded in.
There is an entry procedure at the reserve gate, and the best views come early, when the sky is clear. Carry warm clothes, gloves and a windproof layer, because it can be near freezing even on an equatorial day. Fill the tank at Ambato or Riobamba, since there is nothing near the mountain, and eat a hot meal of soup and potatoes in a village on the way down.