Ruta 40 from Mendoza south to Bariloche is two thousand kilometres of sky, silence, and self-reliance. Most riders allow four to six weeks, covering roughly fifty to eighty kilometres a day depending on whether the Patagonian wind is behind you or, more likely, doing its best to stop you altogether.
The prevailing westerlies are the ride's defining character, which is precisely why you ride south: heading north turns a hard journey into a punishing one. Expect long, exposed steppe days where the horizon barely moves for hours, then sudden drama as the Andes crowd in around lakes the colour of cold jade.
The surface is mixed. Northern sections around Mendoza and through Neuquén province offer reasonable tarmac, but long stretches across the plateau dissolve into ripio — compacted gravel that rattles your hands, slows your pace by a third, and demands tyres no narrower than 35mm. Loaded tourers often run 40–50mm. Punctures are honest company out here.
Small service towns appear every sixty to one hundred kilometres, sometimes further, so carrying three litres of water and two days of food is not paranoia, it is planning.
Accommodation follows the settlements: family-run hospedajes, the occasional estancia willing to host cyclists, and plenty of wild camping on vast open land. Gaucho culture is genuine and unhurried — stop, drink mate, accept the conversation. Condors circle the passes without performance. The landscape does not try to impress you; it simply is.
Bike hire for this route is essentially unavailable, so bring or buy your own in Mendoza. November through February offers the most daylight and mildest temperatures, though summer winds can still be savage; budget expedition-grade rain gear and a wind-rated tent regardless of the forecast.