I knew that the road to Imantag from Cotacachi was under construction so I figured I'd bike it because there would be no traffic. I got about 5 kms in and met an excavator loading a dump truck. They were completely blocking the road so I waited 20mins for the truck to be loaded before proceeding. The issue wasn't the wait but the fact that while stopped, 1000 insects and their friends decided that I'd be their lunch. I had not brought bug spray on this ride, which was a big mistake. Once I got moving the bugs were gone but the roadway worsened with many tractors and trucks working everywhere. The sand was too soft to continue, so I climbed up to Alambuela and returned to Cotacachi via Tunibamba. My initial plan failed but the ride was great nonetheless. I had to stop at the pressure washer in Quiroga on the way back to clean my ride which was covered in dirt. It's ready to roll again!