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The "Wheel of Manchester".

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Two Wheels and some Good Luck

Exploring Mexico via bicycle is not something I would recommend to everybody. In fact, it would probably be smartest just to discourage or advise strongly against it; no liability issues to deal with later. However, there will always be some who like things their own way and if it involves a long distance bike trip they will undertake it, no matter where. There is always enough time to worry about troubles as they come up. If you think that the best way to visit Mexico is an all inclusive deal at a five star resort that you will only leave for hours at a time using guided tours and the like, then this article is not for you. Those with an open mind however might find some useful advice here.  Everything I am writing about is first hand experience. I have entered Mexico by bicycle at the beginning of December 2009, after a month long trip from Orlando, FL and cycled on via Matamoros to Veracruz. From there I have done a tour into the Mountains via Xalapa, Perotte and ventured into the State of Puebla before returning to Veracruz via Codova. Here are the key experiences and points to consider:

1)      Crossing the Border

When I first entered Mexico last December I had no idea what to expect. The only information I had was from wildly exaggerated crime stories that somebody had heard from somebody else who had seen it on the news. If all of these tales would have turned out to be true I’d probably not be writing this today.

I crossed the Border from Brownsville, Texas into Matamoros, Tamaulipas. Other crossings should be very similar. First there was a toll bridge to cross. I honestly don’t remember how much the toll was exactly. It is best to have a couple of quarters and dimes ready to avoid the hassle of changing large bills. As soon as you’re leaving the toll booth there are customs booths, they seem to be just for cars though. A uniformed guard waved me aside right away to ask questions about the purpose, destination and duration of my trip. The next step was to find a suitable place to lock up the bike, a guard rail in my case, then go inside the customs building and obtain a tourist visa. It was nothing more than filling out a form at one counter and then paying a $ 20 fee at another. Of course it helps a great deal to know some Spanish as the border guards do not necessarily speak English. It is also important to keep the tourist visa together with your passport. There are other checkpoints further down the road where officials check for it.

The real adventure started as soon as I stepped out of the customs building. After unlocking my bicycle I spotted a “tourist guide” in uniform that was already aggressively waving to get my attention. “Great” I thought, “he would probably have a map.” As it turned out he did not. He actually tried desperately to appear trust worthy, pointing at his badge repeatedly while talking to convince me to let him guide me through the city with his car. Of course this was a “no-no”, so in the end he just asked me for a Dollar, claiming that I was “a rich man”. Well, the Dollar got rid of him and he was even nice enough to show me where to convert Dollars into Pesos. While I was exchanging money, keeping an eye on the bike the whole time, some guy got busy wiping down my wheels, of course expecting something in return. That was exactly where my last US Dollar bill went. It was the easiest way to get rid of him too. Of course supply of money was limited and there were plenty of beggars in the border zone. Reason enough for me to start pedaling to get out of there. The part of town that was near the border looked very uninviting and had me immediately question my whole plan of traveling through Mexico by bike. With all my possessions out in the open, protected only by some panniers I was an easy target for anyone wanting to rob me.

My advice to anyone considering a similar trip is to get out of the border zone as quickly as possible. Unless you look Hispanic people will know that you’re a tourist. Appearing lost or insecure even for a moment will attract attention by someone who assumes you have a pile of money to give them. The only way to avoid this is to appear confident about where you are going, weather you are or not. As long as you have a rough idea about your next destination it should not be too difficult to find the way on your own as there are signs. Of course, any type of map would be great help. I had one from the tourist information centre in Brownsville, TX.

2)      Cycling on Mexican Highways

Another issue I had been repeatedly warned about was cycling on Mexican highways. A main concern seemed to be the lack of paved shoulders and heavy truck traffic.  Coming out of Matamoros this was not apparent immediately. The road, highway 180 had a wide shoulder that I had almost to myself. Just occasionally cars were using it to let others pass. The further I went however, the more common became areas with narrow or no shoulders at all. Traffic also got really heavy at times and there seemed to be no shortage of aggressive drivers.

There is absolutely no doubt that cycling on public highways in Mexico is more dangerous than in the US or Canada. Bicycles get absolutely no respect. Some of the large trucks also do not measure up to common safety standards. I had one 18 wheeler blow a tire while it was passing me and it was a real scare. Luckily the debris missed me entirely as this happened on a divided highway with a wide shoulder. While not eliminating risk entirely, a few simple common sense rules can help minimize it:

-          Be as visible as possible! Wearing a reflective vest is effective and relatively cheap.

-          Be alert! This can not be stressed enough. If you know way in advance that a car is coming at                you head on, at least you can look for a place to jump before the impact.

-          Be aware of large vehicles trying to pass you and get off the road when it gets too tight!

-          Do not travel at night!

Even if you follow all these recommendations the risk is still considerable. It is best to cut down on the mileage for each day compared to cycling in the US or Canada. Traffic enforcement is as good as non existent and a lot of drivers will take unnecessary risks concerning your safety.  To some it might be a good idea to start cycling really early in the day. I know of a group of athletes in Veracruz who train with road bikes as early as 5:30 to avoid traffic. Personally I was not able to use this strategy. What I have done was ride on toll roads where bicycles were not officially allowed. The police did not bother me about this. It is by far the safest way because the shoulders are paved, wide and unused.

3)      Cycling through Mexican Towns

While open highways turned out to be challenging at times, the same was true tenfold for any town. Generally the main highway just turned into “Main Street” and traffic got really dense. While the road was often very wide, lanes were usually poorly marked. It took me a little while to find the best approach for dealing with Mexican towns: Take it slow!

You may travel as much to the right as possible, but due to merging roadways find yourself suddenly in the middle lane between all kinds of vehicles, operated by impatient drivers. Busses will pass you constantly, only to cut you off 100 feet down the road. It is best just to stop and wait for them to re enter traffic. There will also be pedestrians and other cyclists using the road, including some tricycles that haul taco stands and the like. Patience pays off and sometimes lets you see some interesting things going on around you. Most Mexican towns are worth a stop anyways. However, sometimes it might be tough to find a place to park a bicycle full of luggage.

4)      Taking Brakes

During my trip this proved to be a bit more difficult than it should be. At times it was impossible to get off the bicycle at all to take a brake, simply because there was no suitable place to lean it. The kick stand was useless for the bike loaded with 60 pounds of luggage. Out on the open road the best places turned out to be guard rails and sign posts, wherever there was enough space to get off the road safely. In town I’d try to find a convenience store and just use its wall to lean my bike. Some park benches and similar installations, even trees were also useful.

It can be a real problem to find a good place to leave the bike while going shopping for food or visiting tourist attractions. My solution was usually to do all my traveling for the day before or after undertaking anything of that kind. The bike would then be locked up in a hotel.

5)     Food for the Road

Having learned from traveling through five US states that it was cheapest to buy a small supply of groceries at stores like Wal Mart and then prepare my own meals as much as possible, I started out doing the same thing in Mexico. Soon I found that I was eating the same stuff over and over and got tired of it. That’s when I discovered how cheap entire meals were at most street vendors or even small restaurants. “Comida Corrida” is what they call the daily menu. Usually it is a complete meal for under three dollars.

In Mexico it is hardly worth it to prepare meals along the road. First off, there a re no rest areas with picnick tables. The only places to sit down comfortably and enjoy a meal are where they sell it ready made. It usually means excellent food and interesting conversations with locals. Drinking water can be a bit of a concern. There is no problem finding “agua purificada” in stores, but it does not come out of taps here.

6)      Finding Service and Parts for the Bicycle

Surprisingly enough, whenever something wasn’t right with my bike, a bicycle shop turned out to be nearby and well enough equipped to handle the problem. This included welding a crack on my aluminum front rack for as little as about eight dollars. The only problem I encountered was a tire that blew.  I was lucky that day and found somebody nice enough to show me around the town, Cuitahuac, Veracruz in order to find a bike shop that might have the correct tire size. This proved to be impossible because my bike was a 700 series hybrid, a apparently never sold in Mexico. Somebody was willing to help with a creative temporary repair for very little money though. Later I found a specialized store in Veracruz and was able to obtain the correct tire within a week.

To avoid situations like this I would simply recommend taking a more ordinary bicycle with 26 inch tires for such a trip. There are plenty of those bicycles in Mexico and tires should be cheap.

7)      Finding Places to spend the Night

Before crossing the border into Mexico, I had tried to stay out of hotels as much as possible. My budget just wasn’t big enough to allow for it very often even though it was clearly the best way to get rest. After having camped and couch surfed my way through fife states, that changed completely in Mexico. The first night I was just looking for a hotel due to security concerns. It did not feel safe enough to camp outdoors, nor were there any campsites. The first motel, a fortress with 24 hour security and steel doors cost the equivalent of $ 28 for one night. This was the most expensive hotel for the entire trip. Later I found places for as little as eight Dollars.

To find places that cheap you have to be somewhat determined. It is best to start looking at three or four in the afternoon. I usually just asked people about the cheapest place they knew. Of course, sometimes this brought terrible results, but the price was usually enough incentive to put up with it for one night. As I’ve found out though, shopping around is worth it. The worst places are not always the cheapest. If planning to stay somewhere for more than a day, it is a good idea to take a close look at the room before committing.

Cheap hotels in Mexico also do not measure up to North American standards. You will not have a fridge , microwave or air conditioning. The remote control for the TV might be missing and the shower is usually the wrong temperature, even if the hotel advertises “agua caliente”. It’s all part of the adventure though.

Couch Surfing is of course another option, but I have found it difficult to request a couch and get a reply in time to take advantage of it. Sometimes it is hard to predict how long it will take to reach a destination by bike.

As far as camping goes, I have no Mexican experience to report about. This may still change during the second phase of my journey, which will begin next month and take me from Veracruz where I’ve spent over two months, to Cancun. So far the tent has always remained in the bag because the hotels were cheap enough not to worry about it.

As a final note I would like to say that I have no regrets about this trip at all. There were plenty of surprises, good and bad including some scary moments, but a good portion of luck is part of life and mine has not left me yet.  So anyone thinking about undertaking a similar trip will do so at their own risk. There is no formula to guarantee a successful journey. Mexico comes without warning labels.

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