TransMexico Part 2

• Introduction • Table of Contents • Equipment List • Getting to the start • Trans-Mexico Part 2 Day #1 Mexico City to Calimaya de Díaz Gonzáles • Trans-Mexico Part 2 Day #2 Calimaya de Díaz Gonzáles to Grutas de Cacahuamilpa • Trans-Mexico Part 2 Day #3 Grutas de Cacahuamilpa to Chaucingo • Trans-Mexico Part 2 Day #4 Chaucingo to above Papalutla • Trans-Mexico Part 2 Day #5 above Papalutla to Nuevo Paraíso • Trans-Mexico Part 2 Day #6 Nuevo Paraíso to Lomazóyatl • Trans-Mexico Part 2 Day #7 Lomazóyatl to Coicoycán de las Flores • Trans-Mexico Part 2 Day #8 Coicoycán de las Flores to Los Tejocotes • Trans-Mexico Part 2 Day #9 Los Tejocotes to Santa Maria Tatltepec • Trans-Mexico Part 2 Day #10 Santa Maria Tatltepec to San Antonio Huitepec • Trans-Mexico Part 2 Day #11 San Antonio Huitepec to Oaxaca   • Epilogue • Stats • Gear Review • Other Tour Logs ⥢ prev -home- next ⥤

 <<BIKE>> • Salsa Fargo Apex 1 - 29" Steel, Green X-Large • 32t Crankset • 11–42t SRAM 11-speed Cassette • Brooks B67 Saddle  • Maxxis Ardent 29 X 2.4" Front & Rear Tires • Shimano PD-M324 dual sided pedals  • Salsa Alternator Plus Rear Rack: 135 - 148mm spacing • Salsa Anything Cages mounted to front forks • 3 Water Bottle Cages • Lezyne Air pump mount • NiteRider Lumina Max 2500 Front Bike Light • Garmin Varia RTL515 Rearview Radar Taillight • Kryptonite KryptoFlex 1018 Combo Cable Lock • Bontrager Rally WaveCel Mountain Bike Helmet - L (Marigold) <<TOOLS & SPARE PARTS>> • Park Tool patch kit • Park Tool Emergency Tire Boot • 2 spare inner tubes Maxxis 29 x 1.9/2.35 • 4 Spare brake pads SRAM • 1 Spare rear gear cable • 1 Spare rear brake cable • 6 Spare spokes (2 front/4 rear) • 1 FiberFix kevlar emergency replacement spoke • 2 tire levers • LEZYNE Micro Floor Drive Hand Pump High Pressure with Gauge, Black • Liv Ratchet Bike Multi-Tool • Lea

January 1, 2023 Benito Juárez International Airport to Condesa, Mexico City - 16 Km Start 2:43pm  Finish 3:56 Total Duration 1:13 Moving Time :53 Stopped Time :20 Ascent 49m Descent 41m Tour Total 16km Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/110269476 Happy New Year! I finally made it back to Mexico. I was supposed to leave three days ago on Delta flight 625, but they wouldn’t accept my bike box. I was told that there was an embargo on cardboard boxes going into Mexico on Delta flights. I was rebooked on an Aeromexico flight three days later. I was out two $75 Über XL fees and two non-refundable nights in Mexico City. There would no longer be an acclimation period and New Years Eve festivities. Flying with a bicycle can be such a pain. Past readers know that last year I had a fiasco on American Airlines flying to Mazatlán to begin part #1 of the Trans Mexico del Norte. Long story short, I it’s probably best to be patient with the airline employees. Roll with it. The silver lining is

Trans-Mexico Part 2 - Day #1 January 2, 2023 Mexico City to Calimaya de Díaz Gonzáles - 88 Km Start 10:06am Finish 6:59pm Total Duration 8:53 Moving Time 6:10 Stopped Time 2:43 Ascent 1,374m Descent 946m Tour Total 104km Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/110351160 I slept well in room #202 of the MX Condesa hotel in Mexico City. I had weird dreams, and at one point thought that I was back home in my bed in Brooklyn. The windows had shades and the room remained dark after the sun had come up. I woke up at 9am, showered, shaved, and went downstairs for breakfast. I had scrambled eggs, refried beans, chips, and sauce, along with pineapple and watermelon slices. To drink I had orange juice mix and bad coffee. It was disappointing. I had packed and organized last night, and was ready to go. I was wearing shorts, a short-sleeved shirt, socks, and my jacket. My first stop was Quentin, a delightful cafe on Avenida Amsterdam, where I relished a proper cappuccino and pan au chocolate. Ne

Trans-Mexico Part 2 - Day #2 January 3, 2023 Calimaya de Díaz Gonzáles to Grutas de Cacahuamilpa - 93Km Start 7:46am Finish 4:38pm Total Duration 8:52 Moving Time 6:04 Stopped Time 2:48 Ascent 1,119 Descent 2,699 Tour Total 197km Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/110500234 I slept poorly stealth camping in the cornfield out back of Finca Don Enrique a few kilometers down the road from Calimaya de Díaz Gonzáles. My tent was exposed on a central path to the main building as well as from the road. The moon was at half, and it was possible to see my camp could from the building. I could hear motor traffic from nearby six-lane Mexico 55, and people were shooting off fireworks and playing music throughout the night. Because the New Year had landed on a Sunday, today (Monday) was the official holiday. Eventually I took half an Ambien and put in my earplugs, which didn’t do much good. I set my alarm for a 7am, a few minutes before sunrise.   This morning there was heavy condensation in

Trans-Mexico Part 2 - Day #3 January 4, 2023 Grutas de Cacahuamilpa to Chaucingo - 92 Km Start 7:01am  Finish 6:26pm Total Duration 11:25 Moving Time 7:26 Stopped Time 3:59 Ascent 1,720m Descent 1,980m Tour Total 289km Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/110967516 I slept so-so last night in the parking lot out in back of the cave entrance. Nearby, in one of the commercial stalls, there was a cat in heat that moaned all night long. In addition, the wind continuously flapped my tent and trucks were aero-breaking down the hill on the nearby highway. I covered my head with my sleeping bag and tried to drown out all of the commotion.  I woke up at 6am. It was still dark but I got up and start packing so that I could be on the road by sunrise. The wind last night had concerned me. I had a long day planned, and didn’t need a headwind. The brown dog that was begging from me last night had slept in a tree pit right next to my tent. With one eye shut, he watched me pack. The cave was in a