TransMexico Part 2

 ¡Hola amigos! Last year I cycled the first one thousand miles of the Trans-Mexico Bikepacking Route (Norte) featured on Bikepacking.com and contributed by Mark Watson and Hana Black. Because of complications with American Airlines and not having allotted myself enough time, I didn't finish the route. I made it as far as Volcan Toluca, outside of Mexico City, and then I bused it to Oaxaca.  Last spring I cycled the central part of the Southern Tier , and this summer I rode the Great Divide Mountain Biking Route on my new Salsa Fargo. I've been training here in Brooklyn regularly with the Century Plus Crew . I'll be flying to Mexico City where I'll enjoy the last two days of 2022. After a special New Year's Ciclovía I'll ride back to the route on January 2. From there it will be rugged indigenous mountain country all the way to Oaxaca. My friends Alex and Marina , who cycled the entire route last year, described this section as being the most difficult part

• 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

Trans-Mexico Part 2 - Day #4 January 5, 2023 Chaucingo to - above Papalutla - 82 Km Start 7:36am Finish 6:42pm Total Duration 11:06 Moving Time 6:56 Stopped Time 4:10 Ascent 1,838m Descent 1,383m Tour Total 371km Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/110629605 Last evening the music down in the valley blasted until late in the night, and it was smart to have ridden out of town. After I crawled into my tent I suffered from leg spasms while trying to fall asleep, probably from dehydration. My tent was pitched on a slant side to side, so I had to sleep partly off the Thermarest to compensate. My phone was at 53% and my power pack was 32%. It was warm when I went to bed and I left my fly flaps open. It got cooler as the night progressed and I closed up my tent and pulled out my silk liner and sleeping bag, which I used as a cover. This morning there was a cacophony of roosters crowing, donkeys hee-hawing, and dogs barking down in the valley. Birds were cooing in my campsite. There was