Trans-Mexico Part 2 Day #1 Mexico City to Calimaya de Díaz Gonzáles

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. Next, I rode over to Bicimaniacos (Bike Maniacs) where I purchased CO2 canisters. I used their pump to top off my tires. I set a route on Google maps and was off. I had planned a course on secondary roads that avoided main highways. Essentially I would be taking Mexico 6 south to Xalatlaxo and then continuing west on 44 to my destination. I turned on my rear light and radar, and relished the Mexico City bike lanes.

It was partly cloudy and the sun was strong. I eventually stopped to remove my jacket and socks, and lather up with sunscreen. I plugged in my earbuds and began Duane Harriot’s bumping four hour tribute to Thom Bell. I rode a fantastic bike path through through an office park area with appalling glass buildings. My left wrist was still sore from a unicycle accident from a few weeks ago. The many topos (speed bumps) were painful.

In preparation for the tour I had joined the Trans Mexican Facebook page. There I had met Patrick, who was more or less riding the same route as me. He had started a few days earlier, and had first gone to Valle Bravo. He was now a day ahead of me and had told me about a hotel in Calimaya de Díaz Gonzáles, my destination for the day. He had been struck with a fever and wasn’t sure how far he’d be able to make it. I had a massive climb through a nice Mexico City neighborhood. People were still wearing masks here.

Mexico City stood at 7,349’ elevation and was ringed by tall mountains. As I headed west out town, I could see that I had some massive climbing ahead. It reminded me of my climb out of Mazatlán last year. I wish that I could have had a few days to acclimate to the high elevation.

Highway 6 coursed with the terrain, winding its way up along the ridges and then down into the Rio Hondo valley. The Autopista Cuota defied the geography and leapt over the valleys on huge viaducts. I took a left onto a larger road with motor traffic, and crossed under the ginormous Viaducto de la Unidad Interlomas. I had no shoulder and a steep drop-off into the dirt. It was still partly cloudy. I was still getting reacquainted with the SRAM gear shifting on my Salsa. At home I ride a Surly with Shimano lever shifters. I heard one of my front right compression straps flapping against my spokes and noticed that it had dislodged the sensor for my bike computer. The computer was proving to be more of a hassle than it was worth.

The route took me left off of Highway 6 and onto some gravel and then a massively steep, narrow climb on concrete going straight up. I rode narrow slaloms, and then had to stop and take a break. The grade was sheer. I finally got myself to the top and into the town of Huixquilucan de Degollado.

Eventually I found myself back on Mexico Highway 6. In the next little town of La Cañada, I stopped at a road-side food stand where I ordered beef tacos, French fries, and a Coke. I was in my shorts and a short-sleeve shirt, and the vendors couldn’t believe that I wasn’t cold.

After lunch I kept climbing. By 3pm I’d gone 42 km and was at 10,000 feet elevation. I was starting to get chilly. I was surrounded by fir trees, and saw signs for trout. The area reminded me of Raices, the town that I rode through last year before summiting Toluca Volcano. I passed La Marquesa Valle La Cima, an ecological tourist area with cabins and outdoor activities such as go-karts and horseback riding.

The next tourist area was was Valle Silencio, the valley of silence. After that I rode into Valle Conejo, the valley of the rabbit. Here I was met with a strong headwind. All of these resorts had an assortment of restaurants.

Google maps was consuming my iPhone battery. I was down below 20% and pulled over to plug in my power pack. I hit 10,300’ elevation and then enjoyed a nice downhill. The next tourist area was Valle Potrero.

I had a nice downhill and descended about a thousand feet. I came around a curve and ginormous Volcan Toluca appeared, looming in the distance. I was glad that I didn’t have to climb that monster again. I rode through fields, passing stacks of hay that had just been cut.

I proceeded through the outskirts of Xalatlaxo and took a right on Highway 44 West. I pedaled through Santiago Tianguistenco, which was a larger town with sprawl and motor traffic. Then Google served up some gravel and I rode through cornfields.

Twenty minutes out from my destination I was starting to get cold, so I pulled over to put on my buff. The sun was beginning to set, and I entered through the welcome gate of Calimaya de Díaz Gonzáles. I rode into town and headed to Hotel Real del Nevado, where Patrick had stayed last night. It had a chain wrapped around the front gate with a padlock, and was closed. I was hungry so I rode to the main square where I found a market. I went to Loncheria Liliana, where I ordered chicken enchiladas and a Coke. I messaged Patrick who suggested that I ring the buzzer at the hotel. I was now back on the Trans Mexico route and I loaded it onto my GPS and iPhone. I returned to the hotel and couldn’t get anyone to open the door. It was now dark and chilly. I would be stealth camping tonight. I stopped at a grocery store for two Tecate tall boys and some chips for camp.

I began pedaling south out of town on the route. Once outside of the village I began looking for places to camp. I noticed a dirt road that extended down through a series of cornfields. I saw trees in the distance which would camouflage my tent. Upon inspection, none of the trees had level areas besides them. I ended up hike-a-biking through the fields in search of a decent option. Dirt and small stones got trapped between my sandals and my socks. I finally found a spot in the middle of the corn stalks. I set up my camp using my stealthy red headlamp and crawled into my tent where I began editing this report.