Cycling diaries
(not Che’s … but mountain biking)
Avenidas run norte and sur
creating a grid with oriente and poniente calles
around the parque central
in Antigua Guatemala
spanish colonial architecture
palaces churches convents arcades
some from 17th-18th centuries
some restored in rococo baroque
ringed by 3800 meter volcanoes
agua acetenango and fuevo
whose eruptions earthquakes mudslides
destroyed so much of antigua
irregular undulating cobblestones
make walkers yaw and roll unsteadily
as if on roiled seas
while bikes pitch and dive
like heading into frontal waves
we’re here to bike cuchumatanes mountains
other off-road back-country highlands
our guide’s juan carlos
five strong bikers from the UK
nigel david dan allie and andrew
who heads saddle skedaddle
the trip organizer
plus me the token yank
first day real easy warm-up
through towns fields coffee plantations
up down slopes of volcanoes
most days bike from nine to dusk
like first monday
climb backroads rocky hardpan
single track through forest
narrow winding heavy brush
up down sidehill with steep falloff
track (if that’s what you want to call it) has
hard-to-see hidden pits ruts holes
bushes undergrowth camouflage trail
grab clasp scratch in passing
front wheel hits hole fall
bushes keep me from rolling downhill
now getting steeper twisting turning
lots of exposed rock
deep ruts pedals carom off sides
have to maneuver through obstacles
like bob newhart’s bus driver skit
accelerator brake accelerator brake
weight back brake rear wheel
allie does 180 over rocks
gets up shakes off keeps going
trail can be like giant slalom
but usually tighter sharper turns
spooked by narrow ledges
especially with sharp side hill drop-offs
up rocky eroded gulch
long steep rough footing through mud water
pushing carrying bikes
for hours it seems
barbed wire fence too close for comfort
steep rocky gulleys on other side
twist slip skid bounce slam
feet often fly off pedals
pedals smash shins destructively
ride when possible
get off walk when too hair-raising
digital cam points at me
did you get look of terror I ask next day bikes bused north toward mexico
into sierra de los cuchumatanes
to horse farm hacienda unicornio azul
temperature drops when sun goes down
four wool blankets on bed
hot water bottle helps warm up sheets
rocky dirt roads trails cross-country
up down up down cross fences brooks
legs stiff at start then loosen up
after three four hours they’re heavy again
breath shallow from climbing (often)
at thirty-five hundred meters
close to twelve thousand feet
have to push bike up steepest slopes
david has stomach problems
food water altitude hard to know
lunch guacamole tortilla queso lechuga tomate
then 3500 to 2000 meter descent
hour or so on single-track
hearts in our mouths again says allie
like me dan says he’s spooked by narrow ledge loose shale sharp dropoff to river on left
lower seat crouch stand on pedals weight back braking both hands
skidding tires
slaloming around rocks
sometimes dirt or turf
mostly rock steeply graded
alternately great fun and sheer terror
walk the most rock-strewn couloirs
allie does acrobatics on rocks
bloodies leg hurts wrist yet continues
she’s my early warning system
gracias mi amigo
couldn’t survive without you
todos santos market is on wednesdays
there’s sugar cane horses dried spices
sweet smells of melon pineapple bananas
overland mostly no track
portage barbed wire fences streams
undulating yellow-green highlands
something like thailand’s golden triangle
jounce bounce down rocky road
then single track to magdalena lagoon
up up up soggy velvety woodlands
dark green afternoon shadows
overnight with local family
eva’s our hostess in totonicapan
teaches at bilingual school
not english but spanish as second language
to chiche-speaking children
eat arroz con pollo in kitchen
wood-burning stove cooks and warms
next stop is lago atitlan
long gritty cruddy descent
like piece of work under construction
caroming over obstacles
if slow get pounded up and down
if fast risk washing out at bend
loose shale scree dirt steeply graded
use both brakes but keep skidding
release front to correct
but oh oh now going faster
wonder if cold fear washes out of shirt
take speedy lake-water-sprayed boat ride
after dark to hotel dos mundos
next day chichicastenango market
similar treacherous descent
bike needed workout so I took it for a walk
in saddle twenty percent of time
zero time after dark down rocky couloir
boat across lake toward volcanoes
kayak swim sun on lagoon
loosy dreamy bike ride back
forget backpack where andrew gets flat
miles later juan carlos recovers it
fresh fish grilled in garlic oil tastes all the better
deep loose dirt downhill
sliding skidding
wildly gyrating tire tracks
just when having fun would lose control
out of control in control
crack!
pin holding saddle shears off
in antigua end of ride.
rm 3.06
