Cycling in Mexico
We left the city and rode East towards the Sun shining clear and still low in the sky. For about 5km we had to battle the urban traffic: taxis, buses and swerving pickup trucks. But as soon as we were out of the city the traffic dispersed almost entirely. We rode along what was more of less a B highway in the far right lane. A car passed by every few minutes and they passed without a hassle, yielding the full lane to us. In the United States you definitely couldn’t get away with this.
I was riding with my host Dave – an Oregon Native living in Aguascalientes for the Summer – to go meet Luis Lemus, the two-time Mexican National Champion and Professional rider for Airgas-Safeway. The rendezvous point was just outside of the city, near the ranch property where Luis grew up. As we rode towards the house, we were approaching a tantalizing range of mountains on the horizon.
Luis played soccer when he was younger. His Dad got into cycling as a way to help quit smoking and get into better shape. He dragged Luis along to group rides as a way to help him build his endurance for soccer, but it didn’t take long for him to start showing real talent. Luis quickly outgrew his Dad’s Sunday group rides and was picked up by the junior national team in Mexico before turning pro.
But Luis’s is story is fairly isolated for Mexico. Only one rider from the country has ever made it to the World Tour level, Raúl Alcalá who raced on team 7-Eleven with Greg Lemond and won the Maillot Blanc in the 1987 Tour de France. Still, Luis has high hopes for cycling in his home country. Having ridden with him for a week, it’s not hard to see why. There are plentiful roads - both paved and dirt - that crisscross the countryside. While motorists do drive fast, they are respectful of cyclists always yielding the entire lane when passing. And of course there’s the climate. I visited Luis in December and the average temperatures were in the 70s.
After the ride we stopped at a toqueria and ate our fill of the delicious and freshly prepared food. The meal cost about 50 pesos per person or just under three dollars. The cost of living here is another added benefit for American’s, not only food but housing is inexpensive. A three bedroom apartment in a central location is easily under $1000 a month. Hotel rooms can be had for $20 a day.
Luis hopes more American’s will flock to Mexico for winter training instead of the traditional destinations in Arizona or New Mexico, but the biggest source of growth will be from within. As the Mexican economy continues to grow, more locals will have the disposable income and free time to pursue the sport. There’s a group ride in Aguascalientes that can attract dozens of riders and there are a few high-end shops around the city.
Change will be slow, but the early signs are there. Within the next decade, I think we’ll definitely start to see more strong riders from Mexico in the pro-peloton. Hopefully it won’t be long before we see another Mexican, maybe even Luis, in the World Tour as well. Whatever happens within the pro World, I know I’ll be returning to this country to explore more of it’s beautiful roads.