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- A Guatemalan Bikepacking Adventure
Welcome to the Bike Bulletin, making your inbox feel as carefree as an e-bike.
Written by Sam Westby @samcwestby
This is a weekly newsletter about bike trips, urban cycling, and a love for two-wheeled transit. The more time you spend on a bike, the better. I share new editions every Thursday (or Friday), gearing you up for the ride ahead.
RIDE REPORT
Guatemalan Bikepacking
I’m typing this on my phone, just fyi. It’s a brief one today. I’ll be back in the States in a few days.
Over the past 4 days, my two friends and I bikepacked some of the hardest terrain I’ve ever attempted. It reminded me of parts of the Tour Divide (Koko Claims, Dalton Pass, etc.) repeated multiple times every day.
The difference between this trip and the Tour Divide is that this time I had a blast. Riding slowly makes a big difference. We averaged 5ish hours of moving time, versus 10+ hours of moving time on the Tour Divide. Being able to take a breath to inhale tacos makes everything better. Friends help, too.
Guatemala has an informal culture. Lots of stores have no signs. Products might not have sticker prices. Places aren’t on a map. People expect to be asked questions and everyone has been friendly.
Their road rules are also informal. There could be a truck parked in the middle of the road while traffic takes turns slipping through the other open lane, all while avoiding pedestrians who don’t have any sidewalk to be on. No one minds, and it feels surprisingly safe.
The drivers expect some chaos and randomness, which makes Guatemala a great country for cyclists. We were honked at every day, but they were always friendly honks - saying hello. Drivers were patient, and passed when there was room (their standard of “room” is a little smaller than mine). I loved it. Yes, cyclists impact the orderly car-centric road systems, but that is not the Guatemalan way. We stayed off the major highways, which may have been a different experience.
We all had pawn shop mountain bikes, and the 2.2 inch tires were just enough for some of the terrain. I could’ve used 5 more gears though. Regular 20% gravel climbs are no joke 😅.
The vlogs from the trip should come out over the next few days. It’s been nice spending my time with my college friend Ian, who lives down here. Another college friend Mitchell flew down to join us for the trip. Even though I’ve been doing a ton of activities, this has been a refreshing and rejuvenating adventure.
A Note From Sam
I’ll be back with a full edition of the Bike Bulletin next week! It’s such a privilege to write about bikes and my adventures. Thanks for being a part of the journey.
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