Beto on Wheels in Mexico City

Having been hosted by so many awesome people on WarmShowers during my bicycle trip down the West Coast, I am super keen on returning the favors, or rather pay them forward, by hosting cyclists who are passing through Mexico City. Yesterday I had the pleasure to hang out with one such cyclist: Beto Torres from Guadalajara.

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Unlike my last guests, however, I didn't meet Beto on WarmShowers, and to tell the truth, he didn't even stay at my place. His sister lives in the same city, actually not that far from my neighborhood, so he stayed with her. We just spent an afternoon together over some Chilaquiles (of course at Chila Killer's) with some beers, I showed him my probiotic drinks, and went to the city center for some speakers and printouts. Still, his presence here I thought worthy of sharing, since it is amazingly multi-faceted.

From Alaska to Argentina

Beto's mission is to ride his bike from Anchorage, Alaska, where he started his trip last July, all the way to Ushuaia, Argentina, or as far south as the road goes. Right around Halloween last year he was spending the night with another cyclist friend at a campground just south of Garberville, CA, where my friend Horizon and I were looking for a place to camp as well. I wrote about this freaky, funny halloween encounter.

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Since then we spent quite a bit of time touring together, and playing with selfie-sticks after having conquered a particularly treacherous up-hill battle. Even after saying good-bye to continue separately, we ended up running into each other regularly, until the town of Jenner, where we finally turned away from the coast, and the rest of the bikepackers.

Though I have not seen Beto since then, until he showed up in Mexico City yesterday, I was quite aware of his whereabouts, as he has a fairly constant on-line presence. His blog Beto Sobre Ruedas (=Beto on Wheels) features quite a few impressive pictures, illustrating the stories of his adventure any touring cyclist would drool over. Also his posts on facebook provide a regular update on the things he is involved in.

Projectlets Within the Big Project

One of the many facets of Beto is the music he composes. The ideas tend to pop into his head as he's riding, so stopping on occasion to write them down, along with posting his photos and stories, is a regular part of his travel style. Being super outgoing, he often dedicates his compositions to people he met on the way, or even writes them specifically for and about them. You can get a taste of his tunes here on his blog.

Another thing Beto is involved with, is an organization called ONI (Organismo de Nutrición Infantil). This NGO works for the prevention of malnutrition of indigenous children in the state of Jalisco, where it is the oldest civil society. The relationship Beto has with them is an interesting reciprocal one: On one hand they sponsor his trip, on the other hand he raises funds for them. His website is directly linked to theirs, asking for donations. The money is then evenly split, helping out the children, while supporting Beto on his journey. The triangular flag with the organization's logo was one of things he had made while we were in the city center.

Apart from all this he likes to give presentations about his travels, especially to groups of school kids, hoping to awaken in them the passion for going on long (or even shorter) bicycle trips. In this picture from his facebook page he is explaining how everything one may need in life can fit into a bike trailer:

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Riding the Snake

Talking about gear, I can't end this post without talking a bit about Beto's bike: It's a green Coatl (meaning snake in Nahuatl) made by Belfort, another company sponsoring his journey... with a bicycle! The interesting thing about it: both brakes and gear shifters are on the right side, since that is the only functional hand Beto has. Despite this disadvantage, Beto seemed perfectly fine with all the challenges that bike-packing, long distance touring, and renegade camping threw at us. The Coatl had a recent tune-up in Guadalajara (at the hospital it was born), so it should be ready to tackle the rest of Mexico and Central America.

Friends We Have in Common

Looking back at the famous degrees of separation (or points of connection), I realize that we are linked over a good number of corners. I already mentioned the two friends of ours we ended up riding together with: Horizon, who joined me for most of my West Coast journey, and Anthony, who Beto had been traveling with for quite some time before we all met.

But there's more: the two of them happened to be staying with the same WarmShowers host in Seaside, OR as Horizon and I, only a week or so after us. Not only that, but the the French couple I hosted a few weeks ago, Kalima and Sylvian also know him quite well. They traveled together for a while, before staying with Beto at his parents' place in Guadalajara.

Good Luck and Lots of Fun!

This is why I'm pretty sure that it's just a matter of time before Beto gets to meet all the other folks I have met, who are pedaling down to Patagonia. It makes me feel excited to say the least, even though I am not riding myself. But following these guys' adventures on-line, I certainly feel like I should...! Only yesterday I was discussing possible routes with Beto, mentioning the bike hostel in San Gregorio, just south of Mexico City, which I have never been to, but was told by another cyclist I hosted to recommend to others. From there it's a fairly straight shot to the Paso de Cortez (the pass Cortez came through on his way to the Aztec capital). A quick internet search revealed that it's certainly suitable for bicycles, while it takes you up to 3670 meters, riding between the region's two famous volcanoes, avoiding motorist traffic almost all the way to Puebla. Now I really wanna ride that pass myself! Though I won't do it before Beto, I wish him the best of luck and lots of fun on the remainder of his long bike trip.