Sports & Fitness Cuba Cycling Trip

Discussion in 'Living Room' started by wombat777, 7th Jan, 2017.

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  1. wombat777

    wombat777 Well-Known Member

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    Briefly back in London after my cycling trip in Cuba. Clocked up 568km on the bike over 10 days of cycling during the 14 day cycle/bus tour.

    Temperatures in the 30 to 35 degree range so days on the bike were hot, humid and exhausting.

    Lost count of the number of Mojitos, Pina Coladas, Cuba Libres, Beers and Wine consumed. Ate kilos of pork, chicken, beef, rice and liters of coconut ice cream. Still lost 3.6kg in the process!

    Friend took me to a 45 minute spin class this morning. Punishment for my puns.

    Start the long series of flights home tonight.

    Will post stats and a map on my return.

    ( pic is the spot our group has our last dip in the Carrabean )

    IMG_7015.JPG
     
    Last edited: 7th Jan, 2017
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  2. Travelbug

    Travelbug Well-Known Member

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    Can't wait to hear about your trip. I went to Havana only on a cruise last month and loved it. I would love to see more of Cuba.
    HATE that long trip home. We flew from Jamaica-Toronto-Hong Kong-Sydney. Killer.
     
  3. wombat777

    wombat777 Well-Known Member

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    Cycling Cuba.png

    Map above shows the areas we cycled. We endured long bus transfers elsewhere, but with the amount of hours on the bike this was a welcome relief.

    The following are the distances we covered on the days we cycled.
    • Day 2 - Cycle tour of Havana. 21.1km.
    • Day 3 - Cycle from Matanzas. 61.5km. Christmas Day. Nasty headwinds.
    • Day 4 - Cycle from Bay of Pigs. 45.6km. Nasty headwinds.
    • Day 5 - Cycle from Cienfuegos to Trinidad. 87.1km. Nasty, Nasty headwinds. Bloody hill!
    • Day 7 - Cycle from Trinidad. 65.9km. Nasty headwinds.
    • Day 8 - Cycle from Las Tunas to Bayamo. 63.6km. Nasty headwinds.
    • Day 9 - Cycle into the Sierra Maestra Mountains. 75.4km. Nasty hills.
    • Day 10 - Cycle to Santiago. 30.8km. Nasty headwinds.
    • Day 12 - Cycle from Gibara. 54.6km. Nasty headwinds.
    • Day 13 - Cycle from Managua to Mayajigua. 62.7km. Hills!
    Total hours on bike @ 43 hrs.
    Total distance 568km.

    Note the recurring themes above. Significant hazards were also old trucks and cars belching thick clouds of black smoke. Not the best when trying to suck in warm air/oxygen in order to make headway.

    Also had to dodge numerous horse-drawn taxis and slow bicycles.
     
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  4. mimosa

    mimosa Well-Known Member

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    I'm always in two minds about a cycling holiday. I enjoy riding, but I don't want an overseas holiday to be all 'about the bike' at the expense of other sightseeing (not everything can be seen from the road) and just general hanging out and walking around to get the feel of a place. I've had individual days of riding on overseas holidays before (and remember those days fondly, even the day I took a spill coming down a Swiss mountain and lost a lot of skin in the process :)) but have not been on a cycling-focussed holiday before. How did you find the balance between the riding and the general sightseeing?

    What was the standard of bikes like? Was the riding mostly on main roads? Were other road users reasonably courteous (apart from the slow moving traffic) or did you constantly feel like your life was in danger?
     
  5. Travelbug

    Travelbug Well-Known Member

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    I would love to know the actual riding days and how many in between as it looks like you did 10 days of riding straight.
    Some very long days there. Looks like a great way to see the world (for you). Cruising is more my style.
    When in Queensland we met an English guy who was riding from Cairns down to Melbourne.
     
  6. wombat777

    wombat777 Well-Known Member

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    Days 1 (arrival), 6, 11, 14 and 15 we were off the bikes.

    Trinidad was the best city we visited other than Havana.

    Arrived in Cuba on the 22nd of December and it took about 60 minutes in massive queues to clear customs and then another 30 to collect bags. Banks were similar. Waited 90 minutes at a bank in Trinidad to convert some cash.
     
  7. Travelbug

    Travelbug Well-Known Member

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    WOW! That's still a lot of straight days on the bike. I'm impressed.
     
  8. wombat777

    wombat777 Well-Known Member

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    This was my first cycling holiday. All my other active holidays have been Treks.

    I think the balance between touring and cycling was appropriate. Enough touring and sightseeing to get a feel for the place but not too much. After doing active holidays regularly since 2012, I think I would get itchy feet without an active component.

    The riding was mostly on a mix of single-carriageway highways, city riding and quieter country roads. I laughed at their description of "off-road", this was basically just a bumpy bitumen road in most cases although we did have one day with about 10-15km of dirt road.

    Cuba is a largely rural country. There was a large amount of horse-drawn traffic and bicycles. All the road users were courteous and perhaps more courteous than here. Would often hear a gentle beep of the horn as vehicles passed from the rear ( a gentle warning ).

    The bikes were 2015 model Trek Mountain bikes with front suspension and disc brakes. Quality I was happy with as both of my own bikes are Treks. Of course different companies use different bikes. I used comfortable cycling wear. Fluro shirts are a wise choice. I also took a gel seat cover. I used a backpack with a water bladder and we had access to plenty of bottled drinking water for refills.

    The days on the bike were hot. Typically 30 degrees. We had a few days with opportunities to swim in the Carrabean. At one point, part way through a ride. Also had a chance for a dip in a swimming hole in the mountains.

    We mostly stayed in reasonable quality hotels, boutique hotels or casas (local homestay). Only one hotel was mediocre.

    For a Cuba trip, Christmas / New Year is the best time of year as the days are not as hot and humid as other parts of the year.

    I'll definitely do another cycling trip of similar duration at some point.
     
  9. vbplease

    vbplease Well-Known Member

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    The drinks and food sounds like heaven! Did they have much chipotle sauce on hand?

    I feel your pain with the headwinds.. that's got to be the worst (most demoralising) part of cycling.. at least with hills you get to some downhill the other side.

    What's your next adventure?