Adventures in Baja: An unforgettable cycling trip from Tecate to La Paz

Sometimes, those embarked connected large adventures conform to our expectations. Such was the lawsuit successful 2021 erstwhile it was discovered that 1 of a radical of radical cycling astir the entirety of the Baja California Peninsula was acclaimed histrion Harrison Ford. 

He did play Indiana Jones, aft all. But movies aren’t the aforesaid happening arsenic existent life, which possibly accounted for the information that Ford had pedaled arsenic acold arsenic Loreto earlier anyone seemed to notice, oregon care, that they had a personage successful their midst. A fewer photos of unexpected encounters began popping up connected societal media, with a precise acceptable Ford astatine easiness amid smiling Sudcalifornianos. He surely didn’t look similar a antheral successful his precocious 70s who had conscionable cycled much than 700 miles and had a fewer 100 much successful beforehand of him connected the mode to La Paz. 

The travel included gorgeous godforsaken scenery, a spot of sightseeing and plentifulness of welcoming interactions with Mexicans on the way.

Ford’s fittingness and willingness to tackle specified an ambitious undertaking astatine that property impressed Dan Rumsey, a palmy concern enforcement and securities lawyer successful San Diego. Rumsey was besides an experienced cyclist and, due to the fact that some of his parents are treble amputees, was progressive successful cycling-based fundraising efforts similar the Million Dollar Challenge connected behalf of the Challenged Athletes Foundation, a multi-day thrust down the California seashore that is simply a life-changing travel successful much ways than one. 

The thought of attempting different one-of-a-kind escapade appealed to him. So helium contacted the antheral who had organized Ford’s trip: his lad Willard. The younger Ford has a cycling history, too, having raced arsenic a inferior increasing up successful Los Angeles earlier helping to recovered VeloAsia successful the 1990s.

He was progressive successful arranging the archetypal cycling trips done Vietnam, and those were life-changing journeys, too, not lone for the Vietnam vets who were returning to the state lone a fewer decades aft the Vietnam War but besides for the radical who lived determination and saw Americans successful a caller light. 

The Baja California trips began a fewer decades aboriginal successful 2020 with VeloPura, with Ford helping to put necessities similar enactment vans and itineraries that avoided the touristy worldly similar vino tastings oregon buying excursions successful favour of meaningful interactions with existent radical successful 1 of the world’s astir picturesque settings.

“It’s a cycling trip,” helium notes. “If you adhd excessively overmuch different stuff, it becomes astir thing else.”

The Baja California Peninsula, though famously developed astatine the extremes — Tijuana, Ensenada and the Valle de Guadalupe successful the north, Los Cabos successful the southbound — offers 1,000 miles of road successful between, with overmuch of its rugged interior sparsely populated and starkly beautiful. This was the once-in-a-lifetime escapade that Rumsey and wife, Becca, signed up for, on with immoderate different notable San Diegans, including erstwhile politician Kevin Faulconer and ex-chief of constabulary Shelley Zimmerman.

Across 10 days successful March 2024, they would question via roadworthy bikes from Tecate to La Paz, implicit 935 miles distant successful jerseys artfully designed by Becca. For further support, the VeloPura squad included Christiam Valenzuela Zamudio, a erstwhile cyclist connected Mexico’s nationalist squad and a nonmigratory of La Paz, who could guarantee them each a hero’s invited and magnificent meal upon arrival. 

Still, it was a daunting imaginable for adjacent the astir experienced of the group’s riders, who ranged successful property from their precocious 40s to aboriginal 60s. By the clip the travel was finished, they had covered astir 100 miles daily, with lone 1 little respite — a remainder time successful Loreto. Fortunately, the radical of the Baja California Peninsula are overwhelmingly affable and accommodating, without the consciousness of entitlement that characterizes truthful galore drivers connected U.S. roads. Thus, adjacent though they shared the road with cars and trucks, determination were ne'er immoderate issues with feeling crowded.

The cyclists successful beforehand of Misión San Ignacio Kadakaamán successful Baja California Sur.

That’s not to accidental determination weren’t challenges. Ford remembers 1 travel wherever a feline fell disconnected his motorcycle successful a beardown crosswind. But that’s portion of the adventure, arsenic are authorities checkpoints. The quality of young subject members toting battle rifles tin origin anxiety. However, with Zimmerman along, the concern became much fraternal, with 1 worker allowing San Diego’s erstwhile apical bull the accidental to grip his weapon, including during radical photos.

For Valenzuela, a world-class rider and the erstwhile caput of the authorities cycling relation successful Baja California Sur, the travel was an eye-opener. He present thinks of the radical helium accompanied not arsenic clients but arsenic friends. He recovered it inspiring to ticker them stock challenges with their important others and to spot them propulsion their limits to decorativeness the ride. Some of the radical were skilled and comfy with the demands of the astir 1,000-mile ride. For others, it was much hard — and, arsenic a consequence, much rewarding.

“I retrieve talking to 1 of them, who shared thing helium experienced precise powerfully and was capable to flooded it to determination forward, enjoying and having fun, appreciating those small things that galore radical nary longer see, similar a beauteous sunset, being unsocial for moments successful the mediate of obscurity conscionable listening to the dependable of your bike, the wind, the section wildlife.” 

There were galore specified moments: of pedaling by 50-foot precocious cardón cacti, of stopping successful a hole-in-the-wall edifice to person the champion carnitas of your life. Of being invited into people’s homes and treated similar family. Of emerging from the godforsaken to person the water oregon Gulf of California abruptly and spectacularly look earlier you and agelong retired arsenic acold arsenic the oculus tin see.

Yes, traveling the magnitude of the Baja California Peninsula by car is besides memorable. But erstwhile you drive, the scenery flashes by truthful quickly. When you’re connected a bike, Ford points out, it feels similar you person truthful overmuch much clip to admit the scenery and to savor each moment. The satellite is getting smaller, but there’s inactive room, peculiarly successful Baja, for radical to stock an unforgettable adventure. 

“There was nary azygous highlight,” said Rumsey, speaking of the travel a twelvemonth later. “The full happening was a highlight.”

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas section adept for the USA Today question website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos question guidebook and a contributor to galore websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related contented and manner features focused connected food, vino and golf.