Trans-Mexico Day #1 Mazatlán to Copala
December 27, 2021
Mazatlán, SI to Copala, SI
Start 1:56pm, Finish 5:42pm
Ride Time: 3:24
Ascent: 788M
Descent: 284M
Tour Total Km: 57.9
Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/80542985
I had a nice few days in Mazatlán. I enjoyed my Christmas dinner at the beautiful Hotel Raices de Mar. I had several wonderful bike rides on a rental. I worked American Airlines around the clock on Skype, their website, and on Twitter. Rather than negatively focus on the knucklehead(s) who cost me four days, I preferred to concentrate my appreciation to Christina at the LaGuardia baggage office as well as Viridiana and the wonderful ground crew in Mazatlán. Who knows? Maybe it was better to take a few days rest, rather than to hit the ground running. This way I was able to adjust to the Mexican Buena Onda. Hell, I got to bathe in the Pacific! The last time was some twenty years ago. I’d learned several lessons, and hope that my readers will additionally benefit from what I overlooked. I absolutely abhor flying. I prefer to be out on the road. Airlines are an unfortunate means to an end.
I woke up at 3 AM and called LaGuardia to ascertain if my bike would be on today's flight. It had already been put on the plane, so I rolled over for a few more hours sleep. When I got up I was able to track it online. I could see when it landed in Dallas, and then when it had been loaded onto the flight to Mazatlan. At this point I knew I was in good shape. I went to Via Condotti for a lovely Sinaloa style breakfast with scrambled eggs, chorizo, tamales, and avocados, along with a cappuccino and an orange juice. I said goodbye to everyone at the hotel and stood on the corner of the plaza to wait for a taxi. Several locals called taxi driving family member to get me a ride. Today was a big day because a cruise ship with 3000 passengers had just arrived. It was the right moment to get out of town. I was at the airport by noon and socialized with the Mazatlan AA ground crew. I waited for an hour for my bicycle to clear customs and be brought out into the terminal. Set-up went quickly, and I then found myself on Mexico 15 headed west. I had a nice wide shoulder and my eyes were peeled for bumps. I was wearing my cycling shorts, a short sleeve jersey, and my new cycling sandals without socks. Compared to the winter cycling I’d been doing at home, it was an extremely pleasant experience!
I stopped at a Kiosko in Villa Union for bottled water. On the other side of town I got on route 40 also known as the cuota or toll road. It was free for cyclists and my cab driver this morning had told me that it cost 700 pesos or $33 in tolls to go from Mazatlan to Durango. He had told me about toll bypasses run by the Mafia. Durango was a four hour drive by car, and would take me four days by bicycle. I passed food stalls along the highway selling dried shrimp, nuts, and corn. The Autopista Durango Mazatlan consisted of two lanes of motor traffic with a nice eight foot wide shoulder. I passed a sign that read, Durango 227 km. The Western Sierra Madre range was now before me, and I passed small trees and green scrub.
The motor traffic consisted of both semi-trailer trucks and automobiles. I had plenty of space on the shoulder and it wasn’t bad. I was passed by two different military pick-up trucks with soldiers standing in the beds holding automatic rifles, headed west. For some reason my rear radar sensor wasn’t working.
At Kilometer 29 I left the cuota towards the libre (the free road) on my way to Concordia. I rode straight through the toll booth and didn’t have to pay a peso. I was now on route 533. Aside from the occasional motorbike or collectivo, there was little motor traffic on the road. I had a nice wide shoulder and passed cattle out grazing in the fields. To the east I could see the large mountains.
I bypassed Concordia. It had originally been planned as a food stop, but my start been delayed and I had a bowling ball sized supply of food in my rear pannier. I passed cactus, and noticed many people on bicycles and others on horseback. The highway between Mazatlan and Durango reputedly had over 2000 curves. Jeff had told me that the stretch between Concordia and Copala would give me a good taste of what tomorrow had in store.
It was perfect cycling weather. The sun was low and the tree canopies shaded the road. The cuota was just to my right. I crossed underneath it and then snaked my way back around to the north. I passed numerous domesticated animals including chickens, roosters, a turkey, and a large pig. There were banana trees growing in front yards. As reported by the Russians, the dogs were docile. Cow pies lined the road.
Eventually I reached the turn-off for Copala. I had to descend from the libre, and then climb up into the small pueblo. First thing tomorrow I would need to make up this descent. From my research, I knew that all of the restaurants would be closed by the time I rolled into town. There was an open tienda and I asked about beer. They didn’t sell it. The only available depósito was some distance away. Word quickly spread that there was a beer thirsty gringo, and a dude showed up on a motorcycle, offering to pick me up a six pack. I should have been more specific, because he returned with Tecate Light. That said, it was cold and refreshing. I sat in the town square near the church, where I planned to camp. A small tienda was open where I purchased packaged tortillas and bananas. I ate cheese, sausage, and tortillas washed down with Tecate Light while editing this report. Little kids rode their bikes around the square and all the dogs tried to beg food from me. I really love Mexico.
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