Back to the Future

"May you live in interesting times."
-Chinese proverb/curse

2008 has certainly been the most "interesting" in memory, both on a personal level and a national and global level. On the personal side, it was a rollercoaster year... Sacred Rides had a record year, with new trips launched in 4 countries and more than double the number of riders compared to 2007. In May, my daughter was born, easily the best day of my life (and the days since have been no less amazing). In September, someone very close to me passed away after a protracted battle with cancer. On December 1, our non-profit organization Bikes Without Borders hosted our first successful bike collection drive, for HIV/AIDS workers in Malawi.

On an external level, we had yet another election in Canada, followed by a protracted power battle within the halls of Parliament, followed by a suspension of parliament. And in November, a historic election south of our border resulted in the U.S.' first black president, barely a generation after Martin Luther King's famed "I have a dream" speech.

All of this has been overshadowed by what is promising to be one of the largest and deepest financial crises of the past 100 years, the first truly global economic crisis. The scale of this crisis is being revealed day by day, and the news is anything but pretty. I was riding my bike in Croatia on a sneak preview of our new Alps + Adriatic trip when the news of the first big financial collapses began to trickle over to us in Europe. At the time, I was too preoccupied with having a great time in my ancestral homeland to truly grasp the scope of what was happening.

All in all, truly a momentous year. 2009 is poised to be no less interesting. If one were to believe the media reports, then we could be seeing an unprecedented financial collapse during the coming year. All around me, I see and hear fear. Indeed, it is the prevaling emotion in any discussion surrounding the economy.

Yet where others see fear, I see signs of hope. Surely the coming years will be trying ones, for many people, yet what may emerge on the other side of this crisis is something truly wonderful. In the natural world, death begets life. Regardless of how the crisis plays out, one thing is for certain: our economic system could not continue. An economic system based on infinite growth in a finite world is neither sustainable nor possible. If anything, this crisis may have bought us some time to avert another collapse: the collapse of the natural world and our ecosystems.

This crisis has started to awake millions of people from the deep slumber called free-market capitalism. The notion that our economy must be based on continued growth, and that capitalism should be allowed to run free, untainted by government control, is now being seriously called into question.

After decades of ever greater levels of consumption, people are starting to question capitalism's most sacred promise: that consumption of goods will lead us to happiness. Almost every conversation I hear, almost every magazine I pick up, and almost every news show I watch has something to say about living with less, about getting back to the basics, about turning the page on 30 years of neoconservative economics and unfettered free market greed.

Perhaps what we'll see on the other side of this crisis is an economic system that serves people and the planet, and not shareholders or hedge fund managers. If you get a chance, read the excellent book Natural Capitalism, in which the authors spell out just such a vision.

Everywhere around the planet, in every town, every city, every village, people are imagining the world of the future, one that is sustainable and more just, with a more equitable distribution of wealth and a better use of our planet's limited resources.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this matter. What do you see in your 2009 crystal ball? Are you scared? hopeful? Ecstatic? Pissed off?

I wish you all a Happy New Year, and a prosperous 2009 on all fronts.

Mike

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Guatemala in the rear-view mirror

“Everyone is the age of their heart.”
-Guatemalan proverb

We left Antigua this morning under the cover of darkness, our van bumping and hopping its way through empty cobblestone streets. At 4 am, the Christmas lights of the main square flashed their seasonal cheer to us alone. Reaching the outskirts of town, I glanced in the rear view mirror of our careening van and caught a glance of Volcan Agua, the giant volcanic sentinel that looms over the city. It is a massive piece of geology, visible from almost anywhere in Antigua, and a postcard-perfect icon of the town’s unique and beautiful topography.

Just a week ago, I’d climbed up Agua’s flanks on my bike, grunting up dirt roads and narrow trails in my smallest gear, first cursing the tropical heat then grinning as we descended through fertile cornfields and small villages, farmers and children waving as we passed. We marveled at the ingenuity of Mayan agriculture, weaving green beans around fallow cornstalks, and gazed in awe at the spectacular views of the city below.

Guatemala has, in just two visits, become one of my favourite destinations in the world. What is it that stands out for me? Among many highlights I’m hard pressed to come up with just a few. Mostly it is just a collection of small moments, those brief slices of existence that collectively make up our memories, and consequently, our lives and identities.

I remember descending through the narrow cobblestone streets and stairs of Santa Catarina on the shores of Lake Atitlan, people emerging from seemingly every window and alleyway to wave at and run behind us. My heart grows younger at the thought of the old Mayan woman sitting in her courtyard under an avocado tree and sharing the stories of her weavings. I smile at the memory of the warm greetings and farewells of Lorenzo, the Macadamia nut farmer who told us that we now have a new family in Guatemala. The corners of my mouth turn up in a silent grin when I think of the children of Guatemala, some of the happiest and most prone to laughter I have ever met. I still giggle when I think of traveling along the main highway from Panajachel to Antigua, where an endless parade of small children waved at us from the side of the road, for seemingly no other reason than the joy of waving at a passing car.

Guatemala is a poor country, fraught with many problems. But in the midst of its poverty is a simple, quiet pride and a joy taken from the small pleasures of life: family, friendship, community, and the small moments that make up our fondest memories. There are many small, beautiful lessons to be learned from its people, and I hope I do not forget them.

My thanks go to Luisa, Matt, Rodolfo, Wilbur and the many people who helped make our stay in Guatemala such a fantastic one.

-Mike

We still have space on our Jan. 10, 2009 La Ruta De Maya trip in Guatemala and are offering spots at 10% off. Visit our website for more information on this amazing trip and our other mountain bike adventures around the world.

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motorcycle ice cream delivery in Guatemala

I'm writing this post from the shores of spectacular Lake Atitlan, at the incredible Casa Del Mundo hotel. The hotel is built into the side of a cliff, with 16 stunning rooms overlooking the lake and its volcanoes. Today we set out after breakfast in kayaks, and paddled our way to the little village of San Marcos, where we had a super refreshing dip in the lake. After a quick drink, we headed out on foot for a fun 2-hour hike along the shores of the lake, back to our hotel.

We've had 4 days of incredible sunny weather here in Guatemala. Our group is 9 strong riders: Mack and Shanti from California, Sean and Adam from Ontario's own Chico Racing, Wilco and Lisa from deep-freeze Alberta (currently -30 C), Kingston from Toronto, myself and local über-guide Luisa.

On Monday we had a great ride from Antigua to the horse farm at Posada de Mi Abuelo. The ride started out with a fairly grueling climb up an old jeep track, through corn fields and avocado plantations, before putting us on top of a plateau, with views of volcanoes in all directions. The descent was fast and furious, and dropped us off at a lunch spot right by an old Spanish ruin. Lunch was a delicious affair, highlighted by the sudden appearance of an ice cream vendor on motorcycle. He was asking 1 Quetzal (about 15 cents) for an ice cream cone, so how could I resist? The ice cream was delicious, especially since it was delivered to me in the middle of nowhere by a man on a motorcycle.

After lunch we had a feast of fast, smooth singletrack through more corn fields, jungle and mountainous terrain before ending up in the Mayan village of San Andres Itzapa, where we met the folks from MayaPedal. MayaPedal is run by a congenial fellow by the name of Carlos. They repair donated bikes, distribute them to local villagers, and take old bike frames and turn them into really cool pedal-powered machines, such as blenders, washing machines, generators, and corn huskers.

Our non-profit organization Bikes Without Borders is going to be doing some work with MayaPedal over the coming months and years. We're going to be donating some bikes and learn a bit more about the bike technology that Maya Pedal is developing, in the hopes of bringing this technology to other parts of the developing world. If you're interested in learning more about Bikes Without Borders, supporting our work with a financial investment, or purchasing some ethically sourced bike-themed clothing, please visit us on the web.

Yesterday, we had what was by the far the best ride of the trip: an incredible 9-km descent from the highway above Lake Atitlan to the village of Santa Catarina Palopo. The descent is technical, with spectacular views of the lake at every turn. The ride ends with a wild descent through the village's narrow streets and alleys, with children poking their heads out of windows to wave and say hello. It's easily one of the best rides I've done in my life, and one that I hope to do many more times in my life.

Tomorrow we leave Casa Del Mundo and take the ferry back to Panajachel to do Guatemala's own version of Moab's famed slickrock trail, before heading back to Antigua and the incredible views at Earth Lodge above Antigua.

We still have a few spots left on our Jan. 10, 2009 trip to Guatemala. Visit our website and sign up today!

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On the Cardamom Trail - Antigua, Guatemala

This morning we set out in search of some Guatemalan cardamom (a spice used in curries and other dishes). Join us as we walk the winding maze of the mercado (market) of Antigua, in search of what proved to be an elusive little spice.


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Antigua, Guatemala. It's good to be back

We arrived in Antigua late Wednesday night after a full day of planes and airports and layovers. I'm back in Guatemala for 10 days of mountain biking and good living with our La Ruta de Maya trip.

We started off the morning right with several cups of some of the best coffee in the world (Antigua is surrounded by coffee farms, all of which producing incredible java) and the famous Guate Guate bagel at the Bagel Barn in downtown Antigua. Antigua is a beautiful colonial city in central Guatemala, and a fantastic place to hang out. It's surrounded by volcanoes, with beautiful architecture, colourful Mayan culture, and a laid-back vibe that sucks travelers in for weeks, months and even lifetimes.

Yesterday afternoon we put our bikes together for a first spin and headed up the side of one of the local mountains, with some instructions from local guide Mateo (we don't start the actual trip until Sunday, so for now we're on our own and exploring). The climb was steep but steady and we soon found the trail he told us about, a narrow ribbon of beautiful singletrack winding between coffee farms and avocado plantations.

The singletrack around Antigua mainly consists of walking trails from village to village and farm to farm. They're fairly smooth, but narrow and technical in spots. You have to stay on your toes, but the riding is among the best in the world. We whooped and hollered our way down the trail until it spit us back out onto the road just as the sun was setting. The last 2 km were a 70 km/h race down the road into the fading sunset, with Volcan Agua looming large over the valley.

All in all, an amazing first ride.

Today we head to the beach to check out some Guatemala surf. Stay tuned.

The Weather Outside is Frightful - Are You Ready?

Post guest-written by Robb Sutton of Mountain Biking by 198

That's right! It is winter riding season. Many mountain bikers pack up the bike until spring during this time period, but I am going to challenge you to get out and ride. To help with that challenge, here is an outline on how to use available equipment to make that ride much more enjoyable.

Layers

Mountain biking in cold weather conditions is all about layers. For most rides, especially in the low 20's to mid 30's, you are going to be very cold in the parking lot. Here in lies the problem...your body temperature is going to start to rise as you ride and eventually you are going to want to shed clothing to expel some of that heat. When you are preparing for a cold weather ride, plan ahead. Think of how you are going to want to shed layers as you ride, and how you are going to carry those items as you ride.

Some tips:

• 

  Leg and Arm Warmers - Leg and arm warmers like those found through Pearl Izumi provide a lot of much needed warmth in an easy to pack setup. These fleece lined arm and leg socks are designed for cold weather riding and keep your extremities away from the wind.
• Light Outer Jacket - A light outer jacket will be easy to pack and it also keeps the wind off the core of your body. The warmer you keep your core, the easier time your heart will have pumping warm blood to the rest of your body. Lighter windbreaker type jackets are also easier to pack away and normally fit over thicker under layers.

Poor Circulation Areas

Poor circulation areas of your body are going to cause you the most discomfort. These areas include your toes, fingers and ears. This discomfort is easy to fix if you follow some guidelines.

Preventing Cold Feet

• Thick Wool Socks - Wearing thicker wool socks is the obvious choice and I highly recommend this. However, there is one thing that you need to be fully aware of before you take this route. Your riding shoes are normally set around thinner riding socks. When you use thicker wool socks inside of you riding shoes, be sure to leave them loose enough so that your feet still get adequate blood circulation. If you constrict your blood vessels...you will be defeating the purpose.
• Toe or Shoe Covers - Your riding shoes are designed to breath and keep your feet cool...not warm. Shoe or toe covers will keep the heat in and cold out while preventing that cold wind from penetrating. I highly recommend picking up a set of these for anyone that is considering cold weather riding.
• Winter Riding Shoes - The most expensive option, but also the one that performs the best. Companies like Sidi actually make winter specific riding shoes that are much warmer than your regular set, but be prepared...they aren't cheap.

Preventing Cold Hands

• Cold Weather Gloves - Do not use your regular riding gloves in cold weather riding situations. Much like your shoes, they are designed to breathe so that your hands to not sweat and overheat. Get some cold weather riding gloves for your cold weather riding. There is nothing worse than cold hands while you are trying to enjoy the ride.

Preventing A Cold Head

Your ears and head are vital components of your body to keep warm during a ride but they are also the cheapest to keep warm! Get a set of good fleece ear warmers or a thin full head beanie that fits under your helmet and you are set. The big thing to keep in mind is that you want to block the wind and keep the heat in. Your head is a natural source of heat, but it is also where most of the heat in your body escapes. You want to keep this heat close instead of it leaking out.

Where are you going to put this gear?

As you can already tell, this is a lot of gear to carry. On winter weather rides, I would recommend bringing your 100 oz hydration pack. Most of the 100 oz hydration packs on the market have plenty of storage for packing away layers and accessories. As an added benefit, a 100 oz pack is also going to cover more of your back and this will further your quest in staying warm.

Final Thoughts from 198

Cold weather riding can turn out to be some of the best riding you have ever done. The trails take on a peacefulness that you just can't find in the heat. If you are fully prepared, you will have a great time, but as you can see by the suggestions...if you get cold or too hot...it will be a tough ride. Follow the guidelines above and you will have an incredible ride.

For more tips like the ones you read here...visit Mountain Biking by 198. We have a free newsletter that provides exclusive content as well as a free rss feed for daily updates on product reviews, riding tips, bike maintenance tips and much more.