Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128124
Tequilas Ride TRAIL RIDING SOUTH OF THE BORDER AND WE DON'T MEAN BA.JA not representative of the nation's character or soul. The real Mexico? In the first case, the country is near enough to be accessed via a plane ride of just a few hours, and those stereotypical spaghetti-western peasants are joined by everyone from savvy businessmen to adolescent skateboarders. In the second case, those few resorts that sparsely dot the Mexican coast are largely created by truly rich Americans for wannabe rich Americans, with native involvement being only extremely limited and peripheral, and they are far outnumbered by everything from modern, industrial cities to prehistoric ruins. And in the final instance, Baja California is only a relatively small, homogenous peninsula separated by water from a large, varied land-mass, the fast majority of whose inhabitants view it (Baja) as somewhat distant and insignificant. Not all Americans are oblivious to this. Some venture into more genuine locales, with the assistance of tradi- STORY AND PHOTOS BY CHRIS JONNUM hat images come to mind when you think of Mexico? If you're a typical gringo who rarely ventures south of the border, you might picture a far-off land inhabited only by sombrero-wearing, siesta-taking peones. If you're slightly more daring, perhaps you recall hedonistic binges of cerveza guzzling and sunbathing at beach resorts like Acapulco or Cabo San Lucas. But since you're reading this story, there's a decent chance you're an off-roader who has spent time riding motorcycles in Baja, in which case you probably conjure up visions of high-speed two-track through rugged, cactus-filled deserts. Whatever the case, forget it. If your ideas of the country are like any of those outlined above, you don't know Mexico. W t!.DONOE? Our southern neighbor does admittedly include all of the aforementioned characteristics, but they are 22 OCTOBER 3, 2001 • cue • _ n __ lIS tiona I travel packages and/or Lonely Planet guide books, and some even move south of the border to study, work and live (I once spent two years teaching English in Puebla, not far from Mexico City). But for motorcyclists interested in two-wheeled access to parts of Mexico other than Baja (which has several excellent tour packages), there have been few options. t!.GUIEN? Frankly, it's surprising no one has attempted a dirt-bike tour company in mainland Mexico before, as the place is practically made for off-road motorcycling: The terrain is perfect, and the dirt roads and trails that the locals utilize to get around it are great for dirt bikes; the cities are civilized, so that after a day exploring primitive locales, one may enjoy tasty cuisine and comfortable, hassle-free repose; and the geographical location is really quite close, making travel as simple as a plane ticket of a few hundred dollars and a trip of a few hours. The place is a slam-dunk for motorcycling, and all that was missing was someone with enough vision, organizational skills and start-up money to get a tour company off the ground. Until now. Recently, a couple of Mexican entrepreneurs - construction magnate Victor Loera and motorcycle-shop owner Saul Arambula teamed up to launch a tour company called Travel Extreme, and their first offering is the Tequilas Ride - a 300mile mainland jaunt through the state of Jalisco, from Guadalajara west to Puerto Vallarta. Although they're aided by guidance from the respected Mexican Tourism Board, these guys are not just opportunists, but hardcore dirt-bike enthusiasts who are part of a group that has ridden the area for years. In fact, the guides they employ are their riding pals, and they personally know many of the local land owners whose permission is so vital to assuring the tour is a success. Several motorcycle-industry personalities - always looking for a new