Nobody Can Resist

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestmailby feather

I have spent the last six days in Mexico riding with 3 friends up the east coast of the Sea of Cortez on fat bikes. In this part of the world, it is pretty normal to encounter some random road blocks or check points along the way. In the past I have found that these stops, for the most part, tend to be brief and fairly friendly when you travel by bike.

On day 4 we left the wind and sand of the Colorado river delta behind us and worked our way inland towards the US border. Later in the afternoon we encountered one final military check point. I was a bit nervous because this seemed a little more serious than all the other townie stops we had encountered earlier and I didn’t quite know what to expect when our gang of four rolled up on these clown bikes. Plus, I tend to get a little uncomfortable any time people around me have machine guns.

What happened next was probably one of the most memorable moments of the entire tour.

We cut our way through the line of waiting cars and trucks to the first soldier we saw. I asked nicely if we could bypass the line since we were on bicycles, and he waved us on to the next group of soldiers. We rolled up to the line 2 at a time. We answered the same questions we have been answering for the past 4 days but this time they seemed a little more interested in the distance we had covered (250km at that point).  Bags were fondled and searched and even a couple laughs were exchanged. Then out of nowhere a soldier grabs Devon’s bike and rides away without saying a word. The soldier rode around for maybe a minute but it seemed like an eternity when we didn’t know what was going on. He  bounced on the tires, shifted some gears, and then eventually handed it back grinning ear to ear. Then we were waved through and sent on our way. But not before we got this sneaky little photo:

even the Mexican army can't resist a fatty

I am absolutely shattered from this trip. Mother Nature beat us down real good out there in the desert.  I will get to a full report as soon as I can think straight again. I am finding that getting back to “real life” is particularly hard this time around.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestmailby feather

About dirty biker

I am a fan of singletrack, singlespeeds, single women and single malt. Currently in Carbondale, CO Follow on Instagram @dirty_biker

20 Replies to “Nobody Can Resist”

  1. Only you man, only you.

    Good on ya, sounds like a great time, kinda the reverse of what we get every October in the ‘Daks I’m thinkin’, as far as Mother Nature beatdowns go….

  2. Can’t wait to buy a pugsley. Whether riding or just watching someone else ride one, you can’t help but smile every time.

    You guys know of any other similar bikes or is the pugsley my best option?

  3. @Pfaff, After rolling with Dirty, Devon, and Tmac for 6 days through the Mexican zero-scape on both Mukluks and Pugs, I can tell you you cant go wrong with either. The Pug is steel and heavier, and the Muk is aluminum and comes with much lighter wheels. Both are rad, but you can also support a smaller company like 907 that does really cool fatties too. Good write up Dirty, and better trip….. good times.

  4. Fat bikes = World Peace. How could we have missed the obvious. What a pic of the soldier on the bike!

  5. Awesome, Dirty. Just plain awesome. Your pics on FB are INCREDIBLE…you need to get them up here.

    And…as a bonus…woke up to 1/2″ of whiteness on the ground so I can justify my Mukluk as the ride of choice for today’s singetrack adventure. I’ll be riding in t minus three hours…

  6. …jeez, dirty b…posting here is cool but you need to write a ‘travels with dirtybiker’ (w/ fotos) at some point…

    …for real…

  7. Kid dick, thanks. I’ve been using my valuable time at work to research my options. I had no idea there were so many fatties to choose from. It’s like that one time I partied with my cousin in Mississippi. All my bikes are steel but im actually thinking about going with al or ti because its gonna see a lot of water.

    Thad, that neck romancer is freaking awesome. Maybe I will stick with steel.

  8. Pfaff…something else to keep in mind…how you transport the thing. I realized when I got to the trailhead today just how much road salt can coat a bike when it’s hanging on a rack. Made me happier that I bought aluminum.

    Unfortunately, my ride was cut short due to a flat…NOT caused by shells!

  9. You boys musta froze yer asses off.Been cold enough…Gives ya even more braggin’ rights.Looking forward to a detailed report,thanks!

  10. i’d like to request a coffee table book loaded with glossy foldouts of fatties and stuffed saddle bags, a few smart writings from the trail and plenty of fireside pics.
    thanks you

  11. secret word is that Voodoo is working on one too, Raven cycles, Carver bikes, and the orginator, Speedway fatback all make wicked fatties. Those on big wheels are invited to the Telluride fatbike challenge January 21st. .

  12. There’s no project in Voodoo camp for a fat bike. Joe hand-made a faux pugs a couple of years back, but the Voodoo focus is on trail bikes at the moment.

    More important, when will the FBWC happen?

    Because we need that.

  13. TPC, jesus christ i want a fat bike. i have gypsy on my google reader and the fact that he got one on the second hand market lifted my heart that the resale market has now openend on these babies. you’s be the man on the florida sand with one of those.

    @Gnome if FBWC ever happens it should be along the lines of the Iditarod trail race which i think was covered here under some guy’s “no idle tour” endurance orgasm?

  14. Pingback: Tuesdays with Dirty: Ride Like Pancho - Drunkcyclist.com | Drunkcyclist.com