Mountain Biking with Gringo Mike

I should have known better, I’ve done this before, bike all day, way passed my limit, then drank all night, it never ends well…

I’d been living on the road for nearly a month, but had yet to really get my heart rate up in any sort of physical activity, so the cross country mountain biking around San Gil sounded like the way to change my lethargic behavior while seeing a ton of the surrounding landscape.  I was fully in.

Mike picked me up at 8:30 in the morning on his motorbike.  He owns the bike shop with his girlfriend Kat, along with the popular restaurant Gringo Mike’s which was surprisingly really good despite the name.

I was setup with a $3000 full suspension mountain bike, meaning that it was actually a smoother ride (and worth more) than my car back home.  I met Tim at Mike’s home, he has been guiding mountain bike rides for 10 years in Moab, Utah.  But that was it, I was the only one signed up for the ride that day.  So 2 guides that routinely ride for 10 hours a day, and me, who’s been having trouble staying awake for 10 hours a day, this could be rough.

I also assumed the ride would be much easier than in reality it turned out to be.  To put in perspective, I had a piece of bread and a banana for breakfast in preparation, and brought 2 little bottles of water.  The ride would turn out to be 17 miles of mountain terrain each way, with swimming at a waterfall sandwiched in the middle.  The trail was also decidedly not flat, mostly uphill the whole way out, with two substantial climbs and one massive downhill, that was exhilarating while also unnerving when considering the prospect of climbing back up.

We road for 2 ½ hours before stopping at the little town of Valle de San Jose, for the famous chorizos that are supposedly the best in the country.  It could been the hunger from the ride, but that was best sausage I've ever head, bar none.  It was served in this really good sauce, maybe like a sweet barbecue, but really I've just never had anything like it - we had to go back for a second order.  It's cool local finds like this that make traveling especially cool.

Another hour and we were at the waterfall, and I felt like I’d used way more than 50% of my energy for the day.  But a Gringo Mike’s sandwich, fresh baked cookies, and an hour up by the waterfall, swimming and watching tourists repel down the cliffs.  It was a 15 minute walk up the hill to get to the falls, but I felt much stronger heading down the trail for the return ride back.

 

It might have been the mostly downhill return (minus the one massive uphill section), or the simple fact that the return trips always feel faster than the way there.  Whatever it was, the 3 hour return ride flew by, and we made it back to San Gil with plenty of sunlight left in the sky.  

San Gil from a distance

During the mostly chill ride back I had a chance to get to know both guys, and they each had very interesting stories.  Tim had worked in corporate America before quitting to become a bike guide.  He said the money was much better with his old job, but now he rides a mountain bike for a living, 'what could be better than that.'  He doesn’t regret the decision one bit.  Mike was just traveling through Colombia when he met his girlfriend and they decided to open a restaurant.  That was cool for a while, but they both ride mountain bikes religiously and really wanted an adventure sport biking tour business.  They just got in the latest Lonely Planet, which is set to come out later this year, so they are eagerly awaiting that bump (as many traveling just do whatever Lonely Planet says is cool).

As we road into town we eagerly awaited our post ride victory beers.  We grabbed some chair next to the local mini-market and relaxed in the grass with cold cervezas.  I thought we were going to just stay for one beer (a free beer was also included), but no, the night was young.  We hungout there for another couple hours until the stores was actually starting to run out of Club Colombians.  Kat and her friend came by and joined us, and a while later a whole group of locals: several Colombian guys with their girlfriends (ones of which was celebrating his birthday – we sang Happy Birthday in English), and my hostel’s owner, Shaun and some of his friend. 

We all took birthday Aguardiente shots (which were terrible like always), and then headed back to Mike and Kat’s house for cake.  We kept the party rolling when whiskey was delivered to the house.  I was finally saved when Kat made Tim, Mike, and I a leftover dinner of lasagna, bread, and salad.

When the whiskey was gone things slowed down, and I was able to get home by getting a ride with Shaun.  It was a pretty eventful day for only 100 thousand pesos, that also included a terrible hangover the next morning....