Christina joined Alex, Erin, Lael and Nicholas for ten days in the East Cape, riding a custom loop from the airport at San Jose del Cabo.
Baja Divide Rider: Christina Grande
Age: 33
Bike: Trek Farley 9.6 (17″)
Previous bike and touring experience: 9ZERO7 Carbon Whiteout for Susitna 100 and White Mountains 100, and bikepacking in Israel; Bianchi Imola for touring Oregon Coast and France
Wheels/Tires: Trek Farley with Bontrager Jackalope rims (75mm wide) and Bontrager Hodag tires (27.5×4″)
Tubeless notes: Easy tubeless setup, no problems on route. Rim and tire are both TLR.
Luggage/packing strategies: Revelate Designs luggage: Pika Seat Bag, custom Ranger frame bag, Harness and Pocket, Feedbag and Gas Tank.
Water: I wore an Evoc backpack with a 3L water bladder and hose. Then I had a 21oz Hydroflask for water/coffee/tequilla and a standard bike bottle.
Shelter: No Shelter. Just a sleeping bag and sleeping pad and I used the large plastic ground covering that Lael and Nick were carrying.
Navigation: Garmin 520 without basemaps or track, but Nick had the navigation. I just kept track of distance and speed.
Recommendations for the Baja Divide: If I did this trip on my own, I would load a basemap and the GPX track to my Garmin to follow the route. I would also want a dynamo hub so I know for sure the computer would not die on me. It’s also super nice to have that dynamo hub connected to a lighting system that you know will not fail when you need it the most. I would have also brought a lightweight tent in case it rained or had some crazy amount of bugs. Luckily when I was in Mexico, there were no bugs and I always get bit in AK! This trip was the first time I slept in a sleeping bag under the stars. That was fun.
I have been to Mexico a handful of times with family and friends. They have all been similar experiences. The cool thing about riding a bike in Mexico or for any cycling tour, is that you get to see so much more. Mexico on a bike is super fun. People that live there did not make a big fuss over our bikes and I felt super safe. I love the beach riding and the ability to hop in the ocean. Eat salty foods cause it will be hot inland. It is totally rewarding to see the top of a mountain after a good climb. Go ride Baja!
