02/12/24 Santiago Tianguistenco de Galeana - south - CycleBlaze

02/12/24 Santiago Tianguistenco de Galeana - south - CycleBlaze

From south

By David Chavez

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February 12, 2024

02/12/24 Santiago Tianguistenco de Galeana

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I really enjoyed today. I saw a lot of interesting things, had a deeply satisfying encounter and am well positioned for the big climb to Cuernavaca tomorrow. A good day.

The forecast was for more headwinds so I left early to try to get a jump on them

Traffic was atrocious for the first 8 miles, I couldn’t understand why

Then the answer appeared

A group of pilgrims on a 4 day trek to Chalma

This is the second largest pilgrimage in Mexico, larger than the one I encountered in Jalisco last month

The lead truck was blasting encouragement

This is an encampment of pilgrims who’d left Atlacalmuco yesterday, same as me

A bit of snow visible on Nevado de Toluca, fourth highest peak in Mexico (15,350 ft)

Toluca is a large city

With questionable bicycle infrastructure

The first of several mounted pilgrims taking a break before riding across Toluca

Roberto explained they’d ridden from San Bartolo Oxtotitlán, about 35 miles north and expected to arrive in Chalma tomorrow

Cosmovitral Botanical Gardens. Closed Mondays

That’s a pity, I’d have liked to visit. But not enough to stay a day

The caretaker wouldn’t let me take a peek around the door, no matter how much I pleaded

Plaza de los Mártires, main plaza in Toluca and surrounded by the government centers

It has petty fountains

VIPs in the plaza

Chamber of Deputies “The People’s House”

The statue of Hidalgo in front of the people’s house is graffitied with a request for legalized abortion

Hunger strikers for human rights in front of the executive building. Nobody was willing to offer any details

This is a cycle lane

This is graffiti complaining about the lack of respect for cyclists

And this one reads “The autonomous University of the State of Mexico does not protect the Otomi People. It exterminates them with its fucking capitalist English university”

I passed through the charming Toluca suburb of Metepec

It was market day and the street I’d been routed through was abuzz with shops and food stalls

A pretty town

After Metepec I came upon a coffee house in a residential area and stopped for lunch. Claudia and I really hit it off and we talked for a long time

She’s convinced me to go to Oaxaca after Puebla

I had a legit bike path for a while after leaving Claudia’s. Which is good because the promised wind had arrived and riding had become difficult

Fancy houses in a gated community near the bike path

The bike lane ended and I was dumped into the countryside

According to RideWithGPS I’m on a 100% paved route

Headwinds

I eventually met a proper road leading to a proper town

I celebrated by having popsicles at a shop decorated with Archangel Michael

I encountered more mounted pilgrims, coming from the south

Stopped for more ice cream in one of the many towns south of Toluca

I got routed through a lot of different roads. I don’t like cobblestones but I do like tree tunnels. I walked this segment

I passed on the hourly rate and took a room for the night

This update composed while sitting in the garden outside my room

Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 1,835 miles (2,953 km)

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