For the past two weeks Trail Ramblings has been on the road getting to know a little about the cycling scene in… Cuba. In only two weeks I could barely dip a tire into it, but it was all a wild adventure. I was one of a small group of Lincolnites who joined forces with a larger group from Ft. Collins. Some of these cyclists have been forging relationships with riders in the Havana area for several years. Things are getting increasingly difficult for Cubans, and I was told that there is no longer an actual bike shop in the country. There are people however, who work on and sell bikes out of their houses. Bikes, bike components and gear must be sourced from people arriving from abroad.
Besides riding bikes in the mountains and along the coast, we also visited the Junior Girls National Cycling Team and a Youth Developmental Cycling Team in Artemisa. To qualify to attend the special sports high school near Havana, the girls each had to be the best in their province by winning qualifying competitions. They seemed to be a tightly knit group. Their coach is on a leave of absence, so they were asking us training questions. We brought bike gear and general supplies to them, and went on a (too) short ride together.
The other group consisted of boys of varying levels and ages from another area near Havana. We donated components and gear to them as well. Of the other components and gear we took down, some of the mountain bike components and tools went to cyclists growing the sport there, which hasn’t been as visible as road cycling, and to a competitive cyclist with one arm. Felix had been looking for aero bars for a long time, so he was quite happy to finally get some.
I asked about gravel cycling, and was told that roads tend to be paved, or dirt. Of actual gravel they said there was little. Though small segments did exist, no one actually knew anyone who rode gravel.
Because of dire economic conditions, and the difficulty of getting fuel, there wasn’t as much motor traffic on the highways as one would think. This is actually great for cyclists, though not all roads are in good enough shape to want to ride fast.
From what I could tell, one of the most common ways to get around in the cities we were in was by pedicab. Most operated by pure muscle, but some were electric assist. Of individual bikes ridden by commuters, I didn’t see that many, and I never saw them locked up on the street.
In the mountains we ran into a German couple riding their tandem. They must have had a similar itinerary because we kept seeing them. I only saw a couple of what I thought could have been touring cyclists. I heard another tourist say that they had looked into cycle touring on their own a couple of years ago, but found it too complicated. There are at least several companies that offer cycle tours, and they coordinate with the official tourism channels. I saw more small independently owned “hostals” being renovated and opening to guests. Restaurants that had previously been managed by the government and closed during Covid now were being allowed to operate independently since the end of the pandemic.
You may wonder what all this has to do with cycling in Lincoln, but as cyclists we can, and do, learn from and help each other. We can all speak bicycle.
