Lee’s Cuba Bike Tour Newsletter - Winter 2022

News from Cuba: 2022-23 Tours Going Great!

Our winter 2022-23 tour season is already underway. There have been two Bicycle Breeze tours to date, with lots of smiles all around. In this newsletter, we will share some photos and stories from these tours, and present two more options for joining Bicycle Breeze on a 15-day bike tour of Cuba this winter.

Despite what you may have seen or heard, there is ample evidence that you can travel safely to Cuba and have a great time while you are there. We are fortunate to have a great team with Bicycle Breeze to make a cycling holiday in the warmth of Cuba this winter a reality.

Beth and I will be in Cuba for most of the months of January and February 2023. Follow us on Facebook to see our progress and adventures in photos, and videos.

The First Tour - Guantanamo Mango Tour of Eastern Cuba

On December 7, 2022, Bicycle Breeze tour leaders Jim Michler and Sharon Silva completed the 12-day Guantanamo Mango Tour with a group of 22 riders. 

This tour began in Havana, and the first day was a long bus ride east to Cayo Saetia. From there they cycled all the way to the eastern tip of Cuba visiting Baracoa, and stopping in Faro de Maisí to see the 30 metre tall lighthouse. 

Additional stops included the second largest city in Cuba Santiago de Cuba, and the Hotel Villa Pinares de Mayari set in the serene Cristal Mountains and close to the highest waterfall in Cuba, Salto del Guayabo.

Guantanamo Mango Tour group on the road near Baracoa, Cuba

The tour group was met with enthusiastic Cubans at every stop and given praise for their work supporting Cubans with donations of bike equipment, medicine, and clothing.

Guantanamo Mango tour group meets youth cycling club in Banes, Cuba

Bicycle Breeze enables tourists to support Cuban youth cycling clubs which are organized under the EIDE framework (EIDE = Escuelas de Iniciación Deportiva, or Sports Initiation Schools). This tour group met youth clubs in Banes just south of the popular beach resorts of Guardalavaca, and in Baracoa which is at the far Eastern part of Cuba.  If you or your friends are doing cycling out of the resorts, I suggest connecting with Ayelen the coach to see if you can offer support with bike parts (email me if you want contact information).

These exchanges are mutually beneficial as we get to meet and learn from Cubans and provide them with support.

Banes youth cycling club with Coach Ayelen and donated cycling gear

During the tour, the group came across a Cuban cyclist with threadbare tires so they gave him new tires and tubes. He thanked God for providing what he needed. It’s a great feeling to be able to help someone out.

Most Cubans who are fortunate enough to have a bicycle rely on it as their primary means of transportation, but they are unable to buy new tires when they wear out. Tires make a great donation in Cuba whether you are on a tour, or having a beach vacation.

A Cuban cyclist with threadbare tires gets fresh tires

The Second Tour - This One in Central Cuba

While Jim and Sharon’s tour was underway, another tour began in Havana led by Dot Dickerson. Her group is doing a mini-reverse version of the Cayo y Seis Ciudades Tour that Beth and I will be co-leading in February 2023.

Dot’s tour group began their ride in Havana by taking a bus transfer to Remedios. They cycled on to the City of Santa Clara famous for the battle won by Ché Guevara where he derailed an armoured train effectively defeating the government and ending the war to rid Cuba of Batista. In a match billed as USA vs. Cuba, the tour group in a hopelessly lopsided soccer game played on a dirt road, lost and handed over a brand new soccer ball to replace the worn-out basketball the local kids had been using.

One of Dot’s riders on a typical quiet rural Cuban road
passing a horse-drawn cart

They cycled onto Lake Hanibanilla where they soaked in the waterfall known as El Nicho.  Then spend a night at the lake relaxing.  There is the opportunity to go for hikes from 2 to 12 kilometres in the rolling mountains, and to take a boat ride across the lake for lunch.

The Escambray mountains are lush and green, compared to the Sierra Maestra Mountains in the Southeast which can be rugged and dry.  There are many birds to find and photograph.  If you are lucky you may find a Tocoroco, the colourful National Bird of Cuba.

Dot Dickerson and some of her crew enjoy a beer
after a long day cycling – beer has been plentiful

The final leg of the journey took Dot and her crew on to Cienfuegos and Playa Girón, the site of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 led by CIA-trained Cuban exiles. The roads are smooth and rolling in the area and frequent views of the sea appear to the south.

Playa Girón the site of the Bay of Pigs invasion -
no these were not the boats used by the Cuban exiles😉.

Despite the smooth and peaceful roads, there was one mechanical issue with a derailleur hanger breaking and a cut tire both of which were expertly repaired by the tour’s bike mechanic Enrique, with help from the Cuban cultural tour guide Arley. This tour was done with panniers to carry the luggage rather than having our usual tour bus following the group; but, for safety and security Bicycle Breeze included the full staff complement to support the tour riders.

Bicycle Breeze tour staff Enrique and Arley
making expert roadside repairs to keep the riders going

What’s Happening in Cuba Right Now?

Cuba is dependent upon tourism to obtain hard currency from developed countries to buy food for its people on the world market. Our tours directly support Cubans who work in the tourism industry through wages and tips from clients. Our tours also support Cuban youth cyclists as we along with our clients bring thousands of dollars of cycling equipment to the school programs in each province of the country, along with medicine and clothing.

Cuba is a safe destination for travel, with good roads, and excellent Covid safety as 92% of Cubans over the age of two are fully vaccinated.

Cuba is a poor country hobbled by a 60-year-old blockade by the United States which prevents the country from being able to carry on international business.  This reduces their ability to buy food, medicine, and fuel, but still they carry on.  We will see occasional power blackouts. Our Fall 2022 tours have gone very well with even beer in good supply.

Food for tourists has been readily available and meals at restaurants, hotels, and casas particulares (B&Bs) have been simple but tasty.  We wish it was easier for Cuban Nationals to obtain their own groceries in the abundance we enjoy outside this small island nation.  More tourists are the biggest opportunity to help Cuba financially.

Dot’s hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, bread, juice, and coffee

Where will Lee and Beth’s Tours go this Winter?

We already have 25 riders committed to our two tours this winter.  We are at the stage where all of the riders who had been on our “penciled in” list are booked and deposits paid.  It is so exciting for us and our riding groups!

We can still accommodate a few more riders.  Get in touch soon if you are interested in joining us.  We can possibly add you to the tour date as long as you can get a flight.

Here is some information on our two upcoming tours.

Tour #1:  Western Cuba Tour – “Fat Mary / María la Gorda”  |  January 21 – February 4, 2023

This is a very popular route, typically with a tailwind due to the predominant east-to-west winds in Cuba.

On this route, you will cycle from Matanzas to Havana and beyond, all the way to the western tip of Cuba at María la Gorda (the tour’s namesake). In Havana, we will pause for a few days to explore the capital city, including the old town “Vieja Havana”.  The quiet back roads of western Cuba will take you past lush green fields of tobacco through the Viñales Valley.  Viñales is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its unique karst landscape, the indigenous architecture of thatched-roof houses, and traditional crafts and music. Between cycling days, we will rest and restore our energy on several of the most beautiful beaches in Cuba.

For more details and to register for this tour head to the website: Fat Mary Tour Website

Tour #2:  Central Cuba Tour – “Cayo y Seis Ciudades”  |   February 11-25, 2023

Cuba, with its rich culture, natural beauty, friendly people, and quiet roads is the Promised Land for cyclists. This new tour to take you through a variety of scenic landscapes that include beautiful beaches of Central Cuba on both the south and north coasts.  

The tour name comes from our stays in six of Cuba’s most historically significant and interesting colonial cities: Havana; Cienfuegos; Trinidad; Santa Clara; Remedios; and Matanzas.  Each with its own unique charms which our Cuban Cultural Tour Guide will help us explore.

The other aspect of the tour is the “cayos” whereby the tour will also allow for exploring the varied and often stunning Cuban landscape as we follow the beach-lined shores including: the Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs); Playa Girón; the Escambray Mountains with the picturesque Valle de Los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills), Lake Hanabanilla; and, the white sand beaches of Cayo Santa Maria

Cuba, renowned for its beautiful landscapes, glorious beaches, wonderful people, and packed with great cycling routes is a paradise for those seeking a memorable cycling and sightseeing holiday.

For more details and to register for this tour head to the website: Cayo Tour Website

Final Words

We realize this is all a lot of detail, and if you have any questions just go ahead and reach out to us and we can go over the options.  We can also send you a brochure of any tour with daily itineraries and photos.  

Bicycle Breeze offers customized tours for 10 or more riders.  

Best wishes,

Lee & Beth Orphan

Email: lee@bicyclebreeze.net

YouTube Video Channel:  Lee's Cuba Cycling YouTube Channel

Facebook:  Lee's Cuba Bike Tour FB Page

Bicycle Breeze company website:  www.bicyclebreeze.net