Lee's Cuba Bike Tour Newsletter - Spring 2025

 

Lee's Cuba Bike Tours - 2026 Season

Between January and March 2026, I’ll be leading two unforgettable bike tours through Cuba—and I’d love for you to be part of the adventure!

In this newsletter, you’ll find a recap of the recent Fat Mary Tour through western Cuba—an incredible ride full of vibrant culture, scenic routes, and unforgettable moments. You’ll also get a sneak peek at the 2026 tour offerings, including how you can join our amazing support team for another round of sunshine, cycling, and Cuban charm.

Let’s make next season even more amazing—hope to see you on the road!

Fat Mary 2025 Tour Group & Bus

The 2026 season will be based in Havana/Varadero, providing the option of flying into Havana or Varadero.  Tour registration is open and encouraged - you can reserve a spot at no cost until Fall 2026.  Don't wait too long, our first tour is already more than half full.  With e-bikes becoming a big part of bike touring, Bicycle Breeze offers e-bike rentals and a large fleet of hybrid, gravel, road, mountain and tandem bicycles.

Fat Mary 2025 Tour Story

Let's look back at some photos from the recently completed 2025 Fat Mary bike tour of western Cuba.

Several people took advantage of arriving in Havana a day or two ahead of the tour to acclimatize to Cuba and join me in exploring the Vedado neighbourhood of Havana.  To begin the tour, the Havana group took the tour bus to Matanzas, while the bus carried on to pick up the Varadero airport arrivals.  Upon coming together in Matanzas at our colonial hotel on the main square, we met for dinner and introduced ourselves before dancing with the hotel band.

Matanzas Main Square

From Matanzas, we cycled to Jibacoa, pausing at Puente de Bacunayagua, Cuba's highest bridge.  Then we cycled on to Havana.  First, we stopped at the Havana Velodrome, where we provided a big box full of donations from our group to support the East Havana Youth Cycling Club.  We rode on to the Christ of Havana statue, where we enjoyed a panoramic view of Havana from across the harbour.  We stopped at the San Jose Artisans Market before taking our bus to our casas particulares (Cuban B&Bs).

Donations from our Tour Group - Havana Velodrome

While in Havana, we had a full-day guided walking tour of the old town known as Havana Vieja.  Our tour guide Karel shared stories about the city's history as we wandered amongst the beauty of this UNESCO World Heritage site.  It may seem cliché, but the American vintage car ride we had around Havana put a huge smile on everyone's face; it is a truly inspiring experience.

Tour Group at the Capital Building in Havana

Classic Car Ride to Revolution Square

We left Havana heading west to meet another youth cycling club in Alquizar, where we left even more cycling donations and a beautiful steel Pinarello racing bike.  The cycling club rode with us to the coffee plantation ruins at Artemisa, where we had lunch before riding on to Soroa.

Alquizar Youth Cyclists with our Group

Soroa is a special place with a unique micro-climate perfectly suited for the orchid garden found there, with 18,000 different specimens.  Our morning walking tour of the garden was a tranquil time, preparing us for our ride to a mountain retreat at Mil Cumbres.

Soroa Orchid Garden Tour

Mil Cumbres Mountain Retreat

From Mil Cumbres, we cycled north, exploring the caves where Che Guevara established his headquarters during the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Then we rode on to San Diego de Los Banos where we found a group of kids with a coach playing baseball.  We gave them some baseballs and gloves, and they let us take a few swings with their bat.  Good times connecting with the Cuban people.

The ride through the Viñales Valley is a highlight of this tour as we cycle between low limestone formations known as mogotes.  The quiet rural roads are spectacular.

Viñales Country Roads

We used Viñales as a base for two nights, enabling a ride to the white-sand beach at Cayo Jutias, taking a tour of a local tobacco farm with a lesson on cigar making, and experiencing a walking tour of the farm fields at the base of the mogotes north of town.

Wild Part of the Beautiful Cayo Jutías Beach

Viñales Farm Field Walk

From Viñales we cycled through Pinar del Rio and onward to María la Gorda, where we spent two nights cycling, snorkelling and diving.  This international dive centre is at the western tip of Cuba and is rarely visited by tourists other than divers, as it is quite remote.  We had it all to ourselves.

Dive Boat for Snorkelling or Diving

Beautiful María la Gorda Sunset

Our tour bus took us back to where our tour began, completing the loop of western Cuba.  We spent two nights in Varadero enjoying our all-inclusive hotel, and cycling the Varadero peninsula before having our farewell dinner at the Xanadu Mansion, formerly the Dupont family cottage before the revolution.

Ambrosio Caves along the Varadero Peninsula

Xanadu Mansion - Farewell Dinner

Our final dinner together allowed us to celebrate the two-week adventure we had shared.  The next day, we dropped some people off at Varadero airport to return home, while the rest of us carried on with the tour bus to Havana for a final night.

My 2026 Bike Tour Options

I hope you enjoyed the photos of the recent Fat Mary bike tour.  My 15 years of experience touring Cuba by bike enables me to ensure your safe enjoyment of Cuba, so you can enjoy a healthy and relaxing bike tour exploring this beautiful island.  I pride myself on making sure riders are well prepared for their adventure in Cuba and have no surprises.

So let's explore the two tours I will be leading in 2026

Fat Mary (Maria la Gorda) 2026

When:  January 31 to February 14, 2026.

A fully-supported 15-day tour of Western Cuba. 

A popular ride on the quiet back roads of western Cuba, taking its name from our destination at Maria la Gorda.  We will explore Havana and ride in classic cars.  Be amazed by the UNESCO-recognized Valle Viñales with Cuba’s tobacco lands.  Enjoy guided tours of orchid gardens, historical sites, caves, coffee and tobacco farms, and stay at several beautiful white-sand beaches.

For more details or to register for this tour head to the website 
Fat Mary Website

Colonial Cities & Beaches Tour 2026

When:  February 21 to March 7, 2026.

A fully-supported bike tour of Central Cuba focused on its rich culture, natural beauty, friendly people and quiet roads.  This tour explores Cuba's best beaches and most historically significant colonial cities.

• Havana the capital and UNESCO World Heritage site
• Cienfuegos the French-inspired “Pearl of the South”
• Trinidad with its cobbled streets
• Santa Clara home of the Mausoleum to Ché Guevara
• Remedios a charming colonial city
• Matanzas the city of rivers and bridges

For more details or to register for this tour head to the website. 
Colonial Cities & Beaches Website

What’s Happening in Cuba Right Now?

Cuba depends on tourism to obtain hard currency from developed countries to buy 80% of its food 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 riders, bring thousands of dollars of cycling equipment to the school programs in each province of the country, along with medicine and clothing.

Cuba is not always able to generate enough electricity due to aging equipment.  This is sometimes managed by turning off power to certain neighbourhoods, usually for a few hours.  I manage this by bringing rechargeable flashlights and a power bank to recharge my phone.  Almost all hotels, and most casas, have backup power generators, so for us, this is mostly just a periodic inconvenience.

Food for tourists has been readily available, and meals at restaurants, hotels, and casas particulares (Cuban B&Bs) have been simple but tasty.  We wish it were easier for Cuban Nationals to obtain their groceries and have a consistent supply of electricity.  More tourists are the biggest opportunity to help Cuba financially.

Hearty Breakfast at a casa particulares

Final Words

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to share this newsletter with friends or fellow cyclists who might be interested. If you have any questions or want more details, don’t hesitate to reach out—I’m happy to chat. I can also send you a brochure with daily itineraries, photos, and everything you need to know about the tours.

Looking forward to riding with you!

Lee 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