Cycling from Tapanatepec to Cintalapa in Mexico
I had been so used to relative flatness when cycling in Mexico, but now it was time for some hills in Chiapas! My bike touring blog update in Mexico.
Cycling in Chiapas, Mexico
(Blog post written Feb 7th 2010 when cycling from Alaska to Argentina)
I had stayed the night in Tapanatepec, and today I would visit Cintalapa. First though, the mountains.
For the first 25 kms, it was all uphill, and I found myself cycling in Chiapas. This region of Mexico has a bad rep, depending on the time of year and what is going on.
As an additional note - I had not problem cycling in Chiapas, and it was a very enjoyable experience.
A small downhill section which led to a plateau where there was 10 kms of flat, and finally, the last 35 kms of rolling hills.
Where to stay in Cintalapa, Mexico
As the gradients weren't too bad, and I kept most of the height I had gained, it all made for a pretty good ride. I ended up in the town of Cintalapa, which is at about 1000 metres.
The town was more modern than I had pictured it in my mind, but if you plan to visit Cintalapa keep in mind there wasn't a great choice of places to stay in the centre.
There were two cheapy places where it would have been a great deal of hassle lugging the bike and trailer through someone's living room to the rooms at the back (yes really), and one overpriced hotel, which is where I ended up.
It was a nice enough room though, and the temperature was pleasingly cool.
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Dave is a UK travel writer living in Athens since 2015. With 20 years of firsthand travel experience and over 80,000 km of bicycle touring across six continents, he's been blogging at Dave's Travel Pages since 2005. Every guide is based on places he's actually been.
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