Costa a Costa -- Recap

Now that I'm looking at Costa a Costa in my rear view mirror, I thought I'd share some thoughts on it.

My total mileage for the week was 294 miles.  I probably rode in a vehicle for another 60 miles.  Maybe more, maybe less.  It’s hard to know exactly.

A group shot in El Progreso on Day 2

Costa a Costa is a different kind of bicycle tour than those of us who do tours in the States are used to.  The purpose of Costa a Costa is to promote Transformemos Honduras and the work they are doing to change the nation – especially the education system.  At each day’s event, several top public school students were recognized and awarded with multiple prizes, including scholarships and bicycles.  So the goal each morning is to get on the bike and ride to the end town and get ready for the event.

SAGs (rest stops) are roving:  the buses move along with the group.  When the last person in a certain group is through, the bus continues on and gets ready for more people.  There is always plenty of vehicle support on the road.  The police ride along with us, on motorcycles and in a police truck.  A vehicle is always behind the last riders.  No exceptions.  Those are all things that are very different than what we’re used to in the States.

Because of the nature of the tour, there are no opportunities to stop and swim as you pass the lake (THE lake – we only have one), or jump into a stream to cool off – if the water is even clean enough.  You can stop at a roadside pulpería or restaurant and grab a quick drink, but only if you’re fast and not near the end of the group.  But there’s no lingering around to have a meal or such.

There’s also no opportunity to stop and take in tourist attractions.  Sure, you can grab a quick photo, but you can’t, for instance, stop and visit Las Cuevas de Taulabe (the caves of Taulabe).  Those are the kinds of things I’ve become accustomed to with tours stateside.  The purpose of the tour is not to stop and gawk.

On the other hand, Costa a Costa provides a bus ride to the beginning city (and back to Tegucigalpa at the end).  All three meals a day are included.  The fun and fellowship are outstanding!  Everyone blends together and you’re as likely to hear an impromptu English lesson as you are to hear an impromptu Spanish lesson.  No one lets language be a barrier.

A group shot in Comayagua on Day 5

This year, the initial group was right around 80 riders. There were almost 40 North Americans participating, including the 7 of us who live here.  The rest were from Michigan, New Jersey, Indiana, one guy from Idaho, and Canada.  The three guys from Indiana have been riding their bikes since Paraguay, on their way back to the States, heard about the tour, and decided to join us.  That was cool.  We also had a guy from Holland, who lives in Tegucigalpa.

Mario and his sons are from El Salvador, and Peter lives in Spain.   So, yes, we had quite the international presence.

Just like on trips in the States, the people you meet are fantastic.  It was awesome to reacquaint with people I met last year and deepen those friendships.  And, of course, meeting new people is always a blast.

On our final day, riding from Tegucigalpa to San Lorenzo, we had over 100 cyclists, as people from Tegus joined us.  During the week, we had people who could only ride a few days.  We had probably double the number of riders than last year, with many of them being new Honduran participants.  And that’s the idea:  get more Hondurans out there and riding.

The final group shot in San Lorenzo on Day 7

Dealing with the traffic is not for the faint of heart.  If you’ve read along, you’ve read some of my encounters.  Sadly, those are common occurrences.  Just today, I was passed by a truck with about one foot of clearance.  The strange part is that the truck had an entire lane to his left that he could have used, but chose not to.  Thankfully, his speed was a lot lower than what I experienced on Costa a Costa.

Still, even with the traffic and other concerns, I’m already looking forward to next year.  It’s hard not to be attracted to an event such as this.

¡Costa a Costa 2015, ya vengo!