Riding Mexico With Jeff Kendall-Weed - Video

It’s not just the dogs running the streets, the constant barrage of cars sans mufflers, the crowing roosters, or the intoxicating scents of carne asada wafting from street vendors. Mexico is so much more than that. Mexico is all about freedom.

This overwhelming freedom is immediately apparent to someone like me, who has spent the vast majority of life in the United States. On my first journey to Mexico, to a family friend’s wedding in Guadalajara in 1999, I watched our friend skydive from a teeny silver airplane, his colorful parachute trailing behind him as he circled his way down to the whitewashed church where his bride awaited his arrival. We cheered when he landed, and I remember thinking to my fourteen-year-old self, “How come no one skydives to their wedding in the USA?”

Two summers ago, when I married my beautiful wife, I remember thinking, “I hope the park rangers don’t hassle us for riding our motorcycle across the parking lot to the reception without helmets.”


That tremendous juxtaposition, of a skydive with no worries versus a simple 100-yard dash through an empty parking lot on a street-legal motorcycle, is exactly why Mexico is a still an undiscovered mountain bike paradise. This freedom is a wonderful asset to mountain bikers. It means that we can enjoy the myriad trails that have popped up over the centuries, and we can do so without the huge risks that trespassing can carry in the U.S.—though it bears mentioning that at the same time, because landowners expect a certain number of passers-by, motorcycle riders or even donkeys will also be enjoying similar tracks.


With winter in full force where I live in northwestern Washington, I wanted to go someplace not just warm and sunny, but someplace a bit more culturally interesting than a typical tourist trap. Mexico seemed like it would fit the bill, and I had been looking for an excuse to go back; that freedom to ride and experience the land and sky was especially appealing when I was snowed-in at home, getting work done with the heat turned all the way up. I manage international aftermarket sales for WTB, and a work event this past August brought me down to San Luis Potosi, Mexico. There I met Haitman Rivas, a bright-eyed and enthusiastic photographer from the high altitude town of Ixtapan de la Sal. Haitman doesn’t just take incredible photos; he knows how to shred on two wheels as well.


When I got the green light to produce a video in Mexico, I immediately called Haitman. The first thing he mentioned was the giant, 15,000 foot tall volcano that lies to north of his town. It’s a uniquely tall mountain that watches over not just Ixtapan de la Sal, but the rest of the valleys west of Mexico City. I was hooked at “volcano.” With my videographer Logan Nelson in tow, I left the rainy gloom of the Pacific Northwest, driving out from Bellingham before 4am and flying from Vancouver to Mexico City. In Mexico City, we caught a local bus to deliver our tired selves to Toluca. It was there in Toluca that we met Haitman and our driver, Orlando. We were set for a few days of adventure. Our goal of making a fun riding video was simply the icing on the pastel (cake).

An altitude of 15,000 feet is something spectacular. We opted to shuttle to the top, but along the way we passed many locals who were enjoying a pedal up the meandering dirt road to the summit. Just when I was starting to feel like we had reached a respectable height, Haitman pointed out another, even taller mountain at the horizon: Popocatépetl. It was incredible, but so was the volcano we were already on. I developed a splitting headache on the way up, but there it was masked by more pressing feelings: just being there felt like we were lucky to be somewhere imbued in history, somewhere completely breathtaking. Even if it hurt.


Descending the volcano was more an exercise in patience than anything else. The steepest part of the trail we rode, near the top, was very soft and sandy. With my balance a bit off due to the altitude, it took full concentration to keep from auguring into the trail. I managed to lawn dart numerous times, but because the conditions made it hard to go fast, there was the pleasant upside that my numerous tumbles left me unharmed.



Riding the lower altitude spots closer to Ixtapan de la Sal, just south of the volcano though within riding distance, floored me just as much. The dirt was still fairly soft, but definitely not sandy. The locals that I met in both spots were exceedingly friendly, wondering what in the heck this crazy guero was doing in their backyard.


My goal was to find some fun features, stuff that would be fun to ride as well as fun to feature in a video, but additionally, my goal was to simply meet locals and enjoy my short time in Mexico to the fullest. Haitman, Logan, and I stumbled across a group of teens at the top of the local downhill track: Angel, Josemar, and Angel (yes, two kids were named Angel!), and they escorted me down their favorite trail, La Piedra. I had seen Haitman’s photos of it previously, but the trail was even better in person. We took turns leading the train down the trail, and the locals skillfully descended the rocky trail despite not having the newest bikes with the most modern componentry—and they were great guys, to boot. I can’t wait to get back and do some timed training on that trail!

We kept our filming going well past dark. Bombing around town in the bed of Haitman’s father’s old pickup truck kept that sense of Mexican freedom present in our minds. Life is short, and something that has always seemed essential to me is to try to look at life through others’ perspectives. We take for granted that the United States is the land of the free. But here we were, less than two hours (by air) from Houston, TX, and some freedoms were considerably more salient. Ironically, one could argue that these individual freedoms were excessive to the point that they infringed on the freedoms of others, especially with a lesser police presence. But, I found the attitude of, “Así es como es” (“That’s just how it is”) simply explained this. We all get used to our environments, and tend to take them for granted. After our short journey south, I’m a little more aware of the repercussions of this unbridled freedom—but at the same time, it definitely makes for good riding. And great food, and street markets, and beautiful full moons. And the people there can’t be beat. I can’t wait to return!










Produced by: Jeff Kendall-Weed @jeffweed.
Videography: Logan Patrick Nelson @loganpnelson
Photography and guiding: Haitman Rivas @haitman.

Supported by:
Ibis Cycles@ibiscycles.
Camelbak@camelbak.
Kali Protectives@KaliProtectives.
Kitsbow@Kitsbow.
Kinetic Sport SA de CV

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