By Bernardo Moreno
Before discussing an itinerary for a bike ride, let’s talk a little bit about bicycles. June 3rd is World Bicycle Day. In 2018, the U.N. declared a day to celebrate the bicycle, something that transports efficiently and quickly. The message of this day is about the bicycle’s usefulness for humanity. Making this argument stronger is the bicycle’s use in the fight against climate change, pollution, and traffic congestion.
If we think about it, the bicycle is mainly a means of transportation that contributes to equality. And if we look at the people who ride bicycles through San Miguel, they are people who travel from the surroundings of Centro to their work and back. The bicycle has become the main means of transport for workers. And so, the U.N. message about the bicycle actually falls short because it is a symbol and means of transportation for working people around the world.
In 1818, the velocipede was built in Germany which is the Neanderthal of what later became the bicycle in 1885. From then on, bicycles have not undergone a great transformation, but enough to be noticed in terms of weight, performance, brakes, cushioning, comfort, tires, and a long list of accessories, materials, and brands. Today they are classified as mountain, road, urban, hybrid, BMX (for tricks), and even electric.
A simple analysis to know what kind of bike to get around San Miguel leads us to a mountain bike with a front shock absorber to lighten the pounding on cobblestones, enough speed to climb Umarán, and well-adjusted disc brakes or V-brakes so that you have a means to cling to the road in case you go down Salida a Querétaro.
The route that we are going to suggest we baptize as “Encuentra las tinajas.” It can be done with a common mountain bike. Just try to keep the bike well maintained to prevent the chain from falling off, and make sure the gears shift well and the brakes work well. From downtown, we will take Calle de Correo in the direction to Salida a Querétaro and continue up through Santo Domingo. We will pass by the temple, then through the Atascadero arches and continue along that beautiful street until we end at Boulevard de la Conspiración. We will make a little bypass to get to Camino a Alcocer. We will pass by the Hospital MAC, Jardines de Allende, and look for the sign for Naciones Unidas. We take a right onto that cobblestone road that is the Camino Real to Saltito. We will continue into that small community looking for the sign on the right-hand side indicating Camino a las Tinajas. We will follow the cobblestone road for another kilometer and it will become a dirt road. Important fact: avoid walking on that dirt road if it rained a lot the day before as access would be almost impossible, and the walk would be at the experienced level. This road will take us up the hill, we will pass a small stream and the view is beautiful. The dirt road will become a small path—we will be walking on stones, and the vegetation will become dense. We will find formations made by the erosion of stone that look like natural pools. It is possible to find them filled with water after the rains. The round trip is 25 kilometers. Let’s roll!
