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The Rundown - a Mexico Adventure Rally, April 9-16, 2016

Joined
Jan 1, 2005
Messages
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1,222
Location
Buda, TX
First Name
Rich
Last Name
Gibbens
Post updated on March 14th - early registration ends today, March 14th.


Registration: early registration ends Monday morning, March 14. I am ordering t-shirts on the 14th, so if you haven't registered by then you will not get an event t-shirt. You can still register after March 14th, but you will miss out on the t-shirt (don't be disappointed - the adventure by itself is easily worth much more than the cost of registration).


The Rundown

It's time to rally!

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Does the quest for adventure flow strongly in your veins? Looking for a new adventure and new roads? Well, here is the winning ticket. Peter Shaddock and I are organizing a week-long rally in the mountains of southern Mexico. Save the date: April 9 - 16, 2016. We will run down to the city of Jalpan, in the state of Queretaro, Mexico, for the best riding and adventure yet. All riders are invited to attend.

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The roads in this part of Mexico may be the finest you will experience in your lifetime. The area offers days of incomparable paved roads riding (including the famed Highways 85, 120, and 105). The dirt road riding is even better. Whether your preference is street-only or dual sport, you will find an abundance of superb riding.

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The plan is to meet at the Studio 6 motel in Mission, TX on Friday evening, April 8, cross the border on Saturday morning, and take two days to ride to the Jalpan. We will base out of Jalpan for the next four days as we explore all the area has to offer. On Friday, April 15th we will begin riding back toward Texas, overnighting in Ciudad Victoria, and arriving back in Mission mid-day Saturday.

Agenda

Friday, April 8: Arrive in Mission, get paperwork done, overnight at the Studio 6, 3700 Plantation Grove Blvd, Mission, TX 78572, phone (956) 519-9696

Saturday, April 9: Ride to Tula, overnight in the Hotel Meson De Mollinedo, Calle Morelos 1, Ciudad Tula, Tamaulipas., Mexico, phone +52 832 326 0045 ( https://www.facebook.com/MesonDeMollinedo/ )

Sunday, April 10: Ride to Jalpan, HQ is Hotel Mision Jalpan, in downtown Jalpan, toll free phone 01-800-900-3800 for reservations (also, Expedia books them online)

Monday, April 11 - Thursday, April 14: Day rides from Jalpan

Friday, April 15: Ride to Ciudad Victoria, overnight at the iStay Hotel

Saturday, April 16: Return to Mission, end of rally



Cost - $20

Rally attendance includes a custom t-shirt, color topo maps in pdf format, and suggested street-only and dual sport routes for use with your GPS.



Registration

You can register via paypal by sending $20 to me at rgibbens@austin.rr.com using the "friends and family" option on paypay. Please include your name and t-shirt size with your payment

Snail mail: mail payment to me at the address below and include your t-shirt size.


Richard Gibbens

12609 Red Bud Trail

Buda, TX 78610

Early registration ends Monday morning, March 14. I am ordering t-shirts on the 14th, so if you haven't registered by then you will not get an event t-shirt. You can still register after March 14th, but you will miss out on the t-shirt (don't be disappointed - the adventure by itself is easily worth much more than the cost of registration).


The Recon
If you are interested in making this trip and want more information about the riding in that part of Mexico, this may be of interest to you. In May 2015 six of us conducted a reconnaissance of the Jalpan area, searching for the best riding in the area. That recon convinced me the area has much to offer all riders and would be suitable for a rally. Here is our report.


Organization

For those who have attended my past rallies, this rally will follow the same format as those past events. For riders who haven't attended one of my rallies before, here is the basic organization.

The Ride to Jalpan: It is generally easier and more efficient to organize and travel in small groups rather than one large group. Accordingly, on Saturday morning, April 9th, riders will organize into small groups for the two day ride to Jalpan. If you and some friends are planning on attending then you are encouraged to form your own group. For those riders who aren't bringing a group of friends with them, Peter and I will facilitate group organization to ensure every rider has a group to ride with - no one will ride alone unless they choose to do so or they didn't get their paperwork done prior to the Saturday morning riders meeting. Generally, our goal is to organize into groups of similar riding compatibility. Street-only riders will create street-only groups for the ride down while the dual sport riders will similarly organize.

GPS and Maps

GPS: I have uploaded the gps routes/tracks and the paper maps for the rally to my website. Click here to go to the GPS and Maps page on my website. Once there you can download the routes/tracks and the maps. It's a rally so each group will individually decide if they want to follow my suggested route or create an alternative.

Day Rides: Once in Jalpan we will spend the next four days doing day rides. Each day riders will self-organize into groups to ride where the group wants to ride. I have provided suggested day routes but each group will decide for themselves if they are going to ride a suggested route or create a new route. There are lots of roads we haven't ridden in this area providing ample opportunity for exploration for those groups who want to venture off proven tracks.

Heading home: On Friday, we will begin the ride home. Again, riders will self-organize into small groups for the trek back. I have scheduled 2 days for the ride back and will provide suggested routes but there is no obligation to follow my routes - each group will decide for themselves.

Maps: I have uploaded six Mexico topographical maps to my website for each rider to download. I recommend that you print the maps at 11x17 in color (12x18 or 13x19 are even better) and bring them with you. You might consider laminating them or printing them on waterproof paper to protect them from the weather.

Planning and Preparation

If you are new to long distance dual sport adventure riding, or even a bit rusty, and are wondering what you should do to adequately prepare for this (and other) rides, this thread is the place to go. It's a place to get your questions answered, to provide answers to other's questions, and ponder the various options you may need to choose from.


March 5 - Shakedown Ride

I am leading a shakedown / check ride on Saturday, March 5th, into the hill country. All riders are invited to attend.

The purpose of this ride is for rally attendees to test their bikes and packing system prior to the rally. Pack your bike with everything you will be carrying during the ride to Jalpan so you can test your packing system prior to arriving in Mexico. Don't wait until the week of the rally to figure out your bike isn't ready to go or that your packing system isn't right for Mexico.

Saturday, March 9th, 10 am - meet at the convenience store at the intersection of Hwy 12 and Hamilton Pool Road (8901 Hamilton Pool Rd, Dripping Springs, TX 78620). Stands up at 10:15.

We will ride a 250 mile loop of the hill country. The route will consist of both paved and dirt roads.

March 19 - Tech Day

I am hosting a tech day at my home on Saturday, March 19th for anyone who would like to attend.

The purpose of the tech day is for rally attendee's to complete any work on their bikes that needs to be done before heading to Mexico. However, all riders are invited to attend - you do not need to be a rally attendee to come to tech day.

Meet at my home on Saturday, March 19th, 10 am. Bring your tools and parts. I have a long paved driveway we will use. We will go to a local restaurant for lunch.

My address is 12609 Red Bud Trail, Buda, TX 78610.

Friday evening and Saturday morning

Riders meeting at 7:30 am Saturday morning, hotel parking lot.

To all riders: get your paperwork done and money exchanged before the Saturday morning riders meeting.

Be packed and ready to get on your bike immediately following the Saturday morning riders meeting, fire it up, and ride into Mexico and on to Ciudad Victoria without any need to stop.

When you arrive for the riders meeting your bike should be packed and full of gas. You should have already exchanged US dollars into Pesos. You should have your bike paperwork, your tourist paperwork, and your Mexico insurance paperwork completed.

Arrive in McAllen early enough on Friday to get all the above done.

If you are unavoidably prevented from getting all the above done before the Saturday riders meeting, please don't expect others to wait while you are completing the process. Get up early, tell someone where you are going, and go get your stuff taken care of. Plan on catching up to your group in Mexico.

Each rider is responsible for him/herself. Please don't expect or rely on others to take care of you.

My intent with the above is not to be mean or cruel. Every rider at the rally is on vacation (including me). While it is without question that we will help any rider in need, please don't be "that guy" who creates need unnecessarily. No one wants to ride with "that guy".
 
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In

But only because I'm on the Board of Directors, and have to attend to make sure my intellectual property rights are not violated

:bbq:
 
Ooops, wrong smiley...

:mrgreen:
 
Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's just not enough exclamation points to show how much I like this.
 
I missed the MexTrex adventure last month because I was riding in Utah, but really want to do this one in April.

In and signing up.
 
Always interested on riding in Mexico. I'll keep it on my radar.

Thanks for setting this up Richard.
 
The roads in this part of Mexico may be the finest you will experience in your lifetime.

The route from Agua Zarco to Tilaco, through the valley, may be the most picturesque ride in Mexico

Big Bike capable with moderate experience. Knobbies not absolutely required but street slicks not advised, especially with recent rain.
 
In....payment sent
I traveled with Stalefish for the first 3 weeks of his 2ridetheglobe.com tour
My trip was cut short by funny engine noises and am looking forward to continuing the adventures down those roads...
 
Richard, if I understood correctly, there will be a paved only route?
I am allergic to dust!
:trust:
 
In
Love that area.
I was just in Tilaco a few weeks ago. I took a road from La Reforma & got within 3-4 km of Tilaco & the road was impassable. A bunch of track hoes were tearing the hillside out to make a paved road & the path was blocked by huge rocks.
I made it to Tilaco through La Lagunita.
Did not make the road through Agua Zarca.
 
Richard, if I understood correctly, there will be a paved only route?
I am allergic to dust!
:trust:

Camilo,

Yes. There is many more miles of great paved riding in the Jalpan area than there is around Galeana. There are even more miles of great paved riding than in the 3 Sisters part of central Texas.

That being said, there aren't a ton a different paved roads to chose from in that area. However, the paved roads in the area are very long and one could spend a day just riding a single paved road (Hwy 120, for example). The closest example I can think of is northwest Arkansas - it has maybe dozen or so great paved road and a thousand fun dirt roads but you can spend multiple days just trying to ride those dozen paved twisty roads.

I believe anyone interested in pavement only will find plenty of excellent riding to enjoy.
 
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Good morning Mexico!

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Looks promising.

RB
 
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Decisions, decisions. Trusty CRF230F or new to me XCR-W450?

But remembering the Big Bend rally I did on my CBR1000RR streetbike, I also have to ask myself, "how cool would Mexico be on an unlimited class streetbike?" Decisions, decisions. 1st world problem for sure. I knew there was at least one reason to finish my higher education...and still be dumb enough to consider a 180 MPH streetbike across Mexico.

Cah-mee-lo, We may have to talk....
 
I would love to go, just hope nothing else comes up that would ruin my chance to make it. :trust:
 
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