Cozumel

Dec 1st
Cozumel

So now we’re into the first day of December, which just further amazes me at how long I’ve been here and how fast time seems to go. But that aside, we certainly kicked off December in a way I won’t soon forget.
Pieter did indeed rent a bike, and after the tech run we had that morning, Pieter, Brandon, and I got off the ship with our bikes after lunch, right around 1:30. We followed Pieter’s idea of riding south to the southern point, then riding up the coast to a road that crossed the island and would take us back to the main town that was near the ship. We got started riding, and quickly realized how uncomfortable these seats were going to be. The bicycle seats were rock hard and thin, putting way too much pressure on certain areas of my body, and within 10 minutes of riding, the discomfort had already grown to the point of reasonable pain. Maybe that’s where I should have stopped and turned around, but thinking that the beaches we were about to see would be worth it, I continued on. And anyways, I’m with a 38 and 44 year old…there’s no way I’m going to be the first to back out at 22. Oh, and in addition to the seats, Brandon’s loose handle bars, and my bike’s inability to make it to 3rd gear, all the tires were completely flat. Now I’m not too far out of childhood, and I remember riding on flat tires and not caring, but these tires were probably the flattest that I’d ever actually ridden on. We figured it’d be all right for a bit, till we found some sort of gas station at least, but till then, it was as if we were riding in sand. So we rode on, riding along this main road of the island, passing the occasional tourist resort, but never really stopping at any beaches, or seeing any for that matter. Pieter just simply kept saying that we couldn’t stop there and that we had to make it to the other side where there aren’t really any people, and where it’s all one big long beach. So we kept on going, and after close to 2 hours of peddling, we finally made it to the point he was talking about. There we found a bunch of beaches and a cool reggae themed restaurant/shop. For as hot as Brandon and I were, not to mention tired and uncomfortable from the flat tires and hard seats, Pieter strongly encouraged that we continue on along the coast till we get to a small hut where we could buy something to drink for really cheap and spend some time on the beach. After riding another hour or so, Brandon and I just gave up looking for this hut Pieter swore existed “just around the point”, and we stopped at the next place that looked like it had a nice entrance into the water. Most of the coast we were riding along was way too rocky to get into the water, especially considering the size of the waves, which we later saw some people surfing on. By this time, it was getting pretty obvious Pieter was having a difficult time keeping up with us on the bike, and we reached the stop maybe 5 minutes before him. So we took a break for everyone’s sake, and Brandon and I went for a swim. The water was nice, unusually salty, and really wavy, which made it interesting. I swam out from shore a ways and floated around till I realized the current was taking me really far away from my starting point, so I started to swim back to the beach against the current. When I finally made it back close to the beach, the next challenge was in exiting the water without getting killed. The beach got really rocky just below the water line, and with the large waves, it made for a section about 10 feet long where fairly large rocks got pushed forward and back by each wave. Unfortunately, I got scratched up pretty bad on my way out and took a few hits to my feet and shins, enough to draw blood, but nothing too bad. We hung out on the beach for just a bit longer before getting our stuff together and continuing along the coast.
The beach was a nice stop, but I’m sure all the leg work from swimming didn’t help me get any strength back for the next part of the course. It wasn’t long before I was hurting again, and really thirsty as well. We had brought some water, but me not having a back pack here, always just have to ask others for water, something I don’t really like doing. At the next hut I found, I convinced everyone to stop and get something to drink, and take another break, one where I didn’t go swimming. So we stopped at this nice outside restaurant, everyone ordered Pina Coladas and water. After about 20 minutes there, we picked up again and continued along the coast towards the cross street we were looking for. We had asked a few people for estimates on how long it would take by bike to get back to the city, all of which were around 90 minutes. However, one guy at the restaurant we had just stopped at estimated 30 kilometers, meaning we’d made it about half way. I knew we’d already gone 30 km from watching the km markers on the highway, so when he told us it’s be another 30 km, I got somewhat worried about time, Pieter’s ability to keep up, and even my own ability to make it. Brandon, the oldest of the group, appears to be in fantastic shape and didn’t seem to ever be struggling with the pace that he was often times setting. At this point in riding though, it was often that Brandon lead, I followed at his pace a couple feet back, where as Pieter would trail significantly, to the point where in 15 minutes of riding, we’d no longer be able to see him. At which point, Brandon and I would get off of the bike and walk till Pieter slowly caught up. We’d then give him a few minutes of a head start, quickly close that gap, and have to start walking again within 15 minutes to wait for Pieter. I was struggling around this point, but was determined enough to keep up with the 44 year old. But despite the noticeable headwind coming off the water, we at least had a relatively straight and unusually flat road to ride on, which was one of the few factors actually working in our favor.
We eventually made it to the cross road, and after a very short stop, we set off again. I had recommended walking for a while, both for Pieter’s sake and my own, but he was determined to go on. Brandon and I were getting worried though, both because of his slow pace and our time requirement, but just for the fact that he had been swerving pretty heavily the past 10k. We couldn’t talk him off his bike though, he continued, and for the first 4k, the trend of stop and go continued. This cross road also worked in our favor and was as flat and perfectly straight as you could imagine. I’ve never been on a road that was so straight and flat in my life, so that really helped to make it back. At this point, Pieter claims to have gotten his second wind, picks up the pace, and we make fairly good time back into the city. As we continue, we start to see more and more people, along with more buildings, offering encouragement to keep going with the knowledge that we’re actually getting closer. After checking the time, we decided there’d still be time enough to find a cool local place and get a beer, the athlete’s drink of choice. We found this great little place outside of the main tourist area where were ordered our drinks, which then came with about 10 different small tapas dishes. These dishes ranged from salsas for chips to sausages that we’d eat with toothpicks to flavored fruits, all of which were amazing. We didn’t get charged for any of it either, just for the beer, further proving that the best places to eat are off the beaten path. We’re all going to go back next time for a real meal, so long as we can find it again.
After leaving there, we had given ourselves about 25 minutes to make it back to the ship. We figured it was about 5k from the main city to our dock, and had a really lovely bike ride along the coast with little more than the street lights to guide us back. We made it back to the ship with 5 minutes to spare before the point where we’d have gotten in trouble for being late. During the course of the excursion, we came to the conclusion that we’d gone around 65 to 70 km, which is about 41 miles, give or take 2. I figure that this is more than I went in one day than probably all last year combined. I’m not an avid bicycler, nor do I even pretend to be. Had I known that the route was going to be so long, I would have backed out of if, even if I had a comfortable seat, inflated tires, and a functioning 3rd front gear. There’s no doubt that it was an incredible day, and I can’t recall ever having such an intensive day of exercise…ever. And despite the ride, Brandon and I still went up to the gym that night as per our scheduled gym time, needless to say, we didn’t do any leg work.
I went to sleep that night around 11 pm after getting back from the gym, exhausted from a really long day. I’m more than glad that I did it, especially now that I’m back safe. I got to see a lot, had a pina colada sitting on a beach, rode along a beautiful coast, had a great stop in the city, and certainly got some exercise. I can’t say that I’d ever do it again, or at least not with out some training before hand, but I am glad I did it and had a great day. I can’t believe that we all made it back on time, and especially can’t believe how far we went on those awful bikes. But hey, we got a great story out of it, I had a lot of fun, and I got to see about all someone can see of that island in a single day. We’re looking at renting a bike next time as well, just without the whole southern beach route. But till then, thanks for reading this long post, and have a great one!