Revolutionary Road
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Overview
In 1952, the aspiring doctor Ernest Guevara took a sabbatical year and crossed Latin American on board his friend Alberto’s motorcycle. Along the way he encountered misery and exploitation, discovering the need for fairer politics. He returned home ‘Che’. 50 years after the Cuban devolution, with an economic crisis that once again shows the limits of capitalism, we decide to take on Cuba by bicycle, to understand how far the alternative system so desired by the warrior Che has remained faithful to young Ernesto’s ideals.
With a mountain bike to give us freedom of movement, even on beaches and unsurfaced roads, we start our crossing from Santiago, following the direction of the wind that blows from east to west. 16 stages take us along more than 1700 km (half the 2009 Tour de France), pedalling around 6 hours a day, from dawn to early afternoon, at an average speed of 20 km per hour.
Our luggage is kept to the basics: free-ride shoes, two flasks, drinking water tablets, insect repellent, a mask and snorkel. And, of course, for our bicycle maintenance, a chain remover, a dynamometric wrench, a cover and a spare inner tube.
Step 1: The Revolution
We look for a cadeca to get us some pesos nacionales, the key to understanding the communist economy. The pesos convertibles, treated as the dollar, were invented for tourists: with them, capitalism, thrown out of the door, has returned through the window. The first stage starts out from Cuartel Moncada, the Santiago barracks attacked unsuccessfully by the rebels guided by Fidel Castro on 26th July 1953. Castro managed to escape, but was arrested on the Sierra de la Gran Piedra. To reach the 1220 m of the peak, we cycle 5 hours and 40 km. The last 4 seem never-ending, as does the process that ensued, in which Castro defended himself stating "history will absolve me".
And it is precisely because we wish to draw a comparison with this ‘story’, that we have not brought a tent with us, preferring to sleep in the casas particulars, private homes with rooms to rent at cheap prices: chatting with the Cubans is by far the best way to try to understand. After dinner, we clean the bicycle to facilitate any repairs: the gears rust easily, attacked as they are by the salt and humidity of the Caribbean. If the fight for independence began in Santiago Cuba, 100 km away, almost like a sort of threat, we reach the last foreign outpost: Guantanamo, humiliated by the tortures committed by the marines. The next day, 90 km await us to reach Imias, saving our energy for the next stage: the La Farola pass makes the 75 km between here and Baracoa a hard trawl. From here, we then go around the ocean for 80 km to Moa, 155 km away from Banes.
Step 2: Utopia
We pedal 105 km from Banes to Holguín, where we head for the flatter Carretera Central: veteran cars run alongside us, together with horse-drawn carts and Soviet lorries. The smell from the exhausts is terrible, although their presence somewhat comforting: we can always ask for a lift if needs be. The wind from the east gives us a push from behind us through to Las Tunas(85 km), Camagüey (135 km), Ciego de Ávila (120 km) and Trinidad (155 km). Humidity rises up in smoke from the tarmac, impregnated by the sticky smell of sugar cane, on the infinite straight roads. Eduardo Galeano springs to mind – “If I proceed ten steps forward, it [the horizon] swiftly slips ten steps ahead. No matter how far I go, I can never reach it” – and we are consoled by his response – “What, then, is the purpose of utopia? It is to cause us to advance”.
Signs extolling the revolution race past. And yet as night falls in Trinidad, Hectór tells us how much his son desires a Shevchenko shirt. Then we realise that, if material goods are shared in Cuba, dreams are privatised: Che is an imposition, if a footballer remains a legend. The next day, we allow ourselves a 15 km excursion to the beach of Ancon. We dive with a fisherman into the enchanting coral reef, where he catches a lobster. They cook it for us for 10 pesos, and we eat it, amazed, as though it were simply a chicken drumstick.
Step 3: History
From Trinidad, the road sticks to the Caribbean sea and 100 km later we reach Cienfuegos. Riding up and down hills for 75 km takes us to the Santa Clara Che mausoleum where, on New Year’s Eve 1959, the rebels obtained their decisive victory. Our body’s are finding it hard. We are drinking a litre every 30 km, consuming 10 kcal per hour for every kg of body weight. But the fact that we can see how history can be changed, makes it lighter: 50 years ago, the island had no future, today education and healthcare lead the forefront, and board and lodgings are no longer a problem. From Santa Clara, we can continue on past Ocho Vías or Central, which for us is better, as it goes through the small villages where we can easily find help, food and entertainment. Another 194 km take us to Varadero.
From here, it is just 153 km to the capital, which we reach along the Central, without heading for the luxurious Vía Blanca. And, by taking the Central, we find ourselves directly on the coast road of La Habana, where the revolutionaries celebrated victory on 8th January 1959. The giant blow-up of Che, transformed into a propaganda icon on the facade of the Home Ministry, leaves us a little perplexed: he was granted justice, but his geometric face looks unsatisfied. In the Museo de la Revolución, we can read the last letter he wrote to his parents: “Once again I feel beneath my heels the ribs of Rocinante”. Our legs start pedalling again, like the blades of Don Quixote’s windmill: we absolve the ideals, sensing that, in terms of history, the October Revolution was merely an incident along the way.
Useful info
Difficulty rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Documents and currency: You do not need an entrance visa for stays of less than two months, but upon arrival you will need to fill in the tarjeta internacional, which is valid for four weeks and can be extended up to two months by paying a surcharge. You have to pay a 25 peso tax to leave the island. The tourist’s currency is the peso convertible, treated as the dollar. The peso nacional can be used in the bars, cinemas, at the market stalls along the roadside, and in all the shops outside the tourist destinations. The Cadeca, with kiosks throughout Cuba, guarantees honest exchange rates. www.cubatravel.cu is the national tourism portal.
Duration: 16 days pedalling 1700 km.
When to go: The best time of the year to cross Cuba by mountain bike is from November, after the rainy season, through to April: in these months, average temperatures range from 20 to 25°C. In the summer, the heat and humidity simply do not go with prolonged physical exertion.
How to get here: The José Martí airport stands 25 km from the centre and links Habana to most major international destinations. Cubana de Aviación (www.cubana.cu) fly regularly from the capital to Santiago’s Antonio Maceo airport, just 7 km outside the city. A coach trip is cheaper and takes around 16 hours to cover the 861 km dividing La Habana from Santiago.
Photographs and videos: The intense human landscape and retro atmospheres invite photography with reportage cuts. Photo Service is the island’s most important chain of laboratories, but prices are high and you are better off bringing your own film from home.
Books, films and volunteer work: The Lonely Planet’s Cycling Cuba guide provides valuable practical advice. Or for dreaming, do not miss Latinoamericana, Che's diary written during his 1952 motorcycle journey, and the poetry collection Versos Sencillos by José Martí. Memories of Underdevelopment (1968) by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea is the key film of early post-revolutionary cinema, whilst Habana Blues (2005) reflects the crisis years. Comandante (2003) by Oliver Stone is a touching interview with Fidel Castro. The soundtrack of Wim Wenders’s Buena Vista Social Club, by Ry Cooder, brings together the best of island music tradition, innovated by singer-songwriters Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanés
Category: Tours
