WHAT WE CARRY IS WHO WE ARE

A PHOTOGRAPHER DOCUMENTS LONG-DISTANCE BIKE RIDERS-AND ALL THE MEANING THINGS THEY TRAVEL

JAVIER RESENDIZ FERNANDEZ DE LARA

José Luis Osornio Ramírez, 29, San Luis Potosí, Mexico Rides a seven-speed urban bike

I got the idea to ride Mexico from end to end unsupported when I was on a ride in early 2019, and my rear cassette broke. It was Sunday afternoon, and there were no bike shops to save me. I had to go home pushing myself on a skateboard.

My holidays were approaching, and I had money saved and the support of my family. Four weeks later, I got off the plane in Tijuana. I couldn’t believe it! It seemed absurd and impossible. “What am I going to do now?”, I wondered. “I will pedal, until I become the sand that dries between the toes of Mexico.”

In all the forums I’d read, I saw the same advice: travel light. I decided to travel heavy, because I wanted to strengthen my legs. Everything was meticulously selected. I paid close attention to covering my skin; so as not to get sunburned, I wore two pairs of pants, clothes with UV50, gloves, glasses for hot days on the beach. I’d never used saddlebags, but they became a wonderful ally. My action camera was always at hand, even though I didn’t use it very often. What fascinated me the most to use was the drone – when you reach the end of a road, the drone takes you further.

I made it: 5 000km from Tijuana to Playa del Carmen, in four months.

Abril Georgina Morales Rodríguez (and Maku), 40, Oaxaca, Mexico

Rides a Giant Liv Tempt 29 V

Traveling with my dog, Maku has created a strong bond between us. It has been full of adventures that we have enjoyed and overcome together with patience, perseverance, and love. We started from Oaxaca, Mexico, in June 2018, and have traveled 2 500km so far. Our final goal is to reach Africa.

“I carry a photograph of me from when I learned to walk.”

As a woman travelling without the company of a man in this macho world, sometimes it can become the worst experience when unknown men see you as a sexual object and believe they have the right not only to comment on your body, but to decide what to do with it. Fortunately, Maku and my strength – not physical, but mental – have saved me in the most difficult situations. I’ve learned that I must never let my guard down.

Two very useful items for me as a woman are my female standing urinal device and my menstrual cup. I also carry a children’s book, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, a green handkerchief tha’s a symbol of women’s right to decide on our bodies, a photograph of me from when I learned to walk, and three photos of infants that I had in my charge while I lived in Africa for 13 years.

Yì Qing Xú, 33, Zhongshan, China

Rides a Marin city bike

I’d been working in Puerto Morelos, Mexico, and a co-worker said that he just finished a bicycle trip from Chiapas, which is a little more than 1 000km away. I was interested in going to Oaxaca, which is next to Chiapas, and travelling by bike seemed like an excellent option. So I bought a bike.