{"id":1270,"date":"2012-09-12T19:03:37","date_gmt":"2012-09-13T02:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/?p=1270"},"modified":"2014-03-23T09:18:17","modified_gmt":"2014-03-23T16:18:17","slug":"evasive-cycling-maneuvers-in-cuba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/?p=1270","title":{"rendered":"Evasive Cycling Maneuvers In Cuba"},"content":{"rendered":"

This happened while touring with two other cyclists in western Cuba<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While travelling through Pinar del R\u00edo province, we came upon a small peaje<\/a><\/em> (toll-gate). We’d been warned about this gate, that it was expensive, and that they also targeted cyclists. So we devised a plan to ride by without paying.<\/p>\n

Before judging, you must understand that in Cuba it’s not easy to find cash (or food, or anything, really). Foreigners are often seen as walking charities whom you can hustle for money or goods. We knew if we didn’t have the correct cash at the peaje we’d be hustled for bribes in the form of clothes, gear, or precious food. Well, we didn’t have the correct cash and we weren’t about to give up any food.<\/p>\n

\"\"We surveyed the situation from a distance and saw there was only one toll collector and that the gate was in the middle of a long, steep downhill. We also noticed a gap at the side of the gate, wide enough for a bicycle.<\/p>\n

So, we went back up the hill (to gain momentum), turned around, and descended at high speed in single file, aiming for the gap. We blasted straight through and down the hill on the other side, surprising the guard. He yelled at us to stop, but we knew he was unarmed and had no vehicle to chase us. It’s likely he radioed the guard at the next gate (a day’s ride away), but we pulled off into the trees and camped by a river for the night.<\/p>\n

We reached the next gate two days after running the first gate, not knowing what to expect. It had a gap at the side, just like the previous gate, but this time\u00a0we were riding uphill at little more than walking speed.<\/p>\n

I was the last one through the gap and I thought we’d made it through clear. But then the guard came running up to me, holding what looked like a small stack of forms. “Dammit! Now we’ll have to pay a fine for our stunt,” I thought.<\/p>\n

I needn’t have worried.<\/p>\n

He handed me one of the forms and I looked it over. It was an ad for a guest house in Vi\u00f1ales. “Es mi prima, decile que les mand\u00f3 Ram\u00f3n” (She’s my cousin, tell her Ram\u00f3n sent you).<\/p>\n

Always a hustle in Cuba.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Featured image: How to tour Cuba \u2013 Sandals, sunscreen, straw hat, and stogie!<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a9 El Pedalero, 2012.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This happened while touring with two other cyclists in western Cuba. While travelling through Pinar del R\u00edo province, we came upon a small peaje (toll-gate). We’d been warned about this gate, that it was expensive, and that they also targeted cyclists. So we devised a plan to ride by without paying. Before judging, you must […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1277,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[113,85,123],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-articles","category-all-categories","category-latest-articles"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/cuba_cigar_straw_hat_finished_post_webdevices.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1270"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1270\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4286,"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1270\/revisions\/4286"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elpedalero.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}