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Posted by Etienne Robert on November 23, 2017

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There have been many highs & lows in this trip, both mentally 🤪 & physically 🤕! And although many such moments await us still on the road ahead 🚴🏼‍♀️🚴🏻‍♂️, I already look forward to sitting down with a cup of Yerba Mate 🍵 to put it all into words📝! Did we mention we’re publishing a magazine 📖 about the trip? . . . . . . #specializedmx #iamspecialized #lavueltacuba #specializeddiverge

☁️ Goodnight Baracoa. Tomorrow we head eastward to Moa & the last 10 days of the trip! 🚴🏻‍♂️🚴🏼‍♀️💨🇨🇺 #idontwanttoleave

⛺️Camping on a beach after riding 100km might not provide us with the much needed comforts & commodities of a Casa Particular 🏠, but, in our books, falling asleep to an infinity of stars dancing across the blackest sky, and waking up just as the sun shimmers on the horizon, whispering life into both sky & sea, is an experience of such energizing & spectacular beauty, that it’s well worth the sacrifice! 🚴🏼‍♀️🚴🏻‍♂️💨🇨🇺 . . . . . . #specializedmx #iamspecialized #lavueltacuba #specializeddiverge

🌻Enjoying a few moments of calm before the last blitz to Havana! 🚴🏼‍♀️🚴🏻‍♂️💨🇨🇺

Today we arrived in Baracoa! With 2000km✌🏻cycled since the start of the trip‼️, we are now on the Eastern tip of Cuba 🇨🇺! Time for a well deserved rest day 🍕+🍦, before we set our sights Westward back to Havana! 🚴🏼‍♀️🚴🏻‍♂️💨 #wahoo . . . . . . #specializedmx #iamspecialized #lavueltacuba #specializeddiverge

Today’s a new day Life turns into memories On the road ahead. 🚴🏼‍♀️🚴🏻‍♂️💨🇨🇺 #haiku #nailedit 😛 . . . . . #specializedmx #iamspecialized #lavueltacuba #specializeddiverge

Last night we fell asleep gazing at the stars ✨ and listening to the ocean waves 🌊. 🚴🏼‍♀️🚴🏻‍♂️💨🇨🇺 . . . . . #specializedmx #iamspecialized #lavueltacuba #specializeddiverge #mec #mountainequipmentcoop #volt2

The infamous day 29 of our trip, a day we’ll not soon forget 💔! In every trip we have a day that goes terribly wrong 🙅🏼‍♂️🙅🏼‍♀️ (like that time we got turned around at the Thailand border 🇹🇭). Well, 60km into a gorgeous day by the sea, we set off on a destroyed road with river crossings & steep hills of loose rocks & sand, only to turn a corner 10km later and reach a gate 🚧 upon which were written the beautiful words: Zona Militar. Yikes‼️ We were ~30km from our destination, Guantanamo, hadn’t eaten a thing since breakfast, completely out of water, and about to suffer an hour’s worth of extensive interrogation by 3 armed soldiers, having our documents studied & photographed, only to be told that the only way to Guantanamo from there was 70km 🔙 through Santiago de Cuba + 85km more on a different road. Triple Yikes! So we cycled 20km back to a random resort, and in true HomelessAthletics style, bargained our way into the lunch & dinner buffet alongside all-inclusivers, ate like nothing they’d ever seen, and spent the afternoon between the beach & the lobby where we charged our phones & gps! After eating 6 gallons of Ice Cream 🍨🍨🍨 I’m not convinced it was such a bad day after all! Now to set up our tent on the beach! ⛺️ . . . . . #specializedmx #iamspecialized #lavueltacuba #specializeddiverge

A little photographic 📷 side project documenting Cuba’s 🇨🇺 ancient cars in their varying conditions. Starting with a stunning ‘58 BelAir. . . “They all huddle in the break lights of a ‘58 BelAir, listening to how Romeo killed a sheriff with his knife.” -Tom Waits

Tomorrow we set off to cycle the last eastward kilometres of the trip! 🤸🏼‍♀️🤸🏼‍♂️ In 250km we’ll be in Baracoa, a point that always seemed to us almost unreachable, having cycled 2000km+ to reach it! 🚴🏻‍♂️🚴🏼‍♀️💨🇨🇺 #wahoo . . . . . . #specializedmx #iamspecialized #lavueltacuba #specializeddiverge

Shoebox ice cream shops might give me brainfreezes, but they warm my heart to no end! 🍨 ❤️ #weallscream

The streets of Santiago de Cuba at dusk! 🌅

All wild adventures benefit from the stark contrast brought about by a time of peace 🧘🏼‍♀️🧘🏼‍♂️. We arrived in Santiago de Cuba this morning after a fast & intense 75km ride 🚴🏻‍♂️🚴🏼‍♀️ to two glasses 🥂 of cold mango nectar 🥭 in a welcoming casa particular 🏡, here to rest for a few days and let it all soak in! 🚴🏻‍♂️🚴🏼‍♀️💨🇨🇺 . . . . . #specializedmx #iamspecialized #lavueltacuba #specializeddiverge

A hundred kilometres 🚴🏻‍♂️🚴🏼‍♀️ on this unbelievably scenic road is barely enough to take it all in! Even the blasting headwinds 💨, broken road ⚠️, blazing sun ☀️, steep hills ⛰ & the 8½ hours it took to travel it couldn’t dampen our enthusiasm! . . . . #specializedmx #iamspecialized #lavueltacuba #specializeddiverge

There is a unique feeling to strolling in the evenings through Cuba’s streets 🇨🇺. Like bearing witness to a gigantic yet somehow intimate family reunion. Children running free, the elderly chatting amongst themselves, boys & girls running errands, people laughing, yelling & being scandalous. It’s easily my favourite part of the day! ❤️

We’re going to see 👀 a lot of the sea 💦 in the next few days! Riding sandwiched 🥪 between mountain ⛰ & waves 🌊 on 200km+ of rough but scenic coastal road! 🚴🏻‍♂️🚴🏼‍♀️💨🇨🇺 . . . . . #specializedmx #iamspecialized #lavueltacuba #specializeddiverge

A day on the road in Cuba 🇨🇺 always starts with a huge breakfast 🍳 🍌 🍞 ☕️(coffee is delicious in Cuba!), followed by miles of drifting landscapes 🚴🏻‍♂️🚴🏼‍♀️. We cross maybe one or two small towns per 100km where we hunt for water💧& food 🍕 sometimes unsuccessfully! As we reach our final destination we bounce from casa 🏠 to casa🏡 until we find a place to shower 🚿 & change 👕. Then we have the rest of the afternoon to explore & eat & eat & eat. In bed 🛌 we plan the next day & sleep & sleep & sleep 💤! . . . . #specializedmx #iamspecialized #lavueltacuba #specializeddiverge

Pizza 🍕! The best road snacks lately are Super Queso Pizzas 🧀! Eating 5-8 of these babies will get you wherever you need to go guaranteed! 🚴🏻‍♂️🚴🏼‍♀️💨🇨🇺 📷: Ceci taking only one picture but who cares right?😋 . . . . . #specializedmx #iamspecialized #lavueltacuba #specializeddiverge #buffmexico

Today Camagüey, tomorrow Las Tunas! 🚴🏻‍♂️🚴🏼‍♀️💨 We’re already half-way through the trip 😧! There’s now 550kms until our next rest day in Santiago de Cuba 😵! #cubaishuge . . . #specializedmx #iamspecialized #lavueltacuba #specializeddiverge

Flow! Things are finally rolling here🏄🏼‍♀️🏄🏼‍♂️. Both our appetites have returned with a vengeance 🍕🍚🍗🍮🍦& we’re enjoying every destination & the rides in between! Camagüey here we come! 🚴🏻‍♂️🚴🏼‍♀️💨🇨🇺 . . . . . . #specializedmx #iamspecialized #lavueltacuba #specializeddiverge

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