Disfruta Lo Malo - Tour de Frankie

It started with an ambitious idea among friends: riding 800 kilometers with 13,800 meters of climbing from Mexico City to Puerto Escondido at The Tour de Frankie, one of the toughest ultra-endurance races.

After months of preparation in the Bay Area, Luis, Carlos, and Devin arrived in Mexico determined to finish within 60 hours. But what began as a race quickly became something bigger.

From the freezing midnight ascent of Paso de Cortés to relentless heat, sleepless roads, taco-fueled survival, and the generosity of local communities, the ride was about embracing every high and low.

Below is the documentary capturing that journey, alongside the AFAIC riders' reflections on their expedition.

What inspired you to take on this adventure?

LUIS -> I grew up in the U.S. with Mexican-born parents, and although we did travel a little in Mexico when I was growing up, cyclotraveling in Mexico sort of seemed like an off-limits, stupid, dangerous concept. My family calls me crazy for wanting to explore Mexico by bike, but I gained a taste of the deep beauty and hospitality of my homelands a couple years ago, when I embarked on a pilgrimage bike tour to my abuelitos' home in Jalisco. After finishing that tour, it was so clear to me I wanted to explore more of Mexico by bike, and this ultra race seemed like a great next step.

CARLOS -> I think Devin and Luis had seen a friend do this race and suggested that we give it a try. I'm always looking for new challenges, so I figured, why not? The fact that it was in Mexico made it even more appealing. I wanted the opportunity to explore Mexico in a completely different way than I ever had before.

DEVIN -> I was sitting in my living room when I was chatting with the homie Luis. We were putting together a bunch of different projects that we wanted to accomplish. We started throwing around ideas that led to big ultra races, and it reminded me of when my friend Pancho raced the Tour de Frankie a couple years back. So I thought, “What a perfect race to start to see if we’re really capable of something like that”.

What were your expectations before you started?

LUIS -> I was quite scared of the heat, and I expected it to be the hardest thing I'd ever done by far. I expected I could finish around the 60-65 hour mark… I thought about the race every day for the whole year leading up to the event. Everything I did was in a way, preparation for those 500 miles. It was fun to have something to obsess over, something to focus on, and when the day finally came, it was hard to tell if I was feeling fear or excitement!

CARLOS -> My biggest goal was to enjoy the experience and really soak in everything Mexico had to offer, from the small towns and ranches to the gravel roads connecting them all. From a racing perspective, I wanted to see if I could finish in the top 10.

DEVIN -> I didn’t have many expectations of the ride. It was a big one no doubt, but all that came to mind was how many miles of unknown territory I was about to travel through. I had an idea of what I should be doing, such as focusing on my nutrition and keeping the legs hot to get ahead of fatigue. All that kind of seemed like normal things to expect.

What has been the toughest part of the journey for you?

LUIS -> Probably the usual things. 115+ F (46 C) heat, weird knee pain at mile 300, waking up at 2 am after sleeping only 3 hours. Oh well, actually all of those things are nothing compared to the humidity/heat combination that oppressed us for the last 140 miles. It was the most disgusting level of heat of the whole race. I quickly took back all of my complaining about the dry desert heat and was just flabbergasted that it could be so much worse.

CARLOS -> The toughest part leading up to the race was balancing training and maintaining my fitness all the way through. Once I got to the start line, I felt prepared. During the race itself, there were plenty of challenges: the distance, the weather, and staying focused on my objective. What surprised me the most was how difficult it was to get moving again after each stop. I underestimated how much time those stops could eat up, and managing them became one of the biggest challenges.

DEVIN -> The toughest part of the journey for me was unfortunately the climbing. Halfway through the ride I ended up losing my ability to use my biggest rear cog. Every time I got into the gear to pace up a steep climb, the chain started slipping, clinking and clacking. Which defaulted me to 11 gears. I didn’t have the climbing gear I needed to truly tackle most of the dirt climbs, which one of the more major sections I had to walk most of the climb. Luckily I bought some chanclas so I could walk with a bit more comfort.

What did you enjoy the most along the way?

LUIS -> Relatively, the experience as a whole was primarily filled with enjoyable moments, believe it or not. Ultras are special as you get to accompany the moon from sunset to sunrise, and even though those hours are sometimes overwhelmingly sleepy and alone, they are so deeply cathartic for me. They scratch an itch I never knew I had before and bring me a deep-seated peace. I also deeply enjoyed the many conversations I had with locals, from learning about native plants with medicinal uses to cracking jokes and sharing the abundant fresh fruit. Those connections with people are one of the biggest reasons I do these sorts of things. The route itself was superb; the dirt was so fun to ride if I was in the right headspace. The views were to die for.

CARLOS -> Honestly, I enjoyed almost everything about the experience, except for the intense heat. Beyond the breathtaking landscapes, what stood out most was the kindness and hospitality of everyone I met along the way. No matter where I was, I felt safe and welcomed. The sense of community was incredible. People were always offering food, water, or simply stopping to chat and encourage you to keep going. It made the journey feel even more meaningful.

DEVIN -> Along the way I just loved being out there. It was so peaceful. The open land, farm animals, meeting the locals when passing through each Puebla. It all felt like I wasn’t experiencing reality anymore, not my typical reality anyway. These small towns were pretty isolated with no grocery stores or business establishments that you could recognize coming from big major cities. Towns only connected by dirt roads and people who wanted to build something together. People that grew or raised their food from start to finish and shared with one another. These were towns that were built by the people themselves, not some company with a govt contract. It was really special to pass through a place where corporations were attached to. The families I have met along the way were so kind and sweet to me. Even with the language barrier love was felt and friendly experiences were shared.

Was there a moment when you thought about giving up?

LUIS -> The closest I got to giving up was at mile 300 when my right knee was doing some painful screaming at me. I was so surprised because it was on a relatively easy road section in the early hours of the night, a moment I had been initially looking forward to all day during the heat and challenging dirt roads. I pulled over to stretch and adjust my saddle height a couple times and kept my power output easy which seemed to have worked. For this race, I went in with the mentality that I'd rather go at a regular touring pace than give up. And if shit really hit the fan, I'd sleep for a whole 10 hours and then continue. Too much went into this journey for me to give up entirely. Although I did give up on my goal of 65 hours once I realized how slow I move during the heat of the day.

CARLOS -> I started having trouble with my knee, and it just kept getting worse. For a while, I definitely had those thoughts of calling it quits, but I kept pushing for as long as I could. During the second night, I stopped to rest on a random bench a couple of miles before the next checkpoint, hoping that giving my knee a break would help. I lay there until morning trying to sleep but didn't get a minute of it. When the sun came up, I got back on the bike and quickly realized it wasn't the best idea to keep going. I didn't want to risk a more serious injury that could affect me long term. It was incredibly disappointing, and I was definitely upset with both the situation and myself, but I knew it was the right decision.

DEVIN -> Of course. There were many moments when I thought about giving up. Each time the thought of giving up got derailed because it seemed more difficult to give up and make it to Puerto Escondido than to actually just ride to Puerto Escondido. I remember making it to the 3rd checkpoint in the middle of the night around 3 in the morning. I had 49hours on my dash and there was no way I was able to keep pushing and clear 170 miles in 10 hours. I was dangerously tired, dehydrated and hungry. I lost my battery pack, all my lights were dead and somehow my goal of 60 hours is looking out of reach. I was devastated being in that position because I felt like I’ve prepared so much for this race just for me to feel totally cracked and miserable. I thought about giving up at that moment but yet again it seemed more difficult to find my way to Puerto Escondido than it would be if I just rode my bike there. Better late than never, I suppose.

One moment that you’ll never forget?

LUIS -> Climbing out of the dark valley and leaving behind the sea of lights that was Mexico City at 2 am. I can still close my eyes and remember when I looked back and saw the endless city lights getting slowly further away with every pedal stroke. The entire start of the race was like nothing else I had ever experienced. A peloton of 200 or so cyclists ripping through a city that doesn't sleep, through highways and busted alleys; everyone was fresh so the pace was flying. There was so much emotion in the air, so much mutual cheering (porras como "VENGA VENGA, CON TODO MI CAMPEON"). Truly, it is hard to pick a moment, but this was the first time I experienced such an amazing Mexican mass exodus. The following sunrise on Popocatepetl was the cherry on top for such an epic start to a race.

CARLOS -> One moment I'll never forget was rolling into Santa Inés Ahuatempan, where some of the locals were waiting with food and drinks for the riders. A few of the kids came up and asked me to sign their T-shirts. Seeing the smiles on their faces meant a lot and gave me a huge boost to keep moving forward. It's a memory I'll always carry with me.

DEVIN -> I will never forget the moment I had 60 miles to go. That almost felt better than finishing. I was so happy that tears of joy were pouring from my eyes. I couldn’t even control it. I had to almost stop because I could not keep my eyes open to see the road. Not only was the last 60 miles just the closest I ever been the last 76 hours but it was going to be the flattest 60 miles of the entire race. All the mountains I’ve conquered, roads I’ve slept on, descents I’ve survived, are now all behind me. It felt like a parade lap to the finish line. I felt so victorious even though I still had so much to go it was the easiest part I was ever going to experience.