Across the Rio Grande

Elapsed time 33 d 03 h 40 m; Distance travelled 7250 km (4500 mi)

After a little under 3000 km (1860 mi) in a mere 12 days, Ashleigh is out of the U.S. and across the Rio Grande into Mexico! The American roads were fast and flat, even if the tires were flatter; two flats in a row just 20 km from the border brought her trip total up to nine. After spending one last night patching tubes in Texas, she breezed across the border early this morning.

She’d surely welcome a breeze at this point after hundreds of kilometres of headwinds that still couldn’t keep the heat at bay. Approaching the Rio Grande, she watched the landscape evolve away from stark desert - “the trees became lusher, and the riding became more bearable because there was a bit more shade. Trees rule” she wrote in her Strava post.

Ashleigh will ride about 2300 km (1430 mi) in Mexico before crossing into Guatemala. At the pace she’s been riding, we could see her power through that distance in roughly nine days. As she starts to move further east, she’s getting closer to her local time zone - when she gets to Chile, she’ll be in the same time zone as Halifax!

By the way, if you were wondering about the thunder and lightning storm mentioned in the previous post - Ashleigh put the pedal down and averaged 30+km/hr (18 mph) and made it to the Longhorn Motel in time to watch the storm roll through from the comfort of the indoors.

More photos from this leg of the journey will be available once Ashleigh’s had a chance to upload - in the meantime, here’s a few snapshots of the flat tires that have been keeping her busy!

This ride is supported by: Augustine House; Arkel Bike Bags; Fluent Frameworks; Long Alley Bicycles; Anytime Fitness Halifax; Acadia Sport Therapy; Showerspass; Night of Adventure; Every person who's donated through the Go Fund Me page; A strong support system: friends, family, and the outdoor community in Halifax.