Fall is that time of the year when Portland-area cyclists are coping with the changing weather pattern (read: rain, rain, and yet more rain) in multiple ways: the most dapper ones among us just slap on their rain gear and pedal on with true grit. Others enter into a form of “bike hibernation”, limiting their bike habits to the increasingly rare dry/sunny days. Yet, a few others try to outsmart the weather gods and choose a more escapist option: they pack their bike, travel to a warm and sunny location and get – at least temporary – relief from the “darkness and gloom” that is slowly enveloping the Northwest homeland.

Every fall, I try hard to become the year-round, everyday cyclist I would love to be, but as soon as Portland gets hit with five or more straight days of rain, I come to realize that the northwest winter is here for the next 6 months and I end up joining the category of fair-weather winter cyclists. This year, however, things have gone a bit differently for me: I’ve been talked into “coming to the bright side” and signed up for my first-ever winter bike vacation.

It all started at Cycle Oregon this last September, riding my bike through Hell’s Canyon in the company of Augusto Carneiro, owner of Portland-based Nossa Familia Coffee. Augusto is a longtime bike enthusiast, an occasional bike racer, and for the last couple years he has been the official “espresso brewer” at Cycle Oregon. All throughout our joint ride, he talked me up about his latest endeavor, Mt. Bike Brazil, an 11-day trip combining all-terrain mountain biking, coffee, and overall good times in the summer wonderland that is Augusto’s native country Brazil. After bribing me the next morning with a free double-shot of espresso (right before I saddled up for the marathon leg from Halfway to Wallowa Lake), the deal was sealed and the countdown started.

Bike parking at the bus terminal of the Sao Paolo Airport.

Cargo bike, brazilian style.

Another novel frame design I spotted at the Sao Paolo airport.

Fast-forward two months, and on a rainy Portland afternoon, I find myself at PDX International Airport checking myself and my trusted Gary Fisher Paragon in for a two-legged flight via Chicago to Sao Paolo. I hadn’t traveled with a bike for the last two years and hauling my bike all the way to Brazil was not really something I was much looking forward to. Admittedly, getting my bike boxed went relatively easy: my good friend Sue Butler – a local pro bike racer and frequent bike flyer – had loaned me a bulletproof bike box and Hollywood Service Manager Pete Zlatnik had offered me his services to take apart the bike and package it up in meticulous Zlatnik style, in exchange for a six-pack of beer. Still I was bracing myself for the much-dreaded oversize luggage fees. Per the baggage guidelines posted on the United Airlines web site, an oversize bike box would set me back $125 (each way) before November 10, and a whopping $175 after that date. Ouch! Magically, when I checked in the box with my bike at the United Airlines counter, the attendant just asked me “what I was told an oversize piece of luggage would cost”, providing me a golden opportunity to reply “er…nothing?”. So there I was, on my way south, without getting charged a single penny for bringing along my favorite toy! Here is to hoping that UA’s “whatever-you-want-to-pay” policy will remain in effect for a long time.

Two flights and 24 hours later (including the 6-hour time difference with Brazil), I am finally on Brazilian soil. Bom dia, Brazil! Fortunately, immigration formalities in Brazil are minimal and in less than 30 minutes after landing, I am reunited with my bike, my other luggage, and the rest of the 8-head strong gang of MTB Brazil-goers. The only question I got was from a guy at customs:

Customs guy: “What’s in that box?”
Me: “A bike.”
Customs guy: “What are you here for?”
Me: “Tourism.”
Customs guy: “Why do you need a bike for that?”
Me: “To get around.”
Customs guy: “???”

The expression on his face was enough to make me realize that Brazil is not Oregon and that bike tourism in these areas is still relatively uncommon, if not plain novel. But that’s what we are here for: to change those perceptions and help Augusto introduce a different type of tourism to his home country… one on two wheels!

Next up: Discovering Brazil (or at least a tiny chunk of it) by bike.