The Beggining of a tradition.

Wendy Crockett-M. Almaraz

Our most cherished traditions often have humble beginnings. The story of this particular tradition begins with a group of loose acquaintances who became friends for life after uniting to celebrate their shared passion for sidecars. My name is Marco Almaraz, and this is the story of the first national sidecar event in Mexico.
Sidecars are a rare sight in Mexico and few riders ever have the opportunity to see a rig, let alone pilot one on an epic three-wheel adventure. For that reason, riders here often feel as though they are the only sidecar enthusiast in the entire country. We attend motorcycle events, eager to find more of our “tribe”, only to discover once again that no other sidecars are in attendance. We are an anomaly in the traditional motorcycle world, while also feeling isolated from the larger sidecar community.

As a motorcyclist with vast experience on two wheels, I began using a sidecar mostly out of necessity. I am a nature lover, always seeking to venture far off the beaten path in order to hone the bushcraft and hunting skills that I learned while living in the United States. However, my faithful companion Summer, a Mallorca breed dog trained in Search and Rescue and guard services, refused to ride on the back of my motorcycle and I refused to leave her behind. I decided a sidecar was the best way to share my passion for riding and adventure with Summer, and approached a friend in Aguascalientes to assist with the build. Neither of us had designed or built a sidecar before, but after lots of research and a bit of trial-and-error, the result was the perfect vehicle for exploring the most remote regions of Mexico with Summer.

Even though our extensive research had not unearthed any sidecar builders or retailers in Mexico, it wasn’t until my new rig became my primary mode of transportation that it really dawned on me that nobody else in my area rode a sidecar. In all of my travels I never saw a single one, either on or off road. I was always the lone rig at events, big or small. I even rode sidecars in a few Iron Butt Association endurance rallies (1600+ km in less than 24 hours): once with Ellen Stack, vice president of Iron Butt Association Mexico, and twice with my best female friend and well known Guinness World Record holder Wendy Crockett. Yet even with all the excitement of these unique accomplishments, I never heard from or saw another Mexican sidecar rider. After a few years, I simply assumed that I must be the only sidecar rider in the country.

Unbeknownst to me, there was a gentleman in Guadalajara who also believed he was the only one in Mexico riding a sidecar. Through a twist of fate, I happened upon Mr. Cisneros while he was riding his Ural rig; we excitedly introduced ourselves and shared stories of our until-now solitary sidecar existence. We kept in touch, and it wasn’t long before he introduced me to a new friend, a sidecar builder in Veracruz. The three of us quickly became friends, bonding over our shared experiences and passions. We realized that there certainly must be more sidecar pilots across Mexico; the question was, how to go about finding them. It also occurred to us that, without any apparent support system in Mexico, it’s likely that there are riders who have tried piloting a rig, only to return to conventional motorcycles after finding that sidecar handling feels “off”. Certainly, there must be riders who would benefit from some guidance, helping them to understand that the handling, weight distribution, and capabilities are all quite different from two wheels. We wanted to give people the skills to enjoy hacks as much as we do; as I like to say, “you can go faster on your motorcycle, but we can go anywhere – we’re the Jeeps of the motorcycle world!”
We identified three key areas of focus: unite the community, offer guidance and support, and expand horizons through shared adventure. After intensive research to see if anything like this had ever been done before, we decided to go all-in and organize the first ever Sidecar Meet & Greet in Mexico. We thought if we managed to attract six riders, it would be a huge success. The initial planning phase was difficult, because our original problem still remained: how do we connect with other sidecar riders around North America? I announced the event on our website (sidecaraguascalientes.com) and created far-reaching social media campaigns; with the help of my new friends, things slowly started moving in the right direction.

One thing that was important to me from the beginning is to put on a world-class event without requiring attendees to pay an entry fee, as I wanted the gathering accessible to all riders. In order to do this, I scoured the country for sponsors to help defray expenses and to donate items for our special swag bags. These kits would be unique, celebrating the spirit of adventure that unites us all as sidecar riders. I pulled out all the stops, reaching out to contacts from the world of motorcycles, sidecars, and rallies to find enthusiastic partners for this undertaking. Thanks to the support of these generous sponsors, including the international Magazines who shared news about this event, our Meet & Greet garnered interest from not only Mexico but from around the world.

Slowly at first, then faster and faster, the word spread. We were elated when the first two riders signed up; two quickly became four, then six. Among these early adopters was Mike M. Paull from LBS Sidecars USA, who contacted us to say he was interested not only in being a participant, but also in being a sponsor. We were thrilled to welcome them onboard! Several clients of the sidecar builder in Veracruz registered as well, who spread the word to their three-wheeling friends. Before we knew it, our list had ballooned to 30 riders from across Mexico. We had no idea that there were so many sidecar riders in Mexico, yet here they were, emerging little by little from every corner of the country like zombies from the grave.

As the event grew, so did our list of sponsors. Olixel, which counts many long-distance riders among their ranks, joined this adventure by providing incredible event t-shirts and gift bags. Later MotoRent, led by Juan Carlos Monzon Rojas, joined the project with his filming and sponsorship team, as well as sidecar pilot Mr. Josué Santillán from Jossmart. Amigomoto Aguascalientes, Brothers In Miles MC, Team Chirulinga, Black Label Biker, and more followed in rapid succession. With a lot of hard work and support, our small idea grew into a reality larger than any of us had dared dream.

Finally, the big day arrived. Our congregating point was Sha N’ Adu Cabins in Zimapan, Hidalgo. Perched high atop a vast canyon, this destination is far off the beaten path with furnished cabins and spectacular views. Passing through a large archway provided by MotoRent, the riders made their way into the beautiful property. A Triumph rig was the first to arrive, a masterpiece in both equipment and paintwork. Next was a Suzuki V-Strom with a full custom SCA sidecar (Sidecar Aguascalientes) build, complete with auxiliary fuel tank, auxiliary lights, GPS, satellite tracker, and every tool a person might need on a long-term, self-supported adventure. José Ramón Bertolo, better known as Pepe, rolled in on a Harley Davidson Ultra fitted with a chair from his company, J&B Racing. So began the circle of friends, happy chatter building as each new rider added their bike to the growing circle surrounding a crackling bonfire in the center of the compound.

A beautiful blue BMW arrived sporting a Velorex sidecar, with Agustín de Anda and his 11 year old daughter, Alma Jade, ready for adventure. Josué Santillán made quite the entrance on his vintage Royal Enfield 350 with a left side mount World War II sidecar, complete with weapon and ammunition. Later that evening, Fernando Manuel Layseca made his appearance on a Ural Gear-Up, followed by Salvador Cohen and not one but three friends in an impeccable H-D Sidecar. Doc Jesus Vega joined the fun on his Ural rig, then friends Felipe Navarro and Daniel Pérez, on Honda Goldwings with homemade sidecars. Oswaldo Cisneros, who was integral in bringing this crazy idea to fruition, arrived on his Kawasaki Police Special with J&B Sidecar, along with his friend Ross piloting his homemade rig.

As day faded into night, more and more arrived at the event to join in the fun- so many so that it would be impossible to describe them all in this article. The news of our gathering reached the population of Zimapan, a “pueblo magico” (magical town) known among adventurers for its natural beauty. Such was the excitement over our event that the local secretary of tourism requested that our sidecar crew join the town’s 2024 Christmas celebration by riding in the tree lighting parade. It was a wonderful impromptu addition to this event and a great way to delve deeper into the culture of the area. The local residents were delighted to see all of these unique machines in one place, and before long everyone was requesting to pose for pictures with the sidecars. Aglow with light and decorations and full of holiday spirit, this was a parade to remember for riders and spectators alike.

Back at Sha N’ Adu Cabins, we settled in for a dinner consisting of Argentine chorizos, wild boar meat and picaña provided by Pepe at J&B Sidecars and Carlos from MotoRent. Following this grand feast, Mike Paull from LBS Sidecars presented a sidecar design and safety seminar. We then presented attendees with their Expedition Kits, overflowing with an incredible array of items provided by our sponsors. Ranging from the standard swag of shirts, hats, and stickers to more hardcore adventure gear like tire plug kits, paracord, and tactical belts, this kit was designed to support riders through even the most demanding journeys. Every item, from the flashlight work gloves to the emergency towels, were personally tested by me and Paco Olivares for six brutal days in the remote Coahuila desert to ensure they would hold up to anything these riders might face on a serious unsupported excursion.

As everyone gleefully assessed the contents of their incredible new kit, the conversation naturally flowed to the future of the event. It already felt like we were old friends and it was incredible to finally see that we aren’t alone as sidecar pilots in Mexico. We owe all of the success of this inaugural event to our amazing sponsors, without whom our crazy idea would never have been such a wild success. Luckily our sponsors were also overjoyed at the turnout and are eager to see this event to continue. A wonderful tradition has been born, and we will work hard to make next year’s event even better. We want to see more sidecar riders, both national and international, come together for some serious fun in this beautiful country.

Alas, all good thing must come to an end. After a fun-filled weekend, it was time for our new friends to begin their journeys home. Some of us weren’t quite ready for the good times to end, however, so Mike Paull, Ellen Stack and I continued the adventure through Mexico by visiting the hot spring pools of Tolantongo and sampling a wide variety of traditional regional cuisine before finally ending our journey in the pueblo magico of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico. Thank you to everyone who made this event a fun-filled weekend – we’re glad to have finally found our tribe and we can’t wait to see you all again next year!
We would like to extend a special thanks to our official sponsors for believing in our vision.

Oldest sidecar rider: Pepe at 72 years old
Youngest co-pilot: Alma Jade at only 11 years old.
Wendy Crockett