The TransMexico Norte bikepacking route hugs the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains on its way from Durango to Zacatecas. As we followed the route, we found ourselves alternately climbing up into the cool, pine-cloaked mountains, then plunging back down onto Mexico’s hot, arid, central plateau. There, at the edge of the desert, we cycled between bustling cities and magical towns that trace their histories to the Spanish empire’s hunger for silver and gold.

Saying farewell to Baja, we voyaged across the Sea of Cortez to mainland Mexico. From there, an arduous but spectacular 9,000 ft ascent (2,750 m) would take us from the coast to the heights of Mexico’s Sierra Madre mountains. Along the way we officially crossed into the tropics and rode through grand, colonial-era towns built on the mining of silver and gold.