Bike Riding in San Miguel de Allende

As a roadie looking for road cycling options while in Mexico, I kept coming up short when looking what was out my front door in San Miguel de Allende.

From everyone I spoke with and what I’ve seen, road biking only happens on highways – some of which are designated as bike highways – and mostly only ever in groups for safety.

Trucks tend to drive half way in the shoulder so cars can pass them halfway over the center line. This means the already cruddy shoulder you might mistake for a bike lane will be shared with trucks.

Even in checking Strava segments and routes, there simply isn’t anything for road cycling in the city.

“Why?!” you may wonder? Well. San Miguel is mostly all cobblestone roads and hills and is a rough ride even by car. Anyone riding in town is typically on a mountain, gravel, or fat bike, and even then is typically heading out of town vs around town.

That being said, outside of town there are some good segments, and there’s even a local road race every year.

Bike Rentals and Tours in San Miguel de Allende

If you’re just here a short while or didn’t bring a bike, heading out on an organized bike tour in town is a great option.

Beto (Alberto) of Bici Burro runs a number of great local bike tours that include transportation from his local shop to various trail heads, mountain bikes, helmets, gloves, water, and wonderful local history.

Mountain bike riding out of San Miguel de Allende from La Gruta and into the desert.

His father open Bici Burro as the first bicycle shop in San Miguel and Beto was literally born behind the bike shop.

Of course if you’re looking to buy a bike, need a great mechanic, or just want to pickup parts, his shop has every you need for that, too.

I’ve enjoyed heading out with Beto on a few rides and have met some other like minded cyclists visiting or relocating to SMA.

Bike Riding Routes Near San Miguel de Allende

If you have your bike and a car, there are actually some pretty great options near SMA.

Querétaro – the biggest city just southeast of San Miguel – has a ton of great cycling.

South of SMA is an incredible volcano – Cerro El Picacho – with a few great climbing options.

Riding down to and through Comonfort is another common route.

Running in San Miguel de Allende

Before coming down to San Miguel de Allende, I poured over local Strava segments, looked for local running stores, and tried to find local run groups, all to no avail.

The best information I could find was “some people run in Parque Juarez because it’s flatish” and “there’s a nice track a few miles outside of town.”

I was nervous about running on cobblestone hills, but quickly discovered that it’s not as bad as it sounds and, for early morning runs, the streets and sidewalks are pretty empty.

There are a fair amount of other runners out in the mornings before 9am (San Miguel is a sleepy town where nothing is really open until after 9 anyway. Even coffee shops don’t really open until – get this – 8:30 or later!)

One of my favorite segments is the stairs of Callejeron del Chorro that go up from Parque Juarez to Salida Real a Querétaro. On Strava there is even a segment up the stairs called Jesus Nazareno Climb!

The stairs of Callejeron del Chorro in San Miguel de Allende.

My first time exploring that area I ran down those steps and all the other runners were going up. Now I only run up it. Heading north on Salida Real a Querétaro, you’ll even come to a gorgeous city overlook vista.

Views of San Miguel de Allende from running along Salida Real a Querétaro

Heading west from Centro, you can climb Correo / Santo Domingo all the way to the Botanical Gardens, Charco del Ingenio. It’s a great climb and a good Strava segment aptly named Sto Domingo Climb is at the base.

The best time of day to run in SMA still seems to be the morning – especially in summer when it’s often rainy in the afternoon. Cobblestones on hills in the rain are NOT good for running.

Running Groups in San Miguel de Allende

When looking for local SMA running groups, I tried Meetup, Trip Advisor, and even asking locals, but it doesn’t seem like there are many organized groups that go out.

All the runners I saw out and about seemed to be solo.