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The plan was to do the longest bicycle tour in that country's history. From the Easternmost point to the Westernmost. Point to point, zigzagging my way through all 13 Provinces....

Kevin Foster's Tour de Cuba (1996)

Brh
2004-09-15 10:40:19

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that I practically had to relearn how to ride. It had motorcycle type grips for shifting. Clipless pedals. And duel suspension, with the fattest top tube (11 inches) in the industry. No matter how tiny I may look in photos, the Klein logo would be sure to stand out. Again, it was painted in the red, white and blue colors; my uniforms, once again, being supplied by my tailor, RA Ando, in New York.
When it was time to leave, another incident occurred. A group of Cuban exiles called Brotherhood To The Rescue decided to go on another raid of their former country, and when they got to within Fidels air space, he shot them out of the sky.

Once again, pandemonium broke loose. The press was having a field day, and politicians were jumping on the bandwagon to get tough with Castro. By now, I was a seasoned pro. My lessons came the hard way, and I backed off from doing the Tour. We just had to wait another year.
During the waiting period, I devoted time to familiarizing myself with Cuba and it's culture and the route that would be taken, as well as the usual speaking engagements and autograph sessions for some of my sponsors.
The best time to do the Tour would be during the winter months. Cuba would be a comfortable 90 degrees, as opposed to the sweltering heat and humidity of their summers. The time frame picked would be November-December, 1997.
I spoke with Phyllis one last time before heading off to Canada, where I'd catch a connecting flight to Havana. She wished me luck. This is so exciting, she squealed with delight. I can't wait to see what kind of coverage we get in the States.
The only major American media on the Caribbean Island was CNN who would be covering the Tour de Cuba in both countries. During the other Tours, CNN had given me some great exposure, so I was pleased they would be on hand for this event.
I arrived in Havana ...