Nomadic Canadians John and Lynn Gilbank met 36 years ago in Caracas, Venezuela and have been together ever since. Their passion for travel, adventure and motorcycles was the impetus for Riders of the Sierra Madre,
Mexico’s largest motorcycle touring company, which has been based in Ajijic for the past seven years.
Says John: “We are an adventure tour provider, and it’s all about civilized adventure touring. We go upscale. We stay in first class hotels and dine at the best restaurants.”
Their lure for travel started early in their lives. “I was in the Canadian Foreign Service, so travel was part of my job,” says John. “I worked in Europe and in the western States as a consul and then in Caracas. Lynn was a nurse in Toronto and spent all of her vacations wandering the world. Whenever she could take some time off, she traveled.”
Their first Mexican experience occurred when Lynn traveled to Cuernavaca to take Spanish classes at a language school.
“I was being cross-posted from San Francisco, California to Caracas,” says John. “I spent four years in California and it was time for me to move to the next assignment. I stopped in Cuernavaca to learn some Spanish, at the same time Lynn was there. We met on a blind date and spent two weeks in a whirlwind romance.
“I returned to Venezuela and Lynn to Toronto. I sent her a message from Caracas, asking her to return, realizing that something important was happening between us.”
Lynn got his message, took the leap and headed back to Caracas. They were married a year later.
John stayed with the Foreign Service for two more years while they lived in Caracas. Then John felt a calling to go into his own business.
“I was hired as an international VP for a Canadian group of companies. After that, Lynn and I traveled frequently, mostly in the U.S. and Canada. We were based in Toronto where we bought our first home. Ninety days later, I was transferred to Wichita, Kansas.”
After a long career, John retired early and it was Lynn’s choice as to where they were going to live. “Lynn had lived many places that she wouldn’t have chosen because of my career. This time, it was her choice and she said, ‘Absolutely Mexico!’ I couldn’t disagree.”
John’s main concern with moving to Mexico was that he had too much energy to simply retire. “I’ve always enjoyed starting businesses and building them, and I loved motorcycling.” So, the two came up with the idea starting a Mexico-based motorcycling touring company.
At first, they figured they should live in a tourist area that would support their business. They chose Puerto Vallarta but soon found the area to be too hot, so they left for Ajijic. “Ajijic really draws people and has such a great quality of life,” says John.
They soon bought a home in the village. “When the realtor showed us the garage, our reaction was, ‘This is ideal.’ We actually saw the garage before we saw the house since we needed a large storage area for our motorcycles. We chose this house to be the perfect place for Mexican-style entertaining, as well as a great place for the bikes – and our dogs.”
Their first offered tour was called The Heart of Mexico, and included the best series of towns that they could put together in an interesting, one-week ride. Stops included Morelia, Guanajuato and beach areas
Says John: “This was our first tour and, at first, our only tour. But people were enthusiastic and wanted to come back for more.”
In response, they created three more tours: Mountains & Beaches, Coast-to-Coast and Hub and Spoke. They currently have six active motorcycle tours, and participants can choose their favorite ones by signing up on the website.
Tours range from five to 15 days. The Hub and Spoke tour is a short, introductory ride, which includes five days of riding and six nights in hotels. “Some of our guests,” says John, “call this tour a ‘gateway drug’ because after they ride for only a few days, they want more. One Canadian man has been back seven times, and we’ve only been in business for seven years!”
People come from all over the world, but mostly from the United States and Canada.
“What makes us unique,” says Lynn, “is that we are a family business. Our sons are involved. Participants are treated like family; many even stay in our guest rooms and some return to help out with the tours as a work exchange. We have made great friends from the tours.”
The next tour is their five-day Hub and Spoke on January 25. For more information, visit ridethesierra.com.