Iguana Mama - Mountain Biking, Hiking & Ecological Adventures

Volvo/Cannondale trials star Libor Karas didnât see the ocean until he was 18 years old. These days the man from the Czech Republic crosses the sea on a regular basis to perform stunts all over the world. MBi caught up with the bouncing Czech on a recent visit to the Dominican Republic in the West Indies.

Inviting Libor to the Dominican Republic was the brainwave of American Tricia Thorndike. After riding and dragging her mountain bike around 44 countries, Thorndike, a native New Yorker, decided to make the DR her home (marrying a native and becoming Mrs. Thorndike de Suriel also played a part!)

She opened up Iguana Mama Mountain Bike and Hiking Adventure Tours, based in Cabarete, a small windsurfing resort on the Atlantic coast of the country.

In the four years since Iguana Mama opened it has seen some pretty hot riders pass through and in 1995 was named a Scott test site. But as well as Scott bikes the store now holds a fine fleet of Cannondale F700s, making it one of the best equipped holiday rental sites we have ever seen.

Karas came as part of the deal made for bikes. The intention was to get a Cannondale Dirt Camp to the country in the not so distant future. Yep, before long you could be in a mountain bikerâs paradise; sunning yourself in the Caribbean whilst being taught some technical moves by Sydor, Giove or Juarez!

Getting Libor over as the warm-up artist was a wise move. In the seven days he was in the country, Libor guested on three of the local TV channels. In a Latin country, where it appeared, every house had at least two TV antennae on its roof, a lot of the population saw the man perform. The day after one such show, Libor turned up at a school to find its occupants hanging all over the gates and fences cheering his entrance.

After the last kid had been bunny hopped over, the teachers had to close shop for the afternoon because the children were so excited and wouldnât go back inside! For one week Cabarete became a back wheel-only town as kids on BMX bikes paraded down the main street showing off their talents.

Those that came out on the tours could go back to their club mates and tell them how they had been riding with a world champ. Iguana Mama is quite unique among tour operators in that it ploughs 20 percent of its profits back into the local economy. The money goes towards helping schools and parks. There are English, Spanish, French, and German speaking guides at the shop, all of whom muck in with the chores and on the rides. We sampled the easy Cibao Valley downhill tour which started off with a king-size breakfast on a cafe balcony overlooking a verdant plain between the hills. Next we were kitted out with bikes and helmets for a two-hour downhill, interspersed with stops to soak up the vibes, eat loads of local exotic fruits and take a long drink. Bloody marvelous!

During the eight days we stayed in the country, Libor got up to some wild stunts. Besides standing up in the back of the pick-up truck (this didnât phase many locals since they all stand up in the back of their pick-ups, sometimes ten at a time), and waving like some demented Mussolini figure, he broke a TV presenterâs desk by jumping his bike on it!

Iguana Mama has four tours for beginners to expert level riders. Groups of six to 14 people are catered for. Tour names like Blue Moon Special, El Choco Loco, and Rocky MF should give you some idea of the going.

The terrain is as diverse as you could hope for. At 10,400 feet Pico Duarte, in the Dominican Alps, is the highest mountain in the Caribbean and the lowest lake is 144 feet below sea level. The coastline is sandy and palm fringed as the brochures will show you. But inland trails are rough and rocky and dotted with great waterfalls that can be jumped off into the beautiful warm water.

Interested? Then call Tricia at Iguana Mama on 001 809 571 0908. Fax 001 809 571 3346. Email: iguanamama@codetel.net.do