A young man from Holguín became a symbol of Cuban ingenuity in the face of the fuel crisis by posting a video in which he disassembles the gasoline engine of his bicycle and transforms it into a pedal-powered cycle, as a practical response to the exorbitant price of fuel in the informal market.
The clip, published by the Facebook page Holguín en fotos, begins with a dilemma faced by thousands of Cubans today.
"The gasoline is at 6,000 pesos per liter. What are you going to do now?" The creator's response is not verbal: he simply removes the accessories from the moped—the black fuel tank with a green cap, the metal exhaust, the rear rack—leaving the bicycle in its most basic form.
The vehicle shown in the video is a homemade motorized bicycle, popularly known in Cuba as a "riquimbili," equipped with a small displacement two-stroke engine, a type of transportation solution that has resurfaced strongly in response to the current energy crisis.
The video garnered over 165,000 views and more than 2,000 reactions within just a few days, with dozens of comments that blend humor and resignation.
"The gasoline is gone, we have to switch to pedaling," wrote a user. Another was more direct: "Time to pedal now." A third summed up the collective sentiment with a succinct: "No more flu."
The trigger of the video reflects a reality that affects the entire island. The price of gasoline in the informal fuel market reached 6,000 Cuban pesos per liter in April and May 2026, compared to the 700-1,500 pesos it cost in January, an increase of up to eight times in just a few months.
The queues at Cuban gas stations exceeded 15 hours of waiting time during the most critical moments of April, while the government restricted official sales to gasoline in dollars, with a limit of 20 liters per vehicle.
On May 15, the Ministry of Finance and Prices removed the fixed price of fuel in foreign currency, shifting to a floating scheme, with special B100 gasoline rising to 2.60 dollars per liter, a figure that is unattainable for those earning in Cuban pesos.
"We will continue to do the same until further notice, as the situation is tight," summarized another user in the comments, with the resignation of someone who knows that returning to cycling is no joke, but a necessity.
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