Category: Foothills

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Uncategorized

Easter Ride to Jalapa del Valle

by  •  • 0 Comments

Easter Sunday dawned bright and clear in Oaxaca on 17 April 2022, with a forecast high temperature of 33ºC / 92ºF. Four cyclists elected to skip church services and Easter egg hunts in favor of a somewhat challenging ride through the countryside – some of the hill climbs had grades of 12% or more. The destination chosen for the day was Jalapa del Valle, a very small village on the Rio Jalapilla at the western edge of the Etla Valley. Pedaling along at a moderate pace and stopping several times for cold drinks and snacks, the group finished the ride in 5.5 hours. When all was said and done, the gang covered 50.7 kilometers / 31.5 miles from start to finish, with an elevation gain and loss of 688 meters / 2259 feet along the way. A good time was had by all.

  • Two of the four riders on today’s outing.
  • Cranking up another long hill climb.
  • At times the uphill sections seemed endless.
  • Finally! Some serious downhill.
  • Warm weather and lots of climbing required several stops for water or cold drinks.
  • Still able to smile, despite fatigue.
  • Moving right along.
  • Miles and miles of wide open space.

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Uncategorized

Once More Around The Loop

by  •  • 0 Comments

The Sundays of December 2021 are turning out to be warmer than usual, with daytime highs consistently near 85º Fahrenheit / 29º Celsius. Most of our cyclists are fine with that, as the morning chill burns off quickly and the temperature is ideal when we start pedaling at 9 am. Today’s excursion was a repeat of a favorite – though challenging – loop that took the group through Tule and San Sebastian Teitipac before crossing a ridge of hills and descending into San Bartolo Coyotepec and then back to Oaxaca. There were several new riders among the nine participants who showed up, and they were apprehensive about the length of the ride and the challenge of riding the rough and steep trail over the ridgeline. To their credit, all stuck to the task and succeeded in finishing the ride, which covered 50 kilometers (31 miles), with an elevation gain and loss of about 396 meters (1300 feet).

  • In the Tlacolula valley.
  • At the high point of the ride.
  • Starting the long descent.

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Uncategorized

Viguera Loop Ride

by  •  • 0 Comments

Today’s Sunday ride was a moderate one for both time and distance but the route offered some challenges because of the steep and rocky terrain covered. Our group of six riders left from Santo Domingo, heading north up the hill through San Felipe del Agua. Rather than sticking to pavement, riders churned up some gnarly back roads to reach the Libramiento Norte, which they then followed to the top of the mountain ridge and then zoomed full speed down into Viguera. At that point the pack split in half, with three riders continuing on to San Pablo Etla while the other three dropped down to the old railroad line which they then followed back to Oaxaca. This shorter route is the one shown on the map, below. The bikers going this way put 31.5 kilometers (19.6 miles) on their odometers while accumulating 411 meters (1349 feet) of elevation gain and loss on the ride.

  • Cheerful bikers on a Sunday outing.
  • Riding back roads around San Felipe.
  • Starting a serious hill climb.
  • Meeting the challenge.
  • Almost to the top.
  • Lots of wildflowers in early October.

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Ride to San Pablo Etla

by  •  • 0 Comments

It is late April in Oaxaca and another perfect day in paradise. Our Sunday ride this week took us from el centro up the hill to San Felipe del Agua, then over the Libramiento Norte to Viguera and on into San Pablo Etla. After a light lunch at a local comedor we rode on to Santa Cruz Etla and then back into Oaxaca along the old railroad right-of-way. This was a moderate ride overall, with just a bit of technical challenge on the rough and tumble singletrack trail we used to get from the top of the Libramiento down into Viguera. The outing covered 25.1 miles (40.1 kms) and entailed climbing about 1920 vertical feet (588 meters). The high point on the ride was an elevation of 6210 feet (1893 meters). Counting time for lunch, the day’s excursion took just a hair more than five hours.

  • Tonio shows how to shred some single track on the descent into Viguera.
  • Enjoying the downhill run.
  • Breaking for lunch at a local comedor.

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Another Grand Loop Ride

by  •  • 0 Comments

        It is mid-November and the weather in Oaxaca continues to be ideal for mountain biking. The thermometer registered 54ºF / 12ºC at sunrise, with a forecast high of 81ºF / 27ºC for the day. The morning boasted clear blue skies, but clouds built up by mid-day, though with no threat of rain. A biker who is a relative newcomer to Oaxaca proposed riding a long and rather challenging loop south out of town through San Bartolo Coyotepec, then across a mountain ridge to San Sebastian Teitipac in the Tlacolula valley to the east. From there the way home would loop through Rojas de Cuauhtemoc and Tule. Four fellows met at the appointed place and began the ride at 9 am. It took an hour to pedal to San Bartolo, using mainly country roads. Then the climb began. The trail was a rough jeep road that ascends 925 vertical feet (282 meters) to a pass crossing the ridge of hills. The riders spent 1.5 hours getting from San Bartolo to San Sebastian Teitipac. From there it was an easy ride on mainly paved roads to Tule and thence back to Oaxaca on the bike path. While riding through San Sebastian our cyclists encountered ten members of the Chalinos bike club from Rojas de Cuauhtemoc who were also enjoying a Sunday ride. They were an impressive sight, as all wore matching uniforms. It was early afternoon by the time the group reached Tule, so it was decided to stop for lunch at a seafood restaurant there. Some cold beer and ceviche really hit the spot!                                                                                                                                       Here are the stats for the day’s outing.  Distance ridden: 35.9 miles / 57.8 kms.  Total elevation gain and loss on the circuit:  1524 feet / 464 meters. Low point on the loop:  4959 feet / 1511 meters.  Highest point: 5891 feet / 1796 meters.  Total elapsed time (including lunch break):  5.5 hours.  Rating:  difficult because of length of ride and roughness of uphill sections on jeep road.

%d bloggers like this: