Category: Countryside

Countryside, GPS, MTBing

Back Way To Tule

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Most people thinking of bicycling from Oaxaca to Tule likely choose to go by way of the paved bike path connecting the two towns. But there are more interesting and challenging routes, among them this one which skirts the hills on the south side of the Tlacolula valley. Riding at a leisurely pace, it takes about 90 minutes to pedal from the south side of Oaxaca to the well-manicured central plaza in Tule, a distance of 9.7 miles (15.6 kms). This leg of the circuit offers the most change in elevation, challenging the rider to climb 1236 feet (377 meters), but rewarding him or her with 1015 feet (309 meters) of downhill. All of the ascent and descent is accomplished on rough Jeep road, which can be technically challenging. There is also a significant amount of single track trail in the vicinity of Tule — much of it obscured by tall grass in the summer months. Overall, this portion of the loop ride is rated moderate.  Be advised that there are quite a few branch trails in the hills near Tule, many of which can be used to either shorten or lengthen the ride. Once arrived in Tule, best stop to admire the gargantuan cedar tree in the church yard and enjoy a snowcone (nieve) before heading back home. The return to Oaxaca can be accomplished by retracing the outbound route or opting for the easy ride on the bike path. The entire loop ride, pictured on the map below, totals 16.5 miles (26.5 kms) and ought to take about 2.5 hours, making for an enjoyable excursion through the countryside.

 

Countryside, GPS, MTBing

New Gringo Faces on the Oaxaca Mountain Bike Scene

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The city and state of Oaxaca have received a lot of favorable press this past year as many respected national magazines and tour agencies have listed Oaxaca as one of the top five world tourist destinations. Riding on the coattails of the tour boom, so to speak, are gringo mountain bikers either visiting or moving to Oaxaca from the U.S. and other countries around the world. And so it is we have had a number of new faces join in weekly rides. On this Sunday in September a couple of mountain bikers new to the area requested an introductory ride around the Oaxaca valley. These newbies were paired with a couple of resident gringos, and the foursome set out to explore some trails in the mountain valley that holds two reservoirs supplying water to the village of Santo Domingo Tomaltepec and surrounding farms. The quartet met and passed several other groups of bikers and hikers enjoying a Sunday outing in the same area. The out and back ride covered 27.8 miles (44.7 kms), with an elevation gain and loss of 2132 feet (650 meters). No one bothered to take photos, but we did create a GPS track of the ride.

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Trail Info

La Muneca and Santo Domingo Tomaltepec Presas

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Four biking buddies hit the trail to climb the La Muneca trail in the hills near Tlalixtac and then coast down to the two presas in Santo Domingo Tomaltepec before looping back to their starting point near the Tlalixtac town center. All told, they spent about four hours in the saddle and pedaled 12.5 miles (20.1 kms) on this leisurely ride on a lovely May morning. The climb to the monument at the top of the La Muneca trail took the riders 1477 feet (450 meters) up the hillside. The trail was sufficiently steep to cause some hike-a-biking going up. But that was rewarded with some great zinging downhill. One of the riders had never visited the two lovely presas in the valley above Santo Domingo Tomaltepec, so those were included in the day’s itinerary. The group wrapped things up with a lunch of tasty Mexican food upon their return to Oaxaca at mid-afternoon. 

 

Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Pedaling to Yagul and Back

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The Nitos Ciclistas en Movimiento bike club announced a Sunday ride for 31 March to the archeological ruins on Yagul, located in the eastern part of the Valley of Oaxaca not far from Tlacolula. Just five riders showed up to take part in the outing, as other club members were off to be contestants in or spectators at the Titan Zapoteca mountain bike race, perhaps the most famous of the many races held annually around Oaxaca (see http://www.oaxacamtb.org/wp/2012/11/mountain-bike-races/ on this web site). It was a warm and sunny day, with a pleasant breeze blowing out of the east to keep riders comfortable in the saddle. The group made use of the paved bike trail to Tule for the first part of the trip, then followed dirt roads through the countryside to Tlacochahuaya and Dainzu before riding on the shoulder of the highway on to Tlacolula and finally Yagul. The return route followed the highway back to Tule, where riders once again took advantage of the bike path to get back to Oaxaca. The total round-trip distance amounted to 45 miles (72.5 kilometers), with a modest elevation gain and loss of 1230 feet (375 meters) along the way. It took the group something over six hours to complete the ride, moving at a leisurely pace and with stops along the way for refreshments and a picnic lunch at Yagul. 

Countryside, Foothills, Hiking, MTBing, Photos

Clearing Brush on the Trail

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Late last October a small group of friends went for a hike on the trails in the foothills above the village of San Pablo Etla. Their objective was to follow the same loop trail used for a mountain bike race held there annually. To their dismay, they found the vegetation so thick at the end of the rainy season that in places they could not even find the trail! So on this Saturday in mid-March several fellows set out with machetes, hedge clippers, pruning shears and tree saws to clear away the brush from the trail. They were in for a couple of pleasant surprises. First of all, after five months without rain all the greenery was gone. The trees and shrubs were bare of leaves, which made it much easier to prune back branches that hung out over the trail. And secondly, it was obvious another work crew had passed this way in recent weeks, as much of the vegetation had already been cut back. So what was expected to be a hard day of heavy work turned out to be much easier and faster than anticipated. Now hikers and mountain bikers will be able to pass freely on the network of intersecting trails that criss-cross the hillsides near San Pablo. For more information on these, see the various entries under “San Pablo Etla” on the “Rides” page of this web site.

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