Category: Foothills

Foothills, MTBing, Trail Info, Trail Work, Videos

OAXMTB YouTube Channel and First Trail Video

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Two bits of news, campers:

1) Trail work on “Vela” is done and the trail is ride ready.  The upper part is still a bit thick with grass on the tread, but it opens up as you reach the middle and bottom.  Get out an ride it as the more it gets used, the better it will roll.

2) I finally got around to trying out my new GoPro knock-off video camera – an MHD (MonoPrice) Action Cam.  Earlier efforts using the chest harness were a total fail (unless you’d enjoy watching the trail tread go by with my knees wobbling around).  First halfway watchable video that I made is from a run down the freshly cleared “Vela” trail.  The video starts on Trail LLL, runs the bit of Trail PC that is used to get to Vela, and then ends as the 1 5meter walkout at the end of the trail where it pours back onto Trail TTT (aka Pista las carnívoras). The lighting is poor, there is a smudge on the camera lens, and I’m not sure I really like the handlebar mount perspective, but this is an experiment for now….

 


On that note, and with the hope that we will be able to provide a full collection of trail videos eventually, OaxacaMTB.org now has a YouTube channel to share these videos as they are created/provided.  That also means there is now a Google+ page to go along with our previously existing Facebook page.  We hope you’ll add these additional outlets to your social media lists.   Here are the links:

 

OaxacaMTB YouTube.com Channel

OaxacaMTB page on Google+

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Nitos Ride on San Felipe del Agua Trails

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For this Sunday’s ride the Nitos bike club tried something different. Carlos, an experienced rider and mountain bike racer, was asked to accompany the group and give basic instructions on mountain biking along the way. He did a very thorough and professional job — starting with how to get a proper bike fit and how to set up the bike; then going on to give riding tips and demonstrating how to ride, climb and descend. Various segments of the San Felipe trail network provided the backdrop for Carlos’ instructions and the terrain for participants to practice using his advice.

The ride began, as usual, at the Church of St. Augustine in el centro. Riders used city streets to climb to San Felipe, where they set off on dirt roads and single track trails that continued on into the foothills of the Sierra Norte below Cerro San Felipe. The ride totaled 13.1 miles (21.1 km) and had an elevation gain and loss of 1690 feet (515 meters).

Este domingo el Club Nitos decidió intentar algo diferente. Carlos, un ciclista de mucha experiencia, nos acompañó y ofreció instrucción básica sobre ciclismo de montaña durante el viaje. Carlos fue un excelente guía y muy profesional—empezando con como escoger subicicleta y como equiparla luego dió consejos y él mismo mostró como elciclista se debiera montar, subir y descender durante un paseo o una carrera.Varias partes de la red de San Felipe se prestaron un terreno muy adecuado para que los participantes podían practicar lo que él enseñaba.

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Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Outing, Photos

Nitos Ride to Huayapam

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Twenty-five members of the Nitos club set out this Sunday morning for a ride along the lower flank of the Sierra Norte, following roads and trails running from San Felipe del Agua through Donaji and into Huayapam. The circular route ran a total of 15.0 miles (24.1 km) through some steep and heavily wooded terrain, with an elevation gain and loss of 1747 feet (532.5 meters) along the way. Weather conditions were excellent, and for the first time in a long while there was no mud to slither through. The group set out from downtown Oaxaca shortly after 8 am and finished the ride back at our starting point by 1:30 in the afternoon.

25 socios del Club Nitos emprendieron un viaje a través del costado de la Sierra Norte viajando por carreteras y caminos pasado por Donaji y terminando en Huayapam.  La ruta de ida y vuelta era de 15 millas (24.1 kilometros) y pasó por áreas de empinados caminos y bosques, con un cambio de altura de 532.5 metros durante el viaje.   Las condiciones de clima y terreno eran excelentes y por primera vez en algún tiempo no había lodo.  El grupo salió del centro de Oaxaca a las 8 de la mañana y terminó el viaje donde habíamos comenzado a la 1:30 de la tarde.

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Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Racing

Mexican National Mountain Bike Race In Oaxaca

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Today’s event was a double-header. First, local mountain bike racers held their usual monthly contest on the San Felipe bike trail network. Then contenders in town for the National race conducted a second round of races. Weather conditions were ideal, and track conditions were good. The course laid out for the event mirrored the route used in past years, with the addition of an extra uphill segment to push riders to their limits.

The convoluted loop wound 3.8 miles (6.1km) through the forest, with challenging technical spots and some sharp climbs and drops thrown in for good measure. Altogether there was a total of 737 feet (224.6 meters) of elevation gain and loss around the circuit. The Start/Finish line was at the site of an old stone quarry and registered 6045 feet (1842.5 meters) in altitude. The high point of the race course hit 6313 feet (1924.2 meters) and the lowest point came in at 5941 feet (1810.8 meters). No one went home feeling this was a wimpy course!

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Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Ride Routes

Nitos Ride At San Pablo Guila

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Today’s outing was a massive undertaking. The Nitos group teamed up with Perros de la Montaña and Chapus Bike for this expedition to San Pablo Guila. The trip had seventy participants and required a caravan of vehicles to transport all the riders and their bikes the 42 miles (67.6 km) from Oaxaca to San Pablo. Pedro Martinez came along for the ride, as well.

The ride itself had two parts. First the group climbed 2.3 miles (3.7 km) up the steep dirt road from town to the capilla atop the hill overlooking the village. This proved quite a challenge, as the road was very rough and badly eroded, in addition to requiring a climb of 944 feet (287.7 meters) on a grade that consistently ran at 12 to 14 per cent.

After looping back to town (with some of the more adventurous riders taking the tricky singletrack trail rather than the road) and pausing there for a well-deserved break, the gang then did a 4.12 mile (6.63 km) out-and-back ride to a natural spring not far from town. Some in the group took advantage of the situation to play in the mineral water at the spring. Once back in town, the whole entourage was hosted for lunch at the home of Moises Lopez Cruz, who acted as our host for the entire day.

It was a tired but happy bunch of cyclists who returned to Oaxaca late in the afternoon.

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