Category: MTBing

Items related to actual riding of mountain bikes.

Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Sunday Fiestas

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Cyclists who take part in our regular Sunday excursions are looking for exercise and some good comaraderie. The exercise comes from the rides, which are mostly of moderate difficulty and cover between 32 and 64 kilometers (20 to 40 miles). The socializing happens on the trail and when the group stops for brunch along the way. With this latter in mind, the route on any given Sunday will likely visit a village which is holding a fiesta that day. There is almost always a town somewhere in the Valles Centrales celebrating a patron’s feast or marking some similar occasion. So it was Santo Domingto Tomaltepec sponsoring a mountain bike race and community celebration this last day in March, which also happened to be Easter Sunday. The streets around the zocalo were tented over, with vendors displaying all sorts of merchandise and multiple stalls selling street food. A brass band and a parade added to the festivities. All of which added spice to the day’s bike adventure.

Bikers – but no Easter bunnies – on the trail today.
There are five reservoirs along the Mil Rios trail,
but none had a drop of water on account of severe drought.
A contestant crosses the finish line in today’s mountain bike race in Santo Domingo Tomaltepec.
Cyclists mingle among the display tents set up in the zocalo.
A colenda added to the festive nature of the occasion.
Streets around the town square were tented over and lined with merchandise.
Women of the village were busy fixing all sorts of good things to eat.
A wheelbarrow pressed into service as a comal to cook tortillas.

GPS, Mountains, MTBing, Photos

Miles Of Mountain Magic

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This weekday outing was a challenging high country ride on logging roads in the Sierra Norte which varied in elevation between 2750 and 3050 meters (9,000 to 10,000 feet). After a 90 minute shuttle ride from Oaxaca on the newly paved road to Guacamaya, the group of biking buddies set out to conquer a series of long climbs and thrilling descents threading through dense evergreen forests between Guacamaya and the ecotourism camp at La Cumbre Ixtepeji. Several logging crews were encountered along the way, who were surprised to see four gringos swooping through the woods on bicycles. It was decidedly chilly when the ride started at 9:45 am under moderate cloud cover. Happily the sun broke through and warmed things to a pleasant 23°C (73°F) by mid-afternoon. At the turnaound point the group split up, with two riders retracing their route back to the shuttle van while two others opted to take a shorter route to town, dropping down the La Reina trail to Huayapam – thus the two route maps, below. Though participants were competent cyclists with many miles of pedaling experience, all were pretty tuckered out by the end of the day. The total round trip distance amounted to 49.6 kms (30.8 miles), with a serious 1362 meters (4468 feet) of climbing along the way.

The four mountain Musketeers on today’s adventure.
Logging crews were busy harvesting lumber in the woods.
Locals gathering firewood watch bikers pass by.
The network of logging roads was a delight to ride.

Countryside, GPS, MTBing

Teotitlan del Valle

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Thirteen eager cyclists turned out for this ride on Palm Sunday to Teotitlan del Valle. The route took advantage of mainly unpaved back roads and trails through farm fields to avoid riding along Hwy 190. Distance traveled amounted to 56.2 kms (34.9 miles) and took about five hours, allowing an hour for brunch at the market in Teotitlan.

Children in Santa Maria el Tule held a bicycle parade this Sunday.
Boys and girls decorated their bicis for the occasion.
The young lassies were also in elaborate costumes. What fun!

Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Ride to La Raya

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Five cyclists showed up for this Friday group ride from Oaxaca to La Raya and back, using a combination of roads and trails which formed a large loop through the countryside of the Zimatlan valley to the south of Oaxaca. It was a great five hour ride of a bit over 56 kms (35 miles) on a warm spring day.

Passing by the monastery ruins in Cuilapam.
On the paved road south of Tlanichico.
Riding through the hills.
Taking a breather on a hot day.
Consulting the map.
A couple of happy bikers.

GPS, Mountains, MTBing, Photos

El Carrizal Loop

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A delightful but challenging ride on logging roads circling through the mountains near the village of El Carrizal. This is a high country outing on terrain that ranges between 2606 meters (8549 feet) to 3102 meters (10,177 feet) in elevation with gradients between 8% and 20%. Be forewarned the trail is rough and rocky, so your suspension will get a workout. Cyclists must register at the Officina de Bienes Communales in San Miguel del Valle and pay a fee of 100 pesos apiece. Local guide(s) not required, as all of ride is on designated roads. Elapsed time in the saddle varies from two hours on ebikes to four hours on pedal-powered conveyances. As a bonus, riders can scream 5.8 kms (3.6 miles) down the mountain to San Miguel, followed by the shuttle driver. Shuttle time: two hours from Oaxaca to trailhead.

This loop ride is way up there – 8500 to 10,000 feet elevation.
El Carrizal is a small, remote agricultural village with an ecotourism camp.
Cycling past lake La Neveria.
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