Category: MTBing

Items related to actual riding of mountain bikes.

GPS, MTBing, Photos

Downhill Enduro Race at La Cumbre Ixtepeji.

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Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in the number of downhill mountain bikers in Oaxaca. Their numbers and enthusiasm were in evidence at an enduro race held on Saturday, 20 July 2019 at La Cumbre Ixtepeji. Riders were doubtless drawn to this venue by the multiple new downhill trails constructed near the ecotourism camp over the past two to three years. Today’s race challenged riders to test their skills on several of these. The first segment of the race took place on the Coralito Trail, which runs downhill 1.6 miles (2.6 kms), losing 1056 feet ( 322 meters) on the way. Then race contestants had to pedal their way back up logging roads to virtually the same starting point to take off down the Martinez Trail and then transitioning to the El Toro Trail and finally ending the race on La Herradura. The weather was perfect for the race, and the trail tread was in excellent condition – neither dusty and loose nor muddy. So far as we know everyone enjoyed the contest and no one had to be taken home in an ambulance!
For trail maps of La Cumbre Ixtepeji we suggest you use Trailforks: https://www.trailforks.com/region/la-cumbre-ixtepeji-22082/?activitytype=1&z=10.8&lat=17.18561&lon=-96.64612

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MTBing, Photos

Mountain Biking In Moab, Utah

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The Rocky Mountain Bicycle Boys, a Denver bike club, has a long-standing tradition of kicking off the summer riding season with a trip to Moab, Utah each May over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Larry and Omar, from Oaxaca, were among the fifteen fellows who made the journey in this spring of 2019. The group was blessed with ideal weather – sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70’s (Fahrenheit) – which was in marked contrast to the cold, wet conditions prevailing in Colorado in the weeks before and after the trip. On Saturday the guys rode several of the trails in the North Klondike trail network, then concentrated on the Navajo Rocks area on Sunday. Those in the entourage who were not bike riders enjoyed hiking trails in nearby Canyonlands National Park.  

For a comprehensive list of mountain bike trails in the Moab area, click here.

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. 

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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. 

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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.