{"id":7758,"date":"2022-01-02T16:18:58","date_gmt":"2022-01-02T21:18:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.oaxacamtb.org\/wp\/?p=7758"},"modified":"2022-01-03T18:08:19","modified_gmt":"2022-01-03T23:08:19","slug":"ride-in-the-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oaxacamtb.org\/wp\/2022\/01\/ride-in-the-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"First Ride in the New Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We wanted to kick off the new year (2022) with a significant ride, and so chose the Tejal\u00e1pam \/ Mazaltepec loop to do it. Today’s riders were all gringos – none of our Mexican amigos joined in. There were eight guys and one gal in the group. After meeting in the plaza in front of Santo Domingo at 9 am, the band pedaled through Atzompa to San Lorenzo Cacaotepec, then swung west on paved roads to San Felipe Tejal\u00e1pam. From there we followed a freshly-graded gravel road up and over a ridge of hills and then down to Santo Tomas Mazaltepec. This was the most challenging part of the outing, where the major portion of the climbing was concentrated. The grade in places was over 15%, which prompted some riders to dismount and push their bikes uphill. The descent into Mazaltepec was fast and fun. It took the group 90 minutes to ride from Oaxaca to Tejal\u00e1pam, then 60 minutes more to get to the crest of the hill. From there the group reached Mazaltepec in just 20 minutes. Then it was a bit over 90 minutes more to get back home to Oaxaca. Overall the gang covered 60.2 kilometers (37.4 miles), with an elevation gain and loss of 413 meters (1356 feet) on the loop. <\/p>\n\n\n