GPS, Mountains, MTBing, Photos

Ojo de Agua

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A terrific – if challenging – 16.4 mile (26 kms) ride on steep mountain roads in the hills west of the cuota to Mexico City northwest of Huitzo. Turn off on a spur road 15.5 kms northwest of the Huitzo toll booth, just beyond the overpass at kilometer 207. Map below shows route one way (the return leg), so double the distance for the round trip ride. The total climb going both ways amounts to 935 meters (3067 feet). The initial hill climb has a gradient between 10% and 16%, which will strain your leg muscles. The highest point on the route is 2313 meters (7588 feet). There is a pleasant comedor at the highway junction which provides a perfect place to stop for rest and refreshments at the end of the adventure.

Great climbs here! – see road squiggling uphill in the upper right.
Lovely vistas in every direction.
Beards of Spanish moss hang from trees along the way.
If not for the sign, you would never know you were passing through Ojo De Agua.
The newest – and about the only – building in the town.
A lonely but colorful miscellania offers sustenance to travelers.
A word of mountain wisdom: “He who has health has hope.”
Enjoy the ride!

Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Climbing The Wall – Again

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This ride features a long climb to San Pablo Cuatro Venados, which looks out over the Valley of Oaxaca from a perch near the top of the mountain ridge which forms the western boundary of the valley. The ascent is primarily on pavement – notably the Amlo road constructed 2020-2023 – while the descent is principally on an old, little-used jeep road which spirals into the valley. The gradient is steep, ranging between 10% and 19%, making for a challenging climb and a screaming descent. Good exercise and great fun! Round trip distance amounts to 62.9 kms (39.1 miles), with 1296 meters (4251 feet) of elevation change. Expect to spend a good five hours in the saddle to accomplish the loop.

The steep hillsides and crumbly rock make for frequent rockslides along the road.

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Ride The Hills

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This is an intermediate ride of 51 kilometers (31.7 miles) that takes advantage of some unpaved country roads which loop through the hills located between San Andrés Ixtlahuaca, Jalapa del Valle and San Felipe Tejalapam. Quite a scenic adventure when the hillsides lie green beneath an azure sky. Be advised that the hill climbs are numerous, but not too long or steep. There is an elevation gain and loss of 630 meters (2069 feet) along the way. A group of Sunday riders finished the course in five hours, counting time out for snacks (memelas, tacos & empanadas) at a street vendor’s stall in the zocalo in San Andrés Ixtlahuaca on the way back to Oaxaca.

This hill is steeper than it appears in the photo.
One rider’s chain snapped from the strain of the climb.

GPS, Mountains, MTBing, Photos

Back Way To San Cristobal

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San Cristobal is a tiny village perched precariously on the steep slopes of the mountain ridge which forms the western boundary of the Valley of Oaxaca. It is usually accessed from a paved road completed in 2022. However, there are two little-used, rough jeep roads that wind their way up to San Cristobal, one of which is the route taken on this ride. The track is used by farmers to get to their small milpas on the lower slopes, but almost no one ventures higher up where the mountain is too steep and densely forested for farming. It is a delight, though, for mountain bikers looking for a challenging climb.

It is a 491 meter (1612 foot) climb up the old jeep road to San Cristobal.
The valley of Oaxaca stretches for miles into the distance.

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Uncategorized

Hill Country West Of Matadamas

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This is the fourth in a series of weekday rides exploring the little-used back roads and trails in the hills to the west of the Mexico cuota some 20-40 kilometers (12 to 24 miles) north-northwest of Oaxaca. The town of Matadamas was the jumping off point for today’s excursion. Similar expeditions have departed from San Andrés Zautla, Santa Cruz Lachixolana and Santiago Suchilquitongo. All offer a generous amount of hill climbing in the midst of great scenery. All of these routes can be accessed on rides originating in Oaxaca as well as by using a shuttle to the designated starting points. This particular outing was a short one of 23.8 kms (14.8 miles) that lasted just 2.5 hours. It could well have been extended by riding more of the trails that crisscross the area. Be advised, though, that accessing these trails can be difficult. When looking out from the top of a ridge, one can see a number of trails off in the distance, but finding and following them is challenging, as many wind up dead-ending in a farmer’s field. Nevertheless, this is a great area for riders with a whimsical spirit of adventure.