The first Sunday of July fell on the 4th of the month – Independence Day in the U.S. Someone was firing cohotes (skyrockets) into the air in front of Santo Domingo as our cycling group gathered at 9 am, but they were likely not in celebration of that holiday. Nevertheless ours was a free-spirited bunch heading out for a ride to Rancheria San Cristobal and back. Since San Cristobal is perched at 2149 meters (7050 feet) near the top of a steep mountainside overlooking the Valley of Oaxaca, we knew our legs and lungs were in for a good workout. There was a lot of huffing and puffing to get to our destination, which entailed climbing over 1900 vertical feet from the valley floor. All told, the band pedaled 49.1 kilometers (30.5 miles) going out and back – a respectable distance for a Sunday outing. Counting a stop for lunch at the D’Villa Torta sandwich shop in Atzompa on the way home, the group spent about six hours in the saddle. Despite the hard work pumping up the mountainside, there were smiles all around at the end of the ride.
Ron savors the view from near the top of the climb to San Cristobal.
Kristina & Ben are still pedaling up the switchbacks.
The light line squiggling off to the right side of the photo is the road we came up on.