Our regular Sunday group rides continued with a lovely and leisurely excursion into the valley of the Rio Jalapilla which runs through Cieneguilla and Jalapa del Valle on the western edge of the Etla valley. The band rode the easiest of the four routes to Jalapa, passing through San Lorenzo Cacaotepec and San Felipe Tejalapam on the way out and back. This route covered 68.6 kilometers (42.6 miles), running gradually uphill from Oaxaca to the turn-around point, with an elevation gain and loss of 546 meters (1792 feet) along the way. The day’s destination was a rustic rural restaurant along the banks of the small river, where some of the party splashed in the stream before everyone enjoyed a satisfying lunch. On the way home one member of the group took a hard fall, but was able to continue pedaling toward Oaxaca – albeit with a cracked helmet and shredded jersey. All told, the band of five men and two women spent seven hours completing the ride, arriving back in the city shortly before 3 pm.
