The destination for the ride this Sunday was Jalapa del Valle. This is a frequent end point for many excursions aboard a bike. Indeed, there are at least a dozen such outings listed elsewhere on this website, which attests to the enduring popularity of this ride – or the lack of any other destination in this corner of the Oaxaca valley. Nine cyclists, including four newbies to the group, set out from Santo Domingo Church at 8:15 am on a sunny and mild day in late November. The first half of the ride was mellow, consisting of mostly paved roads with minimum hill climbing going through San Lorenzo Cacaotepec and San Felipe Tejalapam to Jalapa del Valle. After lunch in Jalapa, the ride was more challenging. The route out of Jalapa entailed a long climb to the top of the ridge which isolates the valley of the Rio Jalapilla from the rest of the Valles Centrales. At just over 1829 meters (6002 feet), this was the highest point on the ride. At that point a couple of less experienced riders opted to stick to the paved road which winds downhill in the direction of San Pedro Ixtlahuaca. The rest of the gang rode a little-used jeep road which followed the ridgeline running to the east, connecting with the gravel road which links Tejalapam with San Andres Ixtlahuaca. This was the high point of the day, not just in altitude but in technical challenges, as well. To their credit, all seven cyclists proved quite capable on the “Yee-haw” descent, flying over loose patches of gravel and dodging deep ruts in the road. Total mileage accumulated on the ride came to 53 kilometers (33 miles). Riders spent five hours in the saddle and one hour having lunch at the Comidor Campestre.
