Author: Larry

Today’s ride took seven cyclists from Oaxaca through the countryside to Tlalixtac and then up the valley where the Mil Rios trail comes down the mountain from near La Neveria. The full Mil Rios trail is ridden downhill because it is steep and difficult in its upper reaches (see other “Mil Rios” entries on the RIDES page of this website). The lower section, though, makes for a fine out & back ride on a Sunday morning. It took the group 90 minutes to pedal from Santo Domingo church in Oaxaca to the entry point to the Mil Rios trail, where there was a toll station at which each rider paid a fee of 10 pesos. The initial few miles from that point were on a freshly-graded dirt road which services the four dams spaced at intervals up the valley. Eventually the road petered out and the trail became a single track running through the forest. A number of stream crossings and rock gardens made the ride interesting. Time constraints dictated when the group had to turn around and head back to Oaxaca. Ultimately the gang pedaled 24.2 miles (38.9 kms) round trip, gaining and losing 1447 feet (441 meters) in elevation along the way. The mercado in Tlalixtac provided a good place for a tasty lunch stop on the way home.

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Fourteen bikers showed up for the first Sunday ride of 2021, meeting at the plaza in front of Santo Domingo at ten am on 3 January. As expected, it was a glorious day, with blue skies, lots of sunshine and a gentle breeze. The ride was scheduled one hour later than usual, anticipating a chilly morning. In fact, though, the thermometer registered 64º F (17.7º C) at sunrise, signaling a warm day. The destination for the ride was the monumental statue of the Danzante, perched atop a hill just outside Zimatlan 16.6 miles (26.7 kms) distant. Half the riders in the day’s contingent had never ventured there before and so were excited about pedaling to someplace new. One rider had to turn back due to a mechanical problem halfway to the Danzante. When it came time to depart from the Danzante, three of the group dropped out to visit a friend in Zimatlan. Of the remaining ten bikers, five opted for a longer and more challenging route back to Oaxaca, riding 28 miles through the rolling hills west and north of Cuilapam and then through San Pedro Ixtlahuaca. That left just five of the original band to retrace their path back to the city. All agreed that it was a fine outing to kick off the new year. Photos, a map and elevation chart for this ride appear on the RIDES page of this website under the heading “Danzante of Zimatlan”.

It is a very quiet Christmas holiday weekend in Oaxaca. Thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, there were no posadas this past week and no festival of the radishes on 23 December. There was no giant Christmas tree in front of the cathedral, and the city did not decorate the zocalo with hundreds of poinsettias this year. While some families had festive gatherings, there were none of the block parties that usually occur over the holidays. So on this Sunday morning eleven bikers gathered at 9 o’clock for a moderate ride to Huayapam and back – a short but satisfying outing. The round-trip distance amounted to 18.5 miles (29.8 kms).

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Another Sunday, another perfect day in paradise! Blue skies and a forecast high temperature of 78º F / 25.5ºC just a few days before Christmas — what more could a cyclist wish for from Santa? Eight members of our riding club assembled at 9 am for today’s moderate excursion into the rolling hill country west of Monte Alban — certainly one of our favorite areas. Using a combination of paved and dirt roads, the gang pedaled a total distance of 30.8 miles (49.6 kms), gaining and losing 1317 feet (401 meters) in elevation in the course of the day. One of our number was a recent arrival in Oaxaca and going for his first bike ride in many years. He acquitted himself well in this introduction to mountain biking in the Valles Centrales of Oaxaca.

Over the past three years or so the folks who manage the La Cumbre Ixtepeji ecotourism camp have done an incredible job building a great network of new downhill trails which are now attracting lots of enduro enthusiasts. On today’s outing three riders from Oaxaca sampled five of these luscious offerings. The trails ridden, in order, were Tierra Negra, Hawaiana, Linces, Raices and El Cerezo. For the most part these trails have great flow, along with a good many challenges like rock gardens, drops and some ramps. The notable exception is the Linces trail, which is being heavily modified to offer a large number of serious ramps, gaps and tables for those bikers who like to spend a lot of time airborne.

Tierra Negra – 2.0 miles / 3.2 kms length 970 feet / 295 meters descent Swoopy and fun with some moderate jumps

Hawaiana – 1.6 miles / 2.6 kms length 896 feet / 273 meters descent Great fun and the most user-friendly run

Linces – 2.0 miles / 3.2 kms length 1119 feet / 341 meters descent Was originally a fast and smooth track through the forest, but is being heavily modified with lots of ramps, jumps, table-tops and berms

Raices – 1.43 miles / 2.3 kms length 804 feet / 245 meters descent As the name implies, this trail has more than its fair share of exposed tree roots, often on a steeply off-camber slope. Use extra caution when the trail is wet or muddy.

El Cerezo – 3.45 miles / 5.55 kms length 1730 feet / 527 meters descent
One of the longest trails in the network, El Cerezo is a popular last-run-of-the day ride for bikers spending the day shuttling back up the mountain after each downhill run. El Cerezo begins just across the road from the Cabeza de Vaca trail, providing a continuous run for those who start heading down on Raices and then switching to Cabeza de Vaca. El Cerezo concludes in the small town of El Punto on Highway 175.

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