Category: Countryside

Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Ride Routes

Atzompa Hill Country

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Another lovely Sunday morning; another Nitos ride into the countryside around Oaxaca – this time an exploration of the many farm access roads and single track trails in the hills north and west of Atzompa. It is truly amazing how many bikeable paths there are concentrated in a rather small area so close to the bustle of the capital city. It is also surprising what a challenge it can be to ride them! Today’s group of fifteen mountain bikers set out from the plaza in front of the church of Santo Domingo at 8 am, eager for a good ride. They were not disappointed! The loop trail first took the bikers up to the archeological ruins situated atop the hill overlooking Atzompa. From there the group descended into the village and then pedaled up, down and all around various hills in the area. From start to finish, the group rode 27.6 miles (44.4 kilometers), climbing and descending a total of 3202 feet (976 meters) along the way. Part of the up and down was on rather steep trails, some of which had gradients ranging from 20% to 29%. Everyone’s legs and lungs got a good workout!

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Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Ride to the Huitzo Reservoir

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It is not often any more that a Sunday bike ride comes along that catches my fancy because it goes to a new destination and/or promises a route I have never ridden before. Such was the proposal, though, for a ride on 29 April 2018 jointly sponsored by the “Nitos Ciclistas en Movimiento” club in Oaxaca and the “BigBikers” group from nearby San Lorenzo Cacaotepec. The day was mild, with temperatures mostly in the 70’s Fahrenheit (low 20’s Celsius) and heavily overcast skies – a great day for a ride through the countryside. And what a ride! The route from el centro in Oaxaca to the dam and reservoir in Huitzo covered 50.8 miles (81.75 kms) round trip. Given the distance, it was fortunate the terrain was mostly flat, with just a few mild climbs and descents. All told, riders climbed 1366 feet (416 meters) and then lost the same amount along the way. A total of 39 people took part in the outing, 16 coming from the BigBikers and 23 from the Nitos group. Ten of the mountain bikers were women, and among the males were three teenagers and two pre-teens. It was a nice mix of riders. The band departed from Santo Domingo church at 8:10 am and returned just before 5:00 pm, for an elapsed time of just under nine hours. That time frame included a stop of over an hour in Suchilquitongo for breakfast, a generous rest stop at the presa outside Huitzo, and about forty minutes to relax and chow down at the “HuitzoLandia” family amusement center in Huitzo on the return leg of the trip. Fortunately, the afternoon thundershowers that were forecast did not amount to anything, and what little rain fell was off to the west of our route. All in all, it was a very pleasant day.

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Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Outing, Photos

Riding With The Nitos Group Again

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First of all, a word of explanation as to why there has been no mention of the Nitos Ciclistas En Movimiento mountain bike club on this web site the past many months.  Nitos got started about four years ago and quickly developed a reputation for regular Sunday morning rides. Their outings were announced on the club’s Facebook page on Saturday and typically attracted twenty or more riders each week. Then suddenly, in February of 2017, no more Facebook postings appeared. Some feared the club had disbanded. It turns out, though, the group was using a different Facebook page — one this author was not aware of. So for the past year I have been missing out on a host of fun rides. Finally, a friend clued me in on what had happened. Now I know to check this address to be advised of Nitos’ rides:  https://www.facebook.com/nitosoaxaca/

So here it is a bright Sunday morning in Oaxaca in early April and the Nitos group is planning a ride from el centro to the presa near Teotitlan del Valle and back. Twenty-four eager cyclists are gathered at 8 am in front of the church of Santo Domingo. After some gentle warm-up exercises, the band mounts up and takes the bike lane to Tule, then heads cross-country on dirt roads through Lachigoló, Tlacochahuaya and Macuilxochil on the way to Teotitlan. The group is a good mix of men and women, ranging in age from mid-teens to mid-70’s, with most riders comfortably in their 20’s and 30’s. The leaders set a moderate pace, with frequent brief stops to let the slower riders catch up. The terrain in the Tlacolula Valley is pretty flat, with an elevation gain and loss of little more than 500 feet (152 meters) so the pedaling is easy. The riders cover the 20 miles (32 kms) to Teotitlan in about three hours, then stop for lunch at the picnic area just recently built on the shore of the lake. The return to Oaxaca is even easier, as it flows gently downhill almost all the way. 

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Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Easter Ride

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1 April 2018: Easter Sunday and April Fool’s Day.  I don’t think those two are related, but it makes for a curious juxtaposition on the calendar . . . .  In any case, forget the chocolate rabbits and marshmallow chicks and grab your bike gear, instead. It’s a typically splendid day for a ride in the country in the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. My good friend, Omar, and I want to ride a loop in the western part of the Etla Valley. We get under way a bit later because today is also the start of daylight savings time in Mexico (the U.S. kicked the clock forward several weeks ago) and the sun has barely risen over the horizon at 8 am. Besides, we have the whole day at our disposal. The goal is to pedal up to the tiny hamlet of San Cristobal on a dirt road I have not ridden before, then come sailing down the mountainside on a trail that parallels a stream. There are four different routes to San Cristobal out of Oaxaca, and this is the last for me to explore. All four are challenging, as there is no way around having to climb over 2100 vertical feet from the floor of the Oaxaca Valley to where the village is perched on the side of the mountain. Being Easter and all, there is very little vehicular traffic along the way. On the return leg of our ride, though, we encounter quite a few Mexican families frolicking in the crystal clear water of the creek, with picnic baskets sitting on blankets streamside. Obviously some frivolity is planned for today after the more somber mood of Holy Week. 

Since Omar lives in Atzompa, I drove my minivan to a nearby shopping center where we linked up. From there we pedaled 24.7 miles (39.7 kms) out and back. We started out at an elevation of 5127 feet (2213 meters) and topped out at 7261 feet (2213 meters), for an absolute gain of 2134 feet (650 meters). However, because of the undulating terrain we actually gained and lost a total of 3474 feet (1059 meters) along the way. All in all a good ride, though my knees are complaining loudly for the effort. Now, where did I put those chocolate bunnies? . . . .

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Racing

Marathon Mountain Bike Race at San Juan Teposcolula

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At 6:30 on Sunday morning the first glimmers of daylight were brightening the sky as dozens of mountain bike racers were loading their gear into pick-up trucks for the drive to San Juan Teposcolula, located in the Mixteca Alta 110 kilometers northwest of Oaxaca city. Between 8 and 9 am a couple hundred  race contestants had converged on San Juan for the first-ever mountain bike race in that rural community. The town center was a beehive of activity, with bikers registering and warming up for the race; townspeople providing food and beverages to the assemblage; and lots of police to provide traffic control on the main highway and back roads used for the contest. The weather was picture-perfect and there was a friendly excitement in the air. The race got under way at 9:30 and the first biker crossed the finish line a bit less than three hours later. The race course followed a meandering 54.6 kilometer route through the hill country nearby, providing innumerable climbs and subsequent descents. Many thanks to the various race sponsors, the good people of San Juan and the folks at ACREO for making the event possible.

To see animated map, click here:  https://www.facebook.com/Accreo/videos/vb.447327002279737/584705118541924/?type=2&theater

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