Category: Countryside

Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Racing, Uncategorized

Mountain Bike Race At Tule – Carrera de Ciclismo de Montaña en el Tule

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It was a bright and beautiful morning for a mountain bike race near the town of Santa Marie del Tule in the Tlacolula valley not many miles east of Oaxaca city. Bikers young and old assembled for this cross-country contest, competing in friendly fashion for prizes and status. The race course was a loop running for 4.2 miles (6.76 km), utilizing existing country roads, field access routes and single track trail. There were no technical challenges on the route, but there was a total of 509 feet (155 meters) of elevation gain and loss. Some of the singletrack had an uphill gradient of 15% to challenge the contestants. The start/finish line sat at an altitude of 5223 feet (1592 meters), while the highest point of the trail registered 5475 feet (1668.8 meters) and the lowest was 5117 feet (1559.6 meters).

Fue una hermosa y brillante mañana para una grandiosa carrera de ciclismo de montaña, cerca del pueblo Santa María del Tule, en el Valle de Tlacolula, a unos pocos kilómetros de la ciudad de Oaxaca de Juárez, se reunieron los atletas para este encuentro amigablemente competitivo. El circuito fue de 6.76 km (4.2 millas) haciendo uso de carreteras rurales, accesos a plantaciones y un par de veredas. No hubo dificultades técnicas en la ruta, pero sí se contó con un desnivel de 155 metros (509 pies) entre ascensos y descensos. Una vereda contó con un gradiente de ascenso de 15% como reto especial para los concursantes. La línea de partida se ubicaba en una altitud de 1592 mts (5223 pies), mientras el punto más alto registrado fue de 1668.8 mts (5475 pies) y el más bajo fue de 1559.6 mts (5117 pies).

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Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Outing, Photos

Nitos Ride To San Dionisio – Salida del Grupo Nito Hacia San Dionisio

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The rainy season arrived early this year, and Oaxaca received over 10 inches (64.5 cm) of rain in the past two weeks. However, the Weather Gods smiled on us for the Nitos ride today to San Dionisio Ocotlan. The sky this morning was relatively clear after overnight showers, opening the way for a pleasant ride in the country. However, rain clouds chased us home from Ocotlan, and the group got back to Oaxaca just as another batch of evening showers began pelting the city.

The day’s destination was not so much the village of San Dionisio itself as the nearby “Rancho Las Fresas” where the group enjoyed a tasty lunch and then dispersed into the fields to look for fresh strawberries for dessert.

As for the ride itself, the group covered 52.7 miles (87.8 km) in the course of the day, logging a total of 2395 feet (730 meters) of elevation gain and loss along the way, with most of the uphill associated with crossing the ridge that separates the Oaxaca valley from Ocotlan. It was a long day – we left at 8 AM and got back to Oaxaca at 6 PM – but it was quite satisfying.

Las lluvias llegaron temprano este año, Oaxaca recibió más de 64.5 cms (10 pulgadas) de descenso pluvial en las pasadas dos semanas. Sin embargo, el Dios del Clima nos mimó para la salida del grupo Nito hacia San Dionisio Ocotlán. El cielo esa mañana estaba relativamente despejado después de la fuerte lluvia de la noche anterior, abriendo un agradable camino para un ciclopaseo en la zona rural. Igual, al final del día, Oaxaca nos recibió con su imperdible lluvia.

El destino no era el pueblo, San Dionisio, sino  el cercano “Rancho de las Fresas”, dondo el grupo disfrutó de una deliciosa y nutritiva comida, para luego buscar fresas frescas de postre.

En cuanto al paseo, el grupo recorrió 87.8 kms (52.7 millas) en el transcurso del día, datando un total de 730 metros (2395 pies) de diferencia entre subidas y bajadas. El momento más exigente, por lo empinado, fue cruzar la división entre el valle de Oaxaca y el valle de Ocotlán. Fue un largo día, saliendo de Oaxaca a las 8am y regresando a las 6pm, pero definitivamente satisfactorio.

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Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Nitos Ride In Tlalixtac Territory – Los Molinos Trail

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Members of the Nitos Ciclistas En Movimiento took to the hill country in the territory belonging to the village of Tlalixtac for this Sunday’s ride. The Oaxaca Valley had received over 5 inches (32 cm) of rain in the previous five days, so the ground was saturated, streams were running strong, humidity was high and there was plenty of mud along the way. It was a fun outing, nevertheless; and the 26 people who took part had a great time!

After getting clear of the city, the group took mostly back roads on the way to the foothills and then followed a country trail that wound upwards running parallel to Highway 175, but on the far side of a gurgling stream. After pedaling for about three hours the group stopped for lunch in the woods before splashing across the creek and sailing back to Oaxaca on the shoulder of the highway.

The round trip covered 16.2 miles (26.1 km) with an elevation gain and loss of 1007 feet (307 meters). There were just a few technical challenges along the way in the form of some rock gardens. However, there were many muddy spots and a number of places where water was running down the trail, so the going was slow at times.

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Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Outing, Photos, Ride Routes

Nitos Ride to Tlacolula

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There are several bike clubs in Oaxaca, one of which is called “Nitos Ciclistas En Movimiento.” (www.facebook.com/groups/Nitos.CiclistasEnMovimiento) This group sponsors a ride every Sunday morning at 8:00 am starting from the church of St. Agustin, located at the intersection of Armento y Lopez and Guerrero streets in downtown Oaxaca city.

The ride on this second Sunday in May was a pleasant 42 mile round trip excursion on back roads to the Sunday market in Tlacolula, where participants stopped for lunch. Oaxaca had received over an inch of rain the night before, so there were lots of puddles along the route and some of the farm roads were pretty muddy – nobody came home with clean riding gear! Still, it was a fun outing and the fifteen participants had a good time, despite a succession of flat tires and one bike’s free wheel getting stripped.

The map below does not accurately reflect today’s ride, which followed a somewhat different route. (The map is for the “Tlacolula Loop” listed on the “Rides” page of this web site.) However, it serves to give the direction of today’s outing and reflects about the same overall mileage.

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Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Trail Info

Pedaling Around San Pablo

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There is no shortage of flowing trails around San Pablo Etla, a suburb on the north side of Oaxaca city. This Sunday afternoon ride follows a popular trail (almost identical to the San Pablo Mountain Park Loop Two reported elsewhere on this web site). Fact is, there are so many intersecting trails in these parts it is possible to make a thousand variations so there is always something new, even when you’ve ridden the area many times over.

The bulk of the ride is on singletrack trail that pretty much follows the contour lines of the hills — though there are some rather steep ups and downs. The trail is quite narrow, for the most part, and often runs off-camber. There is a good assortment of rocky sections to keep you on your toes, and lots of thorny shrubbery waiting to draw blood from passing bikers.

The loop ride shown on the map below covers 6.0 miles (9.65 km) with a gain and loss of 1002 feet (305 meters) on the circuit. The high point just touches the 6000 foot mark (1829 meters), while the low point tips the altimeter at 5500 feet (1676 meters).