Category: Countryside

The charming little village of Tule, a few miles east of Oaxaca on the road to Mitla, is famous for its gargantuan cedar tree in the church yard. The tree is reputedly nearly 3000 years old; it is indisputably big enough to house the Swiss Family Robinson and most of their relatives.

From a cyclist’s point of view, Tule is well situated for easy rides into the flat countryside of the Tlacolula Valley. It is a pleasant jaunt from Oaxaca on the bike path in the center of the Ferrocarril (which was extended all the way into Tule in December of 2013), and is a natural jumping off point for rides to Santo Domingo Tomaltepec, Tlacochahuaya, Dainzu, Tlacolula, Yagul, Teotitlan, Mitla, etc. It is also a favorite stopping-off place on the return to Oaxaca to sample a refreshing nieve, have lunch or grab a snack.

The ride from San Felipe to Tule and back clocks in at 19.1 miles (30.7 km), with an elevation change of 1063 feet (324 meters). However, if you start your ride in Oaxaca rather than San Felipe, you’ll cut 7 miles and 750 feet off of those figures. The paved bike path begins at the intersection of Ferrocarril and Norte Cinco.

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This extended loop ride goes east from Oaxaca city out through the Tlacolula Valley; then runs south across the ridgeline into the Zimatlan Valley at Guegorexe, not many miles north of Ocotlan; then returns to the capital via highway 175.  At 46.1 miles (74.2 km), it is a full day’s ride. The elevation gain & loss is 2520 feet (768 meters). The outing is 7 miles less if you begin and end in the Zocalo in downtown Oaxaca, and skip the part from & to San Felipe. Most of the ride takes place on bike paths and dirt roads; but the section from near Guegorexe back to Oaxaca city is on the shoulder of a busy highway. The ride is rated “Moderate to Difficult” primarily because of the distance. The grades are not too demanding, and there are no technical aspects on the route.

The batteries in my GPS died about the time I got to highway 175, so the track and mileage shown from that point on is an approximation. However, as you are riding along the highway and there is good signage, you cannot get lost.

Bike rides to villages in the Tlacolula Valley to the east of Oaxaca City are generally easy affairs. The terrain is mainly flat, and there is a good network of dirt roads linking the many small communities. It is a simple matter to use the bike path on the old Ferrocarril to get from the center of Oaxaca out to Tule, which then serves as a springboard to other destinations.

The track illustrated below shows the route from my home in San Felipe del Agua to the village of San Sebastian Teitipac. The total distance is 44 miles (70.8 km), with an elevation gain & loss of 1498 feet (456.6 meters). The elevation chart below shows only the track for the return trip; you have to imagine the missing mirror image for the outgoing segment. If you elect to use the Zocalo as the start / end point rather than San Felipe, you can deduct 7 miles and 750 feet in elevation from the figures above.

Visitors to Oaxaca who are looking to explore the area by bicycle may very well enjoy an easy ride into the countryside to get a sense of the rural communities that dot the Valles Centrales.  Bikes can be rented from Zona Bici (Garcia Vigil 406-1 / www.zonabici.com.mx) or Bicicletas Pedro Martinez ( Aldama 418 / www.bicicletaspedromartinez.com) for a reasonable rate, and are perfect for a day’s outing.

Once out in the Tlacolula Valley, there are miles of dirt roads that can take the rider as far as he or she cares to go, with a minimum of climbing and no technical challenges.

The route shown below covers a distance of 23.1 miles (37.2 km), with an elevation gain & loss of 1185 feet (361 meters).  It can be shortened by 7 miles (and the elevation gain & loss reduced by 750 feet) by riding from the Zocalo rather than from San Felipe.