Category: Foothills

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Pedaling with the Pedalazos

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There is a relatively new mountain bike club in Oaxaca called “Los Pedalazos.” They meet for a group ride twice weekly — at 4 pm on Wednesday afternoons and again at 8 am on Saturday mornings. The Wednesday rides are shorter, given the hour of the day, and may require the use of lights if the group will be out after dark. The Saturday rides are longer — both in terms of distance traveled and time in the saddle. The outings are announced on the club’s Facebook page a day or two before the ride — see https://www.facebook.com/groups/pedalazos/.

The ride today (Sat / 19 Dec 2015) was a long loop running from the Casa Cultural in downtown Oaxaca out to San Bartolo Coyotepec in the Zimatlan valley, then over a mountain ridge and into the Tlocolula valley, passing through the villages of Rojas de Cauhtémoc and Tule, where the gang stopped for a very welcome lunch at a local comedor before continuing back to Oaxaca.

Seventeen riders were on hand for the start of the ride, but one dropped out because of mechanical problems and another in the face of some steep uphill climbs. The remaining fifteen completed the 31.8 mile (51.2 km) loop ride in approximately six hours, counting time spent relaxing and eating lunch in Tule. The low point on the ride dipped to 4989 feet (1520.6 meters), while the high point on the ridge separating the two wings of the Valles Centrales topped out at 5912 feet (1802 meters). There was a total of 1982 feet (604 meters) elevation gain and loss going around the loop.

 

Foothills, MTBing

Solidarity Ride

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There were 110+ mountain bikers and about a dozen joggers gathered at Parque Donaldo Colosio in San Felipe del Agua this morning shortly after 8 o’clock to take part in a solidarity ride/run. Riders ranged in age from kids 8-10 years old to old codgers like me pushing 70. About 90% were male, but there was a smattering of females. The gang from Summit Cyclery made this outing their Sunday shop ride, and they were welcome. The Nitos group was conspicuous by their absence, but that was due, no doubt, to their sponsoring a night ride from Oaxaca to San Sebastian de las Grutas last night — an ambitious undertaking covering 80 kilometers (50 miles) one way on a very narrow, twisty and sometimes steep stretch of highway.

Today’s bike ride was organized to protest the alleged assaults and robberies which have been reported on the San Felipe trail network in recent weeks. A newspaper photographer was present, and it is hoped the event will be reported in the local news media. One of the objectives of the ride was to pressure local authorities to increase security in the area — though exactly how this might be accomplished is not known.

The actual ride was rather short. From Colosio Park participants rode Loma Blanco up to the Libramiento Norte, then stayed on the Libramiento to the pass, where the grade descends into Vigera. While I would have preferred the group ride the “Toro, Toro, Toro” trail (better known locally as “Carnivoras”) to the top, that was probably not practical with a group so large as today’s. Once at the summit, riders posed for photos; then people broke into small groups for the ride back into town — with some staying on pavement and others opting to ride some of the single- and double-track trails down to San Felipe del Agua and on into Oaxaca.

My apologies for the lack of photos of the event. I loaned my camera to a friend this weekend, and neglected to put my iPhone in my hydration pack.

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

A Visit To Santa Ines del Monte

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The Nitos Ciclistas en Movimiento cycle club set out on a bright Sunday morning in mid-November (the 15th, to be exact) on a cross-country ride through the flat farm fields of the Zimatlan valley, then steeply uphill to the mountain village of Santa Ines del Monte. Unfortunately, my GPS unit malfunctioned, so I was not able to map our exact route. However, similar information is contained elsewhere on this web site (http://www.oaxacamtb.org/wp/2013/03/cuatro-venados-loop/) for those who would like to look it up.

Today’s route covered 38.0 miles (61 km) round trip. The climb from the valley floor to the high point just before entering Santa Ines amounted to 3060 feet (932.7 meters) — which, of course, made for a wonderfully fast descent on a grade that in places was as steep as 13%. For those who like the nitty-gritty details, the lowest point on the valley floor was 5034 feet (1534 meters), while the highest point on the climb was 7868 feet (2398 meters).

Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Trail Info

Riding the San Felipe del Agua Trail Network

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Sad to say, as of late summer in 2021 the terrific trail network described below was closed to hikers and mountain bikers. People buying property in the hills and constructing homes there prevailed in posting notices that the area was off-limits to recreational users; fences and gates were put up and the major access routes closed by chains or other barriers. What a shame that such a wonderful asset – one that had drawn people into the outdoors for generations – was lost to the public.

With the great trail network in the hills above San Felipe del Agua so close to Oaxaca city, it is not surprising that lots of people go mountain biking there, especially on Sundays. The gang at Summit Cyclery chose to ride there on 11 October 2015. There were 17 participants in this day’s outing — mainly young riders, but with one old guy (the author) plugging along, taking photos and GPS measurements.

The ride circuit covered 14.7 miles (23.6 km) start to finish, with an elevation gain and loss of 2146 feet (654 meters). At its highest point, the trail topped out at 6306 feet (1922 meters). The group rode several of the well-established trails on the mountainside, including some that have suffered significant erosion damage in the past year or so.  (Note to self:  we need to get a trail maintenance crew out there!)

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Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Sunday in Huayapam

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A dozen riders showed up at the Summit Cyclery shop for the weekly Sunday ride on the lovely morning of 4 October 2015. After weeks of almost daily showers, the rainy season seems to be coming to an end. At least on this day there was lots of blue sky to entice bikers out of bed, onto the saddle and into the hills around Oaxaca. The destination for the day’s outing was the nearby village of Huayapam — or more precisely, the network of back country roads and single track trail in the vicinity.

The group rode a total of 18.9 miles (30.4 km) between leaving the bike shop at 8:30 am and finishing the ride about 1:30 in the afternoon. The group enjoyed rolling terrain, with most of the hill climbing near Huayapam. Riders accumulated 1772 feet (540 meters) of elevation gain and loss going around the circuit. The low point on the day’s outing registered 5104 feet (1555.7 meters), while the high point topped out at 5714 feet (1741.6 meters).

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