Category: Foothills

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, Mountains, MTBing, Photos, Racing, Trail Info

“La Carroñera”

by  •  • 3 Comments

“La Carroñera” (“The Scavenger”) is an epic race held in the mountains just outside San Agustin Etla, a community a short distance to the north of Oaxaca city. On this particular day the contest drew a whopping 190 registered participants, all eager to test their mettle on this rigorous course, which ran 23.54 miles (37.88 km), using a combination of city streets, dirt roads, single track trails across the flanks of the mountain — and one section of tenuous trail running along the aqueduct that supplies water to San Agustin. There were three significant climbs along the way, the first being by far the longest and toughest, requiring contestants to use pedal power to gain 3711 feet (1131 meters) in altitude along the 7.2 mile (11.6 km) route from town to the highest point on the circuit — which topped out at an altitude of 9220 feet (2810 meters). The total elevation gain and loss riding around the course came to a whopping 6676 feet (2035 meters) — certainly a good day’s workout!

Those who preferred a somewhat less challenging course had the option of skipping the upper loop shown on the map. This reduced the overall length of the ride by 5.6 miles (9.0 km) and lopped off 2386 feet (722 meters) from the total elevation gain & loss for the day. Even so, the shorter ride totaled 17.9 miles (28.8 km) and demanded 4290 feet (1307 meters) of climbing and descending. Congratulations to all who completed the ride and earned a special medallion for their effort!

 

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Summit Cyclery Ride to Santo Domingo Tomaltepec

by  •  • 1 Comment

A bright Sunday morning enticed fifteen riders to show up for the weekly ride sponsored by Summit Cyclery, located in the Reforma neighborhood of Oaxaca city. The destination for the day was one of the mountain valleys east of the village of Santo Domingo Tomaltepec. Normally an outing in this area comes with the guarantee of getting wet, as there are numerous creek crossings going into and coming back out of the valley. However, the rains this summer seem to have skipped over this area, as the stream had little water in it and the two reservoirs that supply irrigation water to the community were very low.

Riders left Summit Cyclery at about 8:20 am and traveled 25.2 miles on the round trip excursion, passing through Tlalixtac on the way out and returning by way of Tule — where the group stopped to enjoy nieves of various flavors. In the course of the day they climbed about 1240 feet as they wound along the trail through the woods to the eventual turn-around point.

Countryside, Foothills, MTBing, Photos

Loop Ride: Oaxaca / San Bartolo Coyotepec / Rojas Cuahtémoc / Oaxaca

by  •  • 1 Comment

Rick B. laid out a great 33 mile (53 km) loop ride through the countryside south and east of Oaxaca city for the Nitos ride on Sunday, 2 August 2015. Most of the route was relatively level, so the going was easy — even though we followed dirt roads most of the way rather than riding on the highways. The start/finish point in downtown Oaxaca has an elevation of 5083 feet (1549.3 meters). The low point on the ride was 4989 feet (1520.6 meters), while the high point crossing over the mountain ridge separating the Zimatlan and Tlacolula valleys topped out at 5912 feet (1802.0 meters). The climb up to the ridge was a challenge, but the going down the other side was great fun! The total elevation gain and loss going around the loop came to 1877 feet (572 meters). The group left the church of St. Agustin in el centro at 8:00 am and finished the ride at the same point just shy of 2:30 pm.

Countryside, Foothills, Hiking, Mountains, MTBing, Photos

Mountain Biking In Colorado

by  •  • 0 Comments

Mountain bikers who live in Colorado are a lucky lot. As is the case in many of the western States in the U.S., a large part of Colorado’s territory — 35%, or over 23 million acres — is public land. These public lands include national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, monuments, wilderness areas and lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Most of these lands are owned and overseen by the federal government. But whether under the umbrella of federal, state or more local authority, these lands may be used by the public for recreation. Residents of Colorado spend millions of dollars of tax revenue every year to preserve, protect and improve their public land. In the mountains near Denver there are dozens of city, county and state parks where people may hike or ride mountain bikes. In most places, trails are well mapped and equipped with signs. Most trails are well maintained, either by governmental agencies or local volunteer groups. New trails are always being proposed and are generally built in a collaborative manner by local interest groups (i.e. mountain bike clubs) working in cooperation with government agencies. The result is a terrific network of trails which mountain bikers and all outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy. 

Today’s outing was a ride in Golden Gate Canyon State Park in the mountains not far from Golden, Colorado, the western-most suburb of the Denver metro area. The loop ride on the Blue Grouse and Mule Deer trails covered 11.2 miles (18.0 kms), with an elevation gain and loss of 1500 feet (457 meters). The trailhead sits at an altitude of 8400 feet (2560 meters) and the highest point of the trail crossed the 9400 feet (2865 meter) mark. Nine members of the Rocky Mountain Bicycle Boys bike club took part. After completing the ride, the group stopped for lunch and liquid refreshments at a local brewery in Golden.

To view a map of the trail network at Golden Gate State Park, click here.

Countryside, Foothills, Mountains, MTBing, Photos, Racing

The Bailey Hundo

by  •  • 0 Comments

Oaxaca is just half the size of Denver, but boasts more mountain bike clubs and more frequent races. However, there are some really classic races to be had in Colorado. The sixth annual Bailey Hundo took place on Saturday, 20 June 2015. This 100 mile cross-country race on the looping trails of the Buffalo Creek Recreation Area in the Pike National Forest is fast becoming a legend. Four hundred eager riders jostled for a place at the starting line in the little community of Bailey, which sits in a mountain valley about an hour’s drive west of Denver. Enthusiasm ran high — perhaps to counter the dread of having to pedal 100 miles before the day was out! The weather was ideal and trail conditions excellent for the day’s contest. Riders ranged in age from late teens into their sixties. Both female riders and fat-tire bikes were well represented. Congratulations to all who took part in this very challenging event!

To view a trail map showing the route of the 2015 Bailey Hundo, click here.