Category: Foothills

Countryside, Foothills, Mountains, MTBing, Photos, Trail Work

Trail Maintenance

by  •  • 1 Comment

The San Felipe trail network needs occasional maintenance. Once or twice a year the brush along the trails needs to be trimmed back – especially the shrubs and trees sporting thorns and needles! Steps also must be taken to minimize erosion. Drainage channels can be created in strategic spots to keep rainwater from washing out the trail. In places the trail needs to be rebuilt, either to moderate the gradient or to change the side slope so that water coming down the mountainside in a rain storm can flow across the trail rather than being captured by it and then creating nasty gullies that eat away at the trail itself. Finally, there are places where culverts need to be placed under the trail and/or rock barriers put in place to keep flowing water from eating away the very mountainside. All the work is done by volunteer labor following the suggestions found in “Trail Solutions: IMBA’s Guide to Building Sweet Singletrack.”

Countryside, Foothills, Mountains, MTBing, Photos, Uncategorized

New Bicycle Signs On Highway

by  •  • 0 Comments

Highway 175 that leads from Oaxaca city into the Sierra Norte mountains seems to be a fairly popular weekend ride for roadies and mountain bikers. The climb to La Cumbre Ixtepeji is brutal, whether accomplished entirely on the paved highway or by detouring on the dirt road through Tierra Colorada. The highway is steep, curvy and has no shoulder at all. It also has heavy vehicular traffic — all of which makes it a dangerous place for a bike. In recent weeks (December 2013) a number of new signs have been erected along the route cautioning motorists of bike riders and reminding them to share the roadway. This, and the newly-completed bike path to Tule, indicates the state government of Oaxaca looks favorably on the biking community.

Foothills, GPS, Hiking, MTBing, Photos, Ride Routes

Tlalixtac – Lower Mil Rios Trail

by  •  • 0 Comments

The small village of Tlalixtac lies 5.4 miles (8.7 km) east of Oaxaca city, a short distance north of the main highway to Tlacolula and Mitla. A number of good bike rides pass through this little town. This particular outing originates at the town square and proceeds on dirt roads and rocky singletrack up into a nearby mountain valley that provides water and firewood to the inhabitants of Tlalixtac. The road exists to service the four dams constructed in the lower part of the valley. Beyond the dams the path gradually diminishes until it is a narrow track through the forest — sometimes smooth and flowing; at other times studded with rocks. A skilled biker can ride the whole thing; average riders will likely have to hike-a-bike from time to time. There are fifteen creek crossings between the dams and the cascada at the far end of the valley (that makes 30 crossings out & back), but many are dry or have little water, depending on the time of year. There are no grand vistas to lure you up this trail, but you will surely enjoy the shady, winding path into the hills. This is also an excellent hiking trail, so feel free to ditch your bike and continue on foot if the going gets too intimidating for two-wheeled travel.

The distance from the Tlalixtac town center to the cascada is 13.7 miles (22.0 km) round trip, with an elevation gain and loss of 1283 feet (391 meters). If you choose to ride from the Zócalo in central Oaxaca (as shown on the second map below), you will accumulate a total of 24.5 miles (39.4 km) on the round trip, and the elevation gain & loss will amount to 2602 feet (793 meters).  Either option is a pleasant ride.

Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Racing

Mountain Bike Race at San Pablo Etla

by  •  • 2 Comments

St. Patrick’s Day – Sunday, 17 March 2013 –  found many of Oaxaca’s best mountain bikers competing for recognition and prizes on the race course set up near the new mountain park in San Pablo Etla. The luck ‘o’ the Irish was with eighteen riders who made it to the podium, but not with the many others whose tires got snakebit on the trail and had to push their bikes to the finish line. The race route covered a fair distance on dirt roads, but the exciting part was the singletrack that snaked up, down and around the hillsides, demanding skill and stamina to make it around the circuit. Congratulations to those who won their events! And thanks to all who took part and made it a grand day.

Foothills, MTBing, Photos, Racing

Mountain Bike Race at San Felipe del Agua

by  •  • 2 Comments

Sunday, 17 February 2013, dawned bright and crisp — a perfect day for a mountain bike race on the trail network in the hills above San Felipe del Agua. A large field of contestants – over 140 racers –  turned out for the event, along with quite a few spectators to line the route and cheer on their favorite riders. The race circuit was the same as for last year’s race, with a few slight changes to keep things interesting — see map below. Congratulations to the winners in the various race categories, and a big “Thank you!” to the crew that prepared the race course!