Category: GPS

Items containing GPS data (either the downloadable KML/Z or GPX file) &/or a map that displays such data.

Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Racing

Sunday Morning Ride & Race

by  •  • 1 Comment

There was a mountain bike race scheduled for Sunday, 18 February in the nearby town of Santa Maria del Tule, so a group of local riders decided to pedal out that way to watch the contest. We were six gringos and one Mexican; five men and two women; a mix of experienced and newbie riders ranging in age from early 20’s into the mid-70’s. The terrain between Oaxaca and Tule is virtually flat, so ours was a very easy-going outing. The race itself took place in the same area as a previous contest — see:  http://www.oaxacamtb.org/wp/2012/11/mountain-bike-races/ — but followed different and more technically challenging trails on the hillside southeast of Tule. Curiously, there were relatively few race contestants and spectators for the day’s event. There seems to be some difficulty with the organization that sponsors local races, which is unfortunate, as there is a lot of enthusiasm among Oaxaca mountain bikers for these kinds of contests. The normal turnout for a race is in the range of 100-300 contestants. Today’s race fell far short of those numbers. In any case, our group spent an hour or so watching the race, then rode on to Santo Domingo Tomaltepec before returning to Oaxaca by way of Tlalixtac. All told, we pedaled 24.5 miles (39.4 kms) with a total of 1560 feet (475.5 meters) of elevation gain and loss on the loop ride. 

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing

New Year’s Day 2018 Kick-Off Ride

by  •  • 0 Comments

The first day of 2018 dawned bright and clear with moderate temperatures — just the sort of day to entice a mountain biker into the saddle for a New Year’s kick-off ride. Larry and Albi met up at 10 am and agreed to ride a few miles along the Libramiento and through the mountain park managed by the nearby village of Donaji. Along the way we met many family groups enjoying hikes in the countryside or heading for a picnic in the park. At under 12 miles and taking just two hours, ours was not a long ride – but a pleasant one nevertheless. Hopefully, this was a harbinger of many good things to come in 2018.

 

 

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Hooray For Sunshine!

by  •  • 0 Comments

For weeks on end grey clouds hovered over Oaxaca and frequent rain showers pelted the city day and night. September was an especially gloomy and wet month. So cries of “Hallelujah!” were heard when October arrived, bringing blue skies to local sun worshippers. Jacob, a visitor from Houston, Texas set up a Sunday morning ride to Huayapam to get a feel for mountain biking in the Valles Centrales. Huayapam was selected as the destination both because it is close by and because a mountain bike race was scheduled to take place this Sunday. It turned out to be a beautiful day for such an adventure. Due to a late start, however, we arrived too late to watch the bike race. We rode a total of 14.8 miles (22.3 kms) with an elevation gain and loss along the way of 1863 feet (567.8 meters). The route was a mix of city streets, back country lanes and a good bit of single track trail. 

Countryside, GPS, Photos, Trail Info

Rainy Season Mudfest

by  •  • 0 Comments

The summer rainy season of 2017 has proven exceptionally wet. It may not match the record precipitation measured in 2010, but it must be close and has certainly put an end to the drought conditions of the past two years. The month of September was particularly gloomy and wet, with hardly a glimpse of blue sky. So when Ron and Larry set out on 3 October for a gentle ride in the countryside of the Zimatlan valley, they were not surprised to find lots of mud on the dirt roads that criss-cross this agricultural region. Ron picked the route, as this was his first mountain bike ride in Oaxaca and he wanted to stick with flat terrain. The idea was to load our bikes in a van and drive to Zegache, then do a loop through the countryside to Ocotlan and back. In this regard we can report “mission accomplished”. We pedaled 14.7 mi (23.6 kms) on the route, with an elevation gain and loss of less than 350 feet (106 meters). We rode at a leisurely pace and stopped at several places along the way, including to visit the Rodolfo Morales museum in the monastery the famous artist restored in the center of Ocotlan. Unfortunately the parish church in Zegache, which Morales also had rebuilt and then painted, was damaged in the earthquakes of 7 and 19 September, and so was not open to the public. Also, to our dismay, there were very few fields of flowers to be seen in the area, which normally produces most of the flowers used to decorate graves and family ofrendas for the “Day of the Dead” festivities at the end of October. Many of the farm fields, in fact, were under water. A special highlight of the ride was the discovery of a beautiful wall mural on the main street of Santiago Apostol protesting the introduction of genetically modified corn into Mexico — see photo, below. 

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

New Bikers In Town

by  •  • 0 Comments

Brian and Karen arrived in Oaxaca on 1 August, having moved to Mexico from Cuenca, Ecuador. They brought their 29’er mountain bikes with them and were anxious to explore the territory around their new home port. A visit to the rolling hill country of the western Etla Valley seemed a good place for an introductory ride. We opted to drive from el centro out to San Pedro Ixtlahuaca and a bit beyond before unloading our bikes and saddling up. It was a cloudy, cool day with occasional rain sprinkles. As expected, there was very little vehicular traffic on the unpaved roads that criss-cross the region like spiderwebs. We rode the lollypop loop on the left side of the map, below, passing through the small villages of Cieneguilla and Jalapa del Valle. That route covered 15.6 kilometers (9.7 miles) with an elevation gain and loss of 363 meters (1191 feet) around the circuit. The highest point was 1900 meters (6234 feet) on the road where there is a nice view of the church and environs of Jalapa del Valle. The lowest point — 1725 meters (5659 feet) — was in Jalapa del Valle itself. It was a pleasant outing that left the newcomers looking forward to future rides on single track trails in the mountains nearby.