Our Sunday group ride this week took the gang to the obscure town of San Juan del Estado, located in the northeastern portion of the Etla valley. The out & back distance amounted to 66.8 km (41.5 miles), with an elevation gain and loss of 389.5 meters (1278 feet) along the way. A total of eight cyclists – seven men and one woman – took part in the outing.
The La Reina trail is a very steep gravel road which links San Andres Huayapam with the ecotourism camp at La Cumbre Ixtepeji at over 9000 feet in altitude. This is a killer climb and, conversely, a screamer descent. The elevation gain amounts to 2378 feet in the space of 3.7 miles, with a gradient of 20% in some places. Your legs and lungs better be in top condition and your bike equipped with a good granny gear to make it to the top; and your brakes will get a heck of a workout on the way down. The map below shows the way, but note that this ride stopped short of the top of the mountain. Access to the trail is from Martires street. Note: there is a fee of 50 pesos (in 2024) to use the trail, payable at a toll booth at the bottom of the road just outside Huayapam.
San Andres Zautla is a small community situated 24 kilometers (14.9 miles) northwest of Oaxaca city. It was the destination for a Sunday group ride on 25 February 2024.
The first – and most welcome – rain of 2024 fell gently in Oaxaca for several hours in the afternoon and evening of Saturday, 17 February. It was still overcast the following morning but there were few puddles to impede the group of nine cyclists who set out from el centro at 8:20 am for a pleasant loop ride to the village of La Raya, located in the rolling hill country of the Zimatlan valley southwest of Oaxaca. The cloud cover burned off as the morning progressed, revealing blue sky and pushing the thermometer into the lower 20’s C. (mid 70’s F.) by afternoon. Bikers covered 57.9 kilometers (36.0 miles) on the ride, gaining and losing 462.7 meters (1518 feet) in elevation along the route. While the ride overall was rated moderate, there was one long, steep hill climb that was a big challenge to some in the group. As per our custom, the gang stopped for brunch at the mercado gastronomico in Zaachila on the journey home.
The citizens of Guelavia hosted a boisterous festival this fourth Sunday in January celebrating the community’s use of carrizo (a bamboo-like plant) in the making of baskets, hats and other merchandise. Several blocks in the town center were roped off and filled with displays and vendors selling food, while there was music and dancing in the zocalo in front of the municipal building. A dozen cyclists from Oaxaca happily joined in the celebration as part of their weekly ride. It was a picture-perfect day for an outing through the countryside of the Tlacolula valley, with mild temperatures in the upper 70’s Fahrenheit (about 24º C) and a refreshing breeze blowing gently through the trees. Riders covered 58.2 kilometers (36.2 miles) on the round-trip excursion, with a modest elevation gain and loss of 163 meters (535 feet) in elevation along the way.
