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.
Category: GPS
Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Photos
Fiesta in San Juan Guelavia
by Larry • • 0 Comments
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.
GPS, Hiking, Mountains, MTBing, Photos, Ride Routes, Trail Info
Camino de Juarez
by Larry • • 0 Comments
There is an epic new trail near Oaxaca deserving of mention here. Under construction for two years, the Camino de Juarez opened in March 2024. The trail runs from San Pablo Guelatao – the birthplace of renowned Oaxaca native, Benito Juarez – to the outskirts of the capital city. The trail commemorates the twelve-year-old orphan’s solo walk from his hometown to Oaxaca in 1818, leaving behind his years as an unschooled shepherd boy to embark on a lifetime of stellar achievements as a student, lawyer, state governor, supreme court justice and president and savior of Mexico during the war of the French Intervention. A contemporary of Abraham Lincoln in the U.S., Juarez can fairly be called the father of the modern state of Mexico.
The Camino de Juarez winds for 29 miles (46.5 kms) through the mountainous terrain of the Sierra Norte, starting at an elevation of 5790 feet (1765 meters) in Guelatao and concluding at 5020 feet (1530 meters) in Tlalixtac. As of October 2024 the trail is complete except for the last segment on the outskirts of Oaxaca.
The highest point on the trail is 9246 feet (2818 meters). There is an elevation gain of 7631 feet (2326 meters) running from Guelatao to Oaxaca, with an elevation loss of 8333 feet (2540 meters) along the way. The paved trail has some steep segments containing steps. There are pedestrian overpasses in the several places where the trail crosses highway 175. The Camino de Juarez is amenable to hikers, backpackers, joggers and bicyclists.
Here are some impressions from riding several miles of the trail from El Punto towards Lachatao. First of all, we applaud the idea of a trail linking Guelatao with Oaxaca. For the most part the trail is 10 feet wide, though at times it narrows to 4-6 feet. In places it is quite steep, with a gradient of up to 25%. Cyclists should be wary of the frequent drainage channels that cross the path. Some are merely dips while others are narrow channels. Riders should be on the lookout for some of the dips that drop up to a foot very suddenly; and take care crossing the channels which sometimes run diagonally across the path. Both of these can cause a nasty spill if not traversed with caution.
The map below shows just a small section of the trail running from El Punto in the direction of Lachatao. For a map of the entire trail, please see https://www.wikiloc.com/trail-running-trails/guelatao-de-juarez-santa-lucia-del-camino-152383536?utm_medium=app&utm_campaign=share&utm_source=4731429
The map below shows the Camino de Juarez as it runs from El Estudiante to the presas in Huayapam, the next-to-last segment of the route just north of Oaxaca city.
Countryside, GPS, Photos
Marching To The Beat Of A (Somewhat) Different Drummer
by Larry • • 0 Comments
The destination for the ride this Sunday was Jalapa del Valle. This is a frequent end point for many excursions aboard a bike. Indeed, there are at least a dozen such outings listed elsewhere on this website, which attests to the enduring popularity of this ride – or the lack of any other destination in this corner of the Oaxaca valley. Nine cyclists, including four newbies to the group, set out from Santo Domingo Church at 8:15 am on a sunny and mild day in late November. The first half of the ride was mellow, consisting of mostly paved roads with minimum hill climbing going through San Lorenzo Cacaotepec and San Felipe Tejalapam to Jalapa del Valle. After lunch in Jalapa, the ride was more challenging. The route out of Jalapa entailed a long climb to the top of the ridge which isolates the valley of the Rio Jalapilla from the rest of the Valles Centrales. At just over 1829 meters (6002 feet), this was the highest point on the ride. At that point a couple of less experienced riders opted to stick to the paved road which winds downhill in the direction of San Pedro Ixtlahuaca. The rest of the gang rode a little-used jeep road which followed the ridgeline running to the east, connecting with the gravel road which links Tejalapam with San Andres Ixtlahuaca. This was the high point of the day, not just in altitude but in technical challenges, as well. To their credit, all seven cyclists proved quite capable on the “Yee-haw” descent, flying over loose patches of gravel and dodging deep ruts in the road. Total mileage accumulated on the ride came to 53 kilometers (33 miles). Riders spent five hours in the saddle and one hour having lunch at the Comidor Campestre.
Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Uncategorized
Santo Domingo & Santa Cecilia Jalieza
by Larry • • 0 Comments
The Days of the Dead – November 1 & 2 – are national holidays in Mexico. At this time people honor their deceased relatives by decorating their graves with lavish flower bouquets and spend time communing with the spirits of the dead. This holiday is more important than Christmas, Easter or any other fiesta in the calendar year. This ride on 2 November to the small villages of Santo Domingo and Santa Cecilia Jalieza took cyclists past six cemeteries, all resplendent with flowers and crowded with the living descendants of those interred there. Though hardly evident now, archeologists say that at one time the Jalieza region of the Valles Centrales of Oaxaca was the most densely populated in the area. Even today the hidden valley between San Antonio Buenavista and Santa Cecilia is wonderfully scenic and a worthy destination for a bike ride. The 70 kilometer (43.6 mile) route is pretty mellow. Though the terrain is not flat, the hills are not that many or particularly challenging, making this an inviting excursion for anyone with decent biking skills.
