Category: Photos

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Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Breakfast Stop In Huayapam

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Today’s Sunday morning shop ride sponsored by Summit Cyclery was essentially a breakfast outing. After a rather mellow ride through the open country between Oaxaca and the nearby village of Huayapam, the group stopped for a substantial and satisfying breakfast at a home-based restaurant in that town. Afterwards the gang returned by a more direct route, stopping for more refreshments at Cafe Brujula, just a few blocks from the bike store.

The total round trip distance on today’s excursion amounted to 10.7 miles (17.2 km), with an elevation gain and loss of 1189 feet (362.4 meters). The Summit Cyclery bike shop was the lowest point on the route at 5190 feet (1582 meters), while the highest point on the trail registered 5636 feet (1717.5 meters) in altitude.

 

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Pedaling with the Pedalazos

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There is a relatively new mountain bike club in Oaxaca called “Los Pedalazos.” They meet for a group ride twice weekly — at 4 pm on Wednesday afternoons and again at 8 am on Saturday mornings. The Wednesday rides are shorter, given the hour of the day, and may require the use of lights if the group will be out after dark. The Saturday rides are longer — both in terms of distance traveled and time in the saddle. The outings are announced on the club’s Facebook page a day or two before the ride — see https://www.facebook.com/groups/pedalazos/.

The ride today (Sat / 19 Dec 2015) was a long loop running from the Casa Cultural in downtown Oaxaca out to San Bartolo Coyotepec in the Zimatlan valley, then over a mountain ridge and into the Tlocolula valley, passing through the villages of Rojas de Cauhtémoc and Tule, where the gang stopped for a very welcome lunch at a local comedor before continuing back to Oaxaca.

Seventeen riders were on hand for the start of the ride, but one dropped out because of mechanical problems and another in the face of some steep uphill climbs. The remaining fifteen completed the 31.8 mile (51.2 km) loop ride in approximately six hours, counting time spent relaxing and eating lunch in Tule. The low point on the ride dipped to 4989 feet (1520.6 meters), while the high point on the ridge separating the two wings of the Valles Centrales topped out at 5912 feet (1802 meters). There was a total of 1982 feet (604 meters) elevation gain and loss going around the loop.

 

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

A Visit To Santa Ines del Monte

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The Nitos Ciclistas en Movimiento cycle club set out on a bright Sunday morning in mid-November (the 15th, to be exact) on a cross-country ride through the flat farm fields of the Zimatlan valley, then steeply uphill to the mountain village of Santa Ines del Monte. Unfortunately, my GPS unit malfunctioned, so I was not able to map our exact route. However, similar information is contained elsewhere on this web site (http://www.oaxacamtb.org/wp/2013/03/cuatro-venados-loop/) for those who would like to look it up.

Today’s route covered 38.0 miles (61 km) round trip. The climb from the valley floor to the high point just before entering Santa Ines amounted to 3060 feet (932.7 meters) — which, of course, made for a wonderfully fast descent on a grade that in places was as steep as 13%. For those who like the nitty-gritty details, the lowest point on the valley floor was 5034 feet (1534 meters), while the highest point on the climb was 7868 feet (2398 meters).

GPS, Mountains, MTBing, Photos, Ride Routes, Trail Info

Llano Grande in the Rain

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It was bright and sunny when 29 members of the “Nitos Ciclistas en Movimiento” bike club set out from Oaxaca at 7:15 am for a day ride at Llano Grande on Sunday, 25 October 2015. A caravan of ten cars and trucks hauled the riders, family members and their equipment the 42.2 mile (67.9 km) into the Sierra Madre. Unfortunately, heavy cloud cover rolled across the mountains and light rain began falling mid-way through the ride. The fog and rain prevented the group savoring the vista from the mirador, but made the forest vegetation seem more lush. Temperatures were mild, so everyone seemed to enjoy the outing, despite getting quite wet and muddy. The mud made for slow going; and tree roots and wooden bridges were especially slippery and dangerous. However, everyone made it safely through the ride and then enjoyed a hot lunch at one of the comedores in town before the group returned to Oaxaca.

Guides from the ecotourism camp at Llano Grande lead the way on a double loop through the dense woods. The route covered 9.95 miles (16.0 km), with an elevation gain and loss of 1812 feet (552 meters) for the day. Llano Grande sits at an altitude of 10,143 feet (3091.5 meters). The mirador was the highest point of the day, at 10,941 feet (3334.8 meters), while the cascada was the lowest point at 9635 feet (2936.7 meters).

 

Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Trail Info

Riding the San Felipe del Agua Trail Network

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Sad to say, as of late summer in 2021 the terrific trail network described below was closed to hikers and mountain bikers. People buying property in the hills and constructing homes there prevailed in posting notices that the area was off-limits to recreational users; fences and gates were put up and the major access routes closed by chains or other barriers. What a shame that such a wonderful asset – one that had drawn people into the outdoors for generations – was lost to the public.

With the great trail network in the hills above San Felipe del Agua so close to Oaxaca city, it is not surprising that lots of people go mountain biking there, especially on Sundays. The gang at Summit Cyclery chose to ride there on 11 October 2015. There were 17 participants in this day’s outing — mainly young riders, but with one old guy (the author) plugging along, taking photos and GPS measurements.

The ride circuit covered 14.7 miles (23.6 km) start to finish, with an elevation gain and loss of 2146 feet (654 meters). At its highest point, the trail topped out at 6306 feet (1922 meters). The group rode several of the well-established trails on the mountainside, including some that have suffered significant erosion damage in the past year or so.  (Note to self:  we need to get a trail maintenance crew out there!)

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