Thirteen riders showed up on this Sunday in mid-January to pedal to the village of Magdalena Apasco near the northwestern limit of the Etla valley. The thermometer registered 58ºF (14.4ºC) as the group assembled in the plaza in front of the church of Santo Domingo at 8 am, then climbed to 83ºF (28.3ºC) by the time the ride ended at 2 pm. The gang was composed of a mix of men and women, natives and expats, full-time residents and folks just passing through Oaxaca. Most riders were aboard hardtail mountain bikes, but there was one touring bike, a gravel bike and one full-suspension ebike in the pack. Participants seemed evenly matched in terms of bike skills and stamina. The total round trip distance amounted to 42.0 miles (67.6 kms). The troop enjoyed a hearty lunch at a restaurant in Villa de Etla on the return leg of the outing. When all was said and done, it was an excellent bike adventure.
To see a map of the route we followed and some additional photos, please see:
A bright Sunday morning in mid-January lured thirteen riders to take to their bikes.Cycling to the outskirts of Oaxaca city. Pedaling along a country lane. A group photo at some of the Zapotec ruins in San Jose el Mogote. The emblem of Mexico carved in stone at the municipal building in Magdalena Apasco.
Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) has made improving the infrastructure of the nation one of his priorities. The best known examples of his success include the construction of a new airport in México City, the Maya Train in the Yucatan, the inter-ocean trade corridor across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and the new refinery complex in Tabasco state. In Oaxaca State the long-delayed new highway linking the capital with Puerto Escondido is finally nearly finished. And there have been many miles of new paved roads (colloquially called “AMLO roads”) built linking villages all around the Valles Centrales. Some examples of these: San Pedro Ixtlahuaca to San Pablo Cuatro Venados – 17.6 kilometers
San Gabriel Etla to Arroyo Guacamaya – 17.8 kilometers Jalapa del Valle to Santiago Tlazoyaltepec – 19.6 kilometers San Felipe Tejalapam to Santa Maria Peñoles – 26.3 kilometers
La Lobera to San Miguel Peras – 31.2 kilomete Asuncion Noxchitlan to Santiago Apoala – 37.9 kilometers Built to facilitate vehicular travel between communities through mountainous terrain, these have also impacted mountain bikers wanting to test their legs and lungs on challenging routes. While the distances and elevation gains have not been altered, the pavement makes the pedaling uphill somewhat easier and the descents much more exhilarating
The road from San Felipe Tejalapam to Santa Maria Peñoles is a great example of the new AMLO roads.
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 May 2024 the trail is complete except for the last few miles on the old Los Molinos trail between El Estudiante and Tlalixtac on the outskirts of Oaxaca. Hopefully this final section will be finished within a year.
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 new Camino de Juarez wends for miles through the Sierra Norte.Sections of the Camino de Juarez run parallel to Highway 175.Bridges carry the trail over the highway in many places.There are stairs on some short, steep segments of the route.You will have to duck under some low-hanging tree branches.There are frequent pullouts where travelers can rest and enjoy the scenery. With thousands of trees along the trail, why were these left in the middle of the path?The section of the Camino de Juarez in Tlalixtac nearest Oaxaca is still under construction in May 2024.Construction here began in the summer of 2022 but was in abeyance for more than a year.Here the trail is still nothing more than a narrow footpath.
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.
Pounding the pavement on the way to San Felipe Tejalapam.Pedaling through the valley of the Rio Jalapilla. Leaving the Comedor Campestre in Jalapa after lunch. Here is the easy way to climb the long hill leaving Jalapa del Valle!The six riders who opted to ride the jeep road back to Oaxaca. Bombing down the trail.
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.
