Category: Racing

Items related to organized mountain bike racing. E.g. upcoming races, race results, routes used as race tracks for past or upcoming MTB racing events.

Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Racing, Ride Routes

Enduro MTB Race

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The third round of the 2018 National Intense Enduro series took place in the mountains not far from Oaxaca city on Saturday, 5 May 2018. The race was held in three stages, using some of the nearby trails popular with local riders. The first stage utilized the Veredita trail, which begins at the summit of a logging road 3.2 miles (5.1 kms) above the village of Guacamaya 23 miles (37 kms) north of Oaxaca city in the Sierra Norte range. With the starting gate at an altitude of 9051 feet (2758 meters), this was the highest point of the race circuit. This trail runs downhill 8.6 miles (13.8 kms), ending near the town of San Miguel Etla, a descent of 4998 feet (1523 meters). From that point, race contestants had to either shuttle or pedal back up the mountain to the ecotourism camp of Cieneguillas, where they then rode the single track Cieneguillas trail 3.9 miles (5.2 kms) down to San Agustin Etla, losing 2240 feet (683 meters) along the way. Then it was back up the mountainside to catch a short portion of the Carroñera race course trail, which drops 2.0 miles (3.2 kms) back to San Agustin, generally following the aqueduct that carries water into the village. This last section was the mildest, dropping just 863 feet (263 meters). The race concluded at the Casa de las Artes in San Agustin, a very impressive structure that once housed a large textile mill, now converted into a center which displays traveling exhibits of art from Mexico and other countries of Central America. 

Map of the Veredita trail:

Map of the Cieneguillas trail:

Map of San Agustin Etla Aqueduct trail:

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Racing

Marathon Mountain Bike Race at San Juan Teposcolula

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At 6:30 on Sunday morning the first glimmers of daylight were brightening the sky as dozens of mountain bike racers were loading their gear into pick-up trucks for the drive to San Juan Teposcolula, located in the Mixteca Alta 110 kilometers northwest of Oaxaca city. Between 8 and 9 am a couple hundred  race contestants had converged on San Juan for the first-ever mountain bike race in that rural community. The town center was a beehive of activity, with bikers registering and warming up for the race; townspeople providing food and beverages to the assemblage; and lots of police to provide traffic control on the main highway and back roads used for the contest. The weather was picture-perfect and there was a friendly excitement in the air. The race got under way at 9:30 and the first biker crossed the finish line a bit less than three hours later. The race course followed a meandering 54.6 kilometer route through the hill country nearby, providing innumerable climbs and subsequent descents. Many thanks to the various race sponsors, the good people of San Juan and the folks at ACREO for making the event possible.

To see animated map, click here:  https://www.facebook.com/Accreo/videos/vb.447327002279737/584705118541924/?type=2&theater

Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Racing

Sunday Morning Ride & Race

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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, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Racing

Off To The Race!

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There was a cross-country mountain bike race today (9 October 2016) in the nearby village of Huayapam, so it was decided this would be the destination for the Sunday Summit Cyclery shop ride. Ten fellows set out from Colonia Reforma at 8:30 to ride to Huayapam. The group stopped briefly for breakfast along the way and arrived at the ecotourism park in Huayapam, where the race was held, just in time for the start of the contest. Well over 100 racers took part in the event, spread out in the elite, masters, women’s and beginners’  classes. The course followed basically the same route as last year’s race, with a couple of small adjustments to avoid some areas of high water around the presa in Huayapam.  Both race contestants and spectators appeared to enjoy the day’s activity.

Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Racing

National Cup Mountain Bike Race in Huayapam

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The nearby village of San Andrés Huayapam hosted a mountain bike race sponsored by the Federacion Mexicana de Ciclismo on Sunday, 24 April 2016. The event took place in Huayapam’s ecotourism park, adjacent to the two presas which serve as water reservoirs for Huayapam and Tlalixtac. As is the custom with other local closed-course races, the main race was preceded by several rounds of shorter races for kids. The main event got under way about 10:30 am and featured riders from Oaxaca and various other states in Mexico competing in various “Expert” and “Womens” categories.

The course laid out for the race wound back and forth and around the park, at one point crossing over itself on a bridge. The course was 3.1 miles (5.0 kilometers) long, with an elevation gain and loss of 471 feet (143.5 meters) along the way. Depending on what category they were entered in, participants had to circle the course four or five times to complete the race. As race courses around Oaxaca go, this was at a relatively low elevation — 5330 to 5508 feet (1624.5 to 1678.8 meters) — with moderate climbs and few technical challenges, making it one of the easier venues. Even so, the course was sufficiently challenging to keep the riders on their toes.