Sunday, March 13th was a day of clear skies and warm temperatures. D., C., C., P., and E. met up on the highway out Etla way to explore some of the network of paths, trails and dirt roads on the western side of the Etla valley in the scrub-brush covered foothills that sit between the toll highway to Puebla / Mexico City and the pine-covered mountains.
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).
Mountain bikers in Oaxaca have a great selection of local races to enjoy — either as participants or as spectators. But if you are curious about professional races held in the U.S., there is now a way to satisfy that longing. “Mountain Bike Mania” is a TV show that first aired in 2014. Past episodes can be seen at http://mountainbikemania.net/. Check it out!
San Andres and San Pedro Ixtlahuaca are two small villages in the Etla Valley just a few miles west of the archeological site of Monte Alban. The rolling hills in the countryside here are both scenic and fun to explore on a mountain bike. Twenty-eight members of the Nitos bike club set out from the center of Oaxaca on this bright Sunday morning in early October to make the most of a beautiful day. The group covered 34.7 kilometers (21.6 miles) on today’s outing, spending about 3.5 hours in the saddle and taking an additional hour for a pleasant lunch at a local comedor along the route, which followed a convoluted path so as to avoid riding on the main highway as much as possible. The ride was an easy one, as the hills were gentle; the total elevation gain for the day amounted to 315 meters (1034 feet).
San Andrés y San Pedro Ixtlahuaca son dos pueblos en el valle de Etla a unasos pocos kilómetros al oeste de Monte Albán. La cadena de colinas aquí son estéticamente bellas e interesante para explorar con un “mountain bike”. Viente ocho socios de el Club Nitos salieron del centro de la ciudad de Oaxaca un domingo asoleado a principos de octubre para disfrutar del día. El viaje era de 34.7 kilómetros y tres horas y media con una hora de descanso y una comida fue por una ruta fuera de la carretera principal en la medida posible. El viaje no es difícil con colinas no muy altas. De hecho la subida total era de 315 metros.
Today’s outing was a massive undertaking. The Nitos group teamed up with Perros de la Montaña and Chapus Bike for this expedition to San Pablo Guila. The trip had seventy participants and required a caravan of vehicles to transport all the riders and their bikes the 42 miles (67.6 km) from Oaxaca to San Pablo. Pedro Martinez came along for the ride, as well.
The ride itself had two parts. First the group climbed 2.3 miles (3.7 km) up the steep dirt road from town to the capilla atop the hill overlooking the village. This proved quite a challenge, as the road was very rough and badly eroded, in addition to requiring a climb of 944 feet (287.7 meters) on a grade that consistently ran at 12 to 14 per cent.
After looping back to town (with some of the more adventurous riders taking the tricky singletrack trail rather than the road) and pausing there for a well-deserved break, the gang then did a 4.12 mile (6.63 km) out-and-back ride to a natural spring not far from town. Some in the group took advantage of the situation to play in the mineral water at the spring. Once back in town, the whole entourage was hosted for lunch at the home of Moises Lopez Cruz, who acted as our host for the entire day.
It was a tired but happy bunch of cyclists who returned to Oaxaca late in the afternoon.
