Your mountain biking "trailhead" to Oaxaca, Mexico
Category: Trail Info
Trails are logically distinct components. A trail can be ten meters long or 100,000 meters. Trail Info category indicates a post that has detailed specific information describing a particular trail. For posts describing a suggested route that uses one or more trails, use the Ride Route category INSTEAD.
Four biking buddies hit the trail to climb the La Muneca trail in the hills near Tlalixtac and then coast down to the two presas in Santo Domingo Tomaltepec before looping back to their starting point near the Tlalixtac town center. All told, they spent about four hours in the saddle and pedaled 12.5 miles (20.1 kms) on this leisurely ride on a lovely May morning. The climb to the monument at the top of the La Muneca trail took the riders 1477 feet (450 meters) up the hillside. The trail was sufficiently steep to cause some hike-a-biking going up. But that was rewarded with some great zinging downhill. One of the riders had never visited the two lovely presas in the valley above Santo Domingo Tomaltepec, so those were included in the day’s itinerary. The group wrapped things up with a lunch of tasty Mexican food upon their return to Oaxaca at mid-afternoon.
Recent visitors to this web page, whether regular clients or first-timers, might well wonder about the state of mountain biking in Oaxaca or the health of the web site, given the relatively few new posts put online over the past several months. Well, be assured that both are alive and well. As the years go by local mountain bikers necessarily repeat their favorite rides over and over, as there is less and less new territory to be explored. So while local bike clubs continue to sponsor weekly outings, there is not much incentive to post stories which basically repeat what has already been presented. This post is a case in point. A group of 24 mountain bikers assembled on Sunday morning in front of the church of Santo Domingo on the Macedonia Alcala (pedestrian mall in downtown Oaxaca) eager to set out on a 70 kilometer (43.1 mile) loop ride through the Tlacolula and Zimatlan valleys near the capital city. It would be a challenging and satisfying ride, but would follow a route well known to the riders. First following the paved bike path to Tule, the route would then use country roads through Rojas de Cuauhtemoc, Santa Rosa Buena Vista, San Juan Teitipac, Santa Cecilia Jalieza, Santo Domingo Jalieza and San Pedro Guegorexe before catching Highway 175 running north through San Bartolo and Santa Maria Coyotepec back into Oaxaca. The group was reminded along the way that civilization was encroaching on the countryside, as much of the seventy kilometers that was dirt road ten years ago now features pavement, not only in the various villages but on many of the connecting roads. That made the going easier — a fact appreciated by the riders who were now ten years older than in those bygone days. In summary, the group gained and lost a total of 875 meters (2870 feet) in elevation riding the loop. The high point was 1800 meters (5907 feet) crossing the ridge of hills separating the Tlacolula and Zimatlan valleys. The low point was 1517 meters (4977 feet). The group made a wrong turn passing through San Juan Teitipac, which resulted in following a farm road that eventually disappeared into plowed fields, necessitating some bushwhacking to return to the proper road. This, in turn, contributed to there being at least six flat tires among the riders, which accounted for the slow pace of the group. Still, it was a lovely day to be out on a bike and everyone had an enjoyable time.
The summer rainy season of 2017 has proven exceptionally wet. It may not match the record precipitation measured in 2010, but it must be close and has certainly put an end to the drought conditions of the past two years. The month of September was particularly gloomy and wet, with hardly a glimpse of blue sky. So when Ron and Larry set out on 3 October for a gentle ride in the countryside of the Zimatlan valley, they were not surprised to find lots of mud on the dirt roads that criss-cross this agricultural region. Ron picked the route, as this was his first mountain bike ride in Oaxaca and he wanted to stick with flat terrain. The idea was to load our bikes in a van and drive to Zegache, then do a loop through the countryside to Ocotlan and back. In this regard we can report “mission accomplished”. We pedaled 14.7 mi (23.6 kms) on the route, with an elevation gain and loss of less than 350 feet (106 meters). We rode at a leisurely pace and stopped at several places along the way, including to visit the Rodolfo Morales museum in the monastery the famous artist restored in the center of Ocotlan. Unfortunately the parish church in Zegache, which Morales also had rebuilt and then painted, was damaged in the earthquakes of 7 and 19 September, and so was not open to the public. Also, to our dismay, there were very few fields of flowers to be seen in the area, which normally produces most of the flowers used to decorate graves and family ofrendas for the “Day of the Dead” festivities at the end of October. Many of the farm fields, in fact, were under water. A special highlight of the ride was the discovery of a beautiful wall mural on the main street of Santiago Apostol protesting the introduction of genetically modified corn into Mexico — see photo, below.
The mighty Titan Zapoteca marathon race held each spring in San Pablo Guila has become one of the premier mountain bike events in Oaxaca state. This year’s installment, which took place on Sunday, 26 March 2017, attracted over 400 registered participants — and a number of non-racing followers, like our little gringo group. As in past years, the race course was very challenging, with multiple long climbs and many treacherous descents. The race course is formidable, running for 42 km (26 miles) through the countryside, with steep climbs and scary, very technical descents. The total elevation gain and loss on the loop course amounts to over 1128 meters (3700 feet).
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).
