Countryside, MTBing, Photos, Uncategorized

Color Me Mud

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The first day of August was a particularly beautiful day – one that just begged for a long bike ride. So that is exactly what we did. Four friends met at Santo Domingo church at 8 am and set out on a long loop from Oaxaca to San Felipe Tejalapam, then over the hill to San Tomas Mazaltepec and back to Oaxaca – a ride of 59 kilometers (36 miles) with an elevation gain and loss of 512.7 meters (1682 feet). The highest point on the ride was 1855 meters (6088 feet). Recent rains left a number of puddles along the route, which contributed a lot of mud to encrust our bikes and soil our riding gear. Cleaning the bikes afterward required using a putty knife to pry off the bigger chunks of dried muck. That chore notwithstanding, it was a great ride.

The first day of August 2023 was a gorgeous day to be biking.
The road between Tejalapam and Mazalteped had a gradient of 15% in places,
requiring some strong pedaling – or hike-a-biking!

GPS, MTBing, Photos

Three Bars To La Cumbre

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The ecotourism camp and bike park at La Cumbre Ixtepeji is just 24 kilometers (15 miles) from Oaxaca, making it a favorite destination for both hikers and mountain bikers, given its close proximity to the city. Enduro riders usually shuttle to the park and then enjoy swooping along the many downhill-specific trails built there in recent years. But La Cumbre is a worthy destination in itself for anyone wanting to test their stamina making the 1161 meter (3808 foot) climb from Oaxaca. That is exactly what this ride was about. Using a combination of back roads and Hwy 175, going by way of El Studiante and Tierra Colrado on the climb up, it took 110 minutes to get from the Candiani neighborhood on the south side of town to the office at the entrance to La Cumbre. The exhilarating downhill ride back – all on the highway – took a mere 60 minutes. The display on my Trek “Rail” e-bike showed five bars at the outset, indicating a fully charged battery. Using the pedal-assist motor to help on the climb dropped the indicator three bars. That left two bars for the return journey – more than enough power, as the motor was shut off for the screamer descent to the floor of the Oaxaca valley. That downhill run pushed the speedometer to 67 kms (42 miles) per hour in some places before brakes were applied to make the next curve. Yee-haw! Total distance covered amounted to 53 kilometers (32.9 miles) on the round trip, which took 3.5 hours – counting a couple of rest stops and time for a cup of hot chocolate at La Cumbre.

Welcome to the La Cumbre mountain bike park!
The office at the entrance to La Cumbre where visitors register and pay an admission fee.
Some downhill riders get ready to unload their bikes.

Uncategorized

String Cheese & Flat Tires

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The small village of Reyes Etla claims to be the birthplace of Quesillo – otherwise known as Oaxaca string cheese. Legend has it that this notable cheese was created by accident when a young girl helping her mother make cheese botched the recipe. The happy result was this flavorful and chewy concoction prized by chefs throughout Mexico and beyond. On this third Sunday in July Reyes Etla was holding its annual Feria de Quesillo, and was the destination for our weekend ride.

As for those flat tires . . . . Yours truly is a big proponent of tubeless tires. However, my new Trek e-bike came equipped with tubes. I thought I would leave them well enough alone until a problem arose, then make the switch to tubeless. On this Sunday ride an abundance of thorns on the trail caused not one or two, but three flat tires on the front wheel. Thank goodness for a patch kit and a spare innertube – and the forbearance of fellow riders! Come Monday I will be busy converting the factory Bontrager tires to a tubeless setup.

For those of you who prize statistics, today’s excursion covered 48.6 kilometers (30.2 miles) round trip, with an elevation gain and loss of 198 meters (650 feet).

Ours was not the only group gathered for a ride this Sunday morning in July.
Color-coordinated and ready to ride.
Pedaling through el centro . . . .
. . . . and into the countryside.
It’s a great day to be out on a bike.
It is not a yellow brick road, but it will do just fine.
Mud is a reminder that summer is the rainy season in Oaxaca.
A detour through a farm field to avoid more mud.
The string cheese festival took place in an open field.
A talented youth orchestra provided festive music for the occasion.
Our motley crew in Reyes Etla.
Don’t even ask what this is about . . . .
Heading for home.

Foothills, GPS, Hiking, MTBing

Weekday ride to Donaji mountain park

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When riding the foothills trail from San Felipe del Aqua to Huayapam a few weeks ago, one member of the group pointed out a forest road going higher into the mountains, which he said made for a nice ride. I decided to go that way today. Glad I did. It was a pleasant, if rather short, ride. There were great views looking out over the Oaxaca valley. And where the road ended there was a spider web of hiking trails, some continuing up the mountain, and others dropping down and (probably) ending at the entry gate to the Benito Juarez National park. We will have to plan an exploratory hike here one day to map the hiking trails and find out where they lead.

Today’s ride followed a logging road at a back entrance to the parklands above Donaji.
Beautiful mountain vista close to Oaxaca city.
A hiking trail continuing uphill where the logging road ends.
These roads and trails are in Benito Juarez National Park.
A great view of the Oaxaca valley from high on the hillside.
There is an abandoned mine high up the hill.
A substantial tunnel burrows into the mountain.
Lots of small bats make their home at the end of the tunnel.
Watch for the sign on the left side of the trail going uphill
or you may pass by the mine without seeing it.

Uncategorized

To Cuatro Venados – On Pavement!

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San Pablo Cuatro Venados is a small village perched precariously on the steep slopes of the mountains which form the western rim of the Valles Centrales where Oaxaca is located. For over three and a half years, beginning in early 2020, Cuatro Venados was virtually inaccessible, thanks first to the Covid quarantine and then to the fact the road from San Pedro Ixtlahuaca was being paved – a two and a half year project – and closed to all traffic (even mountain bikes). So on this cloudy Sunday in late June it seemed a worthy destination for a solo ride. Leaving Oaxaca at 8 am, it took about 2.5 hours to pedal to Cuatro Venados, going by way of San Andres Ixtlahuaca. The climb on the newly-paved road was certainly easier than on its rocky, rutted predecessor; but with a gradient between 15% and 18% and elevation gain of 739 meters (2426 feet) it was still a challenge, even on an eBike. Needless to say, the return was much easier and faster, with just a short delay for taking cover during a sudden rain shower.

Looking out over the valley of Oaxaca.
The ridge in the distance on the left is the site of Monte Alban,
the capital of the Zapotec empire from 500 BCE to 850 AD.
The tiny, squiggly white line in the middle of the photo is the road leading up to Cuatro Venados.