OaxacaMTB.org

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).

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.

No appointments on the calendar for 30 May 2023, so a spur-of-the-moment decision to do a solo ride from Oaxaca to Benito Juarez, a tiny village at an elevation of 2858 meters (9377 feet) in the Sierra Norte. The first part of the route was no challenge, as there is little altitude gain from Oaxaca to the weaving village of Teotitlan del Valle and the unpaved country roads are great fun. But from there it is a significant climb along a winding dirt road to Benito Juarez – 1180 meters (3871 feet) elevation gain in the space of 20.9 kilometers (13.0 miles). The ride was a test of a new Trek “Rail 5” e-bike – to see how the different power settings worked on a steady climb and to find out how long the battery would last. The bike performed admirably in all four power modes, but the battery drained quickly at the MTB and Turbo settings. The battery was fully charged at the start, showing five bars on the display. Running in the Eco mode from Oaxaca to the presa above Teotitlan – 29.5 kilometers (18.3 miles) – ran the battery down to four bars. On the climb to Benito Juarez, using the Tour mode most of the way, but kicking in the MTB and Turbo settings the last several kilometers, drained another three bars, leaving just one bar on the display for the trip home. That was not a concern, since it was a downhill run most of the way back to Oaxaca. The power was shut off for the screamer of a descent to Teotitlan. The motor was turned back on to the Eco setting in Teotitlan to see how long the charge would last on the final leg of the journey. The battery ran out of power approaching Santa Maria el Tule. So, all in all, a good test run. Total distance traveled: 95.6 kilometers (59.4 miles) / total elevation gain & loss: 1461 meters (4793 feet) / total elapsed time: 8 hours, 15 minutes. By the way, the battery was not the only thing that ran out of energy by the end of the ride . . . .