Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Ride Routes

Sunday Ride: Derailed and Deflated

by  •  • 2 Comments

Dhruba volunteered to lead our outing on Sunday, 1 May 2022 and planned a long ride through the Tlacolula valley, going to the village of San Marcos Tlapazola, famous for the red clay pottery many women of the town produce and sell. Ten cyclists gathered in the plaza in front of the church of Santo Domingo for the 9 am departure. While on the bike path to Tule we encountered a roadie going our way, so he accompanied us as far as Rojas de Cuauhtemoc. Sad to say, the ride was plagued by the failures of the rear derailleurs on three bikes and flat tires suffered by two other members of the group. This was a most unusual – and unwelcome – occurrence, as we rarely have any mechanical problems on our Sunday excursions. These breakdowns slowed the group considerably, as we spent about 90 minutes dealing with the several problems. Two of the riders had to complete the ride on single-speed bikes when their rear derailleurs proved inoperable. Even so, the gang pedaled on and completed the circuit successfully. However, it was 6 pm by the time riders got back to Oaxaca – making for a grueling nine hours in the saddle. That included a most welcome stop for a late lunch at a favorite restaurant in Santa Maria del Tule on the last leg of the journey. It was a tired and sunburned bunch who finally made it home at the end of the day. The stats for the ride: 80.3 kms (49.9 miles) with 553 meters (1815 feet) of elevation gain and loss in the course of the ride.

Lots of open countryside in the Tlacolula valley.
The first of three bikes having a derailleur failure on the ride.
Despite having several competent mechanics in the group,
the rear derailleur could not be repaired.
Our leader felt the ride was jinxed because of all the problems and delays.
Once arrived in San Marcos Tlapazola exhausted and behind schedule
riders relished a chance to relax with snacks and cold beverages.

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Ride Routes

Lobera Or Bust

by  •  • 1 Comment

Steve was the ride leader today and proposed the group of eight cyclists pedal to the village of La Lobera, situated at the western edge of the Zimatlan valley some 9.8 kilometers (6.1 miles) directly west of Zaachila. The moderate out & back ride covered a distance of 50.4 kilometers (31.3 miles), most of it on fairly level terrain. The overall elevation gain and loss of 422 meters (1386 feet) was accomplished mainly in the last 4.1 kilometers (2.5 miles) before reaching the destination. In that segment the first 2.7 kilometers (1.7 miles) had a very mild gradient of 2.5%, but the final 1.4 kilometers (0.9 miles) into Lobera averaged a steeper grade of 10%. As has become our custom when going this way, the group stopped at the Sabor A Ti restaurant for cold drinks and some delicious home-cooked Mexican dishes. Even with the lunch stop the group got back to Oaxaca in 4.5 hours, passing through Cuilapam both going and coming. Needless to say, it was a perfect day to be out on a bike, with clear skies and the thermometer hovering around 26ª Celsius (80º Fahrenheit). You just gotta love Oaxaca’s weather!

  • Two of today’s riders had never seen the monastery ruins in Cuilapam,
    so of course we had to stop there for a group photo.

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Uncategorized

Easter Ride to Jalapa del Valle

by  •  • 0 Comments

Easter Sunday dawned bright and clear in Oaxaca on 17 April 2022, with a forecast high temperature of 33ºC / 92ºF. Four cyclists elected to skip church services and Easter egg hunts in favor of a somewhat challenging ride through the countryside – some of the hill climbs had grades of 12% or more. The destination chosen for the day was Jalapa del Valle, a very small village on the Rio Jalapilla at the western edge of the Etla Valley. Pedaling along at a moderate pace and stopping several times for cold drinks and snacks, the group finished the ride in 5.5 hours. When all was said and done, the gang covered 50.7 kilometers / 31.5 miles from start to finish, with an elevation gain and loss of 688 meters / 2259 feet along the way. A good time was had by all.

  • Two of the four riders on today’s outing.
  • Cranking up another long hill climb.
  • At times the uphill sections seemed endless.
  • Finally! Some serious downhill.
  • Warm weather and lots of climbing required several stops for water or cold drinks.
  • Still able to smile, despite fatigue.
  • Moving right along.
  • Miles and miles of wide open space.

Uncategorized

Saving Daylight

by  •  • 0 Comments

This first Sunday of April marked the beginning of daylight savings time in Mexico – several weeks after the U.S. and Canada moved their timepieces forward one hour. All three countries are presently debating the wisdom of resetting clocks each spring and fall. But there is no consensus as to whether a year-around time should coincide with standard time or daylight time. In any case, those of us who switched to daylight time overnight woke in darkness and started our weekly Sunday ride with the sun much lower on the horizon. This may work to our advantage, as April and May are the hottest months of the year in Oaxaca, and so our rides will take place in cooler hours. In any case, today’s excursion took the group through the Rosario neighborhood and then up and over a ridge of hills on a rough jeep road before descending into Santa Maria el Tule – a route we call the Back Way to Tule. After resting a bit in the lovely zocalo there, it was easy pedaling back to Oaxaca on mostly level terrain. The distance covered amounted to 31.2 kilometer (19.4 miles), with an elevation gain and loss of 285 meters (930 feet) on the circuit.

Uncategorized

The Lure of San Pablo Etla

by  •  • 0 Comments

The village of San Pablo Etla, which lies snugged up again the mountains some nine miles north of Oaxaca city, is a popular destination for hikers and mountain bikers, as there are a number of inviting trails to explore in the foothills there. And so it was a group of six cyclists took off from Santo Domingo at 9 am this last Sunday of March, heading through San Felipe del Aqua, then up and over the Libramiento Norte and down through Viguera to reach San Pablo. Once arrived, the band split in two, with half continuing onward and upward to check out a favorite single track bike trail and the other half sailing down to the valley floor to take the old railroad route back to Oaxaca. The day’s round trip ride came in at 40.9 kilometers (25.4 miles), with an elevation gain and loss of 564.5 meters (1852 feet).

  • On the Macedonia Alcala in el centro.
  • Riding through Xochimilco.
  • Photo op at the church in San Felipe del Agua.
  • Nearing the top of the Libramiento Norte.
  • Taking a break at the top of the pass.
  • All smiles after a fast and safe descent.
  • Near the end of the ride in the foothills above San Pablo Etla.