Wednesday Gringo Ride

There happens to be a group of gringos in Oaxaca this winter who enjoy mountain biking, and Wednesdays seem to be the best day of the week for the group to get together. In recent weeks the gang has ridden trails in San Pablo Etla, La Cumbre and Huayapam. Today (18 February 2015) the ride was on the plateau above the village of San Pablo Cuatro Venados on the western rim of the Valley of Oaxaca. A network of little-used dirt roads provided the arena for several hours of pleasant pedaling at an altitude of just over 9,100 feet (2774 meters). Several of the group opted to bicycle back to Oaxaca, using the road that descends through Santa Ines de Monte and on down to Zaachila on the valley floor, rather than packing the bikes in the van and driving back the way we came up.

Mountain Bike Race Calendar For 2015

The preliminary schedule for cross-country mountain bike races in and around Oaxaca for 2015 has been announced. Dates have yet to be set for downhill and marathon races.  Click here to view the race calendar.

Mountain Bike Race at San Pablo Huixtepec

The community of San Pablo Huixtepec hosted their first-ever mountain bike race today — Sunday, 25 January 2015. This also happened to be the first race of the new year in the Oaxaca Valley. There was also a series of foot races on the same course before the mountain bikers saddled up, so excitement ran high. Contestants came from a number of bike clubs in the area, with good representation from Oaxaca city.

The course laid out for the event ran 3.4 miles (5.47 km) through hill country, with an elevation gain and loss of 641 feet (195 meters) on the loop. At times it felt like more than that, as sections of the climb had a gradient of 14% and parts of the downhill ran a very steep 25% — the latter through a challenging jumble of rocks! The start / finish line sat at an elevation of 5160 feet (1572.8 meters); the highest point on the race circuit reached 5361 feet (1634.0 meters); the lowest point on the course was 4965 feet (1513.3 meters).

Invitational Ride At San Antonio de la Cal

 

The community of San Antonio de la Cal, a suburb on the southeastern edge of Oaxaca city, sponsored a mountain bike ride today — Sunday, 18 January 2015 — and sent out a general invitation to riders and mountain bike clubs to come. Several bike clubs from Oaxaca took part, as did others from around the Oaxaca valley. Approximately 140 riders gathered at the municipal building in Experimental to register at the start of the ride. Then it was off for a ride on city streets and jeep trails in the hills nearby! The day concluded with a hearty free meal for all participants provided by the community.

For riders who started from the Zocalo in Oaxaca, the day’s adventure racked up a total of 18.9 miles (30.4 km). Pedaling up and down the steep, rocky hills above La Cal — where the gradient ranged from 12% to 16% — brought the elevation gain and loss for the day to 1978 feet (602.9 meters).

Special thanks to Porfirio Santos Matías and Lic. Pedro Isidro Santos Matías, the head of the sports department in San Antonio de la Cal, for organizing the event; and to all the people who helped make it a success!

San Antonio de la Cal que es una comunidad a la periferia sureste de laciudad de Oaxaca patrocinó un evento de ciclismo de montaña el domingo 18de enero 2015. Ciclistas y clubes de ciclismo del valle central recibió unainvitación para participar. 140 ciclistas llegaron al edificio municipal enExperimental para inscribirse al evento. Luego comenzamos nuestro paseopor las calles de la ciudad y las sendas de terracería en las colinas cercanas. El día terminó con una comida para todos los participantes que la comunidadSan Antonio de la Cal muy amablemente nos brindó. Para los ciclistas que salieron del Zocalo en la ciudad de Oaxaca, el paseo arribade San Antonio de la Cal era de 18.9 millas de colinas con pendientes muyinclinados y rocosos y de una altura de ida y vuelta de 1978 pies (602.9 metros)

 

Trail LP Pruned

Trail LP is one of the shortest runs in the SFdA trails, but since I like to use it for a loop connector, it too needed pruning this season.  Done.