Well, February’s turning out to be quite the month for me, riding wise. First, I hopped on a night bus to Orizaba to meet up with Mason and his Amazing Crust for our Vuelta de Citlaltepetl (see my IG post for that). And then, the day I got back, Emma, Huesos, and I headed straight up into the Sierra Norte to celebrate my birthday!

I’m not usually one for making a big deal about birthdays (well mine, at least). I generally keep things low key, and just leverage it as an excuse to make sure I’m out camping, or on an overnight bike trip. But this year, a desire to sleep under tarp somehow evolved into a multi-modal, long weekend, activity packed, extravaganza of a celebration, for which I’m extremely thankful!

The trip started with a ride/trot down to the edge of town to meet up with Gerardo.

It began with a shuttle ride in a friend’s pickup truck, from the edge of Oaxaca city to the one of the trailheads in Ixtepeji… (hey, it was my birthday, ok, and it’s a nigh on 1800m climb to get there!)

No candles were brought and no need to share exact numbers… let’s just say I figured I’d defy the passing years and really pack it in. The celebration initially unfolded with two days of blissful riding in the sierras, picking and choosing my very favourite singletrack like a child in a candy store. Then, we followed an especially gorgeous forest road (that we nicknamed Bromeliad Alley, on account of the density of epiphytes that have taken up residence in its pines) to the mountain hamlet of Benito Juarez, where I’d signed up for a 10km foot race we’d only just heard about the week before. Lastly, we planned to tie it all in by using a rollicking enduro trail, Mil Rios, as our conduit to returning to the valley floor. It’s a local classic, and one we’ve often incorporated into local bikepacking trips.

Given all the promised burliness, I chose my Merida Big Trail for this undertaking, easily transformed into an old school mtb tourer courtesy of Tailfin’s two capacious 22L panniers (the Ultra Durable version) and their pop-on rack (a prototype I’ve been running for a while now). It may not be able to match my Jones Spaceframe for long distance comfort, but the Big Trail’s 140mm fork and slack geometry are undeniably fun and confidence inspiring for much of the riding here, which is typically steep, rock ‘n rooty, and often steppy in character.

Still, keen as I was to squeeze the full multimodalness out of the weekend, I did manage to find a roll for the Jones HD/e and Farfarer trailer. The final piece in this logistical puzzle involved me riding back to our house to pick the trailer, so I could haul Huesos through the city to get him home. (Unfortunately, the Farfarer isn’t compatible with the Merida for reasons of droppers and internal routing, and by then, I figured my legs would need a little e-help anyway…)

I love the modularity of the Tailfin system. One moment, the Merida is a demure Touring Bike, with room for my laptop and running shoes…

The next, it’s a pared down and brash Shred Sled!

I sent out some invites, and our friend Megan came up to join us for our day riding trails in Ixtepeji. We also befriended a passing street dog we named Blanca, who kept Huesos company us on our trail rides, and wrestled him with gusto in between, or nibbled his face like it was a corn on the cob. She even slept in our tent one night, curled up in a white furry ball, while Huesos sardined between me and Emma.

As mentioned, we rode a whole slew of my very favourite singletrack, even hitting up Pelado Chiquito, a mirador close to the Centro Ecoturistico that affords sweeping views over the mountains to Benito Juarez (where we were headed next), for a sunrise coffee/trail ride with our new buddy Tyler, who happened to be staying in a cabaña for a few days, Trek Slash at the ready…

We miss you sweet Blanca. I hope you are ok, wherever you ended up in your life journey.

Ixtepeji is Huesos’s Happy Place. And mine too.

Sunrise coffee, with Emma, Tyler, Huesos and Blanca.

As is our usual style, we base camped at the Centro Ecoturistíco in Ixtepeji, enjoying their fine local cuisine, and the relaxed forest vibes. Should you be seeking ideas for trail riding there, check out this post, as it lists all my favourite trails!

As Blanca took up residence at the bottom of the tent, Huesos had to squeeze in onto my mat, sardined between me and Emma.

Camping is a very reasonable $5 per person, which goes to the local community. There’s a restaurant too, which happened to be serving chilaquiles on my birthday, one of my all time fav Mexican dishes. Thank you cosmos!

The next segment of the trip involved riding from Ixtepeji to the mountain hamlet of Benito Juarez, perched at a similar elevation, and reached via a traffic free forest road that’s teeming with bromeliads, and at this time of year, orchids too. So, after our post-sunrise-breakfast (check out those green salsa chilaquiles above), we loaded up the bikes with bags once more and off we pedalled, Huesos trotting alongside us. And, almost, Blanca too…

I’ve mentioned how much I like the Tailfin system for this style of touring/trail riding combo trip, largely because transitioning between the two is such a quick and easy process. Another point worth mentioning is how quiet these bags are in use – there’s absolutely no rattle at all, thanks to a very clever cam system that squeezes them even tighter than we hug Huesos.

Back in touring mode.

As we didn’t have our trailer on this trip, resourceful Emma fashioned a sling to save his paws on a couple of the descents, en route to Benito Juarez.

Simple delights. Avocado on bread and lemon drizzle cake on my birthday picnic, with a pine needle in lieu of a candle. I’ll take this any day over a meal in a fancy city restaurant!

Tis the season for playing ‘spot the orchid’. Plus, the usual bromeliad suspects watched us from the trees, or down on the pine needly floor. This section of the forest is a treat for tyres and paws alike.

Speaking of… between our sunrise loop and the ride to Benito Juarez, Huesos ran 45km that day, bless his lanky legs. He flopped down next to the bike when we arrived.

Resting regularly for Huesos, it was a long day and we didn’t make it to Benito Juarez until nightfall. There, we camped behind the centro ecoturístico, a hive of late night activity as everyone enthusiastically prepared themselves for the big event the next day, with music pulsing at full volume from a set of speakers stacked up by the basket ball court, and a line of local foodstands enticing racers with the likes of tasty tlayudas and crispy tacos dorados. Little did we realise, but this event would draw some 400 runners to this small mountain village!

Andy, in a midst of a much bigger ride through Latin America, detoured up that day from Oaxaca to join in on the fun – it seemed like we were the only 2 non Mexicans to run. I’d briefly considered the 21km event but had fortunately come to my senses, figuring the 10km would be plenty, especially with all riding we’d already planned. Besides, this distance is a known quantity to me, as it’s one I know I can handle… and (hopefully) mostly enjoy!

The frisson of Race Day! A series of pre-dawn fireworks meant we didn’t oversleep our alarm clocks.

The trail itself was quite stunning, affording sweeping views across the Valles Centrales far below. Much of it was singletrack, and it was steep and twisting in places, either skirting around the edge of ploughed fields, or traversing areas in the forest that were new to me. For the most part, it tottered around the 3000m mark, and the vibe was relaxed and welcoming.

Andy and I started at the back of the field and ran together for some of the way. But as I couldn’t keep up with his speedy, leg carouseling descents, I eventually found my own pace, overtaking people when I could on this narrow course. Somehow, despite not really realising there were different categories as well as different distances to the event, I managed to come second in the Masters for my race, securing a place on the podium!! And, I was only 8 seconds behind the leader!

After his Herculean effort the day before, Huesos didn’t run, enjoying a PJ kind of a day instead.

Where else but Oaxaca can you get memelas as your post race energy hit? Plus, locally made chocolate (thanks Andy!) and coffee (thanks Emma!)

I packed shoes, running top, and shorts in my panniers. I do love these Lone Peak Ultras, but it’s probably time for a new pair if I’m to attempt something similar for my next birthday…

My moment of fame, though if truth be told, I have no idea how many runners were actually in my category (-; Still, my family were impressed and my sister Holly put my performance down to all the grasshoppers I’ve been eating recently!

We rounded off the day by riding one of the big enduro trail in the area – Mil Rios – which plummets some 1500m in elevation from the lush sierras that we love so much, back down to the toasty, cacti-pocked valley floor again. Emma took Huesos in Megan’s truck to save his paws, and then we all shuttled from the end of the trail back to the city. From there, I rode home, picked up the e-bike and trailer, and scooted back to collect Huesos for the final climb of the day.

Suffice to say, I was completely fried by the end of the weekend, and took a day off the bike (-;

Thank you Megan for organising the Mil Rios logistical component of the weekend! I’m afraid there are no images from the descent, as I was too busy having fun (except when Andy took a tumble, and his shoulder popped in and out of its socket…)

The last 10km of our multi modal extravaganza involved me picking up the e-bike and getting Huesos home once more. Even if I could have pulled his trailer with the Merida, I’m not sure my sore legs could have made it up the hill without a little e-help!

After living in this region for nigh on five years, the Sierra de Juaréz has become particularly special to me. It’s a place we visit regularly, and there was something extra satisfying about being involved in a community event there, amongst familiar faces. A highlight? After the MC came over to doublecheck my name, he called it out with the most impressive flourish (Caaaaaaaaassssssssss Giiiillllllbbbbberrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt) when I was called to the podium! My moment of fame!

Thank you thank you thank you Emma for organising it all, from the shuttle up to Ixtepeji and all the race details, to proffering endless cakes and other treats at various points during the weekend! This really was the most memorable of weekends, and I’m grateful friends new and old were able to join in on the fun.

The Route

Ride from home into town. Shuttle from Oaxaca to Ixtepeji (thanks Gerardo!) Two night’s camping and various trail rides (see here for ideas). Loaded up panniers for the forest ride to Benito Juarez. Camping, then footrace in the morning (no need to bring an alarm clock, the celebratory fireworks began way before sunrise). Post race ride to Tlalixtac via burly Mil Rios trail. Shuttle back to the city with the crew. Ride up to Guadeloupe Victoria to pick up e-bike and trailer, then scooted back into town to haul Huesos home. Birthday done!

This is how you get from Ixtepeji to Benito Juarez:

Here’s the race:

And here’s Mil Rios:

Thanks for reading. Any questions, fire away!