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I've finally wiped the dust balls off of my road bike and started cycling in Mexico in earnest.
Last year was a great year of cycling in Vancouver, British Columbia with many highlights including training for, and completing, the Ride 2 Survive. Congratulations to the Team Coastal club and all of the participants for putting on a great ride and charity event. The R2S (140+ riders)raised $440,000+ for cancer research and related charities. The best thing about the fund-raising is that 100% of the money raised is donated directly to worthy causes with 0, and I repeat, 0 used for administrative costs. All costs for the ride are covered by the riders and volunteers. The ride itself is a huge test. 400 kilometers from Kelowna to Vancouver over the coastal mountains in 16 hours.
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Heading for the Penask Summit on the Okanagan Connector (altitude 1728m)
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To put the ride in perspective we climbed 2,000 feet more than the longest stage of the Tour de France and about 170km further, and we don't ride bikes for a living! Good luck with the 2010 ride people.
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Next stop Portland
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Some of us, including myself, followed up the R2S with participation in the STP (Seattle to Portland) ride. The STP is a one or two day event (depending on how fast you want to ride) stretching 325km. We did the two day ride with a stay in Cascadia. The route takes you through the scenic valleys, forests, and farmlands of western Washington and Oregon.
- Total distance (miles) 202.25
- Uphill distance (miles) 30.87
- Uphill altitude (feet) 1,951
- Maximum altitude (feet) 463
There is really only one major climb on the route. Having said that it isn't too challenging. You won't notice most of the elevation change.
Join what Bicycling Magazine has listed as one of the best cycling events in the US! The ride is limited to 10,000 riders and sells out each year so if you want to participate plan on signing up early. If you miss the deadline you can always do what I did last year and that is find tickets on Craig's List.
Where was I?...oh yes, Mexico. I started riding a couple of weeks ago here in Mexico City. I knew the first challenge was the altitude (average 2240m/7349'). I now live next to UNAM (University of Mexico) in the south part of the city across from the Cuicuilco pyramid.
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Looking west from the rooftop of our house
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I was warned about riding on the city streets as the drivers aren't cyclist friendly. I've ventured out on the open road a couple of times and haven't had any problems but I am hyper-aware of traffic. My fiance suggested I ride the circuit at UNAM as it is designed for cyclists. We are only a block from one of the UNAM gates so I took her advice. What I found was rather nice. The loop is about 5k with a lane dedicated to cyclists. There is a 1k gentle climb at the south end of the loop. On a clear day you can see the mountains/volcano on the descent section. One thing I have noticed as well is the smog is nothing what I expected. As you can see from my pics below it is a very pretty ride. I mentioned altitude above. It was a big factor when I started riding. My naturopath told me that it could take up to 3 months to become acclimated to the altitude. I sure noticed it the first 3 rides and a gradual improvement over the next 5 days. I feel great now. In fact, I feel better than I can remember so the altitude must be agreeing with me.
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Mountain view on the ride
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Volcano on the ride.
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Roundabout near the north end of the loop.
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On to Cuernavaca. Elizabeth's parents live in Cuernavaca. Cuernavaca was nicknamed the "City of Eternal Spring" by Alexander von Humboldt in the 19th century. The city has a very rich history and is now renowned for its Spanish language schools. It is located between the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt in the north and the Sierra Madre del Sur in the south, in a sub-mountain ranged named the Sierra del Chichinautzin. Average altitude is 2,200 meters above sea level, varying between 1,255 and 2355 meters with temperatures averaging 21.1C.
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Can't miss this Volcano. Popocatépetl towers over the valley.
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Sounds like heaven for a cyclist so I brought my trusty Trek last weekend. Day one I rode into town. It was about a 10k descent...yes...which meant I had to climb back up to the house. It was a great ride. The road was rather bumpy but not too bad. Last year I changed my handlebars and wrap for my R2S training. I added Specialized Bar Phat bar tape. It comes with gel pads for the pressure areas on both the top of the handlebars and the drops. I also changed up my gloves to a pair with more padding...it made a HUGE difference to my ride comfort. I recommend anyone consider doing the same thing as the roads here can be pretty vibratory...is that a word?
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View of Cuernavaca from the highway.
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Day two and three I took my father-in-law's advice and rode to Tepoztlán. The name means "place of abundant copper". The town is famous for the remains of a temple built on top of nearby Tepozteco mountain.
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View Tepozteco mountain on the climb.
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First of three cathedrals. This is the first one on the way into town.
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Road into Tepoztlán. The cathedral above is out of the picture to my right.
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It's famous to me for the great road...and the Chopper's Bar. I passed this fine establishment on the last climb into town. I decided I would come back here for my refreshment stop. I discovered it has only been open for a few weeks. Eduardo and his partner are making plans for the grand opening on Superbowl weekend. Great guys, both of them, and both speak English. They'll make you feel right at home. Eduardo is an actor and his partner is an excellent musician.
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The Chopper's Bar
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View of Tepozteco mountain from the bar.
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The trip itself is not too long. Only 30k round trip from the house. Take the Tepoztlán exit from the MC-Acapulco freeway. Here are your Google start stop addresses: 18.960561,-99.229343 (Cuernavaca freeway exit) 18.985855,-99.099298 (Tepoztlán market plaza and cathedral in Tepoztlán) Round trip distance from the freeway exit should be about 40k. Go north from the exit and turn right on Miguel Hildago. It turns into Federal Cuernavaca - Tepoztlán road and your next stop is downtown Tepoztlán. I don't have a gps so I can't give you an accurate elevation guide but I would estimate your total climbing, going and coming, is going to be around 400m/1300'.
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| View of the valley on the descent/return to Cuernavaca |
My plan is to get another 300k under my belt and then start weekend rides to and from Cuernavaca from the house in MC. The house is at 2300m and the pass between here and there is around 3100m. Going to be a great climb/s. Round trip approximately 90k with 1800m in climbing. Just thinking...if I did that ride 4 times in one day it would be close to the Ride 2 Survive in difficulty...yikes...
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