The race starts at the Gimnasio Ricardo Flores Magón and finishes at the Polideportivo Venustiano Carranza. The first 5km will take you thru the colonial, colorful streets of downtown Oaxaca. The flat start and old-world city views will provide you for a scenic warm up before taking you out onto the Pan-American Highway and to the Mezcal region.

With its rolling hills and curving roads, this will be a fun ride while taking in the beautiful mountain views. Upon arriving in the Mezcal zone, the route will pass the magical town of Mitla, where the Zapotec culture once prospered. Enjoy the beautiful backdrop of the Sierra Madre Sur Mountains and Tiacolula Valleys as you take on the rolling hills.

Get your climbing legs ready to race up Carretera Antigua Spirito Santo. The 4.8km climb averages 4.5%. At the top, views of the entire Mezcal valley will reveal themselves. This will be the turn-around point. From here, medium route riders will head for the finish line back in the city of Oaxaca.

The long route races will make a right turn by the famous Benito Juarez monument to take on the final and toughest climb on the race. With a total length of 15km, maximum incline of 19%, and average of 6%, this will be a great challenge to enjoy while overlooking the beautiful forest and alpine mountain views. This is where the race will be decided. After reaching the highest point of the course at 2590m altitude, you will race back into the city of Oaxaca, back to where it started at the Oaxaca Convention Center.Once you cross the finish line, you’ll be awarded the GFNY Oaxaca finisher medal, refreshing drinks, and a yummy pasta meal. From then you can relax and enjoy the entertainment at the finish area with live bands, DJ’s, massages, and of course the podium awards ceremony where we’ll be giving away some amazing prizes.

The Ixtepeji summit is characterized by being one of the longest mountain passes in Mexico considered an out of category climb (HC).  Once you reach KM 118  you will see the monument of Benito Juárez which is where the fun begins.

 

To be honest you are going to have to manage your energy well if you want to conquer the mountain. Remember by the time you reach this climb you will already have some kilometers in your legs.

 

The first 12km of the climb are totally pedalable since it is a road with rolling hills and not any steep climbs.  Once you see the sign that says “El Estudiante” it means you are doing well and at the halfway point!!  Now it’s time to drop to the small chainring and get serious! We recommend you start picking up a rhythm in which you feel comfortable, but at the same time feeling the burn in your legs that only the cyclist know how to ignore.

 

In this final part of the climb you will find the famous “glassy” (as Oaxacans call it) on the first 12% section.  From here you are very close to reaching the top with only 5 km top go. This is a beautiful section of the climb with hairpin turns that climb upwards and with views perfect for a postcard for you to enjoy.  Once you reach the summit get ready for panoramic views of the amazing nature Oaxaca has to offer.

 

Hydrate! hydrate! Hydrate! whenever you can either water, salts, energizer or mezcal.

Eat every 20 minutes the grams you need of carbohydrates either in fruit, bars, sport beens, etc. We recommend leaving the gels for the last part of the climb.