Mountain Biking In Peru

[rideit]

Oh, man, you are in for a treat. Bring your big-boy stoke!

[Sandbox]

This is all very very tempting!


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[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Ugh so many possible trips! I may be going to TSN again next year but if not the Peru trip would be amazing.

[rideit]

Duuuuuuude, you are always invited.
(But I know you are really going for the mushrooms, mezcal, and shitty internet)

[smmokan]

Ugh so many possible trips! I may be going to TSN again next year but if not the Peru trip would be amazing.

FWIW, my experience in both Oaxaca and Peru is very limited thus far, but if you're going primarily for mountain biking Oaxaca doesn't hold a candle to Peru.

[rideit]

Oaxaca certainly has its charms culturally, but as to the riding….no comparison.

One thing about Perú that needs to be explained is the nature of the trails, and why it is so incredibly different than anywhere else. These trails principally follow either Inca and pre-Inca routes. (The Incans built an extensive trail network of an estimated of almost 25,000 miles, no one knows for sure) These routes provided transportation for goods They were also used as messaging routes, like the Pony Express. There were no wheels, of course, so everything was on foot. As such, the idea of a manageable grade was really up to how strong the
locals were, and they were willing to die to show how tough and fast they could be.
As such, many of these trails (called the Capaç Ñan in Quechua) took the most direct route possible. Often this would be up and down drainages, of course, but also straight the fuck over 16-17,000 foot passes.

The end result, which we ride today, are pure, perfect DH trails. Sure, some were routed more gently with the introduction of horses and burros, but you get the gist.
These trails are not exactly on public property, but also not exactly on private property, either. So currently, the status of what we ride is somewhat murky, at best. In most cases, these trails are ‘public’ right of ways for everybody, but usually under the (loose) jurisdiction of a local collective (sort of a county, but not as official).

They cross through 15 (?) or so of the microclimates that exist on earth, so the sheer variety is stunning. There are generally no trail groups, trail builders, maintenance, or ‘improvements’ of any kind, except in a few very localized spots, such as Lamay, Pachacámac, Playa Asia, and one zone near Cajamarca. (Porcon). (There was some building done for the old MegaAvalanche route, but I don’t think it is currently maintained).

This makes the rides a patchwork quilt of different types of trails and terrain, as it goes through different zones. Sometimes you will feel as if you are going through someone’s yard, and sometimes as if you are on the edge of the earth. It is NOT a sanitized bike-park, flowy experience!
This is testament to the engineering genius of the Inca builders, as we ride the very same stairs and abutments that they built many hundreds of years ago.
I will continue my explanation if anyone is interested, there is lots more to share about why it is so unique! (And I have been deep diving into this, and learning more every day).

[bennymac]

You had me at hello.

This has been added to the list for sure.

[babybear]

This is a cool endeavor!
We tend to take more winter trips but we’ll have to put a trip like this on our list.
And for others considering I can attest that rideit is good riding company [emoji1]

[wkd-rdr]

A few from my experience earlier this month.

Its not Apex, but I still enjoyed it. Trails were rugged, and definitely bring the adult bike, and the most braking you can. Fat tires with insert. And your balls you forgot that you once had.

The people were as rugged as the trails. The roads were narrow, and driving was a different level (city and country). The food was incredibly rich in flavor, and the very fresh. Very high and dry desert, and an amazingly minor variation of temperature with elevation.

Can't wait for '24

Cusco flight
Sacred Valley, yo
not Macchu Picchuhigh AF

[rideit]

YEAH, WKD-RDR!
I forgot about the jumping jacks (sorta) at almost 15k!

You gonna bring more mushroom chocolates?

[zion zig zag]

So if I’m being honest with myself….a lot of Oaxaca was at the edge of what I was comfortable riding sight unseen, which is probably why I found it so fun. So I’m not sure I would want more exposed, tech-ier, steeper.

Sounds like Peru most likely isn’t for me? Looks awesome though.

[rideit]

Hell, ZZZ, I think you are a decade younger than me, SEND IT, BRO!

(So, I have been thinking about this, Peru is somewhere that should be done while we still have some tech riding chops. Warren said it best: "Do it now, or you will be one more year older when you do")

[Full Trucker]

Ugh so many possible trips! I may be going to TSN again next year but if not the Peru trip would be amazing.

I am also strongly considering TSN next year, but Peru with rideit is also high on my list if I don't do the race. I got a little taste of Oaxaca on a non-race tour this past April... then a buddy that was on that trip ALSO did TSN and basically said if you want to ride the *real* goods in Oaxaca you kinda have to commit to the race. So... yeah.

[beaterdit]

Peru on RideIt's program looks awesome and I'm giving it serious consideration for next year.

W what are the weather and temps like down there that time of year?

[LeeLau]

I would agree re the bikes you need for Peru. I brought a 150mm travel bike and it was fine. At least 2 sets of brake pads and new tires. Get your brakes bled. If you have any bubbles or air in the line you will have more issues as the rarefied air causes more air in the line issues.

As for Oaxaca vs Peru. I thought Oaxaca's trails were better than Lima or Cusco (have not ridden Huarez). But only due to variety

More on this from perspective as trailbuilder and rider in BC.

- Oaxaca has purpose built bike trails that are loamy and routed for bikes at the higher elevations of 3300m to 2800m. Cusco generally didn't.

- Perus trails had a tad more foot and cow and animal traffic at lower elevations than Oaxaca

- Perus trails had higher starting elevation thus true alpine. Oaxaca doesn't.

If you can do the tougher Oaxaca trails blind you can do tougher Peru trails blind.

- the food in both countries is indescribably good

All of this IMO.

[rideit]

All great contributions. Beaterdit: where we ride is roughly equatorial, so basically no snow ever below about 17,000 feet. (there is occasional sleet and hail, but fairly rare to actually stick on the ground.) Usually you ride with clothes for an October day on Monarch. Maybe about 40-45 degrees up above 14k (usually warmer, though) maybe 70-75 down at 7k or 8k. It's pretty consistent.

Yes, Oaxaca has some excellent trails. TSN is pretty ridiculous, and yes, you do hit almost all of it in the race.
One of the things I love about the Peru thing is how raw and unridden the terrain is, it's just a totally different experience. But one that should really, REALLY be on every serious rider's 'must do' list, IMO.
Oaxaca (city) does have great food, but the food up at camp during TSN was really, really bland IMO.

I think you can enjoy Perú a LOT more than TSN if you aren't in true 'racing' shape, it was some of the most brutal back to back days I have ever done with all of the climbing.
But the ridiculous party atmosphere of TSN certainly has its...charms?

FT: I believe you can certain ride 'all' of the goods in Oaxaca without doing TSN, you just need the guides that would like to shred all day as well.

[smmokan]

Re: weather.... I'm here in Peru right now and it's basically perfect. During the rides it's probably 50-60 up high (14-15k') and gets fairly warm in the valley bottoms, 70* or so. There have been storms all over the place, but we've been lucky and have only been rained on a little bit. Still have 5-6 more days of riding to go - I'm here with Wandering Wheels (based in Revy), Matt also knows what he's doing down here.

[rideit]

Awesome, Smokan, hopefully I can meet him sometime, I would love to chat about stuff.
Would you mind adding some pictures in this thread?

Edit: Checked out Wandering Wheels, looks super-tight! We definitely hit similar classics, they have a couple I haven’t ridden, and we have a couple vise-versa.
My trips we generally stay at my friend’s stupid deluxury (heh…I just made that up) home, (near Yucay, Sacred Valley) so it’s a ‘home base’, but I am exploring another great luxury option for Cusco so we have a bit more night life.
But at the house we have cooks, maids, drivers, and possibly an on call mechanic. (Also access to my friend Bryan’s (Gringo Bryan) bike shop in Lamay, El Bike Project).

https://elbikeproject.com/

How big is your group, Smokan, and is it mixed?

[goldenboy]

Rideit, do you know Roberto, he owns Peru Biking in Cusco? He was in Guatemala riding with us when we were there last month. A bit crazy but a great rider. Some of you should really consider giving Guatemala a look too. It sounds similar to Peru- old, unmaintained trails that are steep as shit and go through all kinds of different flora and fauna, sometimes starting well above 10K. Maybe if I have time I'll start a new thread and post some pics.

[rideit]

I don’t think I have met him, but I have heard of him. I am always looking to network, though!
Do you know his full name?

Do you mind starting a new thread for Guatamala?
I look forward to it!

[wkd-rdr]

Re: weather.... I'm here in Peru right now and it's basically perfect. During the rides it's probably 50-60 up high (14-15k') and gets fairly warm in the valley bottoms, 70* or so. There have been storms all over the place, but we've been lucky and have only been rained on a little bit. Still have 5-6 more days of riding to go - I'm here with Wandering Wheels (based in Revy), Matt also knows what he's doing down here.

I find your lack of pix disturbing

[beaterdit]

^^^ agreed but I’m remiss, still haven’t posted many pics from my Switzerland trip.

Anyhow I’m like 90% in for this for next November. Sounds like a bucket list trip.

[rideit]

Yess!

[LeeLau]

Rideit, do you know Roberto, he owns Peru Biking in Cusco? He was in Guatemala riding with us when we were there last month. A bit crazy but a great rider. Some of you should really consider giving Guatemala a look too. It sounds similar to Peru- old, unmaintained trails that are steep as shit and go through all kinds of different flora and fauna, sometimes starting well above 10K. Maybe if I have time I'll start a new thread and post some pics.

Love to hear what you think of Guatemala. Did a trip in 2017. Had some OK trails but nothing I was crazy about. Seemed more like gravel with mixed doubletrack interspersed with singletrack.

Would be good to see a different perspective

[smmokan]

I don't have a camera or cell phone with me most days... I'm not really into it when I'm not running trips back home. I just want to experience the rides and the culture in the moment. That, and I'm riding with my friend Alex who's the Singletrack Sampler on YouTube, and he's going to create 8 videos afterwards... so I'll have plenty of shit to show friends/family.

Rideit- our group is 5 riders, but was supposed to be 8 until three people cancelled in the last month. I didn't have any part in organizing clients, I just signed up earlier in the year and then tried to get friends to join me.