In the San Nicolás Totolapan Ejidal Park, in Ajusco, one of the best places for mountain biking is located.
Fast and very dangerous, the down hill is the most radical version of the mountain bike. As its name suggests in English, this adrenaline-fueled sport consists of descending a mountain by bicycle as quickly as possible, like a real kamikaze. The extremists of this sport reach speeds of up to 60 km per hour, overcoming rocks, logs, roots, stony paths, in short, everything that nature puts in their way. This is a risky, frantic discipline, where adrenaline runs as fast as those who practice it, always exposed to the hardest falls.
To overcome obstacles requires great balance, nerves of steel and excellent control of the bicycle; sometimes it is necessary to perform jumps, and on very steep descents you have to throw your body back so as not to fly out the front.
Accidents are common and there is no “downhillero” who has not dislocated an arm or broken a clavicle, wrist or a pair of ribs.
Nothing compares to the sensation of descending at full speed through forests, jungles, deserts and even ski slopes in snowy mountains.
To avoid accidents, we recommend descending the slopes, so you will learn to overcome the most difficult obstacles, and gradually increase your speed. If you do not feel safe to perform a maneuver, do not do it, until you have enough confidence in yourself and a lot of experience in technical handling, and even then the falls are in order.
For added protection, make sure you bring the necessary equipment, such as knee pads, shin pads, elbow pads, skeleton, motocross suit, pants and jersey, gloves, helmet and goggles.
With the equipment ready, we went to the San Nicolás Totolapan Ejidal Park, in Ajusco, where there is one of the best places to safely practice mountain biking and where, in addition, you can spend a weekend with the family riding horse, walking in the woods, camping, etc.
Every day you can take different tours; the longest are 17 km, so depending on your level you can go as many laps as you want until you are exhausted. One of the main problems that cyclists have been facing lately in places like the Desierto de los Leones is insecurity, but in San Nicolás you can ride with confidence, since the area is guarded and you will always find it at the intersections of the roads. to one of the guides, who are in permanent communication with the rest of their companions through radios, so, in addition, in case of an accident there will always be someone nearby to help you.
By pedal power, very early, at 6:30 a.m., we started our tour. To start with a bit of excitement, we descended a stony path to a valley from where we have a spectacular view of the Pico del Águila. We begin the hard ascent going up a path of rock steps and roots; later the path becomes narrower but the slope becomes more complicated; At the Las Canoas deviation there are two routes to follow; One is the path that leads to Los Dinamos and Contreras, where you will find moderate ups and downs; The most difficult part is the climb known as the "Soapy", because in rainy weather it gets very slippery.
We choose the second option, the Ruta de la Virgen, which is more difficult, but much more fun. The first rest is at the altar to the Virgin of Guadalupe, which is located on a large rock 3,100 m high. The next stretch of the road is probably more arduous, since the climb becomes very steep.
Finally we come to the most exciting part: the descent. For this we made use of all our protections. The first part of the road is full of roots, ditches and holes that, together with the rains and the passage of cyclists, make it impassable. The vegetation is very closed and you only perceive it when the branches hit your face (that is why it is essential to always wear goggles); after several hairpin bends and quite steep sections, we arrive at the next intersection, where you can choose between three down hill tracks: La Cabrorroca, which as its name suggests is full of stones and rocky steps of all sizes; the Amanzalocos, in which stepping stones must be overcome, large loose rocks, mud and ditches, or the El Sauco or del Muerto, which is the one with the least complications. All three tracks lead to the same point: the entrance to the park.
The track in best condition is the Cabrorroca, where numerous national down hill championships have been held. So again we adjusted the protective equipment and began the descent down this path. The most advisable thing is to descend at a speed in which you feel safe; If you go down very slowly, the rocks and roots stop you, and you will fall from time to time; maintain a good speed, do not go too tense so that you can cushion the knocking, otherwise the only thing you will achieve is to get tired and get cramps.
In some sections you will go down like a ladder, and that is where the suspension of your bicycle comes into action. After the steps we come to the slide, a slide similar to a slide, where you have to retract your body and brake only with the rear brake. Then you have to cross a picturesque wooden bridge to enter Purgatory; This section of the road is full of rocks and ditches, and to overcome them you have to have good driving. Purgatory will take you directly to Cabrorroca. It is important that if you do not feel safe you do not lower it, many of us have injured wrists, arms and clavicles. La Cabrorroca is a huge rock full of steps, the highest is about a meter; the secret to clearing this obstacle is to change your center of gravity, throwing your body back so as not to fly away.
The next section of the track is a little quieter but very fast, with tight corners, where small bumps and skids are necessary, moving the bike with the waist to keep you on the road. The next difficult obstacle to overcome is the “Huevometer”, this is a dirt ramp whose degree of difficulty varies depending on where you go down; then comes the Devil's Cave, where you have to descend a small ravine full of stones with jumps of one meter between each rock. And with this you get to the end of the track. If you manage to overcome these obstacles, then you are ready to compete in the national and world down hill championships. But if you doubt about an obstacle, get off your bike and walk through it until you have enough practice and experience (of course, it always takes a bit of madness, courage and a lot of concentration to overcome obstacles). Do not forget to bring all your protective equipment.
Normally, in one day several descents can be made; On weekends, the park guides make a redila truck available to cyclists and you have to pay around 50 pesos for the all-day service.
The best tracks in the Federal District are located in this park, which has 150 km of route for the practice of various modalities of mountain biking, such as cross country and down hill (descent) and different circuits for beginner, intermediate and expert cyclists , in addition to one- and two-way circuits and single track (narrow path).
Photographer specialized in adventure sports. He has worked for MD for over 10 years!
