Oaxaca has some tough climbing, but great views when you go south past Cuicatlán, west of the Sierra de Juárez, an area of the state which is often overlooked.
With the construction of the new highway from Ejutla to Puerto Escondido the older road through Miahuatlán through San Jose del Pacifico and down to Pochutla is fairly quiet and is a great descent.
Temperatures can vary substantially – just over 5 degrees in the upper reaches of Sierra Sur in the morning, and up to 35 on the coast in Mazunte.
Oaxaqueño drivers are generally very courteous with cyclists and the longest stretch without a small restaurant or “miscelaria” is only about 20 km. Potholes can be quite large after Tehuacán so I ran 38s for this route, and avoided riding after dusk.
Local people are fairly relaxed about cyclists on highways (cuotas), even though it is technically prohibited. In urban areas it is accepted for cyclists to ride alongside the traffic even if a bike lane is present, unlike in Germany where drivers can get quite angry.
In terms of famous sites, the route to Monte Albán is a popular climb for local cycling fraternities, but the last section of the journey to the calcite formations at Hierve el Agua is hard going on a touring bike, and would involve overnighting in or near Mitla.
Dogs at the ranchos can be quite excitable but not too aggressive compared to in areas with larger predators (Balkans, Turkey). Sadly cats (meow) aren’t too common apart from around taquerias, until get near the Pacific coast.
by gattomeow