Words and images by Nicolas Switalski
First Stage, of the first ever Transierra Norte, this is where it all began! Benito Juarez, Oaxaca. The town of Benito Juarez, high up in the Sierra Norte, is almost 10,000 feet above sea level, 2017
It started with a dream, an idea spoken out loud after a few beers at the local tiendita, in some small town after riding what would eventually become race stages. We called it, half-jokingly, Trans-Depósito, our own little “trans-race,” where the finish line was always the nearest store with cold beer. That inside joke, born of good rides and better friendships, would eventually evolve into TranSierra Norte.
A race, yes, but something more than a multi-day enduro race. Something wild and beautiful. Something that could capture the raw soul of these mountains, the pulse of the trails that wind through them like veins of memory.
The first time I stood on the trails of the Sierra Norte with my camera in hand, I wasn’t just documenting something; I was part of something being born. Back then, TranSierra Norte wasn’t a name anyone knew. Oaxaca wasn’t a blip on the global MTB radar. In our wildest dreams, we pictured world champions and riding heroes flying down our home trails, drawn by the same magic we felt every time we dropped in.
We were a small crew of riders, trail builders, and dreamers. And what we set out to create wasn’t just an event, it was a story, a tribute to a place we loved deeply. A celebration of Oaxaca: its raw terrain, its ancient footpaths, its endless horizons, and endless soul.
Over the years, I’ve watched TranSierra Norte grow from that loose idea into a movement. Riders now arrive from around the world. Four days of blind enduro unfold like a pilgrimage, each stage a surprise, each descent a gift. New trails are revealed. New bonds are forged. And when the sun drops behind the ridges and the mezcal bottle is passed around, the true spirit of TSN emerges: family, laughter, and a deep respect for where we are.
Oaxaca has become my second home. Not just geographically, but spiritually. The land, the people, the pace, it’s all in my blood now. I’ve spent mornings chasing light through fog-draped forests and evenings watching tires roll into the magical little towns all over the Sierra. I’ve shared stories and captured moments of grit, grace, and pure stoke.
This collection of images isn’t just about the action. It’s about the feeling, the invitation, the transformation. Because TranSierra Norte is more than just a race, it’s a rite of passage, a chance to disconnect from the noise and reconnect with a new culture, a different lifestyle.
The Transierra Norte Lifestyle.
John Richardson tears through a technicolour burst of Sierra wildflowers. TSN 2021
Ariel Lindsley and Bosty Philips in bright red jerseys slice through the marked singletrack, OG crew that was there from the beginning of Transierra Norte! TSN 2021.
Cheers for that! Jesse Melamed
Flynn George takes on the traditional Oaxacan “Torito” during the TranSierra Norte afterparty—a handmade bull-shaped frame loaded with fireworks, spun and danced through the crowd in a whirl of sparks and laughter. Rooted in local celebrations, the Torito is a fiery symbol of joy and chaos. And at TSN, when the racing ends, the party really begins—Oaxacan style! TSN 2019
Alvin at basecamp processing the fact that we have a wet and cold morning again! Coming to terms with yet another cold, wet morning and tough day out on the trails. Everyone thinks Mexico means sun and heat, but here in the Sierra, the weather has a personality of its own. You never really know what you’re going to get, and that’s part of the adventure. TSN 2019
To this day, every time I ride this trail, I think of that sunset and this photo. It was one of those perfect moments. Ariel Lindsley here riding Cieneguilla trail. TSN 2017
TranSierra Norte 2019 was one of those legendary wet years. Even now, every time race week rolls around, we all cross our fingers it won’t be a repeat of that mud-soaked madness. Richie Rude here, absolutely drenched—and Ariel’s face in the background says it all.
Eric Pirtle won the first ever Transierra Norte. TSN 2017
San Gabriel Etla. TSN 2017
Marco Osborne beside Andrew Cavalle. Marco is almost a local at Transierra Norte now; he's raced almost all of the editions. He is the true spirit of adventure multi-day enduro races. Even though riders most of the time have their own cabin at basecamp, Marco brings his own tent and camps out. TSN 2022
Jerome Clementz and Ludo May racing each other through the tight switchbacks of Punta de Piedra trail. Not this trail, but I will never forget hearing Jerome say after one of the stages that it had been one of the best stages he had ever raced! Hearing a world champion say this just makes me remember when we were just drinking beers in our own Trans-depósito years before, and imagining what an event like Transierra could become and if Oaxaca would ever be known as a top mountain bike destination! TSN 2019
Darrin Seeds on the old traditional buses that take the riders to base camp. This would be Day 1, driving from Oaxaca City through the Sierra all the way up to Ixtepeji Base Camp. TSN 2019
Matt Patterson, always the party man! TSN 2019
Carter Krasney in Huayapam just after Herradura Trail. TSN the Ride 2020
"Day of the Dead Race" in Oaxaca is what would become the Transierra Norte. Here, Alvin and Mau de Avila in a shoot we did before the race. Transierra Norte Prelude 2016
Ixtepeji. Marcelo Gutierrez TSN 2021
Cruz de Estacas Trail. TSN 2024
This is the Cieneguilla trail in San Gabriel Etla, completely burned the year before due to wildfires. For days, people from nearby communities came together to fight the flames and protect the forest. Just a year later, the area made a full comeback, lush, green, and bursting with life. TSN 2024
Greg Callaghan TSN 2024
Slawomir Lukasik TSN 2023
Venaditos Trail, Ixtepeji. TSN 2023
Whoever's been to ride in Oaxaca knows this spot well, Doña Tere's tiendita was one of the OG Transdepósito stops!. TSN 2022
An old logging truck stacked with the rider's bikes, riders chillin, soaking in the calm between stages. Just ahead, an old man leads his donkey, likely bound to collect firewood for a kitchen where tortillas meet flame, as they have for generations. In a single frame, the pulse of TranSierra Norte meets the timeless rhythm of life in the Oaxacan Sierra. TSN 2021
Jesse Melamed making his way through one of Ixtepeji’s trails on a borrowed bike, no less. His own had been stolen just days before the event, and he ended up racing on Julia Hofmann’s Rocky Mountain. One moment I’ll never forget: Jesse blind-gapping the rock roll on Corralito trail. It was a first, not even the locals had imagined it. These days, more riders send it, but if you know the trail, you know that doing it blind, on a borrowed bike, was nothing short of spectacular. TSN 2019
Ixtepeji. TSN 2023
Stoke on the party bus! What happens in the party bus, stays... TSN 2023
Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, 2024.
San Gabriel Etla, Transierra Norte Prelude 2016
In Oaxaca, a fiesta is never just a party; it’s a deep-rooted expression of identity, community, and resilience. Every village has its own traditions, saints, and reasons to celebrate, but what unites them all is the joy of gathering: music, mezcal, fireworks, food, and dance spilling into the streets, sometimes until dawn. At TranSierra Norte, that same spirit pulses through the event. It’s more than just a race, it’s a celebration of place. From the moment riders arrive, they’re welcomed not just into a competition, but into a living culture. The Torito dances through the afterparty with its shower of sparks, local cooks serve up handmade tortillas and tlayudas, and the sound of banda music echoes across basecamp. The fiesta is a reminder that in Oaxaca, the trails may challenge the body, but it’s the community, and its joyful, generous traditions, that feed the soul.
Ten years later, and I still feel that same spark every time I step onto these trails with a camera.
What started as a dream between friends in the Oaxacan mountains has grown into something far bigger, an experience that blends raw adventure with deep cultural roots. Through mud, sun, fog, and firelight, I’ve had the privilege of documenting not just a race, but a living, breathing story that continues to unfold each year.
Oaxaca has become my second home. These mountains, these people, these moments, they’ve shaped my work, my eye, and my heart. Each click of the shutter is a thank-you to this land, a way of honoring something that has given me so much.
I’m deeply grateful to Diego, Beto, Alvin, and now Buca, friends, visionaries, and the original spark behind TranSierra Norte. Without their passion and belief, none of this would exist.
I hope these photographs let you feel a piece of what we feel out here: the thrill, the connection, and the magic of a place where the riding never really stops, and the spirit only grows stronger.
Maybe one day, I’ll see you on these trails too.
Category: MTB & Adventure Photography
Location: San Pablo Etla, San Gabriel Etla, Ixtepeji, Benito Juarez, Huayapam, Oaxaca, Mexico
Featured: Jesse Melamed, Marco Osborne, Richie Rude, Slawomir Lukasik, Greg Callaghan, Marcelo Gutierrez, Transierra Norte
Words and Images: Nicolas Switalski
Originally published by Nicolas Switalski on [Pinkbike].
