Transierra Norte 2025: From Pines to Playas – Photo Epic

Words by Nicolas Switalski and photography by Nicolas Switalski and Cora Switalski

A Voice from the Forest: El Chaneke

Listen, you mortals, rolling on wheels of fire, steaming your breath into the cold dawn. I saw you, I ran beside you, under you, through you. I tugged your spokes, brushed your shoulders, whispered both blessing and mischief into your path.

You began in the valley, cradled by the scent of maize and copal smoke, the air thick with songs for the dead. Some of you laughed too soon, sun still warm on your cheeks, not yet knowing how hard the trails would bite. Five days of grinding gears and brake dust, five days of gods testing knees, arms, and lungs. I giggled when gravity made new friends among you. A few of you bled, all of you cursed, none turned back. I confess, I may have loosened a bolt here, gave a root a twist there. I am the voice that says “again,” when your legs beg no more.

Higher you climbed into cold that smells like sleep, where breath comes out in prayers. The forest drew in close, dripping with moss and memory, and I leaned the trees toward you just enough to taste your fear. Metallic, sharp, still, you pedaled, still, you raced. Strange creatures, you living ones, chasing speed on trails carved by the hands of the dead. It amuses me.

Do you remember that night? Frost biting at your cabins, moonlight slicing the dark into ribbons, I danced on the ridgeline, unseen, while you traded stories about falls and luck and near misses. One of you cried without knowing why, another swore the trees were breathing... They were. You were slipping between skins, flesh and spirit loosening, I only smiled. You were close to something you couldn’t name.

Later, through layers of cloud and mountain, you reached that high village, the one where fires never quite die and mushrooms hang like thought-bells from the rafters. The air softened there, and the veil grew thin. Perhaps you noticed shadows at the table’s edge, the dead. They weren’t visiting you, not yet, but they listened. They always listen when the world remembers them.

Then came the descent. Down, down, down, through veins of stone and serpentine switchbacks until the air thickened with salt. The horizon tore open: sea on one side, sky on the other. I stayed behind; I prefer the whisper of the pines. But I watched as your wheels kissed sand, your laughter tangled with the surf. You built altars out of sweat and bone, and the feast was good. The winners roared, the lost found themselves again. The living danced with the dead beneath a forgiving moon, the only kind that understands how forgetting is the real sin.

You call it a race. I call it... ritual.

Next year, I’ll wait again among the roots and ridges. Offer me your fear when you pass—I’ll keep it safe.

Until then, riders of light, remember your dead, and leave them an offering. I’m fond of their company.

Yours truly... El Chaneke

New for Transierra Norte

The 2025 edition marked a milestone for Transierra Norte. For the first time, the race expanded beyond its traditional home in the Sierra Norte by spending three days in its familiar highland forests, then moving south for two days of fresh-cut trails in the mystical mountains of San José del Pacífico. The journey didn’t end in the pines, this year finished at the beach, a full north-to-south pilgrimage capped by salt, surf, and a true rider's celebration. Faster, more comfortable transfers in sprinter vans also made the adventure smoother without losing the rawness of the logging truck bike hauls.

Transierra Norte is more than a race, it’s a moving showcase of Oaxaca’s trails, food, customs, and culture. The mission is to invite riders from around the world into local communities, create meaningful economic impact in the towns we pass through, support trail building and expansion, and help mountain biking thrive in a region rich with stories and terrain deserving of global attention.

Many of the trails raced at Transierra have been opened or restored through the event’s direct trail work. The network keeps growing with every edition leaving more singletrack, more connections, and more opportunities for local riders and visitors alike.

Ixtepeji and Etla

The trails in Ixtepeji start high, almost 3000 m. You feel it in your lungs before you feel it in your legs. The climbs are punchy and relentless, with switchbacks that force you to stay light on the pedals. The soil is rich and dark, and when the clouds settle in, as they often do, the humidity soaks everything. Roots and rocks get slick, and the mud can grab your tires like it wants to keep you there. You gotta pick lines carefully, read the trail a few turns ahead, and trust your bike.

This year, Transierra Norte spent 3 full days in this zone, serving up a trail selection that showcased some of the very best singletrack the region has to offer. Right out of the gate, the first two race days hit riders with some of Oaxaca’s most iconic and toughest stages, forcing everyone to be razor-sharp from the start. No warm-ups, no mercy. Just straight into the heat of it.

Down in Etla, the descent opens up a bit, but don’t let that fool you. Loose shale, hidden rocks, and those sneaky off-camber corners will eat your momentum if you aren’t ready. The dirt packs differently in patches: some sections grip like a dream, others are greasy and slippery.

San Jose del Pacifico

San José del Pacífico hangs suspended between sky and earth, a village cradled in clouds and mist, where the mountains themselves seem to breathe. The air is cool and thick, carrying the scent of pine, damp earth, and hidden flowers. Wooden cabins perch on steep slopes, their rooftops often swallowed by fog, while winding paths disappear into the haze as if they lead to another world.

For this edition, we spent two full days on fresh-cut trails, mostly brand new, raw, and barely broken in. This town has always been the halfway point between Oaxaca City and the coast, serving as a gateway between the mountains and the sea. That meant reaching the ocean from this new venue was finally just one step away, and this year, we took it.

Here, the ordinary feels magical. Mushrooms dot the forest floor like tiny suns, and locals whisper of visions seen in the fog, of spirits who wander alongside the living, and of secrets the mountains keep. Sunrise pours gold through the mist, painting the hills in shifting hues, while at night, the village glows softly with candlelight and lanterns, flickering like stars fallen from the sky.

It is a place where reality thins, where the border between waking and dreaming is soft, and where every breath seems to carry the memory of those who have walked these mountains long before. To arrive here is to step into a world both wild and tender, mysterious and intimate — a place that lingers in the mind long after the fog has lifted.

Quick race stats:

5 days of racing

24 stages

60+ km of timed descent

2h 07m 43s winning time (Pro Men)

82 riders

10,000+ m of vertical drop

1 finish line on the beach

Format & Logistics

Each day of Transierra Norte delivered between three and six timed stages, ranging from short, punchy 1 km sprints to sustained 5 km descents through raw, technical terrain. True to its spirit, the race remained fully blind, no practice laps, no previews. Riders faced a mix of brand-new trails, reworked classics, and untouched signature stages that define the event’s DNA.

Transfers were a mix of pedal-powered liaisons and shuttles. This year, upgraded sprinter vans made the long hauls more comfortable for racers and crew, while the bikes still traveled in the same rugged logging trucks that have carried them since the beginning. Accommodation echoed the terrain’s progression: cozy camp cabins in Ixtepeji for the first three nights, then a shift to higher-end cabins in San José del Pacífico for the final two, as the mountains gave way to the coast and the anticipation of the ocean finish grew.

Zicatela Beach!

We finally arrived in Zicatela. After so many years of Transierra being based entirely in the Sierra Norte, this year we made it all the way to the beach. Zicatela is a long stretch of surf coastline in Puerto Escondido, on the Pacific coast of Oaxaca. Known around the world for its towering beach breaks and laid-back vibe, it's a place where surfers, travelers, and locals blend into a single current of ocean life.

It became the perfect end-of-race wrap-up, a well-earned celebration after days of pushing through roots, mud, rain, and rocks in the high mountains. Everyone gathered on the sand, exhausted but happy, drinking cold beers and mezcalitas, and fresh seafood.

The beach was the perfect bookend: same soul, new setting, same tribe, finally touching saltwater after a long ride down from the clouds.

Podiums

With 24 stages spanning over 60 km and more than two hours of overall stage time, riders went full-throttle for five days across pure Oaxacan-style trails, battling through fog, roots, rocks, and rain from high mountain pines all the way to the Pacific. And when wheels finally touched sand, the journey came full circle: a true Transierra Norte celebration, mezcal in hand, ocean at our feet, and stories that will linger long after the dirt has washed away.

Full results can be seen here

See you next year!

To all the Transierra Norte family, riders, crew, volunteers, and locals, thank you for being part of another incredible journey across Oaxaca’s mountains and coast. From the foggy pines to the salty breeze of Zicatela, you carried the spirit of adventure every step of the way. Rest up, keep the stoke alive, and we’ll see you next year for more trails, more stories, and more unforgettable moments.

Hasta pronto, familia!

Category: Photo Epic Race Recap

Location: San Gabriel Etla, San Pablo Etla, Ixtepeji, San José del Pacífico, San Mateo Río Hondo, Puerto Escondido, Mexico

Featured: Marco Osborne, Ed Masters, Brady Stone, Anja Hovorka, Transierra Norte

Tags: Transierra Norte, Evoc, Giant

Words: Nicolas Switalski

Photography: Nicolas Switalski and Cora Switalski

Originally published by Nicolas Switalski on [Pinkbike].