Mountain bikers have been coming to Oaxaca, Mexico to ride the challenging terrain for decades. The area is considered the center of the sport in Latin America. But what about local riders and aspiring riders?

“It’s hard to get on a bike and hop on these trails because there’s not a lot of room for error and learning,” says Tony Martin, founder & director of 2Wheel Epix, which leads tours around the world, while having a positive impact on the local communities.

After a year of taking riders on tours in Ixtepeji, an area of Oaxaca, Tony, who’s based in Bellingham, WA, decided to start raising funds to help build two easier flow trails that beginners and kids alike could enjoy. As part of the project, they also donated 90 bikes to local youth. 

But Tony wanted to do it in a way that closely involved the local community. He and his partner Carlos Coyote from Coyote Aventuras worked closely with the community of Ixtepeji and the Ixtepeji Bike Park to plan and build out the two trails, using the Indigenous Oaxacan concept of tequio, which means collective work where members of a community pitch in to accomplish something together.

The story of the tequio-built trails of Ixtepeji was too unique not to be told. So Tony partnered with his friend, filmmaker Alex Mager, who he’d met raft guiding on the Salmon River. Alex—who’s a mountain biker and filmmaker based in Utah—offered to help bring the project to life through a short film.

Watch Tequio Trails now and read our interview with Tony and Alex below. 

Cotopaxi: What first inspired you to go to Ixtepeji and get involved with the MTB community there?

Tony Martin: In all the countries 2Wheel Epix guides in, we help build trails, open new trails, and create new zones. We’re the only guide company who actually stays in the cabanas in Ixtepeji, so we’ve gotten to know all the people who work there.

Alex Mager: A lot of mountain bikers visiting weren’t engaging with the locals in the community. Tony saw that and was like, “We gotta get more people locally on bikes to be a part of this.”

Tony: Once we developed a relationship with the people there, we presented the project. We talked to the authorities within the three different towns. We knew this was the sport where we could be most impactful with the way the local community is already organized.

Alex: Because of the nature of the terrain, they didn’t have any progressive trails in Ixtepeji. That’s part of the reason why this project was such a big deal. They have all these trails, but they’re really gnarly.

Cotopaxi: What led you to pursue this story about mountain biking in Ixtepeji? 

Tony: After years of riding these trails and getting to know the locals, it seemed like a no-brainer that we needed to help get more people in the Ixtepeji community on bikes. Previously, I helped produce a segment of the Teton Gravity Research film "Esperanto," and I’ve been around other storytelling endeavors in the MTB world. As this amazing story was unfolding before my eyes, I called up Mager to see if he thought it could make a compelling film. His answer was simple: "Yes, we have to do this."

Alex: I had just been in New Mexico as a production assistant with Cotopaxi and I thought it could be a good story for the brand to support. But the project was moving forward, whether or not we had funding for a film.

Tony: Mager was like, “We have to film this if we can.” So Cotopaxi helped fund about half of the bike donation, some of the trail building, and the film. 

Cotopaxi: How has the concept of Tequio and working together changed your outlook on work and life?

Alex: I’ve always been a huge fan of collaboration and the concept that life is a give-and-take, whether that’s work, friendship, or being a part of a community. The projects I like to work on the most have a nonprofit background to them, but there are only so many hours in the day. Sometimes it’s hard to justify work when you’re not getting compensated, but this project has been a big reinforcement that doing that is always worth it. Seeing the community in Ixtepeji come together and implement Tequio in this way was amazing, and we can all take something from this example in our own communities. Being part of this makes me want to continue to proritize the ideals of Tequio in the way I work both in film and life.

Tony: It’s all about understanding that everyone deserves happiness and there are super simple things you can do as a community to make people feel included. This creates progression and energy that moves the community forward. Taking the time and being conscious of how you can contribute is super important. It also takes a lot less than what most people think. When you see a beginner learning your sport, give them a compliment. That small gesture can mean a lot and will reinforce that they are as welcome as anyone else to be learning the sport. In this day and age, finding ways to bring us together instead of divide us is important to focus on. 

Cotopaxi: How have you seen this project positively impact the Ixtepeji community?

Tony: What it’s created is exactly what we wanted. Kids go up there and spend the whole day sessioning the two trails. We also built another trail—a black/blue flow trail that’s a great ladder to what we’ve already built. Everyone there is learning how to jump and corner.

There’s also a group of young adults from ages 9 to 26 that’s like a local bandita. They are taking care of the trails a lot more. And Chiquis is now the new director of the Ixtepeji Bike Park.

Cotopaxi: Have any kids become avid riders? 

Tony: Diego is this 8-year-old who has really run with it and he’s sending. There’s a bike community of 50-60 people in Oaxaca who are like doctors and business owners and they bought a bike for Diego. The original project was the spark and the local community responded, which was super cool. He’s learning about bike mechanics and we’re seeing a trickle-down effect.

Cotopaxi: What’s next in Ixtepeji? 

Alex: The majority of the kids live in the little pueblos and on farms. They all ride the trails between each of their houses. Our next project, which we need $30,000 for in 2025, is to build a green trail for adults that’s beautiful, scenic, and fun. We also need to go to the towns and build little pump tracks next to the schools … little skills parks for the kids there. You can count on one thing: Whatever happens next will be a community effort.