Ride of the Dead

In Mexico, November 2 marks Día de los Muertos, a day to honor the dead with festive shrines, offerings of flowers and parades. And while many in Oaxaca flock to cemeteries to spend time with those who have passed, another Día de los Muertos event takes place in the ancient trails that snake through the Oaxacan highlands above. The Trans Sierra Norte is a multi-day enduro mountain bike race that rips through dense woods, burly singletrack and tiny villages, with bikers finishing in Oaxaca City right about the time the fireworks are blasting off.