E
very November in the small Costa Rican beach town of Jaco, 300 endurance cyclists wake in the early morning to prepare for what may be the most physically demanding event of their lives. Fittingly, the day starts with a taste of things to come: dripping humidity and temperatures in the 70s. In this murk, most riders are engrossed in pre-race rituals. But among the focus, a few newbies bounce around, wide-eyed and eager, in great contrast to the veterans who move slowly, already conserving energy. What speaks to them is the challenge of La Ruta de Los Conquistadores. A three-day stage race that starts on the Pacific Coast and follows the route used by the Spanish to colonize the region 450 years ago, eventually finishing on the Caribbean Sea. It is the hazards found between these two oceans that cause many to rate the Ruta as, “The most torturous mountain bike race in world.� The course contains roughly 30,000 feet of climbing spread across 280 miles of dirt roads and jeep trails and boasts a high point of 11,000 lung-searing feet found on the slopes of the Irazu volcano. Other hardships include the interior’s hypothermicinducing high mountain thunderstorms, an ironic contrast to the crushing heat and humidity of the coast, and countless ankle to neck-deep river crossings, complete with reptilian inhabitants.
Mountain Flyer
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