The speeds were unbelievable.
The racing went full bore all weekend in this year's La Ruta. It was hard to believe how the top pro racers managed to put forth such an extraordinary effort, even after hundreds of kilometers and three-straight days of racing. Yet there they were, a pack of Costa Rican and American riders, flying across the countryside of Sunday's stage at speeds of 40kph on the descents and 30kph on the rough 'n' rocky flats — for nearly six hours.
Local pro rider Edgar Zumbado won this year's La Ruta for the second-straight time, beating the field by a half hour overall. Last year, he had strong competition from a Colombian rider, and this year was challenged by a Texan rider named Scott Henry. Henry came within minutes of Zumbado's time and was dejected at
missing a stage win by so little after such a grueling and arduous weekend of racing. Just 30 minutes after Henry's finish and in dominant control, Colorado's Melissa Thomas rode across the finish line with an incredible two-and-a-half hour advantage over the other women riders. One of them was Christina Begy, who was reported to have crashed hard during the last stage, losing even
more time to Thomas.
| So fast were the top pros that support vehicles were being passed on the descents... |
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Sunday's stage was mostly flat and for 15 kilometers followed the abandoned train tracks that required riders riders, at one point, to negotiate a slick railroad bridge, gingerly walking across rotting timbers while porting their bikes. These rail lines used to deliver fruit from the interior jungle to the port of Limon. However, 10 years ago the government stopped running trains on this beautiful stretch of iron, and companies like Dole, Del Monte and Chiquita began using trucks to deliver their fruit to the awaiting container ships. It made for another beautiful venue on which to stage this ride along the route of the conquistadors.
MountainZone.com had spent the past two days lolly-gagging at the rear of the pack, but fired up the minivan and decided to check out the action up front for the final stage — and what a difference it was. The pace up front was blistering and as soon as the field completed their parade loop through town, riders hit a
dirt climb and immediate split into several packs. So fast were the top pros that support vehicles were being passed on the descents - at speeds exceeding 40kph on slick jeep trails. And they never slowed, blowing past the checkpoint's fresh fruit and Gatorade until their water bottles were empty.
The winner Zumbado was so collected mid-stage that at one point his support crew pulled alongside him, in their pickup truck, and handed him a cell phone, whereupon he had a quick conversation with someone - perhaps his mother - before hammering away.
Then at the finish line, 3rd, 4th and 5th place finishers approached the finish line from the wrong direction after getting lost in the final kilometers.
Such is the offbeat nature of La Ruta. Part hard-core race (up front) and part fun ride (back further), the combination lends itself to the race's character, as a high-speed circus of riders, support vehicles and staff race all the way across Costa Rica over three days. It is a most unique event; a celebration of self-sufficiency and a test of endurance. Yet after each stage
the riders finished, they cleaned up and ate a hot lunch.
Finally, after this stage, the prizes were bestowed on the victor. For his work, Zumbado won $1,000, top finishers received a medal and everyone received a cap and a T-shirt. For Americans this came at a price of $500, which included hotels as well, while "Ticos" (Costa Ricans) paid approximately $100 to ride.
The future of La Ruta looks promising, but organizer Roman Ubina doesn't want to increase the field from its present size of 200 competitors. He is interested in having more participants (and sponsors) from the US though, and interested participants can email Ubina at roman@mountainbikecostarica.com.
– Ari Cheren, filing at 9600bps and planning his own canopy tour, for MountainZone.com
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