La Ruta de los Conquistadores
La Ruta de los Conquistadores, known as the first mountain bike race of its kind, is a multi-stage race held in Costa Rica. La Ruta de los Conquistadores consists of crossing Costa Rica from the Pacific to the Atlantic Coast in the course of three days. It is an individual race, covering approximately 400 kilometers (250 miles) of terrain. First staged in 1992, the three-day race tests athletes with its 8000 (approx.) meters of elevation gain and strong climate changes. The event is also open to amateurs, having a 12-hour window to finish each stage, if competitors do not finish they are still welcome to race the next day but their cumulative times will not count on the overall results. “La Ruta de los Conquistadores pushes some of the world’s strongest mountain bikers to their limits on one of the toughest, most beautiful courses on Earth.” Kevin Vermaak, founder of the Cape Epic event in South Africa, took inspiration in La Ruta de los Conquistadores.
La Ruta de los Conquistadores, also widely known simply as La Ruta, was born in an effort to call the attention of the media, both nationally (in Costa Rica) and internationally, to the importance of the conservation of the flora and fauna of the country. La Ruta began as an ecological expedition following the paths of the Spanish Conquerors, Juan de Cavallón, Perafán de Ribera and Juan Vázquez de Coronado during their expeditions around 1653-1660.
The actual race was started in 1993 by Román Urbina, a renowned athlete and adventurer, also nominee for the mountain bike hall of fame for his work with La Ruta. Along with some friends, Urbina decided to follow the steps of the Spanish Conquerors on his mountain bike for fun, realized how great of an event it could be and turned it into an international event since its first edition.
The route traverses Costa Rica in three days, from the west coast town of Jacó to Bonita beach in the Caribbean Coast. The complete trajectory is of approximately 400 kilometers, although it varies slightly each year. It follows the footsteps of the Conquistadors crossing rivers, valleys and climbing mountains. The highest point of elevation in the three-day course is the Irazu Volcano, at 3,300 meters (approx. 11,000 feet)
The race has a three-day point to point format, which means each racer must make it from start to finish in a certain amount of time. There are four check points, which also serve as aid stations, per day, located every 25 km through the race course. A time limit is held in every aid station, if a racer does not make it in time to that certain aid station he or she will be picked up by a rescue truck and taken to the finish line.
In 2015, the route which took riders up and over Irazú and Turrialba volcanoes was diverted, with organizers citing too much volcanic activity as the reason.
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