Costa Rica's Ruta de los Conquistadores mountain bike race, considered one of the most difficult in the world, is headed into the third and final stage on Saturday. Here is a look inside to Friday's Stage 2 action.
The Ruta de los Conquistadores, the famously grueling mountain bike trek across Costa Rica, begins Thursday. Bikers will start in Playa Herradura, Puntarenas and travel three days across jungle, volcanoes, and rivers to the finish in Playa Bonita, Limón.
The Tico Times caught up with racers just before the starting gun at 7 a.m. A thick fog blanketed the hills of Tres Ríos, and riders looked road-weary after the first day’s push from Jacó to Atenas. But several athletes were happy to discuss their experience.
The 22nd Ruta de los Conquistadores bike race kicked off this morning, and a new cohort of wheelsmen will battle for first place. As usual, the competition touts itself as “the toughest mountain bike race on the planet.” But is that true? And what makes the Ruta so particularly hard?
