LA RUTA DE LOS CONQUISTADORES

Costa Rica is the breathtaking setting for the toughest mountain bike race on the planet, La Ruta de los Conquistadores. Are you ready to take on the biggest challenge of your life? You must be if you’ve come this far! Over the next four days you will compete with some of the best "hard-core" mountain bike (adventure) racers in the world. You will experience the same grueling terrain and extreme tropical climate, that the original Spanish conquistadors endured during thier first expedition crossing the continent from coast to coast.

Riding his bike, (14 years ago), the Race Organizer Roman Urbina, explored and retraced the cross country route of the Spanish conquistador, Juan de Caballón. The route started on the Pacific Coast in the beach town of Jacó.

The first fifteen minutes is a pleasurable ride along the coastal highway before comming to the first of many grueling climbs. Upon reaching the town of Bijagual, the journey takes a sharp left and heads into the back end of the nature reserve, Carara. This reserve is populated by poison dart frogs and scarlet macaws.

La Ruta de los Conquistadores

The route descends into the Valley of Turrubares and continues toward the central highlands, taking you through numerous spectacular microclimates. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, the Central Valley is cooler with more rain at higher elevations. On average, Costa Rica receives 3,300 mm (130 inches) of rainfall per year.

The highest point in the expedition is the Irazú Volcano, which towers over San José at the eastern edge of the Central Valley. It reaches hights of 3,432m (11,259 feet). Irazú and its neighbor, the Turrialba Volcano, border the old capital city and religious center, Cartago, Costa Rica. Another conquistador, Perafán de Rivera, explored the region with its rich volcanic soils that today contribute to the prosperous agricultural industries surrounding Cartago and the town of Turrialba.

After an in depth exploration around the Turrialba Volcano, Rivera continued towards the Atlantic flatlands traveling some of Costa Rica´s largest rivers and most dense jungle, which today have been replaced by immense banana plantations which grows excellent in the wet marshes bordering the Caribbean coast.

As such, La Ruta was born –a grueling, (coast to coast) three stage, three day mountain bike race that will challenge not only your physical strength, but your sanity as well.