November 14th, 2011 10:01am
Climbing to the Clouds - down and back again - 11,000 feet to be exact - in just 80K or 48 miles depending on your part of the world - is more than brutal. And it was the duanting task that riders had to endure on day two of La Ruta. With near perfect weather for the second straight day, the racers were challenged to ride the steepest climbs I have ever witnessed, some were over 30% grade. It seemed that with every turn, there was a steeper pitch. Eventually there was a downhill, but it was much to short lived and quickly followed by another climb. Rinse and repeat for 5 hours (for the lucky leaders) and you have the day in a nutshell.
Mario Alfredo Meneses Bonilla of Costa Rica checks the gap over his chaser during the early part of day two.
Adriana Rojas - womens leader during the first hour of the stage on a steep pitch. Adriana extended her lead on the day by six minutes.
A typical scene in Costa Rica - bananas growing in yards, coffee plantations etc. greet riders along the routes.
Rebecca Rush climbing through coffee plantations during stage two of La Ruta. Rebecca held on to second place but lost six
minutes to the leader.
The spectacular scenery is part of the prize of competing in La Ruta.
The roads of La Ruta are varied - paved, dirt, mud, loose rock, steep, long, at altitude, through remote towns, dense jungle and big cities.
This rider gets a short rest on one of the downhill streets of the route knowing it will turn toward the sky again very soon.
Hike A Bike on a near 30% pitch with loose rock and dirt. This road seemed to go up forever and get steeper with every turn.
These riders found the (rare) cement gutter better traction. The leaders rode the dirt, but most did not.
#27 is the day one leader of the 30-39 age group Travis Hauck - sporting the leaders jersey.
This photo was shown just to try and show the steepness of the climb. The four wheel drive truck I was in had a tough time climbing it.
The road in the lower third is part of the course that eventually leads up to this photo location. but only after meandering painfully through the various agricultural fields.
Costa Rica is as beautiful as it is steep, going up and down.
Pushing hard on the last part of the major climbing section of the day, Travis Huack of Canada shows what every rider was feeling at this very point. The Burn.
Another tight turn leading to an even steeper section.
La Ruta Staff are super helpful knowing that these riders are burning up calories and fluids faster than they can digest and absorb them. Missing a meal at La Ruta could be the end of your race.
South America rider Hector Fernando Riveros Paez, loads in the fuel and looks toward the next section to see if there is another climb ahead (which there is). Paez, bonked hard on the climb and was seen just leaning on his bike pondering life. That is La Ruta.
This lone rider is on a mission to survive the day. Another climb, not as steep, but equally as painful this late in the day at about 20k from the finish.
Although no rain fell during either day, it did rain a bit each night and made the famous La Ruta mud in some sections. This mud eats drive trains and
is slippery beyond imagination. More than one rider has issues with it and will no doubt see it again in the remaining two days.
Local rider Max Araya Orozco slithers through the mud section at the top of the mountain.
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Location: News >> Climbing is the word for day two at La Ruta 2011
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