La Ruta De Los Conquistadores - Photos and Results 2011

November 14th, 2011 9:59am

Ultra Endurance World Champion Rebecca Rush looking relaxed at 5:30 in the morning before the start of the 2011 La Ruta de los Conquistadores MTB Race.

A fixture at the La Ruta, this guy rides shirtless in cut off shorts and wears TEVA sandals and has finished all five times he entered. His son is also a top local pro in the race.

A little fun a La Ruta before the real work begins - mask and all. Notice the guy in red in the background, look closely, he is missing one arm. His spirit helps keep things in perspective.

Todd Wells came to La Ruta looking focused and riding a wave of success. Mid-way through the first stage, Todd has gapped the field and soloed for the stage win by 11 minutes.

Milton Ramos of Honduras rides a lonely race into second place on stage one.

La Ruta is a fire road/paved road race, but it is tough. The climbs are long, the uphills and downhill pitches can reach over 30% and are often loose rock or mud.

Yes, there is much hike-a-bike on this course. At least the scenery is spectacular and the locals come out to watch the race oddity.

Five time La Ruta winner and Costa Rican native "Lico" (Federico Ramirez Mendez)

struggles during stage one of the race. Lico looked a bit uncomfortable going past and although managed 6th place in stage one, dropped 34 minutes to the leader Todd Wells.

Rom Akerson shows the discomfort in the long climb while in the middle of the jungles of Costa Rica. Akerson holds third place after day one.

Manny Prado suffered out on the course a bit more than expected today to come in tied for 18th overall. Perhaps the long season has taken it's toll

or his preperation wasn't enough - with three more grueliing days we will find out..

Travis Hauck gets out of the saddle to stretch his legs on the climb from San Pedros. Hauck is in 16th overall but leads the Men 30-39 division.

Bicycle World TV's own Jeff Herrera leads last years winner Ben Sonntag up the San Pedro climb. Despite a crash and some mechanical issues including only having the BIG ring, Herrera
managed to claim a tie for 18th overall and is only one minute behind the leader in the men 30-39 classification.

The course was lined with little shops that seemed to pop out of nowhere called "SODA"s. Each has a unique style and are essentially mom and pop eateries. It really gives the country side of Costa Rica some of it's charm.

The single most important aspect if you want to finish La Ruta, EAT. Calorie intake and hydration are a must if you want to survive this climb fest. Preparation
can't be stressed enough. More is better than not enough and having support of your family and friends is critical.

School kids and locals watched the racers climb the road while they hang out at their "Soda".  This one features parking for your horses or burro.

Literally eyeing the climb ahead, this la ruta participant, Dennis Porras Murillo, sees a wall of pain just meters ahead.

Photos can't do this justice. Dennis Porras Murillo on the steep incline that greets riders about 90 kms into the race. This is one of  several that break a riders will. This incline easily reaches 25% and gets loose in several sections making line choice important. Not an easy task when your fresh, but when your on the rivet...i could feel their pain...

Just to put the climb in perspective, this was shot  just above the men in the last photo looking down as the road disappears. This little beauty was about 300 yards long...

Adriana Rojas gets interviewed after arriving in 27th overall position, first overall in the womens division and 10 minutes ahead of Rebecca Rush

Endurance World Champion Rebecca Rush shares a laugh after cleaning off the mud. Rebecca came back again this year to improve her luck and is in second place just 10 minutes from the women's leader.  Rebecca commented that the last 20 kilometers of the days 108 Km stage was the hardest she had ever done.

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