Until a few days ago, one of the toughest mountain bike races in the world featured a route that would take competitors through a region affected by the ongoing magmatic eruptions of the Turrialba volcano in the province of Cartago. La Ruta de los Conquistadores is an adventure and endurance race that takes riders through some of the same routes that claimed the lives of thousands of conquistadors as they laid claim to the wild territory of Costa Rica on behalf of the Spanish Crown centuries ago. In the early stages of the eruption last week, race officials did not consider modifying the route of this adventurous event; however, persistent sulfur clouds emanating from the Turrialba volcano forced a last-minute rerouting.

 

According to a report by Adrian Mendoza of online news daily CRHoy.com, race officials noticed the abundance of noxious gases and ash clouds through parts of the original route, which would have taken competitors close to the active colossus. To some very adventurous riders, this may seem like an exciting opportunity; nonetheless, race officials stated that the concentration of volcanic ash and sulfur is not conducive to a mountain bike race. Conducting the race under such condition would be risky to support staff and competitors alike, and it would be very irresponsible as well. As such, the second stage of this grueling race has been reduced to 57 kilometers with a starting point and finish line in Tres Rios. Competitors will still be expected to climb volcanoes; namely the mildly active Irazu.

 

La Ruta de los Conquistadores is one of the many adventure races that take place in Costa Rica, a country that is famous for her challenging topography. Many segments of this race are so technical that competitors end up carrying their mountain bikes on their shoulders about half the time. The action will begin in Jaco Beach in the early morning hours. As described by race officials:

 

La Ruta de los Conquistadores is Costa Rica’s premier mountain bike race and one of the most difficult athletic events on the planet. The world’s original multi-day fat-tire stage race, La Ruta is the “Grandfather” that created and inspired this now-worldwide genre — and still the most loved, feared, and respected.

 

Every year, hundreds of the very best mountain bikers and endurance racers from around the world come to Central America to test themselves in this unique odyssey of distance, geography, climate and culture. La Ruta, the only bike race that traverses the American land mass from coast to coast — from Pacific to Atlantic —is no easy day at the beach. Between its sea-level start and finish, the 161-mile route crosses 5 mountain ranges that force you climb a cumulative 29,000 feet!  The daunting terrain is so harsh that half a millennium ago it took Spanish conquistadores led by Juan De Cavallón 20 years to cross the land of Costa Rica from the Pacific to the Caribbean Sea; today, following almost the same trails they blazed, modern-day explorers racing on mountain bikes will do it in 3 days.

 

But the legendary difficulty of La Ruta is just one reason why this adventure will take your breath away. Its setting is one of the most special places on earth. Costa Rica has been called “the most biodiverse place on the planet” by National Geographic because it packs a full 5% of the Earth’s species of birds, plants and animals onto just 0.01% of the planet’s land mass. La Ruta riders get a chance to see and hear many of them as they travel through nine of the country’s twelve different microclimates. As the route snakes through tropical rain forest, 12,000 feet volcanoes, banana plantations and tiny farm towns, it alternatively drenches you in rain and freezes you in high elevation. Over every imaginable riding surface— singletrack and fireroad trails, gravel, hard-packed dirt, pavement, thigh-deep mud, sand, volcano ash, and more — the route will have you making endless granny-gear chugs, hike-a-bikes, and white-knuckle descents through and over rain forests, sweltering jungle, steaming volcanoes, breezy coastline, suspended bridges and deep river gorges.