41 years-old Josep Betalú from Spain won for second consecutive year La Ruta de los Conquistadores.

The multistage MTB race came to an end this Saturday, November 3, at Playa Bonita, Limon, completing three full days of competition.

Canadian Josiah Middaugh came in second place with just one second of difference and Carlos Arias, winner of the second stage, took the third place 45 seconds later.

This third and final stage included 60 kilometers of route between the center of Siquirres and Playa Bonita in Limon.

In the female division, it was Eunice Rojas who took first place followed by another Costa Rican, Katherine Herrera.

Lance Armstrong closed the third stage with a time of 2:17:33, a difference of 13 from the champion Betalú, while on the general table he managed position 12 with a difference of 4:38:39 from Betalú.

Armstrong admitted that the first stage of the competition “was the hardest thing I have experienced on my bicycle, I was not prepared for it, I did not expect it, I had problems with hydration and nutrition, it was a long and hard day that I will never forget”.

La Ruta took competitors from the Pacific to the Caribbean coast in just three days, through 12 microclimates, covering a total of 260 km (161.56 miles), out of which 8.8 km (5.5 miles) involve slopes.