11-15-07 // Events: LA RUTA Journal Stage 1

A bridge over the Rio Piedras Negras or the River of Black Stone

Now I know what it feels like to climb 15,000 feet in one day. The first stage of the 2007 La Ruta de los Conquistadores could be described in many ways, but a few hours after crossing the finish line in El Rodeo, about all I can muster is this: The climbs lasted forever. I mean, they never, ever, ever f-ing ended. This was not unexpected. In fact, today’s 95-kilometer stage from the Pacific beach town of Jaco to El Rodeo, about 30 minutes outside of San Jose, was designed to be a bit easier than last year’s stage 1 death march that resulted in so many abandoning the race. Instead of a last muddy hike-a-bike, we were treated to a 3,000-foot climb up pavement, followed by a soul-sucking final 20 kilometers on a rough, gravel-and-rock headwind climb to the finish. The times were a bit shorter today than last year’s stage 1, but Tinker Juarez, who finished seventh behind winner Federico Ramirez of Costa Rica, said it didn’t seem much easier to him. The final climb was interminable.

And believe me, there were still plenty of muddy hike-a-bikes. How to describe the incessant mud here? First of all, it clumps on everything, making your bike very heavy. I don’t care how pimped out your carbon hardtail with those featherweight wheels and carbon doo-dads was at the start—by the time we started slip-sliding through the reddish clay-like mud, everyone was pretty much in the same boat. Much of the 33 kilometers of mud was unrideable (unless, I suppose, you were one of those insanely gifted Costa Rican climbers at the front of the race), but the muddy areas you could ride offered their own, um, challenges.

On descents, mudpacked tires offered little sideknob bite to keep you from being sucked into the knee- to waist-high ruts. On the climbs, it was better to shoulder the bike if you had the strength, because rolling it along gathered so much mud that the rear wheel would clog and stop rolling. (I was thankful to have received a pre-race tip from Trek-Volkswagen pro Jeremiah Bishop about the necessity of toe spikes. Without them, I’d probably still be in the rainforest somewhere, crawling on all fours up some peanut butter wall.) On the less technical sections that were more easily negotiated, there was that constant sound of tires rolling through the sticky mud. It’s a sound of making mudpies, only it’s perpetual. I’d like to offer more insight on how the race went down, but you don’t see much at-the-front action from my perspective. I did briefly catch up with Sue Haywood (Trek-Volkswagen), the women’s stage winner who valiantly fought off three-time La Ruta champion Louise Kobin. And I heard from a few of the fast guys that the Costa Ricans were in their best form at the front. Ramirez won, Paolo Montoya was second, and Frenchman Thomas Dietsch was third. I haven’t yet seen the results, but Tinker Juarez was reportedly the top American in seventh. Ramirez’s time was somewhere around five hours, 15 minutes, which seems unimaginable to me and my 7:35 finishing time.

Federico Ramirez finished first at the first stage of the 2007 La Ruta

Now, considering all the blabbering about the mud and hills above, the final word from me, before I try to drink one Imperial beer without passing out, is this event is unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. It ain’t easy, but I don’t doubt it when Roman Urbina, the man who created the event 15 years ago, says La Ruta changes the lives of those who race it. If nothing else, you’ll have a new appreciation for the importance of chamois cream.

Here are a few highlights from the day:

• Spectacular rainforest scenery from start to finish: Climbing 15,000 feet exposed us to so many diverse ecosystems, from tropical rainforests to high-mountain, cloud-walking vistas.
• Camaraderie: 550 people were out there with their own goals to achieve and demons to slay, but we were all in it together. I was happy to save a friend of a friend’s day with an extra GU after he missed a feed, and sure enough he was there for me in my own time of need a few hours later.
• High-fiving groups of roadside schoolchildren in small mountain villages.
• The chain-lubing angels: The only way to keep your bike running in this stuff is to stop at the many river crossings, douse your bike and clean it as best you can. After some of these rivers, local villagers, manned with big bottles of lube (it might have been motor oil for all I know, but whatever), would help you lube your chain.
• My bike: Flawless performance from the Giant Anthem 1 that I’m testing. Thanks to our friends at Giant for getting this new 2008 model to Bike magazine in time for me to abuse it in a way that’s not entirely humane. Look for a full review in an upcoming issue of the magazine.
• Finishing: It’s nice to finish your first stage of La Ruta. A lot of people I know experienced big-time problems out there today, and I’m just thanking my lucky stars that I made it through the day. There were times, usually around the 45th switchback of a climb up through the clouds, that I wasn’t sure I’d make it. No guarantees for tomorrow, but at least I got one in the books.

-Kip