La Ruta de los Conquistadores
La Ruta Unveils Its 2008 Course
Luis Rueda Fonseca / 12.11.2008
Day 1
The race will begin at the Best Western Jacó Beach resort, but for the start will travel for almost 18 kilometers on a paved climb (moderate ascent). Then comes a 7 kilometers climb on a gravel road which is so much more rideable than the gravel and muddy walls of the last 2 years’, towards the town of Bijagual (the first town we hit just before Checkpoint 1). The traverse through the Carara National Park jungle, the Turrubares’ rivers crossings and the paved climbing towards Grifoalto remain the same.
The second change for this first stage will be at the end of the course. The race won’t finish at El Rodeo state as in past editions. Racers will pass by this place - n a paved road- and will travel for almost 11 kilometers more to the Swiss Travel Services facilities in Santa Ana. These changes will add about kilolometers more to this first stage. (The Swiss Travel facilities are located next to the Equine Club that we used for the finish of the first stage in 2005).
Day 2
This day will start at the Swiss Travel facilities. The first 10 kilometers will put racers on a very steep climb on gravel and concrete surfaces. This climb is expected to take 30-40 minutes for the best-prepared racers. It is more rideable than last year’s climb as it is not too muddy but gravelly instead.
This climb will end at the top of the Grifoalto Mountains (an Indian reserve) and then will get the racers into a little portion of tree-covered singletrack. This section will be followed by a very technical and muddy downhill towards the same asphalt climb as last year.
The final variation for this day will banish the muddy final hike to the Terramall Shopping Centre into a traverse on trails through a coffee plantation, just before finishing at Terramall once again.
Days 3 and 4
These days will stay practically unchanged. Day 3 will go up to the Irazú and the Turrialba Volcanoes and then the technical rocky descent towards the Aquiares coffee town; while the fourth and final stage will repeat the punishment on the humid Caribbean roads, the train bridges and the railways, and finally the swamps.
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