La Ruta de los Conquistadores
Costa Rica, November 17-19, 2000
Kim Bear

I was just told today that I should really have had my horoscope read for me (remember I live in Santa Fe) and any astrologist would of told me that these dates were to be very tumultuous for me. Jan and I had arrived late Wednesday night and were taken to our hotel along with other racers. The next day we were bussed out to the pacific coast to a beautiful resort. The weather is hot and humid, iguanas and a scarlet macaw can be spotted.

The pre-race meeting starts punctually at 5pm with Roman the race director describing all three days. (I only register the next day's course; the key is making checkpoint number four by 3pm or you will NOT be allowed to continue.) I tentatively ask about how well the course is marked and do people get lost? He answers the course is well marked, always look up for signs and when in doubt ask the locals because they know the course. I feel reassured; no navigating will be required. He avoids answering if people get lost. I note that. He also emphasizes that it is the elements that get to the riders. I will figure this one out by experience.

Friday begins with a wake up call at 3 am. The start is at 5am. We chuckle, as we prefer to get up with about 30 minutes or less to get to the starting line. The start is controlled out of the resort for about 4 miles. It is DARK! The scariest part of the whole race happened here. I was with a group of riders going fast down a blind hill and all of a sudden braking commences.... someone had left their bike in the middle of road while they went into the trees, and it was so dark we could not see it until we were right on top of it. Luckily no one hit the bike and the race continued. We had been told that this was the day that would make or break you. Quickly we were in the jungle. The down hills looked great until you started riding...it was thick red mud that stuck to the tire giving you no traction. I quickly lost my confidence and regressed to a downhill technique where the goal was to stay upright as your tires slid down. The mud would cake up to such a degree that the front tire would not turn. You had to carry your bike up the hills so this would not happen. At every stream, I laid my bike down to wash as much mud as could off. Smart people even had brushes.

It was hot and humid; my CamelBak had already run out of my Gatorade/water. I got some water from a stream and put iodine in it; one of the locals looked at me as if I was crazy and told me not to drink it unless I really had to! I heeded his advice. I make it to the next aid station and they have run out of Gatorade, luckily I have some gastrolye to add (a remnant from adventure racing which made it into my CamelBak stash). A spectator tells me I am the seventh woman. I smile proudly. As I go on, I remember there are only 10 women in the race.

The course continues with down hills, which are rocky, and many climbs. I make it to transition four and it is 10 minutes to 2pm. I am feeling strong and know I am going to finish. I start down with two other riders and right away, we get lost. We ride on feeling we are on the right trail and being reassured because the locals say we are on the right way. (Keep in mind I am asking in my English and getting nodding and answers in Spanish). The other two guys I am with are confident this is right, although we are going through muck up to our knees and I only see cattle imprints. Finally, a local in a pick up truck tells us we are so far off course that we are at the bottom of the mountain we have just spent hours climbing. He drives us back to transition four. We arrive at 3:15pm. I tell them we have already checked in and I am finishing no matter what! They grin and say they will not let me go down the trail again, so I tell them I will take the road. They say it is much shorter...I say I do not care because from all the extra I have been riding, it will equal 100 miles. I start out with one of the other men who has been riding with me, the other wants to ride down in a car. The other guy also ends up bailing. I am determined to ride this out. I continue...I begin to have thoughts about how stubborn I have been about this and that this road will not magically end at the finish line.

I am riding into the largest city in Costa Rica. Luckily, the Costa Ricans from transition four know I have no idea what I am doing and actually flank me with a vehicle in the front and back. Later, I find out they have bets on me. Three and half-hours later of many climbs and descents I crossed the finish line. The Costa Ricans jump out their cars and hug and congratulate me. They record me as a finish. (I learned two things...never believe anyone when they say you are almost there or this way is shorter and secondly, the La Ruta people want you to finish no matter what!) The second day is to be a climb to a volcano. I know it is going to rain and be cold. I have also just experienced the jungle heat of the day before. I am prepared with arm and leg warmers and my rain jacket. Yesterday, I felt like I was in the middle of the pack.

Today I am last. It is immediate climbing. I need to reach the top before 2 PM. I quickly become friends with the police escort and the ambulance, as they are the sweep. It begins raining after about the first hour; I put on my jacket. I am starting to feel stronger and passing people...it is nice to not have the "sweepers" with me. It continues to pelt rain and now it is starting to blow. I ride another hour or so and pull over to put my leg and arm warmers on...someone tells me I shouldn't do that because we are almost there. Two hours later, I reach the top. I am drenched and severely cold. It is noon. The wind is so strong it has almost pushed me into cars coming in the opposite direction. I drop my bike and go into the ambulance to warm up. Their heater does not work. I start shivering and my lips are blue; every time I get out of the ambulance, it gets worse. I have to drop. I have no dry clothes to change into and I am drenched from my feet up.

The third day I am determined to finish like a normal person. I start out.... of course it is climbing and wonder what torture today will offer. We have already experienced mud, jungle humidity, and hurricane cold rain. I am again last. It is a new ambulance crew, but the same police escort. I finally accept that I am an incredibly slow starter and feel stronger as the day goes on. After several hours into the race I see a familiar jersey...it is Jan. He has been so sick that he has already visited several homes to use their bathrooms. He tells me to go on and now he experiences the ambulance following him and the police escort. Later he tells me how much it bugs him and I agree. The motorcycle spews fumes and you feel like you have no privacy when you stop to use a bush. The villages are fun to ride through as the children stand along the sides of the road wanting you to "high-five" them. The houses are already decorated with Rudolph the red nosed reindeer and Santa Claus.

The next challenge is the railroad trestle. You have to walk your bike over the trestle which is high over a river; there are railroad ties missing making the spaces very open. I cling onto my bike as Jan and I go over together. Occasionally, the tie will wobble under our feet. We continue riding and our next transition area must be reached by 2pm. It is around 12:45, we have just gone around a chicken coop and then through a stream and as I ride I hear a snap. It felt like I had caught a stick in my back wheel, but I do not see anything. My bike is not riding right and the back tire seems to wobble so I thought I had thrown the wheel out of true. I stop and wait for Jan...my bike frame has actually BROKEN completely by the chainstay. We try duct tape...no luck. I have to drop! I am not feeling lucky. I agree that this is the toughest mountain bike race. I felt I was in condition to finish, but as Roman said in the pre-race meeting...it is the elements that get you. Of the 200 entrants, 107 finished. Six women finished. I know I said that this was not fun, but I must give it one more try and be better prepared. I was making all the cutoffs easily. Now I have a year to convince Jan!

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This segment teammate, Slate Stern, trains for North Pole adventure