What is the La Ruta de Los Conquistadores? Event founder Roman Urbina explains:

"Twenty years ago I had the idea of following the footsteps of Juan de Cavallon and Perefan de Ribera ( Spanish Conquerors of 1560) in their exploration of  Costa Rica. Instead of using horses we used our beloved  mountain bikes to take us across this incredible country from the Pacific Coast to the Caribbean.

"During 3 days we discovered the real treasures of Costa Rica, we biked across jungles, hanging bridges, streams, high mountains passes, steamy volcanoes and beaches.

"Today La Ruta is considered one of the ten toughest endurance events on the planet. It has not been easy to keep this race alive for 20 years.

"Personally I have had serious accidents during the race, had to deal with fraud , theft, lies and betrayal. I have made many friends and a few enemies. During moments of fragility what has kept me going has been the memories of the effort put forth by hundreds of competitors in order to complete the journey."

We'll have results posted as they become available. Click here for the race's website.


Riders taking off on day one of the 2012 La Ruta.