La Ruta leaders earned their vacation
La Ruta de los Conquistadores, called the most difficult mountain-biking race in the world, finished on the weekend, and the race leaders certainly earned their Costa Rican vacation after a demanding competition.
“Like most of the athletes, I went straight into the ocean as a reward for a really hard week of racing,” said women’s third-place Rebecca Rusch on her
Cyclingnews blog.
The brutal four-day race was won by Ben Sonntag and Angela Parra. Sonntag’s victory was especially rewarding, since the former triathlon world champion has never won a mountain-bike stage race before.
“I won La Ruta and that is absolutely crazy,” said Sonntag. “It feels unreal to me, and I haven't realized what this victory means yet. I think I picked a good one to win.”
The German winner of the men’s competition is only the third non-Costa Rican to win. He was joined on the podium by American Alex Grant and local biker Frederico Ramirez.
“Team tactics played a big role this week,” said Sonntag. “Alex and I worked together every single day. We were one, two, and we couldn't ask for more.”
Like much of the pack, after four days riding through the mud and the rain to get from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the ocean was such a welcome sight that Sonntag went immediately from the finish line into the water.
Parra was joined on the women’s podium by Louise Kobin and Rebecca Rusch. The 28-year-old Colombian winner won every stage of the race and has a long list of Central American victories.
“What's next is I will rest and then I will begin preparing for the next Pan Am games, which will be held in Colombia,” she said.
The final stage of the race was a 120km ride in the race. Riders woke up at 3:30 am to ride 40km of steep climbs and sudden drops, followed by 80km of rocky roads, rivers, railroad tracks and trestle bridges.
“It is the sort of stage where it pays big dividends to make sure you are not alone on the flats. It is by no means an easy road day,” wrote Rusch on her blog. “There are some great descents and smooth pavement sections, but those are regularly interspersed
with the tracks, bridges, and puddles that all require power pedaling.”
Chris Carmichael, long-time coach for Lance Armstrong, celebrated his 50th birthday with the final stage of La Ruta and a final overall classification of third in his age category. Like the race winners, he went straight into the ocean after the
final day before offering his two cents to press.
“Costa Rica is great, especially the people, and I loved it,” said Carmichael from the beach to
Cyclingnews reporters. “I've never done anything like that. It was cool. Every stage threw something at you. I'd think I was through the hardest part, and then there was something else.”
American Thomas Turner, who finished in 11th overall, was less positive after the race. The Georgian was the third American across the finish line but had been riding with the leaders early in the final stage before a crash which left a gash in
his face.
“It took me a year to forget how terrible this race was, and I got sucked back into it,” said Turner. “There's no section out here that I ride and think, 'I wish I could do that again'.”
In the end, the press couldn’t find any riders prepared to say they would be back next year. The closest anyone would get was Rebecca Rusch on her
Cyclingnews blog, writing, “Perhaps I will see you again!”
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