My Journey to La Ruta
“Why do you want to race La Ruta with all the cheating, the bad water and the bad time of year?” fellow mountain bike racer, Jason Sager, asked me. It seems like there are many reason why not to tackle this race, but the simple truth is that I couldn’t sit back and miss a chance to compete in one of the most grueling mountain bike races of the year. La Ruta is not only epic, it crosses a country from coast to coast in just three days of riding; three long days!
When a Season’s Plan Changes
Before signing on to compete in la Ruta, my season plan was to hit all-time power levels for the “Big 3” as I called them: Mt. Snow, World Championships in Italy and then the US National Championships. Then my plan would allow me to kick back and relax with my then-fiancé, Erin, and enjoy our Oct. 8 wedding and the relaxation of the off-season routine.
Up until late August, I had enjoyed a good season with three marathon wins and second place finishes at Brian Head, Utah NORBA and at the Snowshoe NORBA in slimy West Virginia. I was stoked to hit these races on all cylinders! Then in September, while riding a hot-lap the day before the Mt. Snow NORBA National, I hit a complex maneuver called the tree plant. This is done when you try to use a tree to absorb the impact of a crash before hitting the ground. It hit the tree with my back and then I hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. “I can move my toes, that’s good,” I thought as I struggled to breathe. Thanks to the help of David Duvall and Nick Waite, I was able to limp off the mountain. I thought I had only sustained some bad bruises, a few scrapes and a nauseating headache. Good thing I went to the first aid building after racing in the cross country event because it turned out that I was wrong; I had 3 fractures of the transverse bony process of the L3, L4, L5 vertebrae and a cracked rib. Because of the injury, I spent what would have been my best races on the sidelines, really starved for the sensations of racing on top form, throttling the climbs and ripping the turns.
A Test of Strength
Without a good motivator to get back in the game, I feared that I could be light- years from my former strength for a very long off season. I had some self doubt. “Am I going cower going downhill and will I be able to push myself as hard as before,” I wondered?
I needed a test.
My coach, Hunter Allen, had been talking up La Ruta de los Conquistadores, an epic mountain bike race that traces the 3-month path that the Spanish Conquistadores took across the jungles of Costa Rica… in 3 days! Hunter believed that I could handle the race and not just finish, but compete for the top-5! ‘Insane,’ I thought to myself, ‘how am I going to get in shape in a few weeks for what is touted as the toughest race on the planet Earth?’ I said ‘Okay, Hunter. Lets see what we can do.’ I knew it would be reason to focus, strive with good training habits and inspire me to smile at the prospect of riding through the slush and snow that winter would soon bring to Virginia.
The Conquistadores’ Pain
When I arrived at the Airport in San Jose, I felt ready for and at ease with what was to come. Though I had spent 6 weeks getting out of shape, I also put in an absurd 2-week cram session that included a 7-hour hammer fest and a 10:45 sunrise-to-sunset super-epic.
Perhaps I would have been a little more nervous if I had any clue that the shit was a bout to hit the fan. The Costa Ricans haven’t lost this race in 12 year of its running. Even though two-time World Marathon Champion and all-around superstar, Thomas Frischkneckt, was there, they had no plans of losing this one. If they did, it would be a fight to the death. What about me? Well, I was just thinking I am at 80% so I am in the middle of it so I may as well race at the front as long as I can.
After a rude 3 a.m. wakeup call on race morning, we lined up in the dark pre-dawn hours. The race promoter warned us about the crocodiles, the animals, the snakes, the crazy drivers and the sinister clay mud sections of the course. So, we were ready. It was still dark when the race started and I was still trying to wake up as we hustled for position on the slimy road out of town.
The first day had SO much climbing I couldn’t believe it. Deiber Escivelle, who had just won the Continental Championships, stormed up the first jeep road climb like Iban Mayo on his road bike! I was the first to follow and was shocked to see guys like Walker Ferguson, Frischi and Spanish National Champ, Alejandro de la Pena, slipping backwards and out of sight.
I should have let him go but I thought he was going to steal the race on the first day so I went into pursuit mode. Near the top of the 45-minute climb, we shot down a drain hole of a decent through construction site mud that made orange disks of our wheels. I skated past Deiber and was shocked to be in the lead. I was also excited. It had been a while since I felt the rush of leading a big race. (I would lead part of every stage of this year’s Ruta.)
Then, as I struggled to stay on my squirmy bike, a light bulb went off in my head. I realized that I had a master of mud behind me, the master had been a multi-tike world champion - Frishi. Within 5 minutes, he was on me, clad in a tea and concrete stained rainbow striped jersey. He was in his element. It was awesome to observe his form getting on and off the bike… smooth and effortless. We hit a half-mile section of hiking that was a wall of mud. My calves were burning and I said, “This is like something you do in the Army.” Frischi said in a Transylvanian-like accent “Yes. But if we were in the army this would be terrible, but since it is a bike race it is fun.” I like the way he was thinking.
I ended taking fifth place after a bonk of atomic proportions. You know, the kind you get when you ride like super man and only have the legs of boy wonder. It was fun while it lasted and I got to know what I had in the tank and just how tough I am.