For the first time in its history and after 28 editions, The Route, formerly known as the Route of the Conquerors, changes its course and will now begin in the Caribbean and end in the Pacific.The event will take place from November 30 to December 2.
“This gives it a very different twist, since traditionally, the first day of competition is the most demanding day, however, with this reverse route, the hardest day will be day three and until the completion of that stage, We will know who the winners will be,” explained RománUrbina, founder of La Ruta.
Renowned cyclists
With the announcement of the event, the presence of some renowned cyclists was also confirmed, including: Hans Becking (National Champion of Belgium), Lucas Baum (National Champion of Germany), NicolásSessler (representative of the Brazilian UCI team) and Tinker Juarez (multi-time American champion and cyclist with the record for most years as a professional).There will also be a former winner of the Tour de France, Floyd Landis, as well as Colombians Luis Mejía and DiyerRincón, who was second place in La Ruta 2022.
“For this year we expect 250 competitors in La Ruta and 100 in La Siesta, for a total of 350-400 participants. Right now we are already around 300 participants and there are still a few registrations left,” said Urbina.
The stages
This is how the competition routes will be day by day:
Day 1: Circuit from the Siquirres Sports Center to Caño Blanco and return. It starts at 9:00 am and ends at 4:00 pm.It is classified as “very exciting” due to the speed that the cyclists will take, passing through banana plantations, local roads and trails.
Day 2: A route of 600 meters up to 3100 meters above sea level and back at 1800 meters. It will pass near the Turrialba and Irazú Volcano. It leaves at 7:00 am and closes at 6:00 pm. “A lot of broken terrain, constant ups and downs of mountains, diversity of landscape between volcanoes and mountain towns, sudden changes in temperature and altitude.”
Day 3: It consists of 115 km with many obstacles, jungle, rivers, long climbs, sun and rain. They leave Santa Ana, City Place at 5:15 am and have until before 6:00 pm to reach the finish line in Playa Herradura.
Prizes for everyone
This year, the cash prize will not only be for the elite competitors, but also for all categories.These are the amounts in Elite Men and Women:
1st place $6,000
2nd place $1,500
3rd place $1,000
4th place $500
Award by age:
(19-29 years old): 1st place $750; 2nd place $200; 3rd place trophy
(30-39 years old) 1st place $750; 2nd place $200; 3rd place trophy
(40-49 years old) 1st place $750; 2nd place $200; 3rd place trophy
(50-59 years old) 1st place $750; 2nd place $200; 3rd place trophy
(60+) 1st place $750; 2nd place $200; 3rd place trophy.
