One of the most loved, feared and respected MTB stage races in the world according to the La Ruta website, and when you look at the race you can see why.
It’s the only coast-to-coast race across the American landmass from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The challenge isn’t so much the distance – a not insignificant 161 miles over 3 days – it’s the climbing. The route takes in 5 mountain ranges, with over 29,000ft of ascending on the way. Of course, the descents will be epic too. You’ll be following pretty much the same route as the Spainish conquistadors who first blazed the trail – except they took 20 years to get through.
En route, you can expect pretty much the whole gamut of trails and riding conditions; jungles, singletrack, rain, heat, pavements, volcanic ash, and a load of hike-a-bike sections. The flipside of this is the opportunity to ride through some of the most rich biodiversity on the planet.
One things for sure; you’ll finish this race a different person to when you started.
Date: 6/8th November 2014
About: La Ruta
Watch it: Cannondale: La Ruta de los Conquistadores
