Friday November 16. 3:30 a.m. wake up call. Jaco.
Riders are startled out of bed as race organizers pound on the doors of the quaint and comfortable bungalows. There's just enough time for breakfast and pre-race rituals. The gun fires before the sun can climb above the towering peaks that lie between the coast and the day's final destination.

This is the infamous Day 1 of La Ruta. Today, the largest number of entrants will drop out, unable to complete the 100-mile trek back to San Jose.

Chants of "Eso!! Eso!!" from the pack of 300 riders help fuel the adrenaline. The legs begin to warm as the pack moves swiftly along the smooth, paved road. Newcomers to La Ruta quickly get a glimpse of what's in store on Day 1, as in less than 10 kilometers from the start, a rutted rocky mountain road rises seemingly straight up in front of them.

And by the time the day is over, racers will climb more than 10,000 vertical feet, riding through ankle-deep mud, waste-high rivers, and the seemingly unending rain forest, in which temperatures will reach more than 100 degrees, and this, coupled with the humidity, makes it extremely difficult to breathe.

Survival. That is what Day 1 is about.

Saturday, November 17. 4:15 a.m. wake-up call. San Jose.
If racers were even able to sleep, due to the intense pain in every leg muscle, or a bleeding stomach due to a diet of energy bars and drinks, they rise to assess the damage just prior to the start of Day 2.

Again, the morning ride begins gently with riders passing over the paved city streets. Temperatures are pleasant with the morning glow coloring the thin line of clouds hovering over the mountains. Once out of the confines of the city, any feeling of placidity immediately evaporates as racers face a daunting climb up what many return riders refer to as "The Wall of Mud," several miles of climbing up a steep incline over a cow path.

Day 2 offers riders a severe departure from Day 1's heat of the rain forests. This route takes racers along a steep unending 3000-meter climb up the Volcano Irazu. At the top of Irazu the temperatures can drop more than 40 degrees, and sweat freezes.

But at this point, the day is far from over as the nasty descent is still to come. Riders will need an extra set of bake pads! The incredible pain of just trying to hold on will have many riders praying for an uphill climb again.

Once racers hit the paved road just 15 kilometers outside of Turriabla, the end is near, with only a fun descent, in which they will pass cars at more than 45 mph, left between them and a massage.

Sunday November 18. 5:00 a.m. wake up call. Turriabla.
If racers have managed to survive this far, they now have the easiest day of riding left. Steep, challenging climbs give way to a long descent to the Caribbean coast. Racers pass through small farming villages and along plantation roads stretching more than 100 miles.

Sounds like an easy finish. Lots of downhills and flats. It's hot, around 100 degrees, but the humidity isn't as bad as Day 1. Sound like it won't be a problem? Think again.

Race organizers take great pleasure in beating on racers physically for two days straight. Then comes Day 3. Time to see how they hold up psychologically. Just when they think it's time to enjoy the Costa Rica countryside, race developer Roman Urbina plays a game with them, forcing them to ride miles on uneven railroad ties and across ancient suspension bridges that cross high above alligator-infested rivers.

But then, finally, 300 miles later and nearly 24,000 vertical feet of climbing past, racers are greeted by the cheers of the locals at the finish. An epic adventure conquered. "Eso! Eso!"

— Courtesy, Back to the Earth Group