November 3, 2006 – Hector Leonardo Paez (COL, Full Dynamix) has taken the first stage of La Ruta de los Conquistadores in Costa Rica today, and certainly thrown down the gauntlet for the remainder of the weekend.

Today’s stage was truly epic. At 97km, the course had 4,420m of climbing, with the parcours being 8.3km paved, 47.3km off-road, and 41.9km gravel. Under mostly sunny skies, and warm temperatures (averaging around 25 degrees and humid), riders set out at 5:15am this morning for what would be an all-day affair.

Over 500 racers toed the start line, but truly, the competition for top honours was limited to around 10 riders. From the start, it was all Paez. Earlier, the Colombian had said his plan was “to follow the leaders – it will be a long day.” But his strategy changed it seemed, once the lead group hit the first climb, Paez went right to the front and never looked back.

The big favourite of the day, Thomas Frischknecht (Swisspower) lost ground early. The Swiss rider fell off the pace and hovered in the bottom of the top-ten early on; he’d slip down to twelfth by race end. After the race, Frischy had no excuses, simply that “the course beat me. The heat was too much for me and I just couldn’t follow the leaders.”

The American duo of VW-Trek’s Jeremiah Bishop and Giant’s Adam “The MossMan” Craig both had good days – with Craig riding exceptionally well at the start, only to fade by the day’s end. Craig, a La Ruta newbie, said he had no idea just how tough the race would be until midway. “I was really having a great time, thinking I could definitely get used to this sort of thing,” Craig said.

“But all of a sudden up one of the gigondo climbs I sort of figured out that this thing was tough. It was one of the burliest days I’ve ever had.” The ever-quotable Craig added that the mid-race climb was one of the “most drawn out climbs in the universe.”

His compatriot, Bishop, had misfortunes early on in the race while riding with Craig, but managed to claw his way back to second, just ahead of hometown hero Andrei Amador (BCR/Pizza Hut). One of the cassette rings on Bishop’s Trek broke and pieces of it fell into his cogset, making shifting and riding difficult. He repaired it, but it took time. “I just kept eating and drinking, and felt better and better. Initially, I figured I wasn’t going to have a good day anyway, my legs were hurting,” Bishop said. “But by the end, I felt pretty good.”

Paez had only one scare in the race, when his muddy rear derailleur wouldn’t shift properly, right when he began a long walk up one of the steepest gravel climbs of the race. “It wouldn’t shift gears and I was worried they might catch me,” Paez said. “But I walked to the top of the climb, and then put a bit of lube in it, and adjusted my derailleur and it was fine. I didn’t panic but was definitely concerned.”

Canada’s Andreas Hestler (Rocky Mountain/Business Objects) began with the leaders, riding just outside the top-10, but faded by the end of the race. “I couldn’t believe the course,” said the North Van rider. “Absolutely incredible climbs and it really zapped the legs. Still, it was an impressive day and I’m looking forward to tomorrow – half of it is downhill!”

Once again, La Ruta lived up to its moniker as the “World’s Toughest MTB Race”. Case in point, legendary XC and Marathon rider Tinker Juarez – a seasoned 24 hour and adventure rider – was quick to answer the question, “Was this the toughest race you’ve ever done?”

“Yes – without a doubt.”

Although the women’s results are not available, it can be confirmed that Canada’s Marg Fedyna has won. Women’s and masters results will be available later today.

The action continues tomorrow on Day #2:
– Distance: 66.7 kms (41.4 miles).
– Time to finish: 11 hours at 6 km/h.
– Climate: cloud forest and rain forest. Expect wind and rain. Be
prepared for drastic climatic changes this day.
– Last year’s winning time: Marvin Campos Suazo. T: 04:01:22

Men’s Open Results (brief)

1. Hector Paez (Columbia) Full Dynamix 6:00:25
2. Jeremiah Bishop (USA) Trek-VW 6:15:13
3. Andrey Amador (Costa Rica) BCR-Pizza Hut 6:21:55
4. Adam Craig (USA) Giant USA 6:25:27
5. Federico Ramirez (Costa Rica) BCR-Pizza Hut 6:26:54
6. Tinker Juarez (USA) Cannondale 6:33:19
7. Marvin Campos (Costa Rica) IBP
8. Paolo Montoya (Super Pro)
9. Eddy Perez (Dos Pinos)
10. Deiver Esquivel (Costa Rica) IBP

12. Thomas Frischknecht (Switzerland) Swisspower-Scott 7:00:12
13. Marzio Deho (Italy) Olympia 7:06:56
15. Manuel Prado (Costa Rica) Sho-Air USA 7:12:45
16. Marinho Guimaraes (Portugal) N/A 7:12:13
17. Jon Nutbrown (Can) Ridley’s-Devinci 7:25:45
26. Andreas Hestler (Can) Rocky Mountain-Business Objects 7:58:53

Women’s Results (brief)

1. Marg Fedyna (Can) bungalowboys.com 8:14:48

Master A

1. Daniel Soler (Switzerland) Bike 4 Fun 7:17:55
2. William Vargas (Costa Rica) Scott 7:22:31
3. Gerardo Gomez (Costa Rica) N/A 7:25:39

Master B

1. David Fonseca (Costa Rica) Bike Station 7:50:03
2. Andrea Bianco (Italy) Full Dynamix 8:03:47
3. Peter Stenico (Austria) Peto Bike Zams 8:08:44

More results click here.