November 16, 2008 (Aquiares, Costa Rica) – Due to internet access problems we were unable to bring readers Sandra’s Day 3 report on Friday or Saturday. We finally received it and appreciate everyone’s understanding.

I’m sad to report that even potatoes are no longer appetizing race food. I don’t know what to eat while riding my bike anymore! Maybe I’ll try the chocolate cake that they have at most feed zones eventhough it seems too crumbly and too sweet, which is part of the problem. Luckily there’s only one more day to force-feed myself, as Saturday is the ultimate and longest stage.

Day 3 started in the Terramall parking lot – yes, a giant shopping mall and yes a kind of a weird venue for a mountain bike race. I was positioned in the front section again and participated in the pace-lining on the initial paved flat section. If I had been riding alone I would probably have lost a lot of time (not that I’m concerned about my time, coach:).

Basically, the road headed uphill immediately as we were funneled into a 12km ascent which topped out with a “doubletrack” of concrete for cars to drive up. There was also a bit of red mud thrown into the mix, but it was almost all rideable, save for a short hike-a-bike, but nothing compared to Day One. I passed Sara Bresnick-Zocchi (USA) Pedalpowercoaching.com and Tamara Goeppel (YK) Lekki Bikextreme pretty early into the first climb, but I knew it was a long day with lots of climbing, so I was a bit concerned that I might have gone out too hard.

There wasn’t much downhill recovery time after that first ascent to 2,200m. After a short descent, it was time to start climbing again, and this was the biggie. With a good 20km of asphalt climbing ahead of me, I just settled into a steady rhythm. Luckily the grade was much more humane than yesterday’s, with several switchbacks akin to European road climbs. I also got to take in the vista of the beautiful countryside as I ascended to over 3,000m. I was quite surprised that the altitude didn’t seem to affect me. My breathing seemed relaxed and my heart rate was steady. Internal combustion engines seemed to be having a more difficult time, as many rider support vehicles belched even more black smoke than usual. As always, the extremely supportive and enthusiastic locals motivated me along the way. Today a man yelled: “Venga mi reina,” which means “Go my queen!” I felt honoured. Many people also called me “macha” which I understood to be the feminization of “macho” — and hoped that was a positive thing.

As I neared the top, the breeze picked up and temperatures dropped, but it was quite pleasant to get out of the heat. It definitely was not cold enough to warrant the arm warmers, leg warmers, vests and headbands I saw some riders wearing. I rounded a corner, looked up and expressed a loud “wow” – there was the volcano Turrialba, imposing and shrouded with thin wisps of mist. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a glimpse of the peak of the volcano Irazu, on the slopes of which I was climbing.

At the feed zone at the highest point of 3,010m, I grabbed a couple more boiled salted potatoes and filled up on fluids before diving down the start of the gravel descent. Everyone I had spoken to about this stage basically made it sound like it was all downhill to the finish after that, but when I studied the course profile the night before, it showed several climbs that I knew would still be significant, especially after the big one was already in my legs.

The first descent was actually not very long, but long enough for my legs to stiffen up in the chilly conditions, so it was an unpleasant feeling to start pedaling uphill again on a rough, rocky road, where carrying momentum was difficult and tiring. The terrain went on like this for a good 10km, with short bouts of descending followed by uncomfortable climbs. It was a neat route, as the course took riders from the high, barren alpine, gradually down to warmer climes. I passed farms with cows, horses and other livestock and workers would stop and give me a shout of encouragement. Finally, at the 50km mark, it was almost entirely descending to the finish.

Now, that sounds like a nice reward for all that vertical I’d put in, and I was really looking forward to letting my bike rip – even more so, because a good friend who did this stage back in 2006 told me it was her favourite section, and had a ton of fun on the DH. However I was in for a nasty surprise and felt more punished than rewarded.

Nearly all of the final 20km consisted of sketchy, loose, rough volcanic rocks and gravel, with the usual potholes, water ruts and various random obstacles including dogs, horses, cows, boulders, ditches, ATVs, jeeps, creeks, cow pies, and children. I’m not a huge fan of gravel road descents (from a literally scarring childhood experience), and I prefer a good piece of singletrack anytime. With my vast European racing experience, I’ve learned to hold my own on fire road descents, but this was no ordinary fire road descent, where you can let go of the brakes. No, this was an arm-pumping, bone-jarring, two-wheel sliding sketch fest. I had some close calls, but luckily I managed to stay upright. I was actually relieved that the few times the track flattened out, or even went briefly uphill, so I could get a break from all the pounding. There were racers I talked with afterwards, who really liked the descent, but they were more often than not riding full suspensions – to each his own.

I crossed the line in Aquiares for third place and met a big welcoming party of local children who asked for my water bottle or anything else they could think of. Unfortunately, I need my water bottle for the next day’s race, and they were soon handing me pens and markers with which to autograph their T-shirts. It was pretty cool to see how excited they were. The finish venue had become the place to be, with snow cone vendors selling Costa Rican treats and families gathered checking out the action.

I have now moved up to second place in the overall, but I’m even farther back from the leader, Adriana Rojas Cubero (CR) Bemosa/PQ, who won again today. But not without a good fight from Austria’s Lisa Pleyer who finished second today and is now third in the GC.

The final race to the hotel was won by our incredibly “assertive” bus driver, who passed vehicles down a steep, gravel road, basically running everyone near him off the road. It was a bit of a hair-raising experience to say the least. Still, we were treated to incredible views of the countryside covered in millions of coffee plants and countless amazingly beautiful exotic plants. We’re staying in Guayabo Lodge, an eco hotel that is surrounded by a beautiful garden where amaryllis grow outside, along with dozens of other plants I’ve never seen before — inspiration for tomorrow’s final stage.

Quotes and Notes

– Cory Wallace (AB) Freewheel Cycle improved on his ninth place from yesterday to place seventh in today’s stage. He likes the trend and hopes to move even higher up tomorrow.

– Thomas Goeppel (YK) Lekki Bikextreme is doing La Ruta for the second time and Tamara Goeppel (YK) Lekki Bikextreme commented: “He went from one extreme to another. He used to mush dogs.” He seems to be dealing with the heat just fine.

– BC’s Tony Routley (Team Whistler) is in a close race for the Veterans overall title and is confident that he can seal the deal on the final stage tomorrow.

– Mike Charuk (BC) Team Whistler is leading the Master B category by 29 minutes. “This guy [who is currently in second place] beat me by 29 minutes last year,” he commented.