October 29, 2006 – Calling itself the “toughest mountain race on the planet”, La Ruta de Los Conquistadores begins this coming Friday in Costa Rica.

Three days of grueling terrain under unpredictable tropical conditions will test competitors stamina and drive to see who will win the 2006 event, which runs from November 3-5.

Canada will have several entrants this year including pre-race favourite Andreas Hestler (Rocky Mountain/Business Objects) who will compete in the open category. His competition will undoubtedly come from Adam Craig (Giant) and the legendary Thomas Frischknecht (Swisspower), last year’s winner and the first non-Costa Rican to claim victory at La Ruta.

Stay tuned to pedalmag.com for daily reports and photos live from Costa Rica starting November 3…

Day #1:

– Distance: 97.5 km (60 miles).
– Time to finish: 12 hours at 8.1 km/h.
– Climate: Tropical Rain Forest, Sub-Tropical Rain Forest and
Tropical Dry Forest.
– Last year’s winning time: Thomas Frischknecht. T: 05:53:20.

Day #2:

– Distance: 66.7 km (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.

Day #3:

– Distance: 120 km (75 miles).
– Time to finish: 12 hours at 10 km/h.
– Climate: Sub-Tropical Rain Forest, Montano Rain Forest and Tropical Forest.
– Last year’s winning time: Thomas Frischknecht. T: 04:24:00.