November 05, 2012 (San Jose, Costa Rica) – Paolo Montoya (CRC) snagged his second overall victory at La Ruta de los Conquistadores after winning the challenging stage race for the first time in 2004.

Montoya finished the 20th edition of the race in 10 hours, 40 minutes, and 27 seconds. He said he did a lot of suffering over the three days.

Alex Grant (USA) took second overall. “I’m very happy, this position is an honor for me. Today’s stage was shorter than in previous years, but much faster and very hard,” said Grant. “The first day was very difficult because of the heat and Paolo pulled far ahead on that stage.”

Dennis Porras (CRC) took third place overall on the stage race that took riders from Herradura Beach and finished in Bonita. His overall time was 10 hours, 49 minutes, and 26 seconds.

Enrique Artavia finished first on the final stage, arriving in Playa Bonita in 1:47:44. Federico Ramirez (CRC) and Todd Wells (USA) crossed the line separated by only one second for second and third place, respectively.

Ramirez opened his gap on Wells on the railway tracks.

Pua Mata (USA) cinched the final stage of La Ruta, becoming the undisputed winner of La Ruta in the women’s category in a cumulative time of 12 hours, 35 minutes, and 28 seconds.

“I didn’t know what to expect on the first railway bridge. It was quite stressful, at various times my shoe slipped. The start was chaotic with sharp turns and the rain. You could hear the brakes squealing and tires locking and I didn’t know what was happening.”

“It’s wonderful to be here in a beautiful country with beautiful people…. The entire world should come challenge themselves with this unique experience,” said Mata.

The 2013 of the world’s toughest mountain bike race will take place from October 1 to November 2.