Cal’s training and participation tips for La Ruta de los Conquistadores 10/4/04
Everybody that does La Ruta
comes up with a list of things they believe in. I have done La Ruta 5
times (now 5 and 2/3rds), so my list is pretty long. It is however, only
based on my experience, based on my abilities and events. Everybody comes
up with different stuff that they think is important, for example, one guy that
has done La Ruta 2 or 3 times always carries extra socks! This happens to
NOT be one of things on my list, but it shows the diversity of suggestions that
can be offered. To come up with YOUR list, you have to participate in La
Ruta, but until you do, here is MY list that you might consider.
Training:
Pretty obvious that one
should do long training rides, at least one per week - 6 hours or more.
They don’t have to be on mountain bike trails, and in fact a lot can be learned
about energy foods and hydration on road rides. I do a lot of
training on my mountain bike with skinny tires in the 6 to 8 weeks before La
Ruta. It is not only the legs that need training, but the back, neck,
arms, hands. Would be good to do two days in a row of 6 – 8 hour rides –
in part to see what one feels like and find out that one can do it.
Climb, climb, and do more
climbing.
Hike-a-bike training.
Not a lot of fun, but La Ruta, particularly day 1 and 2, have a lot of
stretches of pushing and carrying you bike. Doing some long stretches of
pushing up the steepest hill you can find, and do repeat intervals up the very
steepest short place (2 – 5 minutes up) and then back down. Progress is
fast if you are fit for cycling in the first place.
Bike considerations:
I did La Ruta 4 times on a
hardtail with V brakes, and last two years on an Ellsworth Truth full
suspension with disks. It can be done with V-brakes (have new pads at the
start, and be prepared to replace them if worn very much before day, but disks
are a joy. A caveat is that they must be bullet proof.
I hear a lot of stories about disk brake problems. I have Shimano
XT and the only time they have been touched is for new pads. If you have
unreliable disk brakes, get V brakes or different disk brakes.
Full suspension is great,
particularly on the railroad tracks, but I did La Ruta 4 times with my Litespeed
hardtail which is lighter to carry. Either works.
Tires – the conditions vary
so much, even over day one that it is hard to say what is best. Certainly
tires that tend to shed mud as averse to holding it are important (particularly
on day 1). It builds up anyway, but less mud to remove is better than
more. I switched to UST tubeless this
year and am looking for good tires for mud and all conditions.
Good to locktite bottle
bracket screws. They are most likely to come loose.
I have used a front fender
called Shockboard. Even a simple one on the downtube helps keep the face
and glasses clean. BTW, use 2 tie wraps to secure the Shockboard in addition to
the factory steering tube mount. After 8 or so hours it falls off.
The cable to the rear
derailleur is the one most affected by mud. A Goretex low friction cable
is worth the cost, but I understand they are no longer available.
What to carry with you:
On day 1 and 3 I have no
extra clothes.
Day 2 requires rain and
warmth gear – gloves, head cover, rain coat (the plastic one I used last year
worked great, my Goretex one isn’t up to it anymore), leg warmers, warm layer
(I have a light fleece that has worked).
After I broke my rear
derailleur on day 1 a couple years ago, I carry one. Never used it
myself, but saved a guy and gal on a tandem at Trans Rockies last year.
Also, never bent a derailleur hanger, but they don’t weigh much, either.
Small brush for scrubbing
chain though gloves on your hands does the job, too. a washcloth in plastic bag
for face/glasses or the bike, which ever needs it the most.
Toilet paper
2 tubes, pump, chain tool,
the most common allen wrenches.
Various emergency pills –
GasX, Rolaids, anti-inflammatory (Celebrex is a miracle prescription
anti-inflammatory drug).
And of course a bottle of wet
weather chain lube. (Take at least two with you to Costa Rica) First day
requires numerous cleaning and re-lubes - next two days less so, but still
important.
I don’t carry socks
I also don’t carry bug
spray. I have never been at all bothered by flying insects – though the
leaf cutter ants are sure amazing to watch.
Energy, electrolytes and
hydration:
These are the big
problems. It is so hot and one is working so hard, it is very difficult
to find the time to take care of these basics. Here is what I try to do
(note I cramped up on the paved climb to Alto Griffo last year, so I don’t
listen to myself well enough).
For electrolytes I believe in
pills. One never can keep track of how many bottles of what one has
drunk, and I believe one cannot get enough that way, particularly when the
stuff in the bottle is 100 degrees. E-Caps makes products for
endurance athletes. La Ruta surely qualifies in this regard.
Extreme might even apply. E-Caps Endurolytes are capsules that one takes
every hour or so. Up to 6 an hour, so it takes a whole bottle for La Ruta.
Day one is the real test. A also have salt tablets, just in case.
But don’t forget the couple days before in Jaco. One sweats just sitting
in the shade. Make sure you drink enough and take some electrolytes
before the race day. I took 2 to 3 an hour last year and it wasn’t
enough. I’ll take more at times this year.
Also, when off the bike, salt
your food whenever you can.
I have switched to a
maltodextrin-based product for energy. It is a powder that I put in my
camelback (I make up packets of 3 or 4 scoops each in baggies). The one I
have been using is Hammer Products Sustained Energy. They have
another one Perpetuem, which I am also going to try. It is hard to carry
adequate solid food, hard to eat it, and at times impossible to swallow it.
One has to drink, so having energy stuff in one’s camelback solves the two
problems at once. Though stomach/intestine problems can and do still
exist. I take a Zantac 75 or Pepcid AC morning and night during the
race, and carry GasX for emergency treatment. I do eat some of the solid
food at the rest stops, but it is what I carry that gets me
through. I also use Carb Boom energy packets and Hammer Gel when I
start to really get worn out. Don’t use simple sugar gels or other
food.
Possible problems:
Cramps
Crash/injury
Getting Lost
Broken bike
Getting stomach / intestine problems
The course is marked well,
but brain fade is not uncommon. I missed a turn in year 4 that I
had made in the 3 previous years. Almost didn’t finish day 1, which is probably
the easiest day to stay on course. However, year before last the first
100 or so riders followed the guy ahead of them and went the wrong way. I
made the correct decision at the same place due to my sense of which way to go.
J That may have been the first time there was no
marking… though bike tracks are definitely something to watch. In this case a
lot went the wrong way. Days 2 and 3 have more turn possibilities.
Sometimes a turn is off a real nice paved road on to a dirt road or
less. Keep alert! Unless you read and speak Spanish and have
built in GPS and topo map, all you can do is pay attention at every possible
turn.
Solution – be careful, plan,
and take care of yourself. With luck none of these happen to you, though
the first one is highly likely unless you really, really take care of yourself
on day 1. Pray.
Other considerations:
What spares to take with you
to Costa Rica? First on my list would be shoes. Great to have
some dry ones for day two, though they will end up wet. The sole of my
shoe has also come off – twice. Other than that, what do you think is
mostly likely to break? The logistics of having what you need where you
need it is a bit daunting, since you don’t know what you will need where.
Days before the race in
Jaco: Last year I think I became dehydrated the day before the
race. It is hot in Jaco. Carry a bottle of water with you, and keep
drinking. Also, take electrolytes. Water and NO electrolytes can
cause very serious problems. Same after the race – drink and
electrolytes.
At checkpoint 1 on day 1,
before the rainforest - stop and fill up all water carrying containers you
have. The next 3 hours will be the most humid, hottest of the whole
adventure. Maybe if you go fast enough, and don’t sweat much you can do
this without a Camelback, but I would never try it. Later in the day it
is hot, or hotter, but much less humid. Also, need to be drinking a
lot then too, but the time between rest stops is a little less.
Don’t go out too hard on day
1. It is difficult to not too, but it is a long race. Have fun,
don’t go real slow, but don’t max out. To finish day 1 in the daylight,
one has to keep moving pretty good.
Day 2 we ride 100 yards or so through cow shit. I wouldn’t drink anything out of a bottle that was bike mounted after this. A lot of folks have gotten sick after day 2. I speculate that this was the cause? Or was it food?
Day 3 is adventure day with
the trestles and stream crossings. Obvious you look where you want to go
on the trestles, i.e. at the rails, not the spaces between them. If they
are wet they can be slippery with bike shoes on. It would be very
difficult to fall the river, but one leg between the rails, and your crotch
will not be very happy, nor maybe your leg. Last year , Roman added
a mile or so of knee deep mud... which makes day 3 a lot
harder. I never saw it cause I crashed virtually within sight
of the finish of day two - broken collar bone, and pretty much
damaged back. As our governor, Arnold, has said, though,
"I'll be back". Signed up for 2004.
You won’t get enough sleep,
and you won’t always know what or when things are going to happen – like where
is my bike? What time does the bus come, etc? Pay attention, but go
with the flow. Things will likely work out.
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Good luck in training an in
La Ruta. Look forward to seeing you there.
Cal