La Ruta de los Conquistadores Damian Perrin

Last week in marked the 20th anniversary of La Ruta de los Conquistadores in Costa Rica. This race is modeled to mirror the footsteps taken by Spanish Conquerors  Juan de Cavallon and Perefan de Ribera as they explored Coast Rica in the 1500’s. Costa Rica’s diverse landscape provides one of the top ten toughest endurances races worldwide. Over the course of three days, athletes raced across the country traversing jungles, bridges, mountain passes, streams, beaches and volcanoes in order to arrive first to the Carribean Coast.

Stage one consists of a combined 12000 foot vertical climb, finishing at the Universidad para la Paz in San Jose. This is commonly referred to as a make or break day where athletes are given 11.5 hours to finish. Stage two includes 8000 feet of climbing as well as a traversing over the Irazú Volcano and past the Turrialba Volcano. Reaching an altitude of 10,000 feet, this leg combines colder elements, which contrast with the countries more well-known tropical climate. Leg three provides riders the option of rafting down one of the worlds most renowned whitewater rivers, the Pacuare. The race begins after this, and is the flattest of the three sections, and includes picturesque traversing of Costa Rica’s notorious trestle bridges.

SCOTT-SPORTS was proud to have one of our own Swiss athletes, Damian Perrin, representing at one of the oldest and most well-known mountain bike stage races worldwide. This is a testament to the effort of our team to grow the SCOTT-SPORTS brand internationally, and to give our riders the opportunity to ride and showcase their talents worldwide. Job well done, Damian.