Costa Rica to Durango

Trip Totals
Kilometers - 532.69
Elevation Gain - 40,757'
Elevation Descent - 43,749'

We get up early and head to the airport which is a zoo even at 5:00 in the morning with lots of spring break visitors heading home. You have to pay a tax of $26 when you leave the country so keep that money set aside as you spend your cash though the trip. I am not sure what they do if you don't have it, but it takes some time to go through the line. Then on to the next line for luggage and boarding pas and then through customs and inspection. It always takes Graeme some time to go through the line with a UK passport and a US work Visa but we make it to the flight just on time.

Coming back to the US is always an eye opener as to how we live in most parts of the country. We are trying to decide where to eat and don't feel much like spending time to find a place to do so. We head south of Denver on I-25 and the only options seem to repeat across the landscape like a scene from the flintstones where the store fronts repeat over and over as Fred and Barney run past. As we try to find a place to eat we bumble around missing turnoffs and going down frontage roads that lead to dead ends. We finally stop a Chili's, a first for me, where the food is OK and then go across the way to get coffee "It's a Grind" a place thats serves up a mean cup of ditch water - the worst cup on the whole trip.

The trek across the state confirms that we live in a wonderful place here in Durango and we are all glad to be home.

Tuesday is the first official day of the club rides and I should be ready to roll this year from the start.

If anyone is interested in having the cycling trip of a lifetime ask me about details or go to

costaricamtb.com

Contact Paulo Valle for next season's trips - Mountain Biking, Downhill Biking or Road Biking. You will be treated like a professional athlete as they put together a first class trip with the best amenities available for you. Oh by the way the water is just fine.

Beach to the City - Last day in the can

Knowing it will be our last day at the beach I get up early and head to the water and spend a small amount of time there before heading up to breakfast with Warren. I stick with the local fare of rice & beans, fruit and coffee believing it might be awhile before I get to enjoy this traditional Costa Rican meal again.

The decision is made to get ready to leave sooner than later to make sure that we get back to the hotel in Heredia in time to pack our bikes and get to bed early for a 4:00 am wake up call. We all pack ourselves one more time into the sardine can (Van), pick up a frozen chicken and head to the crocodile bridge for feeding time. I hear the on average 10 people in the country or so are killed by them each year and the way they were going for the chicken, It would be a violent death. For lunch we stop for our last family owned restaurant meal where the father could answer questions one had on store merchandise and was the host while the mother took the food orders & cooked while the daughter served the meals and bused the tables.

It took the better part of 4 hours to make it back over the hills the central valley and up the hotel at which point we broke down our bikes and got ready for our final diner out. Paulo has reservations at a great Spanish restaurant where we are served piaya, a traditional dish that is very similar to a cajun rice and seafood mix. The owner also treats us to a round of wine from a bota bag and show us the way you hold, pat and drink from it.

10:00 and it's time for bed.

The Beach at Punta Leona

Today is spent without lycra as we are going to take a day off at the beach. The riding part of the tour is over and we are relaxing today at the beach, getting some sun, sand and water action. Early on we each at our own pace migrate down to the water and then regroup at the bar and figure out our plans for lunch and the rest of the day. Lunch in Jaco, pronounced "Hawk-O", buy some beer and back to the beach for sunset where we experience the hatching of turtles and their trip down the beach to the sea. Nothing attracts beautiful women like a bunch of baby turtles, except maybe puppies.

Diner is at a local eatery, where Paulo knows the owner, in Hermosa Beach just south of Jaco which serves us a great variety of grilled meats while we enjoy playing foosball and pool waiting for dinner.

At this point I am ready for bed and leave the last trip to a bar in Jaco to some of the others in the group.

Tomorrow we check out and get back to San Jose for one more night in Costa Rica.

San Pablo to Punta Leona - Scorpion Nights - 45 km, - Up - 1,979' - Down - 3,375'

It sounds like Donny does not like creepy crawly things, so after taking a good ribbing at diner about what bugs we might find some of head to his room for the last beer of the night to discover a scorpion climbing the wall above his bed. Once the beer is devoured and the scorpion removed we head back to our rooms for our own inspection - no more are found. Donny sleeps little this night and is ready to go early but there is no rush today the last of the tour.

Never underestimate the ease of the last day, never. We head downhill into the heat of the coastal floor climbing some small hills along the way, nothing like the climbs we have been doing but the temperature keeps getting hotter. After regrouping the route we take is the highway to Jaco which is the worst road we have been on the whole trip and I am this point just wanting to get to the beach and have a lunch. The closer we get the more influence we feel from the international resort development industry and the less it feels like the Costa Rica we have come to know. Punta Leona is located in a beautiful costal area with two nice beaches, but the rest of the experience is like staying at a Holiday Inn including the all you can eat buffet and pay to play internet access. This place is for the 90%ers and sucks if you want to experience Costa Rica.

The day finishes up with us swimming in the ocean, watching the sunset and making plans for the next day while eating deep fried comfort food. Excuse me, I think I'm going to puke.

More to come.

Ciudad Colon to San Pablo - 59.5 km, - Easy Day, Up - 4,264 - Down - 3,375

After yesterdays ride I felt if the day was tough I was only going to hang at the back. After touring through Costa Rica for 7 days and going through the hardest days I was not going to let an easy day stop me. The climb out of town was slow for me as my legs were left on yesterdays stage, the toughest in my book. This might have been an accumulation of 6 day prior on the bike as well.

We get to San Puriscal where we see an old church that has been abandoned after an earthquake in the 1990's. I get a quick bite to eat and partake in a slice of melon(Cantalope) that is to die for as we are heading out. We stop for our lunch a few small climbs and enjoy all the school kids who are talking about us as we sit around in are lycra geek suits.

After lunch the road is all downhill to where we are staying tonight. The tour that Palo, Bob and Nene put on has been fantastic and we have been treated like royalty the whole time. The best places to stay, great food, bike maintinance and roads that are fantastic, in fact there are more pot holes on any given road in LaPlata County then what we saw the whole time here and I won't even mention Florida Road.

If anyone has ever thought of biking in Costa Rica check out what these guys have to offer. Go online to www.costaricamtb.com to find out more. I think it is hard to get an idea off the web site of how good of a time you will have and how wonderful the people and the country is.

I had some reservations after signing up if I would like the Jungle and the humidity but I did just fine. I was also wondering if I was fit enough, after a winter when the best thing to be doing involved snow, would be able to finish all of the stages and climb all the hills without getting in the wagon which I did as well, barring anything happening tomorrow.

More to come from the beach.

Costa Rica Roubaix - 71 km, - Up - 5,100 - Down - 7,858

This day was billed as killer with countless climbs in the countries steepest mountain range just south of the valley central. After eating Chicky Blak’s, a chocolate cookie found everywhere, we climb out of the car somewhere just off the Pan American Hwy. outside of Santa Maria. The air is thick with sunscreen and the previous days lactic acid swirling in a breeze that is coming from the east. From there we depart for the first decent of the day back to the town of Frailes where we had lunch on the day before. Once we reach the bottom of the hill it becomes apparent what the definition of killer will be for the day with 28% grade at times rising about 3,500’ feet in the first climb of the day culminating in lunch at a small little eatery. After lunch we descend what seems to be forever but never reach the valley floor thousands of feet below.

The fun really begins when we hit the section of Costa Rican "Pave" which takes us through a torturous section of unpaved road for the next 7 km and rising 1,500’ feet or so in the process. Prior to hitting the section I drop a chain that gets stuck between the small ring and the frame which sets me back 5 minutes on the day. As I regroup I find Big Mike on the side of the road with a rear flat and Graeme a mere 300 meters from Mike also with a rear flat.

Graeme is able to recover, but the incident takes Mike out of the stage with multiple pinches in his tube. Three of the strong men in the field, Warren, Carl & Jim are no where to be seen until the end of the dirt which has worked all of us to a pulp. A return to the pavement is a welcome relief but there is still a nice section of climbing left before reaching our final destination in Ciudad Colon where the days effort almost made me crumble. The team van was able to feed me water and "Gu" as I pressed the last few kilometers out of my legs finally making the destination at "Grand Canal Hotel".

Tomorrow should be a little easier from the route description.

More to come

Cartago to Santa Maria - Donny goes Down - 58 km, - Up - 5,907 - Down - 5,341

The ride today has been sold as one of the four toughest of the trip and it lived up to the billing in every way. We drive to our starting point in South Cartago where we see quite a few group rides going by as we get ready and as we head out of town. We are also able to see an Easter procession on our way to the climb.

Todays route takes us over 3 really good climbs with plenty of sections with over 22% grade and fast downhills. The first climb is the steepest and on the back side Donny loses the rear end and ends up going down and ending up in the gutter on the side of the road. Road rash seems to be the only injury but it is on both knees, one hip, an elbow and a hand. The fall makes the rest of us stay cautious the rest of the ride.

Donny gets cleaned up and takes a ride in the van for the rest of the day while the rest of the group starts the second climb to lunch close to the top of the summit. We stop in a little bar/restaurant that made us a great lunch. From there we climb a small ways to the top all of us feeling the lunch stop in our legs for a bit. We then descend another fast downhill to the base of the last climb of the day which is not as steep as the other two (close) but the longest of the day at 17 km. We reach the top that is blanketed in clouds and raining a small bit and the moisture makes the descent dangerous.

We enter the town of San Carlo which has a beautiful church, maybe the nicest of the trip. From there it is a small distance to the place we are staying in Santa Maria which is a nice place that we will have all to our own tonight.


More to come

Irazu - The Volcanic Garden - 48.25 km, - Up 5,993' - Down - 5,993'

Graeme has been talking up the climb to Irazu Volcano and warning me that the day would be tough, and it was. The ride starts at about 5,000' just up the hill from Cartago, a city that was devastated in 1910 by a major earthquake, and goes to the top of Volcan Irazu topping out at 11,000' where you can look down into the center of the volcano.

The ride has almost no breaks as you make the assent and at times the grade reaches 22% as you rise through and eventually above the clouds surrounding the mountain. The slopes are covered with small family farms growing a wide variety of fruits and vegetables as well as small communities that support the surrounding area. The climb takes me about 3:10 or so to get to the top with most of the group ahead of me, but I do keep Carl and Barry in sight by the time I reach the summit which is filled with visitors celebrating the Easter Hoilday and the great weather.

No mishaps today and the return down the hill is a screaming blast with only one small climb along the way before descending to our destination at the 1910 restaurant which turns out to have a slow and confused staff - great food if you were one of the lucky ones to get a meal. On the van ride back through Cartago we see the local people lining the streets as the procession celebrating Easter is in progress. We also observed plenty of recreational cyclists today riding the local roads as well as riding on the road to Volcan Irazu.


More to come.

Turrialba the Terrible - 75.5km, - Up - 5,032 - Down - 1,825

Today starts with breakfast and then I try to change the worn out cleats on my shoes - they don't work. We spend some time trying to modify the cleat and pedal to no avail. I am then able to borrow at set of SPD pedals and cleats to fit an extra pair of shoes that I brought.

This time it is I who takes off 20 minutes late from the group with Bob and Paulo showing me the way. We head through the town of Turrialba and then climb for the next 3,500' or so on the side of Volcan Turrialbe in the rain eventually meeting the rest of the group at the top of the climb where Bicycle Bob needs to help Big Mike, one of the guys from Texas, fix a broken spoke.

We climb for a little more and the Paulo tells me that most of the climbing is done so at this point I decide that I want to pull a wheelie. I go right over on my back quicker than I can get out of the SPD pedals which I am not used to - lucky I had a lot of water in the CamelBak. Elbow scraped and the back is a little sore but I am not hurt enough to end the ride. It keeps raining as we keep pedaling to the point most of the crew is freezing during the lunch stop.

We descend through a beautiful valley, stocked with farms on every hill, to the valley floor below eventually crossing a deep canyon that has a dam holding back a large body of water. Most of the countries electricity come from hydro power and with all this rain and elevation it sure makes sense. At this point I am ready for the cold beer and the hotel but we still have a few more kilometers to get there. We arrive in the town of Orosi which has one of the oldest, if not the oldest colonial church in the country. Just past town another 6 km and we arrive at the hotel Rio Perlas. The biggest day in the saddle so far with three more to come that might be equally as hard.

More to come

Siquirres to Turrialba in the Rain - 45km, - Up 3,758, - Down 2,165

It rained most of the night and in the morning through breakfast. Sometimes the hardest part is the ride in the van with your butt going numb.

After an hour of driving we arrive at our departure town of Siquirres and as soon as my bike is off I take off climbing the hill. The clouds cover us as we ride up the hill raining on us off and on the whole way. It is nice that were are kept cool as I hear this section of the country can be brutal under the heat of the sun.

We climb through the rain forest looking for a place to eat lunch which is not going to be easy as everyone is shutting down early to get ready for the Easter weekend. At the top of the last climb the whole group is together and I thought we had more climbing to do so I took off just before the crew gets ready. In the next town I find a restaurant that is closing and cleaning up and ask if they will still serve me. Without knowing the language I am still able to order a meal and finish as the group comes by and I find out we are done with the climbing and on our way to the hotel.

The place is an old plantation which has been converted into a very nice hotel with a beautiful lake out front.