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Jan Kopka was on mtb race La Ruta Costa Rica in last days (12.th – 15.th Nov.2008) where racers go through Costa Rica from Pacific Ocean to Karibic. It is most difficult extreme mountain bike race on the World. Complete race is devided into 4 stages/days. Jan is generally on 6.th place in his cathegory Master B Men (40–49) with delay 1:31:37 on the winner Mike Charuka (CAN /Whistler/Ryders). His result is fantastic and we hope, Jan is satisfied with so nice position. Our gratulation and we wish good condition in other racers.

Basic information about La Ruta The racers mounted up 12000 meters during the whole race (4stages). This extrem race finished 23 women from Costa Rica, the USA and Canada in year 2008. Places with buffet are in distance 20–25 km. The most important reasons for demission from race are dehydration and hunger.

Stages Day 1: Jacó – Ciudad Colón: start time: 5 a.m. , distance 110 km, time to finish: 12 hours – 30 minutes at 8,8 km/h; Climate: Tropical Rain Forest, Sub-Tropical Rain Forest and Tropical Dry Forest. The opening stage is traditionally the most difficult of La Ruta, with over 4400 meters of vertical climbing (14,500 feet), plus a trek through slippery and sticky mud, and multiple river crossings. The organizers now ‚take it easy‘ on competitors by making the final climb on pavement, rather than the previous extremely steep gravel climb, but former world marathon champion Thomas Frischknecht (2005 La Ruta champion) still calls Day One the „the toughest single day of racing I have ever done“.

Day 2: Cuidad Colón – Tres Ríos; start time: 7 a.m. , distance 76 km, time to finish: 10 hours – 30 minutes at 7,2 km/h; Climate: Sub-Tropical Rain Forest, Template. Stage 2, while not the monster like stage 1, which often decimates the field, with over 20% of competitors missing the time cut, is still a hard, hard day of racing. Starting from Ciudad Colon west of San Jose, the 75.2 kilometer stage takes the riders in a long southerly loop around to the east of the capital. The opening three-kilometer dirt climb merely softens up the field, with a sketchy dirt descent taking riders to the base of the main climb, at 25 kilometers.

Day 3: Tres Ríos – Turrialba, start time: 7 a.m. , distance 66,7 km, time to finish: 10 hours – 30 minutes at 6,35 km/h; Climate: Cloud Forest and Rain Forest. Wind and rain. Drastic climatic changes. Day three is when La Ruta hit its highest point, at 3010 meters above sea level on the slopes of the Irazú volcano. The mud quotient also decreases significantly from the first two stages. The stage starts on the outskirts of San Jose and immediately begins to climb. After rolling through crowded city streets, the field stretches out quickly as the pavement tilts up. Eight kilometers into the climb, riders entered a narrow green tunnel between three meters tall, moss covered dirt embankments topped by huge ferns and trees.

Day 4: Turrialba – Bonita Beach start time: 7 a.m. , distance 125 km, time to finish: 10 hours – 30 minutes at 11,9 km/h; Climate: Sub-Tropical Rain Forest, Montano Rain Forest and Tropical Forest. The final day is the longest in distance, but possibly the easiest in terrain. Except for the opening five kilometers climb through the coffee plantation into which they descended the day before, there is only one other short climb in the 125 kilometers stage. The rest is gravel and paved descending for the first 55 kilometers, and then flat ground to the Gulf coast, where the riders turn south to head to the finish on the beach in Playa Bonita.