El Reto…: five volcanoes, three days, ONE CHALLENGE!
Epic Mountain Bike Stage Race in Costa Rica
Now in its fitth edition, El Reto de los Volcanes (“El Reto”) continues to offer participants a unique and challenging stage race that incorporates epic climbs with singletrack and technical downhills. Over the course of its three days, racers will ride on the slopes of five volcanoes, visit several protected forested areas and ride in limited-access cloudforest singletrack.
“It was the most fun stage race I have entered” Jason Luque, Florida, Third edition rider”
El Reto is a challenging endurance race with thousands of feet of cumulative elevation gain and assorted technical downhill challenges keep experienced riders in check. In addition, racers will experience several types of tropical ecosystems and rapidly changing weather including high altitude conditions.
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Because it all takes place in the Central Valley close to the international airport and major hotels, El Reto is Costa Rica’s most racer-friendly event. On most days, spectators line up to cheer racers along select segments of the course. At the end of each stage, racers will be able get back to their comfortable rooms and hot showers in a short period of time and without long van transfers.
Date: Friday 13th, Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th of April 2012
Total distance: 180 km (about 110 miles)
Each stage has approximately 2000 meters (6000-7000 feets each stage) of total ascent.
Categories:
This year El Reto de los Volcanes will have the following racer categories:
General Male
General Female
Master A (30-39 years)
Master B (40-49 years)
Veterans (more than 50 years)
Contact us at:
Henry Pérez
(506) 8343-1708
volcanes@retodelosvolcanes.com
Stage 1 – Poás Volcano
El Reto’s first stage starts at the slopes of Poás Volcano. Its mile-wide crater is considered the second widest in the world. The first section of the stage is a long climb of about 25 kilometers untill the crater of the Volcano (located at 2600 meters above sea level), where the riders will enter in the most technical downhill of the race, with great view of a great part of Costa Rica. At the end of the downhill there´s some final small climbs before arrive the finish line.
Total Distance: 45 kilometers (30 miles)
Profile
Stage 2 – Barva Volcano
This volcano’s pristine rainforest provides the stage for the second day of the race. This starts low on the slopes of Barva Volcano near Heredia. After a 10 mile climb racers enter the Barva Volcano National Park for a taste of primary rainforest and technical singletrack down to the foothills of Braulio Carrillo National Park. The surrounding forest is home to the Resplandescent Quetzal bird, Tapirs and several species of wild cats. In the second section of this stage the riders will arrive the finish line after enduring a technical downhill section traversing coffee plantations.
Total Distance: 50 kilometers (35 miles)
Profile
Single track section in the middle of the forest near to the Barva Volcano
Stage 3 – Turrialba and Irazú Volcanoes
Irazú Volcano is Costa Rica’s highest volcano at over eleven thousand feet. Turrialba Volcano is also as impressive and recently became our second most active volcano. Both mountains are located just east of San José and dominate the entire countryside.
On race day, the stage starts and finishes in the small town of Pacayas just east of Cartago, Costa Rica’s second largest city. During the first 40 KM, the route climbs steadily from about 3500 feet to about 7000 feet passing by Turrialba volcano first and later at the highest point of the stage near Irazú Volcano. The last 20 KM of this first stage are downhill.
Total Distance: 37 kilometers (25 miles)
Profile
Downhill section near to the Poas Volcano
Maps, course and profiles are subject to small changes.
Click here to see some pictures of the stages
Official Rules of Reto de los Volcanes
1. Every competitor must know the competition rules
2. Every competitor must be 18 years or older and be in optimum health condition and have excellent physical capacity.
3. The Reto de los Volcanes will be carried on in 3 stages during April 13th, 14th, and 15th of 2012.
4. This is an individual race with the following official categories:
• Open Male Category: 18 years and older
• Open Female Category: 18 years and older
• Master A Category: 30 to 39 years old
• Master B Category: 40 to 49 years old
• Master C Category: 50 years and older
Age is determined the year of birth irrespective of birth day and month.
5. El Reto de los Volcanes is a FECOCI (Costa Rican Cycling Federation) approved event. This is the official authority in charge of the competition’s judging. Every competitor must have a valid FECOCI or UCI-issued license and be ready to show it to FECOCI before the start of the race.
6. Sanctions:
There are 2 types of sanctions:
a. Time Sanction: A competitor found guilty will be sanctioned by adding time to his/her overall race time. The added time may vary between 1 to 60 minutes, depending on the criteria of the directors and commissioners of the competition. There will be NO claims or appeals about the time sanction imposed by FECOCI.
b. Disqualification: This sanction will automatically disqualify the competitor and force him/her to withdraw from the race.
7. Abusive language and unsportsmanlike actions may be sanctioned with disqualification or time penalty (addition) depending on the judge’s criteria.
8. Every competitor must wear the following basic equipment: adequate mountain bike clothing (cycling short and jersey), helmet, cycling gloves and a race number completely visible and attached to the handlebar of the bike. If a competitor doesn’t wear this basic equipment, the race organization will prohibit the rider to continue participating in the race until the violation is corrected. If a competitor participates without helmet or race number attached to its bike handlebar he or she will be disqualified.
9. Any competitors seen littering along the racecourse will be disqualified.
10. Drugs, toxic substances, alcohol or any illegal substances are not allowed during the race.
11. For safety reasons, race management reserves the right to cancel or reschedule the race.
12. If a competitor suffers mechanical problems during the race, he/she can change the rims or any part that has to be changed in order to allow the optimum operation of the bicycle. Every competitor must finish each stage with the same frame that started.
In case of a mechanical problem that can’t be solved, the affected competitor can continue the race walking to a control point (CP), to the finish line or wait for the official sweep vehicle (“carro escoba”).
13. Feeding/Hydration assistance is allowed from previously registered vehicles. No vehicles will be allowed to follow racers along the race’s course. Feeding assistance zones will be posted by the organization at all stages with water, fruits, carbs and isotonic beverages.
14. If a competitor manipulates or alters a competition sign, he or she will be disqualified.
15. This competition has a high level of adventure and so should be the competitor’s capacity for orientation. Each competitor is responsible for his orientation in the race and must follow and respect the official signs of the event. Arrows will indicate the competitors which way to follow. It is possible for signs to be vandalized and changed. This external situation surpasses the race organization’s control, so no appeals will be accepted due to the competitor’s disorientation along the race. The course of each stage will be marked with different signs and paint. In case of any doubts, you ALWAYS must follow the painted arrow.
16. Every cyclist must yield to the fastest competitor when being requested in the correct way, by indicating which side (right or left) he or she is passing through. This rule will only be used when the road conditions allow the competitor to yield the space, not being the obligation of a slow rider to stop on a narrow or dangerously descending road, or getting off the road for being surpassed by the other. The competitor that pushes or carries the bicycle must take a side for the competitor that rides the bicycle.
17. Cutoff time will be defined and communicated to all the racers.
18. At the beginning of each stage category leaders will be announced and they will receive an official leader’s jersey. The event competitors must wear their sponsored jersey. The leaders of each category must wear their official category leader jersey over the sponsored. Every leader must wear the category leader jersey assigned by the race organization. If a competitor does not wear it, he or she will be disqualified and cannot receive his award.
19. Every competitor must sign-in before the start of every stage. If the competitor does not sign-in, he/she will have a time sanction.
20. In case of unexpected situations not explicitly established or resolved in this rules, the race organization and the Costa Rican Cycling Federation (FECOCI), with the help of the race official and the judges, will resolve the situation based on this rules and the rules of the International Cycling Union (Union Cycliste Internationale, UCI).
21. Below you will find the prizes for each category in El Reto de los Volcanes. Categories Female, Master B, and Master C will be opened if there is a minimum of 10 riders in it, if there are not enough riders to open a category, they will be registered in the previous category or race officials will proportionally adjust pricing for each category.
Sponsors
Thanks to the sponsors of El Reto de los Volcanes.
