Twenty years ago I had the idea of following the footsteps of Juan de Cavallon and Perefan de Ribera ( Spanish Conquerors of 1560) in their exploration of  Costa Rica. Instead of using horses we used our beloved  mountain bikes to take us across this incredible country from the Pacific Coast to the Caribbean.

During 3 days we discovered the real treasures of Costa Rica, we biked across jungles, hanging bridges, streams, high mountains passes, steamy volcanoes and beaches.

Today LA RUTA DE LOS CONQUISTADORES is considered one of the ten toughest endurance events on the planet. It has not been easy to keep this race alive for 20 years.

Personally I have had serious accidents during the race, had to deal with fraud , theft, lies and betrayal .I have made many friends and a few enemies. During moments of fragility what has kept me going  has been the memories of the effort put forth by hundreds of competitors in order to complete the journey.

I want to extend a personal invitation  to  this important birthday and to be part of the family of new Conquistadors that take this heroic challenge.

Cheers see you at the start line.

List of winners by year

• 1993 David Fonseca CR 17 cyclists
• 1994 Rodrigo Montoya CR 30 cyclists
• 1995 Rodrigo Montoya CR 40 cyclists
• 1996 Jaime Rodríguez CR 50 cyclists
• 1997 Federico Ramírez CR 123 cyclists
• 1998 Federico Ramírez CR 170 cyclists
• 1999 Edgar Zumbado CR 180 cyclists
• 2000 Edgar Zumbado CR 201 cyclists
• 2001 José Adrián Bonilla CR 275 cyclists
• 2002  Federico Ramírez CR 400 cyclists
• 2003 Marvin Campos CR 300 cyclists
• 2004 Paolo Montoya CR 300 cyclists
• 2005 Tomas Frischknecht  Suiza 500 cyclists
• 2006 Leonardo Páez Colombia 600 cyclists
• 2007 Federico Ramírez CR 400 cyclists
• 2008  Federico Ramírez CR 250 cyclists
• 2009 Manuel Prado CR 220 cyclists
• 2010 Benjamín Sonntag Alemania 200 cyclists
• 2011 Todd Wells USA 250 cyclists