Our Team H2V fellow rider and John Henry racer, Matthew Young, had this to say about the hardest mountain bike race in the world. We can't believe he went to Costa Rica just after racing across Canada but once again he proved he is the man!

La Ruta Race Report 2007.

Problem with race reports is most of them drag on too long having to detail every minutia at nausea. This will be succinct.

La Ruta de los Conquistadores is billed as the toughest mountain biking stage race in the world. It takes riders from the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica over through the jungle & rain forests to the Atlantic Coast in 4 days. In November of 2006, we received an email from a friend who completed the event and said it was one of the more challenging things he had done. Perfect - challenge accepted. 4 of us committed, one of us registered. Luck would have it, I would find out two acquaintances also registered for the event and two weeks prior to leaving, we would have a pretty sweet plan set up which afforded us a support team of a mechanic and his girlfriend. This undoubtedly enhanced the experience for all of us.

After traveling for 12 hours we landed in San Jose Sunday night to acclimatize for a couple of days before an early morning Wednesday start. That morning came with a 3:30am local time wake up call - breakfast - prep and then start line pandemonium.

Day 1.

• 95kms / 59 miles
• 14000 vertical ascent
• 12:30 cut off

• 30 min warm up
• 1.5 hr hike a bike (gravel)
• 2 hr on & off bike (mud)
• 3 hr cross country - swamp / mud / gravel
• 3 hr ascent to finish the day - pavement / gravel
• light rain - scolding heat - cold to temperate weather
• finished in 10:49

Notes.

• 1st event I've ever contemplated quitting - very seriously.
• border line heat exhaustion - lay down for ½ hr at a checkpoint before resuming
• noted this race ideal for small, skinny, fast fuckers

Day 2.

• 75.2kms / 46 miles
• 12000 vertical ascent
• 11 hour cut off

Particulars

Sunday October 28th was an interesting day to say the least. It was filled with some good riding and some epic video footage as Fergie would say. It lead to a new experience on my DH bike following Tristan Olk down the sketchy, wet, boggy shore, riding cypress a mountain I have never been to before. Tristan Olk, a prime rider at his athletic peak blows all competition away as he had some good racing last season making 2 dollars on a race from the free beer at the end.

We didn’t hit the trail-head until mid afternoon because we were chasing old Tristan around trying to get some riding done with him. Riding around in the Huck Wagon with Ryan Anderson is a blast as we joke and play pranks on the ESC Free-ride team. Always good times as Ryan, former employee of JH, is constantly joking around and makes the morning of meaningless waiting and driving worthwhile.

Finally organizing shuttles we got to the trail head and the rain mellowed out making the day salvageable. The camera started rolling and the riding finally began. Suited up we dropped in and all worries go away. All that exists is the trail your bike, and the buddy you are following. Tristan lead the way giving pointers and jokes as he never passes up an opportunity to crack a joke about someone. The trail was wet and slimy but we managed as we rode a sketchy upper part dropping you into family guy. Tristan once again telling stories about Jeff Bryson and the want to be JH crew. Family Guy was an epic trail and flowed really nicely even in the slimy soil. Dare devil Tristan rode most of the day without functioning brakes, which I wouldn’t recommend, still ripped and it was a sweet trail to get out there and ride.

The perfect way to end the trip was the ride back in Tristan’s truck with the Dakine tail gate cover inside on the two front bucket seats. Rolling into JH I felt invincible even though I had a few mishaps on the trail. To cap the day off Curtis Leblanc a fellow “grom” at the shop made me a nice mocha which made the lemon loaf go down smoothly. An excellent way to end an excellent ride.

Check out the rest of the video's online here.

October 31st was an excellent day for riding - a prime example of why we can ride almost all year round in our West Coast paradise. By 2pm the sun was bursting through the clouds, and we were reaping the rewards. Tristan, Grant and myself were up on Cypress, getting some late season shuttles in. First up was Mystery DH - appropriate for Halloween? I have never ridden Mystery before, but it was a solid proving ground for my new Team DH, a few drops, a few gaps a lot of chunder and even more flowy singletrack. The only thing that kept me off the pace was a lack of fitness, but that's what the "off" season is for right? Everything was hooking up well on the bike, and there were several moments where i was wondering how i could be so confident given the unknown nature of the trail. Well confidence in your equipment is good, but over-confidence usually bites back. One shoulder check into a big old stump and my exuberance was toned down, just a little - Dainese armour coming to the rescue - thanks Italian dudes. By the time we were done with Mystery i was cooked - i guess that's why the local fast guys use it for training runs. You need to know your line and hold the speed high to carry momentum at crucial spots. More time on the trail will be coming soon in my future i can see..

The second lap we reserved for some good old classic shore goodness with a run comprising Reaper to Paul Hogans to Family Guy. Reaper passed off without incident, but Paul Hogan bit back. Both Tristan and Grant had "off the bike" moments dealing with the gnar of the old school classic.I managed to stay upright stumbling through the undergrowth to avoid Tristan sprawled across the trail, and no one was seriously hurt, though Tristan came close to wedging himself thoroughly into the trench that the trail has become. Family Guy is always a pleasure, with beautiful rock faces and fantastic construction it is a modern classic. It is the trail that claimed me the last time i rode Cypress - back in June. One broken Meta Carpal later and it feels like a trail just waiting to claim me on this ride. I skip the sketchy rock drop that got me last time, and roll out unscathed. Next time Family Guy, next time!

After Family Guy i was suffering from a bad case of the "claw" - some brake bleeding is needed on my new brakes as a result of switching the lines to my preferred "moto" style. Front brake on the right. I let Grant and Tristan do another run, and they blitzed through a Wild Cherry to Roaches run and were back at the cars in a blink of an eye.

3 runs on Cypress, no real injuries, another solid day on the Shore.

Duncan Mortimer

Hold on tight, here we go! Saturday, September 22, 2007 the John Henry Road Crew A.K.A Pedals & Pints, congregated on the Skytrain and joined in excitement for a ride out to Baird Street Station to meet the entire Team H2V and ride them home - accompanying for the last pull home into Vancouver. But, before we could do this...

Signs were to be posted. Many signs and every five kilometers at that; trail tape and all! This, was a once in a lifetime event and the JH road crew was there to support! A fellow crew member, Ken Southam and I drove out 100km from the homecoming venue at English Bay and began our day's work raising awareness, sharing the story with passerby's and thanking each rider on Team H2V with the dedication of their names (Kyle Balagno, Taylor Balagno, Matt Young, Keith Nicoll, Richard Alm, Bryan Kelly and our very own Willie Cromack) fastened in plain sight for all the world to see! Tirelessly we worked, risking our lives as the speeding dump trucks whizzed by, ensuring the streamers would fly "just right" as the wind picked up from the forming peleton that would support the guys, the last 100 km. Did I mention that it was also pouring rain?! But, really how much does that stray from the norm this season? Apologies, I digress...

Saturday, September 22, 2007 arrives... ahead of schedule! We had only been watching the team's every move for seven days from the moment they departed Halifax, through the Maritimes, over Quebec and streaming through the much anticipated northern Ontario, skimming through the prairies, onto the Rockies and down into Hope. The website says nine. I must admit, I was a bit out of sorts as my "fix", my reason for waking, was about to come to crashing halt and I had better be ready to catch the train when it makes the quick stop to pick up the club!

While a few brave souls ventured further out, the JH Road Crew stopped at the intersection of Old Schoolhouse Road and Louhgheed Hwy. We looked at our HR monitors only to find that it was still a little early and we ventured into a cafe for a warm bn break, a coffee, and a quick picture of the crew (thank you again to the kind stranger) to remind us of this momentous occasion!!!!! Little did we know then, that it would be the blue, quivering lips, the bathroom hand dryers and the Wendy's fries that would mark the morning? Oh and how could I forget the sideways glances from a certain Arizonian club member?

"Let us head down to the corner, along the highway to wait for them", I sang. "...to do a bit of free advertising for the bike shop?" Never in a million years did I anticipate for a long, cold two hours. I have since heard Stan; a little Vaseline is all you need...

It was a moment of bonding for our club and to put it lightly: feeling the "love" from the resident club father figure John Henry, plus the overwhelming "props" for my decision to expose the club to the elements – had only confirmed for me, it was the right decision! Ha ha. Seeing such smiles on the faces of members! Gratitude really and truly after filling their bellies with chili and bakes potatoes, absolutely priceless!!! I can only equate this with Christmas morning! Though, as quickly as this feeling was picked up from the steel counter of the fast food restaurant, it vanished. Once again, the cold set in. One, two, thirteen, fourteen... it will be this one, no, seventeen, eighteen turns of the light and still no sign of our heroes.

On we go... the time passes, the legs seized up and drivers of cars passing by from hours before wonder what kind of cyclists we are if we never actually make it from the curb to the road? And, I dance around in my John Henry Bikes gear ;-) Thatta boy Joe, you made it!

What's that?! I think it's hundreds of riders; the flashing lights of police vehicles and the honking of the Team H2V support RV's. Suddenly all the waiting was worth this one very moment. Now, if we can only get our pedals moving in attempts to attach on to the peleton and avoid the unavoidable shelling. One rider down, one flat tire and 25 km to go... my only desire was to see John Henry cross the finish line to wrap his arms around the son he had not seen for the last two weeks. My heart rate spiking, and not enough time to catch any advantages of riding with a water bottle John Henry, Glenyth and I ride on to the beach to hear the Team H2V families, friends and supporters welcoming Taylor and the boys to the stage with boisterous applause. Fortunately enough, I was even able to witness the Squamish Ocean Canoe Family singing the boys back into the territory and welcoming them home; a gift from Jay and me.

The date now is October 3, 2007. The waking early, cold wind and dark skies were all worth it on that September 22, 2007. Welcome home boys and thank you for persevering through the weather, the darkness, rain and lightening. We miss the technical difficulties of the webcam and the emotional blog updates (I couldn't have been the only one tearing up at the office), but the word is now out, awareness raised and donations continue still. Thank you for bringing us, Canadians together and thank you for the ride.

Warmest regards,

Erin Irwin
President, Clubs John Henry Bikes

JH Insight

1.0 Risers or drops?
Jay:? Drops.

Joe:? Drops. Risers are for commuters.

2.0 First bike?
Jay:? 20 inch unisex bike with adjustable cross bar, I was only 5 years old. Black and yellow. Learned all I know from that bike including how to crash. I lived on Irwin Street and had to come back down the hill. No training wheels ever. That part I am proud of. Still have the scars.

Joe:? Blue bmx with white handlebars, tires, seat, and pedals. Oh and spoke beads. Holy crap spoke beads are awesome when you're 10.

3.0 First flat you and how long it took to change?
Jay:? 10, on my bmx bike after jumping some stupid thing. I was always the kid who would do the jump that no one else would try. Took two days coz I had to figure out which tube to buy.

Joe: Tore the tube around the valve stem out on the Barnett highway in the middle of the night; took way longer to change than it should have.

4.0 Ever successfully patched a tube?
Jay:? Not in over 30 years, that's why I always carry five bucks and a phone with me!

Joe:? Yeah, almost always ends up being someone else's tube though.

5.0 clean your own chain?
Jay:? Yyyyes and my wife's!

Joe:? Not often enough.

6.0 shave, wax or au naturel?
Jay:? Shave

Joe:? No razor touches these legs! Nice 'N hairy.

7.0 sausage & egg breakfast SANDWICH or avacado smoothie & extra foam?
Jay:? I am getting the shakes from both of those options. I?ll take what?s behind door number 3

E: But that's not a choice

Joe:? Avocado!

E: Now, does that really count?? Everyone knows your answer!

8.0 solo or group?
Jay:? 95% of the time with a group, nothing like chatting with good friends.

Joe:? Both.

9.0 shuttle or climb?
Jay:? What is a shuttle?!? Can you carry a suitcase of courage in a truck?!

Joe:? Shuttle? What are you, a mountain biker?

10.0 tunes in your ipod?
Jay:? Kanye West, Linkin Park, whatever Pete Tong recommends

Joe:? The fastest, catchiest, most repetitive techno I can find.

11.0 What logo would be on your jersey?
Jay:? An Irish Tornado. Ever seen one?

Joe:? Transformers Autobots.

12.0 What animal & Why?
Jay:? An eagle. So I could summon my special eagle powers... (reference to Nacho Libre)

Joe:? Mongoose because it can take down a cobra.