Costa Rica, the Ultimate Winter Escape - Video

The last time I saw and MTB media coverage from Costa Rica, Wade Simmons' shorts where wider than his handlebars. It's been ten years since Decline magazine published that memorable article with the boys getting loose down south, but when I came across the article again, early this past winter, it got me thinking...

What I saw flicking through those pages was an opportunity and a place to escape to from the cold and wet winter which was gripping home, here in East Tennessee.





San Jose knows downhill although I didn't know what to expect going to Costa Rica with a downhill bike. I watched a few GoPro edits from the local boys and creeped on some Instagram feeds before I left, but was not expecting to ride such raw tracks. Costa Rican trail builders seek quality over quantity. Each mountain seemed to have one track designed around a shuttle road and was well maintained.






Carlos Castillo on his trail "Caño". The view of San Jose from the top of Caño was as quality as the track.





No trip to Costa Rica would be complete without a trip to the beach, raw chicken, 100ft of string, and a croc feeding...






I ate more rice and beans in two weeks than you want to know about... You'd better roll the window down. Like every other country in the world, bike shops and beer go hand and hand.






Easily one of the coolest places I have toured was La Lucha's Cabuya factory. The Cabuya plant is used for fiber production and manufactured to twine and rope. More recently the Cabuya farm is host to Alvero Castillo's loam heaven of a downhill track "El Cabuyal".

Huge thanks to the local boys that took care of us. Alvero Castillo and Family, Carlos and Teto Castillo (Ciclon Bike Shop), Tinez, & Chris Rizzon.

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