TransCR: Getting High in the Jungle on Day Three

The description of today’s first stage had some people feeling a little nervous as they waited to load up their bikes for the shuttle. “I’m nervous but excited,” said Jaime Hill. “I am really enjoying all the steeps, but when they say that this stage is the gnarliest and steepest of all the stages, you really have to take them at their word – it’s pretty steep here. It’s really fun but you have to commit to your lines. I’m just hoping to get through at least one stage clean; that’s my goal for today. I was really close on stage two yesterday but I crashed about five feet from the finish line.” The pro women’s leader, Nikola Starko could relate, “I was surprised by my results yesterday because I went down a few times, but I think everyone did – it was just part of it.”





Stage one today was about 800 meters long, started up high at 2650 meters and was described by event organizers as the ‘most relentlessly steep trail in the race.’ It starts with jungle loam and some fun and flowy trail before hitting the aforementioned steep section about half way down, followed by a punchy climb. “After you get a little bit scared, you get to shake it off and shake the hands out with a little hike-a-bike,” says Event Director, Jay Balabas. One big sweeping right-hand corner near the bottom, in particular, offers high enough consequence that netting has been erected for the racers’ safety. Riley Jondle was the first racer back to basecamp and described the course as “super steep, loose, dry, and fast. It had corners, rocks – everything.” He reported that the steep section was “as advertised” and the punchy climb that was described at the racers' meeting “was super steep, straight up, like scaling a boulder wall.”







The course ended just above basecamp allowing racers to stop by their tents, grab a snack, and use the fancy port-a-potties before loading back up for the second stage of the day. Stage two and three were on the same trail and started even higher. The trail opened with jungle loam – “it’s definitely one of my favorites,” says Jay. Racers had tight dusty switchbacks about halfway down that by the end of the second run had become a bit of a choose-your-own-adventure. The end of the course opened up to some amazing views before racers dropped down into the cool valley bottom and liaised back along the river. Everyone took a break between the second and third stages to eat lunch back at basecamp and fuel up before taking another crack at the same tail.






“The last lap of the day was definitely a survival lap, but knowing the trail definitely helped,” said the fastest overall woman, Elladee Brown. “We’ve done a lot of run biking here!” Her little buddy, Jaime Hill, agreed, “That upper section felt so much more fun on the second lap; smoother, flowy-er, and you weren’t on the brakes as much. The stuff in the wide open had gotten pretty chundery, just because of all the chutes and rocks in there. There was one section where I’m pretty sure I was feet off the whole way.” The good news for Jaime is that she did finally get that clean fun that she was looking for today.



After seven stages the top three pro men are; Cory Sullivan (3rd), Alvaro May (2nd), and Ludo May (1st). The top three pro women are; Nikola Starko (3rd), Janea Perry (2nd), and Amy Morrison (1st). The full results can be found here.



Event Organizer, Paulo Valle, built many of the trails in this area including the one that the second and third stages today were on, back in 2003. He’s invested a lot of time building mountain bike trails in this area with Marino Retana Sr. and his goal with hosting the event here in Providencia was twofold; to bring world class enduro racing to Costa Rica and to bring another source of income to the local family who owns the land. “I’ve always been passionate about long descents and we have the mountains here but nobody was building them so I thought I should start!” This connection to the culture here in Costa Rica and specifically in Providencia has been evident as the locals have embraced the race; school children have left their classrooms to come and cheer, local farmers along the liaisons have shared their fruit, and bike washes have popped up in backyards on the way back to camp. After only three days, everyone feels right at home here!

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MENTIONS: @dbaker / @parisgore

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