Notre site Web agrandit son lectorat jusqu’en Amérique centrale. En effet, quelques jours après la publication des articles de Mireille Montminy sur La Ruta de los conquistadores, nous recevions un couriel de Robert Duran, un costaricain désireux d’entrer en communication avec elle. Tout de suite nous avons fait le lien: Voici le gars achalant qui lui demandait si elle avait un fiancé au Québec. Hé non, il s’avère que ce n’était pas Robert. Anyway, on en a profité pour lui demander comment ça se passait chez eux la préparation à cette course.
Les gars prennent ça très au sérieux, ça me fait penser aux beaux jours du Raid Pierre Harvey ici. Robert habite à San Jose, Costa Rica. Il est ingénieur industriel et travaille dans une usine, ce qui ne lui laisse pas autant de temps qu’il aimerait pour aller rouler. Il s’entraîne avec des chums, ils ont un Club appelé Ecociclistas, où les gens sont de différents niveaux de performance. Robert faisait La Ruta pour la première fois cette année, nous lui avons demandé comment il s’est entraîné. Notre correspondance en français s’étant avérée très laborieuse, nous avons switché pour l’anglais et je préfère ne pas traduire le texte de Robert, j’aime trop son accent. Je vous ai mis aussi une petite musique de circonstance (6MB). Enjoy!
Gilles: Conte-nous ta vie dans le détail deux-trois fois, Robert.
Robert: Everything initiated in the month of March when I entered a gym where I made a physical preparation during 2 months, I was exercised by 3 days to the week, basically the work was focused to fortify arms and legs, complementing this with a little aerobic exercise, for example: a day for one hour of exercise cardio and one hour and average of weights. Additionally to the routine of the gym, also I did bicycle of route but few kilometers and mainly the week ends.
In the month of May, we twice continued the training with matinal exits of one to two hours in flat land with low heart rates between 55% to 65% per week, and once per week it made a scaling strong (1000 ms in 7,5 km) the ends 50 week left to make rides from approximately 45 to kms in bicycle of mountain of loss to medium intensity. This extended until the month of June.
As of the month of Julio, already the training but was focused to classify, because the « premises » we must gain the right to participate in the route in a classification competition, that was made in the last week of August. Then it was increased so in way level that the heart rates raised 65 % – 80 %, doing 50 km in the mornings twice to the week, alternating with slope also twice per week, resting Fridays. Saturdays kms with some left to make routes of between 50 to 60 an average degree difficulty. From third week of month of July, training began of bottom, that by the way, the last week of July I had a fall in a route of 95 km, when I fell needed about 25 kms and I underwent blows, raspones and other things. It did not have time to recover to me, so I rested by almost one week and I returned to the strong training for the classification, nevertheless, I believe that I exercised myself of others because the day of the competition I felt very tired, anyway I classified myself.
During the month of September, we already continued making long routes of 70 – 90 kms to high intensities of training but above of 80% of the heart rate. We took advantage of a called race La Soledad that included 95 km under extreme weather and is in pairs that were made the first week of October, where was to me very well.
After this competition I had to make a trip that interrupted me by one week and additionally the climate in Costa Rica in September and October was very rainy, reason why forced to me to train in house with roller (to trainer). As of October and to a month of the beginning of the event, already to lower the work load to arrive well at La Ruta.
This is a summary of as I prepared my participation in La Ruta de los Conquistadores, as I said before to you, were my first time and I believe that I managed to accumulate experience for future participation or in this competition or others. My objectives for my fist Ruta was just arrive to the Moin, just come to the end of the race.
Gilles: This was your first Ruta. Was it your first mtb race? Other than the qualifier and La soledad?
Robert: I remember that my first mtb race was 4 years ago. I also participated in other races like Palmares, some dates of the Enduro´s calendary and other particular events like Guanaride, that is a « ride » of 400 km aprox. that goes for the pacific coast of Costa Rica, in the Guanacaste province.
Gilles: How many ticos were at the qualifier? How many qualified?
Robert: In La Pre-Ruta qualified 250 bikers of 400 aprox.
Gilles: What is your work and family situation?
Robert: I am a Industrial Engenier and I work at a factory, because of that I can´t train all time that I wish. Related to my family I have no problem, they support me.
Gilles: What did you find the most difficult in your race?
Robert: The second day I felt very bad in the last 20 km of the ascent and I most stop to recover. Also the third day I had several mechanic problems which made me feel demotivated.
Gilles: Are you locals also affected by the weather or are you « used to it » ?
Robert: I think the weather is an important factor in La Ruta, because there are many changes on the weather and the « ticos » that participated are mostly from San José where the weather is cool. In my case the heat affects me.
Gilles: Did Mireille descend faster than you? 🙂
Robert: I think so, I know that Mireille is very good descending because I saw her races results.
Gilles: Well, merci de ta généreuse collaboration, Robert. On reste en contact et je vais coucher chez vous avec mes 5 amis l’automne prochain si on va faire La Ruta..
Robert: Saludos!
