18 years ago Roman Urbina read about the Spanish Explorer Juan de Cavallón and his 20 years journey through the treacherous mountains of Costa Rica, in his attempt to explore the area. This expedition started on the Pacific Coast and finished on the Caribbean. Urbina, a recognized Costa Rican athlete and adventurer, decided to retrace that long voyage.

Captivated by the history of the Spanish Explorer, Roman -and 34 other brave journeyman- started the trip across Costa Rica's rugged terrain, an adventure that led them to cross several lavish rain forests, majestic active volcanoes, spectacular mountain ranges and roaring rivers. This adventure turned into an epic annual event, known to all as La Ruta de los Conquistadores. To date, more than one decade later, “La Ruta” is considered to be the most difficult Mountain Bike multi-day race on the planet.

For 12 years this primal event's title stayed within Costa Rican borders, only local riders had conquered the challenge, yet in November of 2005, one of the world's most renowned racers, Thomas Frischknecht, took the crown and the first triumph for an international mountain biker. One year later Colombian Leonardo Páez won the race.

"It's not about making it to the finish line, it's about working with what you've got, giving it all your might and surviving the adversities that you might come upon along the way. Lending a hand to someone else, a sip of water, a spare tube, a word of encouragement, a friendly smile... while you compete against yourself... that's the true spirit of La Ruta." Said Román, "This will be an edition like no other, a true eulogy to mountain biking, in a location that hosts some of the most challenging terrains for this discipline, the rugged terrains of Costa Rica's vast mountain ranges.