Tuesday, November 06, 2012

Conquering La Ruta 2012 - Thanks to...


So La Ruta de los Conquistadores 2012 is now over and I have finally put together a recap of what I experienced every day of this event, so over the next couple of days I’ll be posting recaps of the event; however I’d like to start with the most important one, the one that thanks all the people that made it possible for me to participate on this event.
First and foremost thanks to my wife, not only during race week but for all her unconditional support always, to my mom and dad for ensuring that I had everything I needed for the event and my uncle for taking several days off his busy life to come and drive all over the country following me from aid station to aid station. My aunt Guiselle and her family; for welcoming us to their house in Turrialba and taking great care of us. My sisters Erika, Jessika and Viviana and my bothers in-law Hansel  and Alfredo for offering us their help on anything we needed and their continued support. Don’t want to forget my friend Roberto, who is one of my most loyal followers and the person that’s always just a phone call away and always willing to help when needed. To my family that has helped us in many different ways but most importantly for being on top of our happenings on training and racing. To all my friends near and far for sending us their words of encouragement via facebook, e-mail, text, phone calls and in person. Those sincere words meant a lot to us.
Thanks also go out to our sponsors, without their support it wouldn’t have been possible to participate on this event.

Robert and Marie-Danielle at Palmex Costa Rica, whose commitment to cycling goes beyond racing through campaigns such as the Cuidenos to promote cyclist awereness for the communities in the southern region.
Anthony Alvarado and our friends at PuroMTB Bike Shop, for their work to ensure our Niner bike was always ready for the race regardless of the any mechanical problems from the day before. Special thanks for allowing us to borrow the rigid Niner fork that we used on Day 1 and provided a significant advantage on such a grueling day.
Dean Henthorn at BicycleWorldTV.com, without your continued support to ensure I have the equipment, hydration and nutrition that I need to participate on races year around.
Wayner Barrantes and friends at Almacen El Colono La Jungla in Uvita de Puntarenas, for his support and for planting the seed about getting this project of competing in La Ruta off the ground as well as for being one of my training partners as I prepared for the event.
Bob Swanson at the Roadhouse 169 Restaurant in Playa Ballena, Puntarenas. His love for cycling is contagious and when I asked him to support me on this adventure he didn’t hesitate. We’ll stop by soon by the Roadhouse to share to race stories with you and plan more adventures.
Ron McDonald at Osa Mountain Village Water Adventures. Ron runs one of the coolest tubing tours in the Costa Rican southern region and he’ll soon be offering rafting adventures on some great rivers in the area such as the Coto Brus river and he too was willing to help us without asking questions or asking anything in return.
Lastly I want to thank all my fans and strangers that offered support even on the side of the road, on messages via Facebook, by phone, e-mail or just by sending good vibes our way. I really appreciate your support and hope to have made you all proud.
Thanks,
Jeff Herrera

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