Esquivel wins second stage

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One of La Ruta's strongest ascents was ridden nearly one and a half kilometers after the start of the stage two, a wall that took riders from 800 meters up to 1,400 meters above sea level within eight kilometers.

Top racers showed their world-class level by making the first ascent seem like a ride in the park although several elite riders paid the price of a rapid pace and a grueling push to the top. Such was the case of Ben Sonntag, when at a mere 100 meters from reaching the top of the mountain, his chain sunk within the depths of his rear cassette.

Paolo Montoya (Team Giant Italia), who was near the scene as a spectator (due to recent injury), mentioned that Sonntag was in a top-five position when the chain got jammed in the cassette. He lost over 20 minutes and got passed by more than half an entire participant list, yet he managed to make it back up into 10th position.

Costa Rica's Deiber Esquivel put in another amazing comeback from a previous hardware malfunction. After finishing in 13th on stage 1, Esquivel won stage 2, 30 seconds in front of Manuel Prado, who held onto first place in the overall standings.

Deiber is the only elite racer from team Economy-Citi-Blue. The Costa Rican Cycling Federation threatened disqualification for elite local riders who participated in La Ruta. La Ruta was considered too far toward the adventure racing side of the fence for the UCI's regulations three years ago. The disqualifications were threatened after the Costa Rican federation claimed La Ruta must pay honoraries and percentages.

Both Esquivel and Prado are riders who would be subject to sanctions yet have clearly stated that their main goal throughout the season has been to prepare for La Ruta and are willing to face penalties to represent their country and teams.

Monavie-Cannondale's Tinker Juarez was not able to finish the stage when finding himself lost on an abandoned road for over an hour. His misfortune continued with a flat tire that forced him to accept a car ride from where he was located.

"It's truly unfortunate, but these things happen," said Juarez, who will continue racing, but be unranked. Juarez was seen after the stage with his signature smile on his face, available as always for a photograph with his loyal fans.

Stage 3 awaits one of the toughest stages of the race, the climb to the Irazú and Turrialba volcanoes. The course will take racers to a height of 3,400 meters above sea level.

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