Stages 3 and 4... and no more!

Hi all, the race is now done! We had no internet on the evening of Day 3 so I wasnt able to update the blog.

So day 3 started with a crazy climb up to 3000 meters. It seemed to go on forever and ever! Once we got to the top (the high point of the race), we started this wicked downhill... for a few minutes anyways, then guess what!? You guessed it! More climbing! After that was the most gruelling downhill that I{ve ever done. We must have been descending down steep rocky roads for close to an hour and a half or so. I couldn{t believe the speed of which some of these people would descend! Absolutely crazy! Day 3 was the shortest day for me at a solid 6:13 minutes or so, but Im sure that it must have taken a good 6 years off of my life expectancy. That downhill shook every muscle and bone in my body! We finished off the day in this coffee plantation. Ive never been so happy to see the bottom of a downhill. I was almost missing the climbing! At least I could rest my wrists and forearms.

After another night of going to bed at about 730 or so, we arose at the normal time of 430 to get some breakfast then catch the shuttle back to the race start for day 4.

The day started by climbing for about 5 km back out of the coffee plantation. It was so cooking hot that I was absolutely pouring sweat, and this was only at 730 in the morning! Once we got out of the coffee plantation, I had a pretty good spot in the middle of the pack. But the first descent that we hit, I managed to get myself another flat tire. Luckily I had the right tubes this time! I was able to get the tire changed in 5 minutes or so then start riding again, and managed to get my self back in the riders that I was used to riding with. But about a half an hour later, one of the next descents gifted me another flat. Once again, I had the right tube! But this was my last one! I was able to grunt my way back to the same pack of riders again, and by this time it was getting super hot. The hottest of the race at a balmy 40.5 celsius. We then had one more good climb before we started the gradual ride to Limon. Halfway up this climb, another flippin flat! So I pushed up a little bit of the hill and managed to convey my need for an extra tube to one of the random cars on the side of the road. They were so helpful and totally set me up! After getting to the top of this hill, we had a super speedy descent down some paved roads where we must have been hitting speeds at 60 or 70km per hour.

We then were riding back and forth on rough gravel roads, riding on the train tracks, tip toeing across these crazy train bridges! At one point, there was this old guy that had a set up where his bike was on one train track, and he had a platform beside him witha wheel on the side that would ride on the other track. Me and one of the Costa Rican riders were lucky enough to catch a lift across one of the bridges! It was so cool!

At about the 100 km mark or so, we then arrived at the Caribean! But oh no, the race wasn{t over, it was just a teaser! We then had another 20 km to ride, slopping through mud puddles that were as hot as bath water. The ocean was about 100 feet beside us, just tempting us to give up and hop in.

I{ve never been so glad to see the big giant blue Cristal balloons signifying the end of this crazy race. Beer has never tasted that good.


PS. For those of you who were wondering who the shirtless racer is. Check this out. http://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s1-6-12-16008-1,00.html