THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING
The Future Conquistador? A Conversation with Manny Prado; Ramirez, Haywood Build Lead on Day 2
Fat-tire racers in Southern California probably recognize the name Manuel “Manny” Prado — the 26-year-old wrenches at the Rock N’ Road Cyclery in Mission Viejo and is a staple on the California state mountain-bike series. Each year when the California series and the National Mountain-Bike Series draw to a close, Prado — a native of Costa Rica — finishes each season out by racing his homeland’s largest cycling event, the La Ruta de los Conquistadores.
Prado immigrated to the United States in 2001 to pursue his passion for freestyle BMX competition. He earned an appearance on ESPN’s X-Games and currently organizes a competition in San Jose every February called the “Ticos Jam.” But in 2004 Prado traded in the little bike for a hard tail. The rest is history.
Prado has enjoyed a rapid rise through the fat-tire racing ranks — he earned his UCI pro card this season. Like many of his Costa Rican cycling brethren, Prado and his slight 135-lb frame set a mean tempo on the climbs. His La Ruta finishes have been equally as impressive: 44th in ’04 and 13th in 2006. Prado finished the second stage of the 2007 La Ruta in 10th place. The rapid rise earned Prado coveted props from the La Ruta race organization, which named him as a potential winner alongside former La Ruta champs Federico Ramirez and Paolo Montoya.
As a native Costa Rican mountain-bike rider living and racing in the United States, Prado owns a unique perspective on the culture of Central America’s premier mountain-bike race. VeloNews caught up with Prado the day before La Ruta’s brutal day 1 grind from Jaco Beach to El Rodeo.
VeloNews.com: The big-name Costa Rican riders like Ramirez and Montoya seem to have a big advantage with motorized bottle feeds and on-trail mechanical support from their friends. Does that frustrate you?
Manuel Prado: No, not really. You start the race and they have support cars and guys on quads rolling alongside of them handing them bottles and stuff, and you are just hoping you’ll get enough water at the next aid station, but that’s the way it is. If you get into their trust circle, their support crew will give you help too. That’s the thing you have to work toward to get a better result at La Ruta. You have to make friends with them and show that you can work with them and race at that level. If they see you working with them, you’re in. I saw that with [Jeremiah] Bishop and [Thomas] Frischknecht — they were friendly with the Ticos and raced with them and got support because of that.
VN: Do you get that kind of support from them?
MP: If you are Costa Rican and race with them regularly, you are in. I am not. I race the U.S. circuit and make it only for La Ruta here, so they don’t see me as a Costa Rican. They see me as a foreigner.
VN: There seems to be a lot of cycling talent in Costa Rica.
MP: Definitely — [cycling] has always been a top-five sport in Costa Rica alongside soccer and tennis. The Veulta Higuito [road stage race was televised this from beginning to the end. The top 10-20 guys on the climbs were so fast — they were really world-class riders. But they only race in Costa Rica because the sponsors are focused on the local scene. I think if they went outside of Costa Rica more they could ride with some top riders.
I think that since La Ruta has set the bar for stage racing at the top, Costa Ricans have gotten more into that format than traditional cross-country racing. There is the Copa Endurance series, which is a marathon series of four to six-hour races.
VN: Is cycling an upper-class sport in Costa Rica?
MP: No — if you look at all of the fast guys at the top, they are mostly all from the lower classes. They come from farmers or people outside of the city who have traditions in cycling. Now, past the elite group, the average Costa Rican cyclist has a career and is part of the upper class. They are lawyers or business people who can afford the bikes and the races.
VN: What type of family did you come from?
MP: I grew up in [San Jose] with my sisters and my mom and it was a struggle because we were pretty poor. When I wanted to come to the states to bring my freestyle BMX level higher there wasn’t enough money for the $100 passport, and another $100 for the Visa. And getting a Visa was like one out of one hundred, so when I decided to go for it I was taking a pretty big risk. I moved about five hours from the capital and worked for Del Monte in a pineapple field picking pineapples and saved about $2000 in nine months and then came to the U.S. I didn’t think Americans would be so friendly, and in the cycling community everyone treated me like family.
VN: What would your life be like if you had decided to stay in Costa Rica?
MP: That’s funny, I’ve never really thought about it. I couldn’t see myself trapped here for all of time. I definitely would not have as good of a life as I have in the U.S. The top pro guys in Costa Rica aren’t getting rich, but the cost of living is pretty low. But those guys are also racing on the road quite a bit. But I currently work at a bike shop and don’t make that much money, but it’s not about money. If I can get to the point where I can ride my bike and pay for my bills — that is my dream.
VN: What do you attribute your success in mountain-bike racing to? You’ll be racing as a pro in your third season.
MP: I got where I’m at today from skills and talents based on freestyle BMX. I rode Flat Line, which is tricks and balance, for 10 years. I started when I was little just playing with the bike in a parking lot and watching other guys. But I grew up in a pretty bad neighborhood where my future was to either sell drugs or steal, but I spent all my time riding BMX. I think I learned through that dedication that anything is possible. The balance at low speed has helped me immensely in BMX. But I think it’s mostly mental because in BMX you have to concentrate immensely. It’s all about precision. But other than that it’s just learning the dedication behind it. With mountain biking I’ve still been having a hard time finding that top-level fitness. I can climb but I am still trying to find the fitness to go up the hill with the top-level guys.
VN: How long will you race La Ruta?
MP: I will always come back to La Ruta. It helps me mentally. When I race this event I know it is tougher than any other race. When I’m out there racing NORBAs or any other events, I just tell myself it is a two-hour spin. You make La Ruta as hard as you want. You don’t have to try to win the race just to make it hard.
Ramirez, Haywood double up in Terramall
Costa Rican Federico Ramirez (BCR-Pizza Hut) and American Susan Haywood (Trek-Volkswagen) both took their second straight stage wins at the 2007 La Ruta de los Conquistadores, winning the 75km journey from El Rodeo to Terramall. Ramirez, the only three-time men’s winner in the race’s 15-year history, crossed the line with a four-minute advantage on countryman and teammate Juan Alberto Solis. Haywood finished with a 10-minute gap on three-time La Ruta winner Louise Kobin (Sho-Air).
Ramirez attacked out of a front group containing Solis, Canadian Max Plaxton (Rocky Mountain-Haywood) and Costa Rican Enrique Artavia (Super Pro) on the day’s long, 3000-foot road climb. Plaxton was eventually joined by Costa Rican Paolo Montoya, who out-sprinted the Canadian for third.
Ramirez now owns a 12-minute advantage in the General Classification over Montoya with Frenchman Thomas Dietsch (Gewiss-Bianchi) in third.
As she did in the stage 1 slog from Jaco Beach to El Rodeo, Haywood spent much of the day out front in the women’s competition. Kobin put in a charge once the race hit the pavement to join her countrywoman, however the effort kept her from responding to Haywood’s eventual surge. The Trek rider currently owns a 25-minute advantage on Kobin.
2007 La Ruta de los Conquistadores
Stage 2 El Rodeo to Terramall
75km; 11,800 feet of climbing
Open Men
1. Federico Ramirez (CR), BCR-Pizza Hut, 3:50:00
2. Juan Antonio Solis (CR), BCR-Pizza Hut, at 4:17
2. Paolo Montoya (CR), Macosta-Lee Cougan, at 4:42
4. Max Plaxton (Can), Rocky Mountain-Haywood, at 4:47
5. Enrique Artavia (CR), Super Pro Banco, at 13:57
6. Thomas Dietsch (F), Gewiss-Bianchi, at 13:59
7. Sandro Spaeth (Swi), Ride Magazine-Texner BMC, at 15:02
8. Tinker Juarez (USA), Cannondale, at 15:21
9. Deiber Esquivel (CR), IBP Pensiones, at 25:21
10. Manuel Prado (CR), Sho-Air/La Ruta, at 27:04Open Women
1. Susan Haywood (USA), Trek-Volkswagen, 5:06:39
Louise Kobin (USA), Sho-Air/La Ruta, at 9:36
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