Days ago, I completed La Ruta, one of the toughest mountain bike races on the planet.
280+ kilometers, 8,000+ vertical meters, and nearly 20 hours of riding across Costa Rica’s untamed landscapes — from volcanic slopes to thick jungle and coast-to-coast crossings.
But this story isn’t only about the race.
It’s about everything that made the race possible.
I never thought I will be able to finish such a though race, after the injury I had when I was a teenager, which stopped me for 7 years and I still struggle and face issues - a period that tested me on every level.
Rehab can be lonely. Slow. Frustrating.
It forces you to rediscover your own body, rebuild trust in it, and stay disciplined when progress seems invisible.
But it was in those quiet moments — breaths, repetitions, setbacks, micro-victories — that I rebuilt my resilience.
So when the invitation to La Ruta came, I hadn’t trained the way I normally would.
But I said yes.
Not because I was fully prepared,
but because recovery had already taught me:
You’re strong enough. You can do hard things. You can create your own magic moments — anywhere.
I had an incredible support team around me.
They took care of equipment, food, overnight stays, logistics — everything I needed.
Their support gave me the freedom to stay focused on one thing:
giving my best and being present.
La Ruta is brutal.
Knee-deep mud, hip-high water crossings, slippery volcanic rock, 20% unpaved climbs, tropical storms, and stretches where you simply shoulder your bike and climb.
But something unexpected happened:
The longer the stages got, the better I became.
As the hours passed, my breath steadied.
My mind quieted.
I smiled more.
My body dropped into rhythm.
I found myself in flow — that powerful, rare state where movement, breath, and awareness melt into one. The jungle around me became energy, not resistance.
Every turn, every climb, every section of mud became part of the experience.
Flow is presence.
Flow is trust.
Flow is awareness.
And flow is where magic moments happen — even in the middle of chaos.
This is my USP — not just in sport, but in everything I do:
Creating and enjoying magic moments.
And La Ruta gave me countless ones.
Racing through Costa Rica’s wild landscapes wasn’t just a physical journey. It was a reminder:
La Ruta stripped everything down and revealed something simple but powerful:
The tougher it gets, the more I find myself.
The more present I am, the stronger I become.
I’m still processing the experience — the beauty, the effort, the exhaustion, the flow — but I know this:
This race changed something in me.
And I’m grateful for every kilometer.
The sound of water crashing over rocks.
The clarity of breath on the steepest climb.
The smile that came from pure gratitude.
The moment I realized:
“How awesome it is to push my own limits knowing I will be able to manage it.”
These moments don’t appear by accident.
I create them — by showing up, by trusting myself, by embracing the unknown, and by staying present even when it’s hard.
I am curious to get to know you, so come on and contact me right now.
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