Our month in Costa Rica offered some great opportunities for winter training. Mountain biking in Costa Rica consists of dirt roads that sometimes lead to random trails that sometimes lead to secluded beaches or majestic mountain waterfalls. There are also some steep hills! I’m talking about 25% grades that would never be considered a road even here in Colorado. There isn’t much singletrack but the fun of exploring the jungle makes up for the lack of flowing trails.

Biking the back roads of Costa Rica.

Some of my favorite rides from Nosara (our home base) include:

Nosara to Samara – 20 miles roundtrip. Mostly well traveled dirt roads with the option to take side trails out to the ocean. One of the trails leads to a beach where Mel Gibson has a “home.”

Nosara to Punta Islita –  59 miles RT. Long ride but about 30k is on a very nice paved road with little traffic. You pass Samara and then Playa Camarillo before a brutal climb over to Punta Islita. The beach is beautiful and there is a fancy beach club and hotel  if you need to refuel before the trip back.

Nosara to Lolas – 60 miles RT. Huge ride but worth it for a recharge at the famous Lola’s Restaurant in Playa Avellanas.  There is actually a short section with a paved bike path on this ride!

Next time I look forward to checking out the singletrack and Pura Vida bike park up at Las Catalinas north of Tamarindo.

I’m not a great photographer but these pictures are better than a thousand words…

Jen

I am an avid cyclist, wife, sometimes racer, full-time tech worker, non-profit founder, and, of course, mom. Cycling is my passion. Heck all the socks in my sock drawer are bike socks!

4 Comments

  1. BAH! So fun…totally considering this with the fam

  2. Heading to Nosara. Where can I go to find a bike and guided tours for riding?

    1. I don’t know of any bike rentals. You can look up Bike Nosara on Facebook if he’s still around. Good luck.

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