"Last year, I didn't expect to do so well, but I had better training coming in, had better fitness and was a little bit lighter," said Wells to Cyclingnews. "This year, I d♓on't know... we'll see. I have more knowledge of the course this year, so I'm hoping that will offset my extra weight and a little bit less fitness."
It's the end of a long, difficult though successful 2012 Olympic seasoꦡn for the American, but despite the toll it༺s taken, he didn't want to miss out on returning to La Ruta.
"With♊ the World Cups starting early this year, and then I 🌜had an injury, that took a lot of mental energy. Then there were the Olympics, which are so crazy and took a lot of mental energy. I feel like this season has been extra long and extra hard," he said.
"Coming back to La Ruta, I'm not in 𓂃as good shape as last year, but coming down here, the people are awesome, the course is cool, and it's such a great experience. Even if I felt a little off, I'd want to come down and defend the jersey and take part in a great event."
The 20th edition of La Ruta returns to a three-day format and when asked how that might affect the race, Wells said, "I saw that the race will be shorter and maybe it w𒉰ill be faster, but what we saw last year was that it was the fir♌st day and then the places only changed a little after that. The first day is the longest, hardest day. The second day can also have some impact, but that third day, we don't have any of the climbs we had last year. I think the race will still be hard, but I don't think it will change that much."
The first stage is also slightly shorter as 💝a section through the chaotic streets of San Jose is cut out and racers will finish at a univers🎐ity among the coffee plantations on the outskirts of town.
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"Last year was my first time and the race was long and I don't remember all🥃 th💦e different sections. It's nice it's a little shorter, there will be a little less suffering out there."
When asked whether he will participate in the optional rafting "sta🌃ge" on the final day 3, Wells said, "No rafting. However, last year after the race, [my wife] Meg and I did the river trip. It's cool. If there were huge gaps, I might consider it. It's not so much the rafting, it's the early starts. Waking up early for a couple days in a row means th♛at by not rafting, I can sleep a little later on that final day."
Sue George is an editor at Cyclingnews. She coordinates all of the site's mountain bike race coverage and assists with the road, 'c💫ross and track coverage.
