A little background, the LOTOJA Classic is the longest one day USCF race in the country. The race begins in Logan Utah, passes thru Idaho and finishes 206 miles later at the base of the Teton mountains in Jackson Hole Wyoming. The course climbs 3 mountain passes in the first 108 miles with a total ascent of just under 10000'.
Over 1200 racers started this year in various categories and age group flights that were sent off 3 minutes apart beginning in the dark at 6:25 AM. Starting temperature in Logan was 36 degrees with calm winds.
It was pretty chilly during the first 34 miles into Preston Idaho. By the 10 mile mark my fingers were numb, even though I had on thin gloves. I was also wishing I had put on knee warmers. Everyone stayed together and we averaged a pretty pedestrian 21.5 mph over the flat farmland.
Just after Preston the climbing begins with a series of rollers before the first climb up Strawberry Canyon. As the sun came up I began to warm up, but lost contact with the lead group due to a 90 second "relief" break on the side of the road. I maintained a good rhythm over the summit and then bombed down the 4 mile descent. At mile 80 I rolled into feedzone 3 and met my support crew to reload my food and drink supplies.
The next 28 miles contains the final two big climbs. Just past the feedzone, it was time for another quick roadside "relief" break and with the sun out and temps now in the upper 50's, I peeled my wind vest and arm warmers. I ground my way up the long gradual climb of Geneva Summit, blasted the downhill and got recovered for the final ascent up Salt River Pass and the KOM.
The KOM takes you to the 108 mile mark and is a timed 4 mile climb. The first 2 miles is a constant 5%, the next 1.5 miles is a steady 7%, and then you get to finish the last half mile at 8%. I felt good until the last half mile and the burn began. I gutted it out to the summit and was quite happy to see the yellow road sign warning motorists of the upcoming 3%-%5 downhill over the next 3 miles. Time to tuck and go!! My split at the 108 mile mark was 5:45, about 8 minutes ahead of my pace last year.
After the KOM descent the course is a flat to gradual descent into feedzone 5 at the 125 mile mark. I recovered from the climb and rode solo into the feedzone taking advantage of the downhill and a slight tailwind. I hit the feedzone hungry and looking forward to a turkey sandwich. Unfortunately, there was a minor car wreck (no injuries) coming out of feedzone 3 that bogged down traffic and I beat my support crew into the zone. Luckily my crew was not involved in the wreck, only delayed by the traffic jam. After waiting a couple of minutes I took a peanut butter and honey sandwich from another support crew, topped off my bottles and hit the road. The PB&H didn't sit well on my stomach and I struggled some over the next 10 miles. I was able to sit in with a group of 10 riders, drink a lot of water and got my MoJo back.
I rolled into feedzone 6 at mile 160 feeling good, but still no support crew. I took on some more water and Gatorade, chugged a Red Bull, grabbed some cookies and an orange slice and I was back on the road. My total time was right at 8 hours and I remembered thinking that I would need to average 23 mph over the final 46 miles to get 10 hours. A pretty tall order due to the rolling terrain that was ahead.
The next 20 miles winds thru the Snake River Canyon. Spectacular views and lots of rollers and false flat. I got in with a group of 8 guys and everyone did a great job of taking strong pulls and keeping the pace high. At about the 170 mile mark, my support crew was on the side of the rode yelling and clanging cowbells. That was a good moral boost seeing and hearing them.
With 26 miles to go, our group had dwindled to 5, but we were still working together and keeping the pace in the 22-24 mph range. With about 10 miles to go I took a solid pull and the group was shattered. I was feeling good and kept driving the pace. I knew I couldn't break 10 but had a shot to be extremely close.
With 6 miles to go a tandem and 2 guys from the group I had just left went blowing by me, I was going about 23, but couldn't get on their wheel, the tandem was just crushing the pace. About a mile later I went by the 2 guys that had been dropped by the tandem. We worked together until about a mile to go, and then they fell back.
I hit the line in 10:02:15, a 20.5 avg. and a PR by 39 minutes. My Garmin had my ride time at 9:49. Overall place 257th, and 30th in the Masters 45+ division. It was a long day in the saddle, but I was really pleased with my time and effort over the day. I was one "relief" break shy of busting the 10 hour mark!! I guess I'll need to learn how to whiz while I ride to save some time.
Here is a link to a few pics that my support crew took during the race.
http://gallery.me.com/mjwithrow11#100110
