8ry6uy's Blog

Two years ago I was introduced to the sport of cycling by my good buddy Daniel. Daniel’s positive attitude and strong spirit inspirited the LO/TO/JA (Logan To Jackson Hole) challenge for me, himself, and five others (Shey, Ted, Dave, Chris and Scott). The 206 mile bike ride/race passes through three states in one day and is the longest one day USCF sanctioned bicycle event in the Country.

Now seriously, I never had any intention of really riding in LOTOJA. I just couldn’t muster up the guts to tell Daniel, “Are you crazy - 206 miles in one day.” This year Daniel accepted none of my BS and persuaded me and the others to sign-up using the “Select Health” jerseys from the Tour de Cure 2009 ride.

In order to get into LOTOJA, if you have never ridden before, you pay a registration fee which enters you into a lottery. Banking on the fact I had never won anything in my life, I figured karma was on my side (and I would not get selected).

Wouldn't you know it on May 1, 2009, I received this:

"We hope you are excited to hear that your application HAS BEEN ACCEPTED. YOU HAVE A SPOT IN THIS YEAR'S LOTOJA!"

At this point, my bike was considered a toy for occasional rides with the guys and a form of transportation to and from work (weather permitting). Now it was time to dig deep and start training. The training included not only riding my 30 mile commute to and from the office (with my best friend - Shey), but also weekend rides which included some ten or more unsupported centuries. I put 4,600 miles (278 hours and 20 minutes) in the saddle for this one day event.

Shey, Ted, and I were originally going to be supported by another co-worker; however, as reality set in we realized additional help was needed. Both my Wife Krissee and Mother Jana accepted the task of supporting me. Mom to take on support of the ride and Krissee to bring our kids (Hannah – 6, Hayden – 4 and Hallee – 2) to the start and finish lines. Not long after that, my Grandmother (Bev), Aunt Julie, and Cousin Carson joined the crew. Other crew members include: Jody (Shey’s Wife), Gary (Daniel’s Friend), Liz and Kelsey (Dave’s Wife and Daughter).

Mom, Grandma, Julie, Carson, Jody, Gary, Liz, Kelsey

Support crew members accept the task of bringing the cyclist food, gatorade, water, equipment, clothing, words of encouragement, and anything else needed to complete the ride.

Thursday, September 10, 2009, Shey, Daniel, Ted, Chris and I left work early to check-in and pick up our packet. Ironically, this year’s packets were being distributed at the Bikers Edge in Kaysville (a short distance from the house). We must have stood in line for an hour or more to check-in. During this time Daniel was getting very friendly with another rider who had ridden LOTOJA some six times. Daniel was asking questions like, "Do you use shammy butter???”

Once we finally got to check-in there were two waivers to sign, a stamp was placed on our left calf with the -

“LOTOJA Logo” and we received our timing chip. The packet included a LOTOJA t-shirt, a water bottle, some flyers and coupons, stickers for our vehicles, and a small packet of DZNUTS (protect your junk) chamois cream.

Friday, September 11, 2009, I took the day off work to get everything packed. I had an Excel spreadsheet of some 40 items I thought I might need. I even went to the grocery store and spent $100 on gatorade, water, power bars, etc. That afternoon we picked up the kids from day care and headed to Mom’s to switch cars, since the bike rack was on my Wife’s vehicle and my Mom was supporting me on the ride. Once the cars were switched and supplies packed, we headed to Sherwood Hills Resort in Wellsville, UT for the night.

After we got settled, I called Daniel, Shey, and Dave to see if everyone wanted to go to dinner. Several of us meant at Subway on Main Street in Logan. It was quite the circus with my Wife and Kids, my Mom, Aunt Julie, Cousin Carson, Grandma, Shey, Jody, Ted, Daniel, and Gary. I think we took up every chair in the place. As we talked, we decided it might be a good idea to attend the orientation/training meeting for all cyclists and support crew members (since this was our first attempt at LOTOJA). The orientation was held at the Utah State University. After which my family and I meant Chris (and his girlfriend) at Pizza Hut for a quick pizza to go before heading back to the resort.

Since our room (consisting of three beds) would not accommodate my entire family, my Wife and Kids stayed at my In-laws for the night. My Mom, Aunt Julie, and I spent 30 minutes preparing food (potatoes, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, ham sandwiches, etc.) for the ride. After preparing the food, we bagged and labeled pouches for each support Feed Zone. Then it was off to bed. My family talked or giggled until they fell asleep. After which two of the four snored all night. As if that was not enough to keep me up, I could not stop thinking about my 5:45 a.m. start time and how I had to wake up at 4:00 a.m.

At 3:30 a.m., Saturday, September 12, 2009, My Mom’s alarm was going off. I had just barely fallen asleep. I think I managed to get one hour. I got up, got into my biking gear, filled up my water bottles and put the bike on the bike rack.

No sooner than we got on the road my Wife Krissee called to ask where we were, since she was waiting at the start line. When we got there I greeted everyone “Good Morning” and proceeded to get my bike down and pump-up the tires. At this point I noticed a piece missing from the pump. Thank goodness this small insignificant accessory filled my thoughts, because it was the first time in the last 15 hours that I did not think about the start of the ride. Just then Dave called to say, he was waiting for us on the start line and that he had saved a spot for us.

As we got to the start line there was a very loud generator to power the lights and countdown clock. We (Dave, Shey, Ted, and I) started to fill in, but there was no Daniel. As it would turn out he was on the opposite side of the street. We were waving him to come over but it was almost impossible to maneuver through the cluster of bikes. After a few minutes of weaving in and out of bikers he made it to us. At this time I noticed Shey's finger was bleeding. He was trying to wave down his Wife for a band-aid. He also stated that he had a water bottle mix-up on the way over and that his bike was jammed into Ted’s when he was trying to take it off the truck.

The announcer said, “We’re getting very close!” I looked up to see my entire family standing by the enormous generator all bundled in blankets. My boy Hayden was yelling, "You Go Dad!” At 5:45 a.m. the announcer shouted, "GO!"… and we were off. As it would turn out, it was the only time that the five (Chris and Scott decided not to ride) of us were together the whole day. There were approximately 500 riders in our group with roughly 50 released at a time. The temperature was perfect right around 50 degrees. I wore a jacket and didn’t see the need until we got out of the city. A police escort lead the way for 2 or 3 miles after which the 19-20 mph paceline stepped up to 24-26 mph and our team was doing everything we could to stay together.

Visibility was low making it hard to see the rider in front or behind you. I wore a light on my helmet and chose not to turn around to see if the rider behind me was a teammate. Turning around could blind the person behind me. So, I would yell out their names "Daniel", "Shey", "Ted", “Dave”. It was not long before this method of staying together broke down. No one was responding. I pulled out of the paceline and slowed down when I heard Shey yell, "Get in behind me Bry!” I am the last one in this line. I fell in which allowed Shey, Dave and I to ride together for the next five miles at which time one rider in front of us took a corner to sharp, hit some gravel and his bike slid out from under him (scattering debris in every direction). We all asked if he was ok and he said he was.

As the sun started to rise, I decided it was time to eat. While digging through my pouch, I dropped my sun glasses and fell out of the paceline turning back for them. I then spent the next 7-8 minutes (2-3 miles) red-lining (with a heart rate of 185 bpm) to catch up to the line. About the time I caught up we just passed the first timing station and before I knew it we were in Preston (34 miles).

When I pulled into the agreed upon Feed Zone stop (#7) in Preston, my Mom quietly asked, “…are you eating and drinking regularly?” You’re dripping with sweat and your face is a flush. I was still out of breath from trying to catch the team and unable to respond.

While Dave, Shey, and I were getting food and refills on our water bottles Daniel pulled up (what a relief). Everyone was accounted for except Ted. As Daniel pulled up, Jody stated she received two text messages; the first clocked Shey and the second Ted. Based on the two messages we figured Ted was roughly 15 minutes behind the team. We waited for Daniel and Shey to hit the restroom and then continued on our way (off to Strawberry) – still no Ted.

As we headed out of Preston and into Strawberry our team did all we could to stick together in a paceline. However, as the hills became longer and steeper we started to fragment.

Dave took the lead and it was all I could do to keep up. Shey mentioned that the pace

was a bit fast and the line was pulling further away from me. As I looked back, Shey was falling behind, but still within view. After a few miles Daniel pulled back stating he was going to try and pull Shey back up to the group. The climb seemed to go on forever with no end in sight – what an unforgiving stretch. In my quest to defeat Strawberry, I met a rider from Clearfield, UT. During this stretch we must have passed each other 10 times pulling one another up the hill. As I could see the 1K to Feed Zone 2 sign (61 miles), I felt relieved to know a break was very near.

At this time Dave was about 100 yards ahead of me. At Feed Zone 2 (Neutral Support) they had volunteers with water bottles and gu. Dave rode right through like the professionals. He grabbed a water bottle drank it and threw it to the side. I on the other hand needed to use the restroom so I pulled over thinking this would be a great place to regroup, since I hadn’t seen Shey or Daniel in while. I leaned my bike against the port-a-potty and took care of business. When I was finished I walked to the side of the road, got a water bottle from a volunteer and waited for Shey and Daniel. While waiting a good Bud Jonny Hintze (a Cat 3-4 racer) shot pass me like a rocket. I waited another five minutes or so (still no sign of Shey or Daniel) then panic set in… And, I realized my teammates passed me while I was in the restroom.

I quickly leaped on my bike and rode as fast as I could to the top of Strawberry (elev. 7,424 ft.).

From the top I gave it my all jetting down the hill reaching a top speed of 50 mph.

When I reached the bottom of Strawberry, I was all alone (not a rider in sight) and soon realized I had a lot of headwind to face on my own. I stopped at the top of the first rolling hill and chatted with some folks selling trinkets. They kept asking if I was alright and that I should keep going. I told them I needed to wait for someone to ride with (knowing the headwinds would be hard to deal with by myself). Just then a group of some 30+ rides were descending Strawberry. This was my queue… And, I clipped in and started to sprint (as fast as my body would allow). Before I knew it, they engulfed me like a swarm of bees buzzing along at some 28-30 mph. It was all I could do to keep it together.

Eventfully, I fell to the back of the line. I kept looking to the right to see if there was a more suitable paceline for me to join. As luck would have it, I spotted the same biker that rode with me up Strawberry Summit, and I pulled out of the paceline to join him. My new Clearfield buddy and I rode another mile when a second paceline came by – giving us another break to Montpelier. As we started to head over the viaduct I could not hang - riding the last two miles solo.

When I approached Feed Zone 3, Montpelier (the 80 mile mark), I was relieved to see Dave. Wow, what a sight. Finally one of my teammates was in plain view. Not sure how long he had been at the stop, but it looked as if he was ready to leave when Liz tapped him on the shoulder to let him know I arrived.

Exhausted, whipped, and out of breath, I asked my support crew if they had seen either Daniel or Shey. Both Mom and Aunt Julie responded saying they had not seen either of them nor were any of the support crews receiving text messages. Shocked, worried, and disoriented (from chasing something that was actually behind me), I focused my attention on Dave with the hopes Daniel and Shey were together and not far behind – still no sign of Ted.

Dave turned to me and said he was going to wait for me by the port-a-potties located at the end of the feed zone. Julie quickly replaced my water bottles with fresh ones while Mom pulled off my jacket and sprayed me down with sunscreen. I quickly ate a potato and gulped down some water while Mom reloaded my food supply. To my surprise, one of the LOTOJA volunteers shouted to my support crew to get back on the grass and for me to get out of the way. She said it looked like I had what I needed and that I should move on. As I made my way to the end of the feed zone I motioned to Dave that I needed to use the restroom. One of the volunteers held my bike while I emptied my bladder. When I finished, I grabbed my bike and regrouped with Dave… with no sign of Daniel, Shey or Ted, we decided to stay on course hoping they would catch up.

As Dave and I started to make our way to Geneva Summit we noticed several riders pulling off to the side of the road to relieve themselves. In fact, one very talented rider took care of business on his bike (with peddles in motion).

After spending some very dark moments alone, words could not express how glad I felt to have a teammate along for the rest of the journey. At this point Dave and I decided to make better use of our energy working together as we rode up the hills. However, as the 3% grade shifted to a stiff 7% I was unable to stay with Dave so I yelled for him to meet me at the top. Once at the top of Geneva Summit (elev. 6,923 ft.), we experienced an incredible effortless 2 - 3 mile descent – blessed with a stretch of tailwind. Wow, what a relief!! We were now in Wyoming and before I knew it we were at Neutral Feed Zone 4 (106 miles). We filled up our water bottles and stretched our legs. I mentioned to Dave we are halfway! It was hard to tell if he was happy or sad?? I was elated – Yay!!

As we came out of Feed Zone 4 it was not long before we could see the signs for the KOM/QOM (King/Queen of the Mountain). This is a race within the race. Riders are clocked from the bottom of Salt River Pass to the top to see who can climb it the fastest. Right before the timing strips I told Dave that he should go for it and I would see him at the top. The climb got steeper (2%) and steeper (then 4%) and soon I found myself climbing a 7% grade again. I looked down and noticed my speed -- 9.5 mph, but it was like I was standing still. Riders were passing me left and right. Just as Dave went out of site, a rider passed me with words of encouragement, “… you’re doing great – don’t give up.” All I could say was, “how much longer to the top?” He replied, about a half mile. I then poured it on and stayed behind him to the top of Salt River Pass (elev. 7,630 ft.) where I found Dave. What a relief to know, we had finished the three big hills.

As we descended down into Smoot we joined up with a race paceline traveling 25-26 mph toward Afton, Feed Zone 5 (125 miles – 1:06 p.m.). At this point we had been riding for some seven and half hours. When we got there our support teams were very glad to see us. Julie kept saying how proud she was and that we were almost done. She pointed out that all the climbing was over. Liz was great too!! She gave me an electrolyte pill stating it was equal to a bottle of gatorade. I took the pill, ate a potato, and drank a bottle of water. My Mom had already removed and replaced my water bottles and refilled my food supply. My Mom was worried that I was not eating enough so she added a few extra gu’s, power bars, etc. I reassured her that I had been eating every fifteen minutes. I could hear both Grandma and Carson yelling, “Great job Bry!”

I glanced across the “caution tape” and seen Jody and Gary waiting patiently on the lawn for Shey, Ted and Daniel. I waved to them as Dave and I were getting ready to go, took my last drink and headed toward Alpine.

Coming out of Afton was a very exhilarating part of the ride. Just as we rounded the corner to get back onto the main road, we got into a very good race paceline that was moving anywhere from 22-30 mph (steady). The paceline must have been 35-40 riders deep. If I recall correctly Dave and I were the only Fun Riders (signified by the green bike tag) in the line. I found it challenging watching riders on either side of me while switching places with others to take the lead… all while avoiding the enormous rumble stripe. Everything was perfect for the first eight or so miles when suddenly riders began erratically moving off into the rumble strip or into the dirt. I lifted my head just in time to see an older vehicle blocking the shoulder waiting to turn onto the highway. The grin on this man’s face was priceless -- not sure he even realized what he had done or if he was simply amazed that his actions had forced some 35+ riders to split apart (dodging to either side of his car to avoid a collision). Once we all recovered from the close call we got back into line.

As much as it hurt to ride in this paceline we did not want to let go because the wind was very much against us.

During the course of the ride I remember seeing (or hearing – with horns a honking) both support crews. Liz and Kelsey would stop on the side of the road and take pictures as we rode on the outer skirts of Thayne.

We arrived in Alpine, Feed Zone 6 (159 miles – 2:34 p.m.) in record time. In fact, I thought we beat our support crews until I got closer to stop #7 and noticed they were patiently waiting on the sidelines. Once they spotted me and Dave they popped up and ran over. My Mom must have been as disoriented as I was because she started changing Dave’s water bottles instead of mine. Liz told us how great we were doing and gave me two electrolyte pills. I took the pills… And, yes, ate another potato and drank another bottle of water. Julie refilled my food supply, while Mom changed out my water bottles. This was the first stop that I did not see either Gary or Jody. We both said our good byes to our support crews as this was the last time we would see them until the finish line.

As we left Feed Zone 6 one of the racers that had been pulling and drafting with us from Afton gave us a chocolate chip cookie. WOW! What a great reward. Both Dave and I thanked him. That cookie must have lifted my sprits, because this was the best I had felt since the start line. We attempted to join various lines, but as we ascended Snake River Canyon every rolling hill felt like a mountain. As a line was ready to pass I motioned to Dave that we should hop in. He waved me on and said his legs were starting to cramp. I could tell he was not doing so well. I did what I could to pull for him while he fought to regain control of his legs. Although breath taking, the canyon had endless rolling hills. I thought I might go insane since I was told this portion of the ride was suppose to be nothing but tailwind, but in fact it was nothing but the opposite.

Another guy joined our line and rode along with us until we stopped at Feed Zone 7 (180 miles – 3:55 p.m.). I grabbed a bottle of water. Dave said he was going straight for the “Red Bull” for energy. Dave hit the restroom. Just then an ambulance pulled up to assist a fallen rider. The biker was down just outside of the Feed Zone. They were stabilizing his neck and trying to stop some bleeding. This made me realize just how lucky we had been (with no mechanical problems, accidents, etc.).

Just then I noticed a sign that read: 26 miles to Finish. I was thinking to myself that’s shorter than my commute to work (30 miles). However, these last 26 miles were no doubt going to be the longest and hardest miles yet. At the last Feed Zone I made a decision to try and reduce the amount of food I was eating.

Big mistake!!

Every mile felt like an eternity. It was killing me to sit on the seat. To help pass time, I started counting down the miles 25, 24, 23… The course routed us off the highway at which time I gained a spurt of energy. The scenery was beautiful with the Tetons peering down on us.

Dave’s computer starting to die. I offered to charge his computer while we rode to the finish line. Dave handed me the computer and we moved in behind a guy that pulled us some seven miles until we got onto the bike trail (where he missed the turn to go under the street and back onto the dreaded highway). At this point we had 10 miles left.

I just put my head down and tried to think about what I might eat when we finish. I was so hungry. We rounded the last turn on the way to the Grand Tetons and soon I could see 5KM, then 4KM… The signs were energizing and my energy level rose with each sign. Dave took the lead and pulled even faster. 3KM to go. Then I started to feel light headed and my nose began to bleed. I was gasping for air, but I was not going to let that stop me. I had ridden some 200 miles and was going to see this through. Then 2KM to go! I could see the “LOTOJA” finish line. Dave said, “Is that what I think it is?” YES! I replied. We sped up a bit. 1KM to go! I moved to the left of Dave. I could hear the announcer announce our names as we were crossing the Finish Line:

(206 miles- 5:17 p.m. – 74th out of 500 riders

14,000 calories burned in 11 hours 30 minutes).

We both showed our excitement. Everyone was there. I could here Hayden say, “Good Job Daddy!” He ran over and gave me a big “leg” hug. My Mom came over and helped me walk. Carson said, Great Job! Everyone from my family expressed their kudos.

I shook hands with Dave and we thanked each other for the great ride. I gave Dave his computer back and headed to pick up our “Finishing Medal”. The lady at the desk asked my name and handed me a hanger. A hanger I said. She replied good job you finished 206 miles. I thought to myself where do we get the real metal. I stood at the desk dumb founded waiting for a jacket, shirt or even a jersey to hang on “The Hanger”.

Ted, Shey and Daniel arrived shortly thereafter... And, as it turns out Ted (The Freak of Nature :-)) was able to catch Shey and Daniel in Afton (the 125 mile mark). His success gave the three of them the opportunity to finish the ride together.