2024 full LoToJa Race

[Zoom]

I received a very cool text message from the bike rider who bought my vintage Cannondale race bike. He bought it a little over 1 year ago.
Ben completed the full LoToJa Race!!!
13 hours and 40 minutes, about 5 minutes before the timing cutoff.

LoToJa has grown into one of the nation’s premier amateur cycling races and continues to be a grueling test of one's physical and mental stamina. At 200+ miles, LoToJa is the longest one-day USAC-sanctioned bicycle race in the country.

Ben started bike riding a few years ago riding tandem with a friend who was blind. What an awesome partner! He was interested in riding more and solo. About that time, I posted an ad to sell my vintage road racer. I kept it in great shape, and would clean it after every ride. Since I wasn't riding it anymore, and this bike loves to be ridden, it needed a new owner.

He took it for a test ride and fell in love with it. He had planned to offer me less than what I was asking but told me it was in such great shape, he change his mind.

To see get a text from the rider after completing a 203 mile bike race was awesome.

All those years of taking care of the bike was worth it because of this ride.

The day I sold it:

Race finish:

 

[letsbike]

Looks like something in your neighborhood Brett.

 

[IdahoBrett]

Looks like something in your neighborhood Brett.

It is not that far, sort of. That would take a lot of training to accomplish. Impressive to say the least. At my current fitness level I couldn’t imagine being that fit to finish. Wow!

Maybe next year? On my ‘04 R500 or The Batbike….

 

[black lightning 1987]

Great story. Thanks for posting.

 

[letsbike]

It is not that far, sort of. That would take a lot of training to accomplish. Impressive to say the least. At my current fitness level I couldn’t imagine being that fit to finish. Wow!

Maybe next year? On my ‘04 R500 or The Batbike….

Well I'm rooting for you. It's all about putting in enough miles of training so your body isn't seeing anything that you can't handle. Remember when you were talking about racing not to long ago? Do this and you can't lose.

 

[Zoom]

Based on the photos Ben sent me, he didn't make any major changes to the bike: same wheels, components, and brakes. Before I sold it, I had already put on new cables, new chain, tires and tubes. I gave him my shoes just in case he wanted to keep the clips that were on the bike.

The only changes he made: new handlebar tape, pedal clips, added two bottle cages, a tire pump, front/rear lights, different seat.

28 years old and still a budget racer. I'm happy he's enjoying the ride.

 

[letsbike]

Averaging 15mph for 200 miles is really great. Looking at your map; I passed through that area in 2016. Farson to Rexburg took four days on a loaded touring bike.
Ben will remember that day for the rest of his life. I wonder if he'll go back for a PR?

 

[letsbike]

I was looking around the internet to see the exact date that Cannondale Corp was established in 1971. Does anyone know? I thought that we could declare a Cannondale Day or CAAD Day, or something clever (maybe the first Saturday of some month). Then members could ride their own twenty-four hour challenge on that day, doing it how ever it pleased them, including shifting days due to weather, and we could post times, distances, and of course pictures, on a site thread. Anything goes, including off road, road, elevation gain, youngest, oldest, even towing a Bugger Trailer. We could also add up total member mileage on that day and try to set a new record every year.
Any takers?

 

[letsbike]

I looked at the LoToJa website (notice the bikes on the homepage picture), and was amazed by the amount of climbing, and descending, and gradients. That bike doesn't seem to have very low gearing, and I can attest to how coming down long, steep, mountain grades, in this case close to 12%, can make you second guess the safety of little brake pads putting A LOT of friction based heat into your rims. Kudos Ben!
BTW- It looks as though this ride can also be done as a relay.

 

[letsbike]

According to the 1996 catalog, this bike had a 36/46 tooth crank and a
11-24T seven speed rear cluster, giving it a rather steep 40.5 inch low gear. Certainly not meant to be a mountain goat. Wow!

 

[Zoom]

LOL. When I was riding a lot (northern CA in and around the East Bay area), the gearing wasn't friendly in the "mountains," Mt. Diablo, three bears, etc. But, it didn't stop me. I just pushed harder. And I was a budget rider (I was poor in cash, rich in spirit). Why spend money on equipment when the equipment works. Thus the reason why I really respect what Ben accomplished.

Here's a link to the three bears. Not a big deal but popular. We lived in Lafayette and then WC so we rode from home, which added a nice warm up and cool down.

Three Bears Loop - Bay Area Mountain Bike Rides

bayarearides.com

The hardest short climb I had on the bike was when I led the lead runners for the Lafayette Reservoir 10K on the race each year. I generally knew the top runners and their style (some were the fastest 10k runners in CA). The short climb up the path at the reservoir was steep and this is the only place I will say that the gearing sucked. Some of the runners thought they could catch and pass me up the short climb.
I pushed hard and never allowed them to. But, it wasn't easy.
A few times at the end of the race, the race winner would tell me that they thought they'd be able to chase me down on the climb up that hill, and were shocked that they couldn't. We'd have a good laugh.
Even though it was a short ride, it was the best seat to watch the race because the course around the reservoir was challenging (I trained runners on it). Any runner in a small pack, who didn't know the course, was dropped. I led the lead 10k on the course for about 18 years until the organizer changed.

I'm in the green vest on my former Cannondale.

 

[letsbike]

Great story and pictures. I've seen some top tier marathoners giving the bike riding pacers a "run" for their money. Better you than me.

 

[black lightning 1987]

I was looking around the internet to see the exact date that Cannondale Corp was established in 1971. Does anyone know? I thought that we could declare a Cannondale Day or CAAD Day, or something clever (maybe the first Saturday of some month). Then members could ride their own twenty-four hour challenge on that day, doing it how ever it pleased them, including shifting days due to weather, and we could post times, distances, and of course pictures, on a site thread. Anything goes, including off road, road, elevation gain, youngest, oldest, even towing a Bugger Trailer. We could also add up total member mileage on that day and try to set a new record every year.
Any takers?

I hope it doesn't turn out to be the first week of February.