My rad husband and all his ventures has finally included the infamous Lotoja. Yes, for anyone who is a true cyclist knows that this is not on the top of their 'to do' list. Brian and his buddy Kevin Day have been begged for years by their dad's to do Lotoja just to say they did it (and get a sticker). Well it should not surprise that they weren't going to do it the 'normal' way. My in laws got a tandem road bike a year or so ago and the boys decided, 'Hey what the heck? Let's do it on the tandem, motor through and kill it.' Of course only they could say this. And kill it did they? Of course, by 30 mins. I should note that if they maybe would have rode the bike before hand and figured out good positioning of everything and how a tandem handles, I'm pretty sure they would have shattered the tandem record all together. You read that right, it only took them the first 100 of 206 miles to get a handle and feel for the bike. Again, only they could pull that off. I was expecting a long day of drive, wait, drive, wait some more etc. by myself. The driving and waiting was not bad at all. I had a great playlist, snacks and enjoyed scenery. The day went by rather quickly and Brian loves me so much we got to go to Bubba's for dinner. I was impressed by the support and how the race was ran. Did I learn some tricks for the next go round? Of course, but who doesn't learn from the first of everything?
The day began at 5 am: breakfast, potty break, run through of the bike, potty break, last check on supplies and at 6:20 am they were off. It was bitter cold! I think a whole 31 degrees actually. Oh I do have to add that Bri could not ride in the front due to a broken hand. Really a broken hand and 206 miles to ride? Crazy!
As you can tell this is our before picture, all smiles, bundled up and the tandem.
This? Well this is what I carried with me to each feed zone. Water bottles, extra wheel, pump, food, and my support jacket so the boys could see me. I have to say that the feed zones were crazy! So many people (many not knowing what the heck they were doing), steady stream of bikers coming and going, and just waiting for your rider(s) to come in.
2nd Feed stop in Montpelier, UT. They had just come up over some crazy pass from Peston, ID. There were some smiles, strong legs, shedding of clothes, and refueling. Finally warmed up to 45 degrees. Later I found out that on the decent they easily hit speeds of 65mph or more. Glad I learned that after the fact. Brian said he closed his eyes (being on the back you can do that) and just thought to himself, don't move don't move.
Feed zone 5 Afton, WY. Yeah we were kind of wondering at this point if they could hold strong. They kept the lead of the race all day, but for some reason from Montpelier to Afton was a rough one for them.
Hard to see but that is them by that tree. They hauled into Alpine Junction feed zone! Their spirits were high again and they were ready to push the last 30 miles to the finish. At least none of this ride has ugly views.
The one token shot of them actually riding.
Oh sweet goodness, the end. Still smiling, legs strong, sore shoulders they finished with a time of 10:06 hours. They sweeped their field and won some sweet swag at the awards. Side note on the LOTOJA stickers, this year if you see a yellow one, that means they won the category. Yep, Brian and Kevin got a yellow sticker. Never again will they ride a tandem. Lotoja again? Good possibility, but they say it isn't the hardest race they've ever done. Seriously guys? I still don't know how they make it look like a breeze.
Poor Bri, he drank something that didn't sit well with him and this was the feel better position. And I guess he may have been a little tired.
