September 10: Harlowton to Ringling, Montana
We got a late start today. The sun is rising later these days and I think that’s causing us to sleep in later.
By the time we got started, the wind was already blowing pretty hard from the west. It was going to be a long, hard day in the saddle! On the good side, the west wind it seemed was clearing out some of the haze from the Derby Fire that was burning in the Gallatin National Forest about 50 miles to the south of us.
As difficult as is riding against the wind today, it still was nothing compared to the day of cycling my friend Paul has yesterday. I got a call from him after he finished the Logan to Jackson Classic (AKA “LOTOJA”). The LOTOJA is a 206 mile long, single day bicycle race from Logan, Utah to Jackson, Wyoming. It’s the longest USCF-sanctioned race in the United States. It’s a race that Paul has entered (and finished) seven times and I’ve entered ten times (though I’ve only finished seven times).
Enough of the history though. I got a call from Paul shortly after he finished the race. Even before he told me how he did, I knew he was going to have a good report. Paul is a guy who works really hard for whatever event he is training for and the word “quit” is not in his vocabulary.
The first thing he told me when I asked how he was doing was “Well, I’m a little banged up.” Uh oh. That’s not a good sign. He proceeded to tell me of his race that went extremely well for about 158 miles. He was riding in a good pack of about ten riders and he had already taken “King of the Mountain” honors for his age group. The “King of the Mountain” is a competition to be the first rider to the top of a designated climb. In the LOTOJA, it’s the top of the Salt River Pass, a 7630-foot summit at the 110-mile mark of the race. At the 158-mile mark, Paul said, there was a crash right in front of him, and he couldn’t avoid going down with it.
After picking himself up off the road, he discovered a rear wheel with a broken spoke and a front wheel with a puncture. He couldn’t fix the broken spoke, so he had to wait for the neutral support car which provides mechanical support for all the riders in the race. He said he waited 20 minutes for the neutral support to show up, but with two new wheels, he was on his way again.
As evidence of how well Paul was doing up to the point of his crash, even with his crash and 20 minute delay, he still finished in third place in his age group. Paul said he was disappointed at having crashed and missed out on the opportunity for a “top of the podium” finish. Still, I think it’s a great finish and Paul should be quite proud of himself for working so hard to earn that third place. Way to go, Paul! I’m looking forward to training with Paul for next year’s edition of the LOTOJA!
| Total distance: | 57.68 miles |
|---|---|
| Time: | 5:35:51 |
| Average speed: | 10.3 mph |
| Maximum speed: | 34.9 mph |
| Total calories: | 3327 |
| Average heart rate: | 119 bpm |
| Maximum heart rate: | 153 bpm |
| Total ascent: | 2348 feet |
| Total descent: | 1261 feet |
| Ride profile: |  (click on image to view a larger version) |
| Ride comments: Strong headwinds (15-20 miles per hour) all day long. I was very tired at the end of this ride and my left knee continues to bother me just a little bit. But, beautiful scenery all day long too. It’s great to be back in the mountains. |
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September 12th, 2006 at 6:34 pm
Hi Pete, Thank You for the very kind words. I was sitting around last night feeling sorry for myself. You know the day you get home from the LOTOJA it is telling and retelling the story of race day to family and friends, and I was thinking poor me the more times I told the story the more I felt bad for myself. I’m thinking you train so hard all summer long and then year after year you get a flat, the weather sucks, you crash is it even worth it? Do you want to go through all the training next year, or is it time for a year off? Then Peter calls, and he says he heard the bad news from your web site. I tell the story again but this time to a fellow cyclist that seems to understand the way I feel. Unfortunately, for Peter it might be because he has had some similar sad tales to tell. So you realize you’re not the only one. You know you were blessed not to have been hurt worse, but can’t help but think how unlucky to be in a crash. Third place is pretty good but what if. So I hang up feeling a little better and go to your web site to see such encouraging words from a good friend. Now I’m feeling a lot better. Then your last line ” I’m looking forward to training with Paul for next years LOTOJA.” Then I think yeah that’s why this is so fun. not just the race but the long hard training rides with friends I love that too. Can’t wait to start training for next year. Right after some rest. Way to go Pete. That is why you are the Dream Tour. Just like you inspire a friend who is a little down You inspire countless strangers both with and without diabetes. See you next month.
Paul