LOTOJA

The LoToJa Classic is a long distance one-day amateur bicycle road race from Logan, UT to Jackson Hole, WY, USA. It is held in September on the first Saturday after Labor Day.

Starting line, 2007 LOTOJA

About LoToJa

LoToJa was started in 1983 by two Logan cyclists, David Bern, a student at Utah State University, and Jeff Keller, the owner of Sunrise Cyclery. The two men wanted a race that resembled the difficulty of a one-day European classic like Paris-Roubaix or the Tour of Flanders. LoToJa's first year featured seven cyclists racing 192 miles from Logan to a finish line in Jackson's town square. The winning time was just over nine hours by Bob VanSlyke.

Since then, 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. Many compete to win their respective category, while others just ride to cross the finish line. At 200+ miles, LoToJa is the longest one-day USAC-sanctioned bicycle race in the country. Cyclists must conquer three mountain passes as they pedal through the scenic terrain of Utah, Idaho and Wyoming en route to a finish line below the rugged Tetons at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. [1]

Course

The race starts at the Sunrise Cyclery bike shop in Logan, Utah and heads north into southeastern Idaho and winds across western Wyoming. The finish line is near the base of the Grand Teton at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (at Teton Village), one of America's top ski destinations. Along the scenic 203-mile (327 km) or 206-mile (332 km) course are three mountain passes, plus hilly to rolling terrain that results in more than 7,000 feet (2,100 metres) of climbing. [2]

Notable Winners

Charitable Fundraising

LoToJa is a major fund-raiser for the Huntsman Cancer Foundation, Autism Spectrum Disorder Connections and other medical research foundations. As of 2014, LoToJa organizer Epic Events has raised over US$250,000 for the Huntsman Cancer Foundation [3]

Course Records

The current course record was set by Zach Calton, of Utah, with a time of 4 (2018). The women’s course record, 9:35:00, set in 2013, is held by Melinda MacFarlane.[4]

History

2007 – 25th Anniversary

The 2007 race included roughly 1,400 people from 40 different states in the United States. The fastest time in the 2007 edition of the race was posted by Mark Zimbelman, a resident of Provo, Utah, who won the masters 45+ category. His time of 9:06:44 was also good for a course record with Mark Schaefer finishing less than a wheel length behind. Schaefer and Zimbelman led the race alone for the last 100 miles (160 km). The winner of the Men's Pro Category 1 and 2 race was Cameron Hoffman of Clearfield, Utah with a time of 9:24:18.

2009 – new course record

Zimbelman's course record held during 2008 but was beaten in the 2009 race by Cameron Hoffman of Clearfield, Utah with a time of 9:02:52. This was Hoffman's third year in a row winning the Men's Pro Category 1,2,3 race. Hoffman, David Francis of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Robert Lofgran of Salt Lake City, Utah broke away from the Pro 1–2 field less than half way through the race and never looked back. They finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd, respectively with less than a second between Hoffman and Francis and Lofgran finishing about five seconds later.

2010 – Another new course record

Cameron Hoffman's 2009 course record time of 9:02:52 was broken in 2010 by Alfred Thresher with a time of 9:01:44.

2012 – Disaster Strikes

Rob Verhaaren crashed and died during the final stages of the race in Wyoming. [5]

A new LOTOJA course record was set by Leon Bergant from Slovenia, with the time of 8:57:19. [6]

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References
  1. http://www.lotojaclassic.com/ Official LOTOJA Website
  2. "Elevation from LoToJa Race on Map My Ride". www.mapmyride.com. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  3. http://healthcare.utah.edu/huntsmancancerinstitute/giving/huntsman-cancer-foundation/?pid=357 Page 5 of 2014 Cumulative Giving Report
  4. http://lotojaclassic.com/main/main/index.html Results Records - Course Records
  5. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=22068813 KSL News story
  6. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765604452/5-questions-with-LOTOJA-Classic-winner-Leon-Bergant.html?pg=all
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