LOTOJA
Encyclopedia
LoToJa is pronounced “low-to-juh.” It starts at Sunrise Cyclery 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, one of America's top ski destinations. Along the scenic 206-mile course are three mountain passes, plus hilly to rolling terrain that results in nearly 10,000 vertical feet of climbing (3,047 meters).
LoToJa attracts a variety of male and female riders, from top-level amateur racers who are licensed by USA Cycling, to recreational cyclists who just want to cross the finish line and live to tell the tale. Because of the event's wide appeal, there are over 30 different ability and/or age categories, plus a non-competitive fun ride or Gran Fondo class. Categories also include tandems and relay teams. All categories and classes leave Logan in timed intervals.
To win or even place in a respective LoToJa category is a prestigious achievement. Some past winners have gone on to professional cycling careers, such as Levi Leipheimer (Team RadioShack) and Marty Jemison (U.S. Postal). Other big name amateur winners over the years include Scott Moninger and John Frey. In addition to being a bicycle race, LoToJa is a major fund-raiser for the Huntsman Cancer Foundation, Autism Spectrum Disorder Connections and other medical research foundations. To date, LoToJa sponsors and riders have raised over $750,000 for these causes.
LoToJa was created by two avid cyclists in Logan, Utah who wanted to give Utah racers an idea of what it would be like to compete in a one-day European spring classic like the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. From 1983 to 1985, LoToJa’s distance was 186 miles (299.5 km) and the finish line was in the town of Jackson. In 1986 the distance was expanded to 206 miles and the finish line was moved to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
The current course record is 9:01:44 set in 2010 by Al Thresher of Las Vegas, NV. His average speed was nearly 23 mph (37 km/hr). The current women’s course record of 9:44:57 is held by Jenn Halladay of Kuna, ID. She also set that record in 2010. Her average speed was approximately 21 mph (33.8 km/hr).
A 13-year-old boy is the youngest cyclist to finish the course in one day. The oldest is 74. It is estimated the average LoToJa rider will burn up to 15,000 calories on race day, and will take approximately 11 hours to complete the event.
2007 Edition of LOTOJA - 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 ProvoProvo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, 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 (160.9 km). The winner of the Men's Pro Category 1 and 2 race was Cameron Hoffman of Clearfield
Clearfield, Utah
Clearfield is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. The population was 25,974 at the 2000 census. The city grew drastically during the 1940s, with the formation of Hill Air Force Base, and in the 1950s with the nation-wide increase in suburb and "bedroom" community populations and has been...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
with a time of 9:24:18.
2009 Edition of LOTOJA - new course record
Zimbelman's course record held during 2008 but was beaten in the 2009 race by Cameron Hoffman of ClearfieldClearfield, Utah
Clearfield is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. The population was 25,974 at the 2000 census. The city grew drastically during the 1940s, with the formation of Hill Air Force Base, and in the 1950s with the nation-wide increase in suburb and "bedroom" community populations and has been...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
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
David Francis
David Francis may refer to:*David "Panama" Francis, American drummer*David R. Francis, American politician*David Hywel Francis, known as Hywel Francis, Welsh politician*David Francis , former member of the USA Cycling team...
of Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, and Robert Lofgran of Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
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.