Lotoja

[climbgdh]

hi guys - i'm doing LOTOJA this year. never done it before and looking forward to it. i'm going to drive down from Vancouver,BC and make a cycling vacation out of it. training has been going well with getting a long ride every weekend of up to 125 miles or so (with upwards of 8500 ft of climbing on those rides). when i registered i'm pretty sure i registered in the masters 45+ category but somehow when i got accepted in the lottery i ended up in the "fun" ride category which is sort of disappointing but anyway not a big deal i guess. had also planned on having a friend drive down with me for a support crew during the race. those plans have fallen thru and i'll be doing without support crew which i've heard is hard. do any of you know if it's possible to hook-up with other riders support crews and have them be at the feedzones with your food & drink. i'm sort of bummed that it's working out like this but i'm sure it'll still be a good ride. apparently they also allow the "fun" riders leave start line between the packs of competitive riders. anyone know how strict the officials are on not allowing "fun" riders joining the competitive pacelines. thanks for the input from anyone that has done this race.

[Mr Mack]

It is easy to be self-supported. You can make a stuff-sack for each aid station with your name and aid station number on the outside. Deliver them to the Lotoja crew when you register and they distribute to the aid stations. This worked well for me and forces you to get off the bike for a few minutes which is a good thing on a 200+ mile ride.

They won't accept plastic shopping bags--

I don't think trying to get someone to aid you will work very well. There is barely enough time for the support crews to get from one station to another without having to wait for another rider. Better to be self-supported imho.

Have a great ride and keep eating (the hardest part).

Carl
Jackson, WY

[climbgdh]

Carl;

Thanks for that info. I appreciate it. I didn't realize you could give stuff sacks with food etc to the LOTOJA crew. That'll definitely make it alot easier...... other than actually having to pedal 200+ miles. :)