# Lotoja Ride Report.



## Clyde250 (Feb 24, 2007)

Rode this race last year and finished in 13:40 in the dark. Afterward had a numb left hand for a month, knee swelled up for a week, back hurt the entire time. A month later, I started working for this year. 

So the last few weeks have been rough. I rode a century and did a poor job of planning my food. I ended up limping in the last 10 miles into a strong headwind. My next few training rides resulted in some painful cramping. So coming into the race I was not very confident. I planned out my food much more carefully and tried to keep my cramping under control.

I rode with a friend and my brother in law. The first 35 miles are really flat and wander through farmland. We started out at a good clip and were averaging well over 25 mph, temps were cool and it went much faster than I expected. Made sure I kept food and water intake regularly. We arrived at the first feed zone and made a really quick stop. We headed into the first climb which is about 30 miles of rollers ending in a few 6-8% climbs and settled on a sustainable pace. I am about 225, so I wasn't too interested in killing myself to keep up with the little guys. There was a rather unpleasant headwind the entire canyon. The wind kept up through about the next 50 miles. It wasn't terrible but definitely there. The climb went quickly and we descended into the flats. Reached 54 on the descent which is somewhat of my forte. Settled into some rolling farmland and hooked up with some good groups. My buddy's inner thighs started cramping so we slowed up and lost some time limping into the next feed zone. My thighs were starting to ache which usually signifies the beginning of the end for me. Got to the feed zone and downed some pickle juice and some more concentrated electrolyte mix. The cramps went away for me, but my buddy ended up with them periodically through the rest of the day. The next two climbs were about 7 percent with the second coming about 100 miles in. It was hot and really exposed. It was surreal looking up the hill and seeing a steady stream of riders ascending the pass. Every hundred yards or so one of my Clydesdale brethren were off to the side ejecting their previous meals. Got to the top with no water left and refilled the water and headed down the back of the pass.

The next 25 miles flew by. I made the mistake here of not taking in enough food. It was a flat leg that we just bombed. We had a good group that was working well together. I should have used that time to fuel for the last 45 miles which ascend gradually to the finish. We entered the Snake River canyon and started the final push. The canyon has a river that is awfully tempting after a long day in the saddle. We picked up a few riders that helped us for a while but eventually they faded and got dropped. We held a pretty fast pace up the canyon thanks to my two fellow riders. I was pretty spent at this point. I went into the final feed zone just feeling a little off. My brother in law pulled for the next 15 miles. He was an animal. We picked up a bunch of other riders but only one guy offered to pull. I used that time to eat everything I had left. With about 7 miles to go my legs came back and I took over the front. Finished feeling good in 11:52. My goal was under 12 hours. 

So far recovery has been much better than last year. Rode the bike I bought off a fellow RBR member, so Tom from Santa Clara, the TCR performed like a champ. Thanks for letting me take her off your hands. Next year the goal is to lose another 35 and get down to 185 and finish under 10:30.


----------



## Clyde250 (Feb 24, 2007)

Lotoja 2011 by clyde250 at Garmin Connect - Details


----------



## Rogus (Nov 10, 2010)

I always enjoy hearing the ride reports. Thanks for sharing. Nice job and good luck with training for next year.  The weight loss would make a huge difference.


----------



## PG_Gary (Jan 21, 2008)

Nice work! LOTOJA is a tough ride, but one that's on my personal "to do" list. Other than wanting to lose some more weight, is there anything that you learned that you would do differently or the same for next year?

Did you use neutral support or have a wife/friend/relative meet you at each feed zone?


----------



## Clyde250 (Feb 24, 2007)

My wife was my support this year and last, so we both streamlined the operation. I had a pretty detailed plan of what I wanted at each feed zone. I had a zip-lock sandwich bag full of the gels and food I wanted transitioning from solid food to gels toward the end of the race. At each stop she would empty the garbage out of my jersey pocket and replace the zip-lock bag in my bento box. Feed zones went pretty quick that way, and I had enough food to last through the neutral feed zones. At those stops I just got water. Next year I will take some NUUN tablets with me to replace the electrolytes a little better.

I learned that you absolutely have to eat. My time was better than a lot of riders who were in much better shape, but failed to eat. I did change my pedal stroke a little and it helped alleviate some of the knee pain I had been fighting all year. I will train for a shorter time on the bike, and do some more cross-training over the winter and spring. I got pretty burned out the last few weeks.


----------



## PG_Gary (Jan 21, 2008)

Thanks for the info. For training, did you work up to a single, long training ride or rely on "doubles" (semi-long Saturday/Sunday type combos)? How many miles per week did you peak at?


----------



## Clyde250 (Feb 24, 2007)

After the weather cleared I averaged between 120 and 150 a week. I just made sure I did about 3-4 weeks of intensity and a week of rest. I only rode about 1700 miles all year, but when I went out I either did intervals or canyons. I had good results doing Tabata intervals. I injured my knee in January so it cut my season pretty short. I couldn't really push it until June/July. I have a wife and 4 young kids so I could only do about 7 hours of riding a week and I supplemented doing core work and some weights at home.


----------



## eychow (Jul 8, 2011)

thanks for sharing


----------

