LoToJa!!!!!! Way to Go Matt!!!

This weekend Matt was in a bike race called the LoToJa. It's a bike race from Logan to Jackson Hole. From start to finish, it covers 206 miles! It's done all in one day. Matt started at 6:49 AM (this picture is us on the way to the starting line) and finished at about 8:30 PM. He took a couple lengthy breaks, so total riding time was 12 hours, but with his three breaks it ended up about 13 1/2 hours.



We had a blast following him from feed zone to feed zone. This picture above is Matt on his way in to the Montpelier, Idaho (80 Miles in). He looked so great and didn't even feel the burn yet!






There is a point in the race called "King/Queen of the Mountain." It's at 115 miles, and it's at the top of a HUGE climb. Matt did awesome and cruised up WAY faster than I had anticipated. He just flew. I know if I would have been racing I would have had to walk up this portion. In fact, on our way home today we saw two bikers walking up this section of the race. I have asked Matt about 100 times if he is sore today, and of course he says no. I don't understand how that is even possible! He was on a bike from sun up to sun down!



Here we are at the finish. What a long day for Matt, but he really did do an awesome job! The weather was perfect all day, not too hot, not too cold and even the wind wasn't too bad. In past years it has been horrible, so all in all it was a great day. This is Matt's 4th LoToJa experience. It's funny, because I look back to his first year compared to now, and it's amazing how much he has progressed and how much more confidence he has now. I even think back to the "gear" he had in the past compared to now. He borrowed a friends jersey the first year, and was all mis-matched and had a lame helmet & a totally heavy bike. Now half his closet consists of bike jersey's, he has tons of jackets, socks, a much better helmet, and a much lighter bike. He knows what foods work best to give him the most energy, what foods make him gag, what drinks work best...it's just a major process so I'm glad we're done with the "beginner" stage.

Can you believe that you eat while riding? I can't imagine wolfing down food at the feed zones. It seems like it would make you yak! From what I understand though, if you don't eat, you literally can't go on. I just know with running, if I eat anything other than a gu, it sloshes around in my belly and comes up later. It's just amazing the food intake Matt took in all day yesterday. I should have taken a picture of the basket of food I would bring from feed zone to feed zone. In fact, at the stop in Afton, Wyoming, the feed zone and where I parked were about 1/4 a mile apart. So I unloaded the kids, loaded them back in to the stroller, grabbed the basket of food (which had to go on my hip, while the other hand pushed the stroller) and walked on Highway 89 for that 1/4 a mile to get to the zone. I looked like a complete imbecile. Fun times I tell you!




Anyway, the weekend was great. The best part was eating a nice breakfast together at Jedediah's in Jackson (a nice birthday breakfast for me!). What a yummy place! It was a fun morning, and beautiful as always in Jackson. It didn't really seem like my birthday. Other than the phone calls from my family/friends, it seemed like any other day. What better way to spend it though than in Jackson with the family? The only thing that would have made it better is if we ran the river!