Lotoja Recap 2013

     Another edition of the region’s biggest bike race is in the history books.  Clint Mortley is the winner.  The first time Clint won, he was a relatively unknown kid flying a little under the radar.  That has not been the case in the two years since.  He may be the most closely marked rider in the race.  Clint finished first yesterday in a sprint finish with his teammates finishing second and third.  I asked him afterward if there was any kind of deal with the teammates.  He told me there was no deal.  He had to race his teammates just like everyone else.  Even more remarkable is the fact that he flatted twice in the final kilometers and had to chase back almost within sight of the finish line.

Clint at the finish

     Finishing Lotoja is the hardest thing that most people will do in their lives.  Winning it is off the charts hard and improbable.  To add to the sweetness of the moment, Clint won on one of Brian’s handmade Ti-Carbon bikes.  IHC offered him a new Specialized team bike this year, but Clint turned it down in favor of the Kelson.

The Proud Builder with the Race Winning Bike

     The other locals and members of the Kelson family at Lotoja this year also included Tate, John, Tracy Mobley, and Tiffany Powell.  A big congratulations to Tiffany on her first Lotoja finish, strong and confident throughout.  I understand that Matt Allred and his wife were registered in the two-person relay.  No details available yet.  We also competed in the 3-5 man relay with me, Jeff, Brian and Ryan.  If you know anything about Lotoja, it is that a lot can go wrong over 200 + miles and usually does.  It was not the best of days for Tate and John who were both forced to abandon.

     Tate debuted the second generation of the Ti-Carbon Kelson road bike.  He took delivery of the bike at noon the day before.  Tate did a lot of work for Clinton early on and helped him get into the break which ultimately helped him win the race.  Unfortunately for Tate, he did not really have enough time to adjust to the new bike prior to the race.

Tate at the start with his new bike

     Randy had planned to ride the relay with us, but was unable to.  Here is how we sorted it out.  Logan to Preston: me, Preston to Montpelier over Strawberry: Jeff, Montpelier to Afton over Geneva and Salt River: Brian, Afton to Alpine: me again, Alpine to Teton Village up the Hoback: Ryan.

     For the relay, it was a perfect day.  Everyone had a job to do and everyone nailed it.  We finished in 9:32, fourth place in the race relay.  Our time was about 20 minutes faster than last year with one fewer rider.  The first leg, Logan to Preston was pure insanity.

     I knew that we would start in the dark (six a.m.) so I put on two powerful lights, mine and Jeff’s.   At full power, it looked like car headlights.  I was anticipating a fairly unremarkable little ride from Logan to Preston.  Intermountain Health Care had several teams in the relay and they started attacking the second we left the neutral rollout and attacked over and over again all the way into the transition in Preston.  I am waiting for the official results to verify this, but based on our arrival time, our average should have been just over 26 mph. 

     My plan had been to save something in my legs for Afton to Alpine, but I felt like my first priority was not to let a break go away in the first leg.  Miraculously enough, by the time I got to Alpine, my legs felt pretty fresh and ready to go again.  Jeff, Brian, and Ryan all put in outstanding rides.  We feel very happy and fortunate with the results of the day.

Ryan at the finish

     For everyone whose day did not end as well, I will quote Scarlet O’Hara in Gone With the Wind:  “Tomorrow is Another Day”.  There is no real consolation in that right now, but bicycle racing is all about second chances.