LOTOJA 2025

 LOTOJA 2025

I had a good day. It wasn’t luck and good fortune. It was 6 months of dedication, focus, and hard work yo. So many 4am wake ups and solo training rides. 

Bleeding Xert Blue! 

A 200 mile race with over 8000 feet of climbing. I was in the 45+A Field which is basically a 1/2/3 vibe. These fields are brutal for me and I am usually found stuck in the middle. That would be a horrific place in a 200 mile race. I needed to make it over Strawberry with the lead group to prevent this. 

The first forty miles were easy. I floated near but never on the front. I was surfing around with Craig S, last year’s winner at 8:53 or something crazy like that.  

Oh yeah, a great result for me would be 9:30 or about 30 min off my CATs winner. 

Group potty stop at mile 40 was a relief. Literally!! I am 51 year old cyclist with a mad prostate. 

The rolling terrain out of Preston was beautiful. In fact my favorite section were the miles from 40 to 100. 

I felt great. Legs felt great. BUT Half the field dropped me up the first section of Strawberry Pass. I had to find my pace and avoid red lining myself. I did which had me riding with 2 other guys into the first SAG Stop at mile 75. 

I had the support of BAA for the race. Wow, these fantastic people have got the process down. I was in and out in 30 seconds. 

Somewhere into the SAG 1 rider 3 dropped and it was just me and Lawerence 19. As in this was his 19th LOTOJA! As we left the stop several riders rolled in who caught up quickly. Now we had 5 guys, including last year’s winner Craig S. a follow Arizonian. 

The climbing came quick after that stop. We were working together well on the flats. I was floating back on the climbs. I was staying on top of fueling which consisted of Formula 369 and Carb Fuel Gels. 

I had a moment on the KOM climb though. The last mile is tough. I was dropped, but calm. I knew I could bridge back up or I knew I MUST? Riding solo for 100 miles was not an option. So I bridge it! 

Then…Craig showed me how to descend. I was 120+ rpm spinning out my 48x10 while he put at least 30 seconds into me. Thankfully it chilled out when it flattened out and we were all back together headed into the 125 mile SAG Stop 2. 

My plan was 2 stops. I was grabbing a 2L Hydro and 2 Bottles at mile 125. Melissa was there with TEAM BAA and got me in and out. It is such a burst of energy to see a loved one and get support from BAA. Amazing. 

We rolled out with 6 or 8 from that stop. Miles 125 to 175 were pretty unpleasant for me. I had bladder issues. I had to skip turns in the rotating pace line which can piss people off. This group seemed to understand and I basically communicated “I was not in a good spot.” 

Miles 170-195 brought their own fun. First, I flipped the Garmin to a screen that did NOT show mileage. Next, my stomach was done with sugar and sending it back out. Again, I managed it. 

I gotta say, these issues were pretty minor. After mile 125 we kept a solid rotating pace line going 25+ MPH. I chuckled when looking down a few times and seeing 28 mph as I rotated off. Rolling fast turns like that after all those hard miles was a vibe. Hard work put me here yo! 

The last 10 miles followed some quieter roads than a bike path that dumped us onto the finish line stretch. I asked Craig; flyer or sprint? There were a couple moves off the front. Maybe 2k Craig took that flyer. I followed the chase when it was back together I countered, the old 1-2 from the AZ Squad. I didn’t make it.

I beat my goal of 9:30 by ten minutes. The lead group and winners were 8:53. Above my best fitness for sure. I rode well in the 2nd group on the road all day. I was mentally sharp all day. I followed my plan. The bike was dialed in, no issues. Things went well for my very first LOTOJA. 

The result wasn’t luck. It was 6 months of training and planning. So many 4am wake ups and 8:30pm bed times. So many solo miles to maximize my time. So many gels. So many miles (like over 7k already). 

Thank You!  

My wife was 100% supportive all year. Taking weekend trips with me to ride in cooler temps. Letting me sit on the Sofa all day after a 6 hour ride. Taking me to Yellowstone post race! :) Team Hampton was all in. 

Team BAA adopted me for this year. An experienced LOTOJA Team. They have the logistics down. We rode all summer and they offered up tons of advice and motivation. Great people. 

Also, I appreciate all my roadie friends and family who followed along, offered encouragement, and were excited for the results. 

Finally, I will borrow from the man Snoop: 

“Last but not least, I wanna thank me

I wanna thank me for believing in me

I wanna thank me for doing all this hard work

I wanna thank me for having no days off

I wanna thank me for, for never quitting”

STATS WRAP UP 

9:17:40 ride time

9:20:26 total time 

*WOW*

5705 KJs 

457 TSS 

529 XSS 

10 FD Shifts

1457 RD Shits! 7 Per Mile!! 

May 1st to Aug 31st

230 Hours - 4309 miles - 12007 TSS 

Racing.....

Tough year racing. Finally back on track the first week of August only to be taken out in a race crash couple weeks later. At least I grabbed the ABR IL Road Race CAT 4 WIN! In fact, PSIMET Racing won 3 ABR IL Championships this day. Later.

Season Delayed

Broken collarbone. So much for my awesome winter and April "A" races. See ya in 6 to 8 weeks. Later. 

Training Escort

PSIMET's Norge CX Race

Destination Destin

the Off Season is good. 

Told ya.

sometimes you win.

CX Racing Anyone?

the 100 (2011)

I mean the almost 100 (2011). August brings heat and racing burnout, so I like to revert to the good ol days and ride long. I didnt hit that oh so nice to hit 100 mile mark, but 90 aint no joke. Plus, it certainly trumps being behind the work desk on a Monday.

Podium Love

*Tall guy with blue Enzo's Buttonhole hat = ME.

I found the podium this past weekend at the 2011 Superweek. This series is two weeks long with racing every day in the Milwaukee & Chicago area.

On Sunday I was second in my race which gave me first in my age group. Three races done (6th, 2nd, 18th) with at least 4 more to come. Currently, I have slipped out of the top spot in my age group. I hope to regain it WITH a victory very soon.

Podiums are fun.

live in the moment

live in the moment, originally uploaded by aham23.

three days into superweek (2 weeks of races everyday in northern IL and southern WI) and i am doing well. 6th and a 2nd = 1st overall in my age group. so i get chocolate and jerseys.

next up, a win perhaps.....

Fox River Grove

PSIMET Racing saves the day. Now, it is up to YOU to spread the word and make a big turnout happen. You know you want to see all us PSIMET riders stepping up on the podium so get your butts bikereg'ed.

http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=13365

simply hard

the 2011 Leland Kermesse was this past weekend. conditions were not good for this race. its flat, wide open, with 3 sections of gravel. it rained over night and during the race. oh yeah, it was windy too. just what the Organizers wanted.

pay attention, the winning strategy for this race is very simple; hit it hard, ride to podium.

simple, yet, oh so hard to execute. that is the beauty of this race.

i rode near the front as we approached the first section of gravel. i was informed of the men to watch, so i was, and when they ramped it up i did too. i hit that first section 3rd or 4th wheel. the two guys up front really were laying it down. i knew it was the winning move and i was close to grabbing on.

a couple turns later i got into a soft spot on the inside that almost took me down. i was almost at a stop. the group of 3 rode away and one rider passed me. i looked back to see the field imploded and i got moving forward again. i picked up the WDT rider who just passed me, he was hurting. i told him we had to go, we had to catch that move, that's the winning move. i rode on without him.

what a massive struggle that chase was. i kept them in sight with maybe a 20 second gap. after the 2nd section of gravel the WDT rider was back. recovered, he told me to ease up a bit as i could not close the gap alone. he was right and we worked well together. he would yell at me when i pulled too long. we closed the gap a bit, but never enough to make that final push.

my legs were good, but the rest of me wasn't. i was sick and up all night Friday due to it. head hurt, stomach hurt, breathing hampered, ect.... disappointing for sure, but that's life.

middle of lap two and we were still 4th and 5th on the road, but no longer closing the gap. WDT was now yelling at me to take my damn turn. i could barely stay with him now. lap 2, the second section of gravel, i let his wheel go. he rode solo the rest of the way to finish 4th. solid guy and great finish.

at the start of lap 3 i wanted to stop, to cry, the punch someone in the face, to do anything, but race this race. i sat up and a group of 4 picked me up. familiar faces including a teammate doing his first race ever. we rode together, racing for 5th place, the rest of way. near the end a few fell off and one move was made that i covered. it got two of us clear to race for 5th alone. we made the LEFT turn to the finish line & i made an attempt to ride him off my wheel. didn't work and he got me in the alleged sprint for 5th.

lap 1 = punish the first section of gravel to create gap. punish sections 2 & 3 of gravel to maintain gap. ride to podium with whoever is left.

oh Leland Kermesse i love you so.

2011 Leland Kermesse

MK3_0688.jpg, originally uploaded by never drown out.

me, solo, early in lap one chasing the winning move.

Sherman Park Crit

Near the front doing some work this past weekend at the Sherman Park Crit.

This was the CAT 4 race, my first of two. I flatted on the warm up lap. This ended those starting up front ideas. Luckily a teammate, not racing this field, was on hand to provide me his rear wheel. Much thanks Jesse.

I had good legs, but I followed the wrong wheel with one to go then took the wrong line for the sprint. At least 15 riders flew by me on the inside line. Live and learn. 25th / 71 starters.

Second effort was the the Masters 30+ 4/5. I wanted to start up front. We took the warm up lap, most of the field didn't, and I started at the back. Live and learn. My race lasted 6 minutes when a crash went down behind me & somehow a rider T-Boned my rear wheel. Impact was behind the rear derailleur and trashed the rim. I stayed up, but the wheel wouldn't spin and I was done. DNF.

That wheel will be missed. PSIMET originals, the second off his production line, built up in Sept 2008.

I doubt I go back to Sherman Park. The course was in horrible shape. The two races were so "nervous" and on "edge." Not sure what was going on.... Maybe someone else can explain it.

Not to mention cars were broken into and bikes were stolen.

Leland Kermesse is this Saturday (4/16). Last year as a 5 it was one of my favorite races. This year as a 4 it's longer and could be seriously interesting if the forecast holds true.

BANG!

We are off and racing.

Get over to PSIMET LLC's page on Facebook to keep up on the action.

Our Teams are already stomping on podiums!

DO IT NOW.

Pedaling To Qualify

crossed up

finally, it's March, but mother nature is not convinced. temps are well below normal for this time of year. i just want normal. 40 degrees would be nice. instead we get 25 and light snow on this weekend.

/weather rant.

despite the above, i have been logging some miles outside these past weekends. it's March, but we have had a group of 8ish strong riders. i see some June legs in this group. a solid mix of CAT 4 talent with some tough love from a 3, every now and then, sprinkled on top. honestly, a couple of these February efforts were almost "epic."

while i dont have June legs, i am ahead of last season's pace. my main goal the past couple of years is to be better than the previous year. no matter if i am attempting Bicycle Tour Colorado, Dairyland Dare, or the Leland Kermesse. being relatively new (5 years) to cycling this hasn't been a problem.

eventually we hit our peak, get old, and flat line; athletically speaking.

so, 2011 training is going well. its hard, very hard, and time consuming, very time consuming. the hours are up, the outside mileage is up, the power is up, my ability to suffer like a dog is up.

my family has allowed me to obsess, i mean focus, this off season. i hope to bask in the glory of a successful CAT 4 season with them, when its all said and done. first, let's just get it started......

14 days until the first race of 2011.

as the year 2010 rolled to an end i was well into 2011 training mode. i am more focused and dedicated this winter than ever before. it's that classic cycling evolution thing; guy gets fat, guy gets smacked by life, guy gets bike, guy gets skinny, guy meets crazy cycling addicted dudes on Internet, guy rides many centuries, guy starts racing, guy sorta gets fast, guy becomes CAT 4. you know that classic.

however, what i need from time to time is that ride. it has no set qualities or requirements or companions. it can not be dialed up like 400w. sometimes you don't even realize your ride was that ride until it is well done and over. its not confined to 4 right hand turns by the USAC or ICA. it's that ride.

i had a couple as the year came to an end. one on 12/23 and one on 12/31. it is not the trainer delusions either. these two rides would be that ride no matter the time of year (so to speak).

i snapped some iPhone pics of the 12/23 effort. me, the 9, and snow storm.








is it march yet?