LoToJa 2025 Information

Racing
1

LoToJa 2025 is just around the corner and I can’t wait. It’s easily my favorite day of the year outside of the holidays.

This year I’m aiming for a sub 10 finish and feel like I’m on track. Last year I struggled with stoppage time after falling behind on eating between Afton and Alpine and ended up burning almost an hour there.

Since then I’ve been training more consistently, mostly structured 6 to 8 hour weeks, and my FTP is up about 30 watts from last year which should help. I rode the Cache Gran Fondo this past weekend and finished the 102 miles in 4:26 which is encouraging.

I’ve been sticking to Carb Fuel gels and they seem to work well for me. At the Fondo I averaged about 90 grams of carbs per hour which felt manageable for 4.5 hours though I could feel my gut starting to lock up toward the end. I’d love to hear how others manage fueling when the race stretches into 6 or 7 hours and every gel starts to feel like a monumental effort. Any tricks or strategies you’ve found to get through that wall? Is that feeling of the gut locking up because I am ovefueled or dehydrated? Or am I just being weak minded?

A few years ago I stopped putting carbs in my bottles after some bad experiences where I was craving plain water but only had mix. But now I’m thinking of practicing with a low dose of mix in one bottle just to keep the tank topped off. Has anyone found that approach helpful?

And I’m also curious what you like to do for hydration from the start to Montpelier. Last year I used two 1 liter bottles and found myself rationing near the end. The year before there were no bottle handups at Strawberry but last year they did have some. Do you rely on handups or carry extra?

Would love to hear what’s worked for you. Thanks in advance for the advice

2

I’d recommend trying to get as much carbs as you can tolerate in your bottles early in the race. Sometimes near the end of a race, I just want water, or a very light mix. I find that if I’ve carb loaded well, eaten a carb heavy breakfast, and fueled well early in the race, the benefits of continuing to jam carbs in late in the race are more marginal.

3

I managed sub-10 last year. Cache is a bit flatter/faster than Lotoja, but you are in the right range to make it.

Fueling is obviously personal and practicing race day fueling is important. I’ve tried lots of things, but have settled on tailwind in bottles and never second gels. I like the more muted flavors of tailwind and like the amount of sodium vs carbs as I am a salty sweater. I find the NS gels a bit easier to consume as they are almost liquid.

I make sure I am well hydrated at the start. I know can make it to Montpelier on 2x750ml. It’s not optimal, but I focus on carbs via gels or even bars to start. The cold morning temps reduce the perspiration. I always have some support on the ride and I have 2 alternative bottles available at the later stops - Skatch and water. Depending on how I’m feeling, I’ll take one of those in lieu of the planned tailwind.

You want to keep up the carb intake, BUT at the end of the race if it is causing gut OR mental distress, I prefer to just go with what I want in the moment.

Lotoja had a lot more handups last year than years past. I didn’t take any but heard the bottles themselves were awful…. almost impossible to get anything out of without unscrewing the lid. Likely to be different again this year.

I have to miss out this year, so I’m jealous. Enjoy the ride!