We went out for a few groceries and a fill-up of gasoline this afternoon and encountered a locally held national event. It is the LoToJa bicycle race, the name an acronym for Logan To Jackson.
The road race, run on the Saturday following Labor Day, begins in Logan, Utah, and ends in Jackson, Wyoming. Wikipedia explains:
At 200+ miles, LoToJa is the longest one-day USAC-sanctioned bicycle race in the country. Cyclists must conquer three mountain passes as they pedal through the scenic terrain of Utah, Idaho and Wyoming en route to a finish line below the rugged Tetons at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
After leaving Logan on local roads, the route picks up U.S. 89 near Montpelier, Idaho, and follows it north to Jackson, Wyoming. From Alpine, WY, north to Jackson it follows the south fork of the Snake River along a scenic canyon.
The riders appear to be the largest collection of rawboned skinny people you'd find anywhere. Bicycling is not a sport we follow, but I understand serious bike racers come from all over the world to "run the LoToJa."
With hundreds of bicyclists on the road, most being followed by a support car, this particular Saturday is not a great day to drive to Jackson from the south. I can affirm the route is very scenic but it's likely the head-down racers can't sightsee very much while racing. Perhaps in the car headed back south they can actually view the terrain they furiously pedaled through.
