LOTOJA Baby!!!

If you are an avid reader of my blog you will probably already know what LOTOJA is. Our whole summer has seemed to revolve around it. Let me sum up for those of you who don't know. One day. Three states. 206 miles. The longest, single day, road bike race in the country. It goes from Logan clear to Jackson Hole. Dave finished in 13 hrs and 12 minutes. The boy was amazing. As I watched him cross the finish line with his arms held high I got a little emotional. I was so proud of him. Riding and finishing the LOTOJA has been a dream of his since he was 14. One thing I love about Dave is his ability to make his dreams come true. He puts action behind his words. He has been 100% dedicated and committed these last several months in preparing for the LOTOJA. He would bike almost every night after work (except Mondays, he reserved that day for us), on his days off he would spend hours on his bike. I have to admit, we really missed him sometimes. However, I knew it was important to him and I knew that it was only one summer. Besides, we had a lot of fun family rides along the way. Alright, now for the details :)

Because of the distance covered, riders in the LOTOJA need to have a support vehicle that travels along and meets them at appointed stops to give them food and water. I knew there was no way I could handle being the support vehicle by myself, I am horrible at maps and directions and knew juggling Emma and Ali would require most of my attention. Dave's Dad and Paula were so awesome and so excited to help. They drove us all in their big ol' truck. Dennis handled the driving, Paula entertained my little monkeys and I was able to worry about getting Dave the fuel he needed. Let me say, it was a long, long day, 13 hours in the car with a three year old and a one year old was quite the adventure. All in all the girls did great though. They only had a couple, short melt-downs. We all loved being able to see Dave and cheer him on. At about 80 miles Dave hit a wall. He pulled into Montpelier and was close to barfing and looked like he was really hurting. I got really, really nervous, he was right in the middle of all the big climbs. He somehow pushed through though and from then on out did great and seemed to have a lot of fun. I was amazed by how well he did.

Ready to roll! This is the starting line in Logan at 6:00 am. Dave is surrounded by his team.

Poor, poor little tired monkeys. This was the beginning of a long day for them. Did I mention our alarm went off at 3:50 that morning.

Dave cruising along. Notice how he is all alone. He biked almost the whole way by himself. Crazy.

A kiss to keep him going. Notice the beautiful background....the lovely blue stink pots, nice, hehe.

Hunkering down to tackle a hill

and......finished!!!! I wasn't able to get a pic of Dave crossing the finish line. He was cruising along really fast and I was distracted by how excited I was. I just held the camera there idly in my hand. I'm so mad about it now. Anyway, notice Dave's lip and side of his face. When I saw him I had a minor panic attack thinking he had crashed. Nope, just a bee sting on the lip. The poor boy biked for 20 miles with his face all swollen.

This is Dave with his team. Dave works with all of them (minus Chris). They biked with each other on and off but mainly all went their own pace. Even though they didn't ride together they supported each other throughout the race. They all finished!!! What a huge accomplishment. Hehe, I love this picture. "Ummmm Dave, whats up with your lip man?!"

A pic with the fam :)

Although we were in Jackson Hole for less then 24 hours we were able to do a little bit of the tourist thing. Well.....Dennis, Dave, Emma and I anyway. Ali crashed and Paula volunteered to stay in the car with her. Thanks Paula! Paula and Ali did join us for lunch at Bubbas though before we headed out :)

Well, to sum up......congrats Dave!!! 206 miles, I mean......wow! Also, thanks to all of our family and friends. I was overwhelmed by all the support we received. I know, that without a doubt, this little Miller family is loved :)