As 42nd annual LoToJa race approaches, women cyclists are making headlines

LOGAN — As thousands of cycling enthusiasts roll into town for the 42nd iteration of the LoToJa Classic, women’s cycling is top of mind for many in the racing world. With memories of the 2024 Paris Olympics fresh in the minds of cycling fans, many are still talking about the meteoric rise of Team USA and gold medal winner Kristen Faulkner.

“For me, women have always been a cornerstone to the race. Their dedication to LoToJa has been inspiring to me.”

LoToJa co-founder Dave Bern

Images of Faulkner holding her gold medal in front of the Eiffel Tower after winning the women’s road race will remain as a key turning point in women’s road racing. Faulkner, who grew up in Homer, Alaska, started her path in endurance sports when she earned a spot on the Harvard-Radcliffe rowing team. She then burst onto the women’s professional cycling scene after falling in love with the sport while looking for a stress release from her job in the venture capital world.

She found that release by riding her bike around Central Park in New York City. Then, in 2021, she quit her job and began training full time for the racing circuit. Faulkner won gold on the 98-mile Olympic course in stunning fashion, by riding away from the field to earn the top spot on the podium in Paris.

Team USA’s Jennifer Valente, Lily Williams, Chloe Dygert and Kristen Faulkner then won the first U.S. gold medal in Paris in the team pursuit competition. These women have now set a new standard for women’s professional cycling in the United States.

Globally, women’s professional road racing is also riding the wave of popularity and making headlines with prime-time wins with world champion Lotte Kopecky, from Belgium, riding for Team SD Worx. Kopecky is followed by a list of top international contenders including Demi Vollering and Lorena Wiebes, Netherlands, and Elisa Longo Borghini from Italy.

Last year, LoToJa’s fastest women’s rider was Elizabeth Edwards from Hyde Park, Utah, riding for Team Zone Five Racing. Edwards won with a time of 9:57:07 with an average speed of 20.3 mph.

Edwards, who attended Utah State and lives in Logan, was pushed to the line by five-time LoToJa winner Jennifer Halladay, 52, and Katie Bonebrake of Salt Lake City, with Edwards taking victory by just seconds. Eileen Pannecoucke is a two-time LoToJa winner, riding in the women’s Women Pro 123′s in 2021 and 2022.

Last year it was Heather Albert, 55, (Team Hangar 15), of Eagle, Idaho, who won the Women Pro 123′s. Albert, is a previous medal winner in the U.S. National Track Championships and the United States Road Race Championships.

Race co-founder Dave Bern stressed the key role that women cyclists have played in the success of LoToJa over the years.

“For me, women have always been a cornerstone to the race,” Bern said. “Their dedication to LoToJa has been inspiring to me. I think back to people like, Melinda MacFarlane from Draper, Utah, who set the record in 2013 for the fastest women’s time ever at 9:35:00. This is an amazing accomplishment and no one has broken her record since.

“I’ve been so impressed to see riders like Celeste Liljenquist from Bountiful take top honors in her race category and Diane Tracy who in 2018, at the age 67, showed everyone that she had the strength, perseverance and character to finish the entire race,” he continued. “In many ways, women cyclists are the heart and soul of this race.”

LoToJa, pronounced “Low-ta-juh” is well known across the country as the longest continually running cycling race covering over 200 miles from Logan to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Since 1983, LoToJa has seen 21,000 cyclists, who have ridden over 6.7 million miles as part of the event. Riders and race support will be arriving in Logan this weekend for 42nd rendition of the race, which begins early on Saturday morning in front of Sunrise Cycling in Logan.

Glenn Seninger lives in Salt Lake City and is a 14-time LoToJa finisher.