09/15/2023 ããÿOn September 9, 2023, the Bridgerland Amateur Radio Club[1] (BARC) in northernãUtah provided amateur radio communications support during LoToJa[2], theãlongest 1-day USA Cycling (USAC)-sanctioned bicycle race in America. The LoToJaãcourse consists of 200 miles of rough, mountainous terrain. BARC was preparedãfor the challenge and had been training and working on their communicationsãplans for more than 3 decades.ããThe club's involvement with LoToJa began in 1991, when the race had 200 ridersãand 14 amateur radio operators. This year's event had 1,700 riders and 120ãamateur radio operators, including 35 cars with amateur radio operators alongãfor the ride. Amateur radio was engaged in every aspect of the race from startãto finish thanks to assistance of operators from Ogden, Davis County, and SaltãLake City, as well as Idaho, Wyoming, and Maryland.ããSection Manager of the ARRL Utah Section Pat Malan, N7PAT, said that BARCãmembers evaluate their operating skills and equipment, which is the best formãof preparation for emergency communications. "It's a tremendous effort andãdedication from everyone," Malan said.ããYouth Coordinator for the ARRL Utah Section and former BARC President KevinãReeve, N7RXE, said the teams deployed two mountaintop portable repeaters (usingãbatteries and solar power), three portable digipeaters, and a portable IGateãthroughout the racecourse, in addition to setting up four command and netãcontrol centers. Reeve explained, "This provided continuous audio and anãAutomatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) for the 35 cars covering the entireãevent."ããReeve went on to say that this year, a family needed to contact one of theãriders because of an emergency. He stated, "There was no cell phone coverage,ãbut we were able to locate the cyclist in about 5 minutes, then reunite themãwith their family in 15 minutes." ÿ BARC also provided emergency communicationsãfor at least two other large-scale cycling events this year, including theãLittle Red Riding Hood event that had 3,500 women cyclists and 70 ham radioãoperators, and the Cache Gran Fondo event that had 1,500 cyclists.ããBARC was founded in 1976 by Jeff Jacobsen, WA7MBL; Bob Wood, WA7MXZ, and BillãNeville, WA7KMF (SK), and it exists for the training and fellowship of amateurãradio operators. The club currently has 227 members.ããã[1] https://barconline.org/ã[2] https://lotoja.com/Aboutãã---ã þ Synchronet þ Whiskey Lover's Amateur Radio BBSã