ENDURANCE CYCLIST
Josh “Toast” Tostado
Josh “Toast” Tostado has an amazing ability to ride his bike forever. Not just ride, but race. Last year the 29-year-old Breckenridge athlete gave the world a glimpse of his pedaling prowess by winning the 24-hour tribulation known as Montezuma’s Revenge. This year, the unsponsored pedal-pusher again won Montezuma’s Revenge, nearly finishing a race that never has been completed in its 19-year history. He also won the new 24-hour Sleepless in the Saddle race and stomped the competition at the 100-mile Breckenridge, beating the fastest three-man team by 45 minutes.
What’s your best training technique?
Riding at high altitude.
Most frightening moment?
Falling 40 feet ice-climbing. I was in shock flying through the air. It took my breath away. I couldn’t even yell or scream. It was very surreal. I remember it like a dream. I broke my back. That was April 2001.
How do you push through mental fatigue?
You always have to remember that you will feel bad, but if you just push through it, you will feel good again, then bad, then good and so on.
What’s the sickest thing you have ever seen?
My buddy Jared Mazlish jumped a 150-foot cliff at Whistler in an extreme skiing comp. He was dead after impact, then revived by ski patrol. He’s pretty much OK now.
Whom do you admire most?
This local guy Mark Thompson. He’s a lawyer and has a family so he doesn’t get to train a lot, but he kills it in the Revenge every year. He’s also a hard-core climber and a strong skier and a really cool guy.
What music revs you up for a big contest?
I pretty much listen to reggae all the time.
Best advice you’ve ever received?
My mom always told me to do what makes you happy. It’s not about making money in life.
What do you know now that you didn’t know then?
I’ve learned that no matter how good you are at something, there’s always someone better.
Why race for 24 hours?
I like how it tests you mentally and physically. You go through so many emotions throughout the race. I feel like it makes me stronger as a person and it’s the best drug out there.
