Hotter'n Hell-WOW

So yesterday I did Hotter'n Hell and all I can say is wow. The distance, the crowd, the temperature, the effort all of it was bigger than what I had done before. Ok so it was not so hot and the wind was not too bad but it was still crazy.

We left Lewisville at 3:30am to get to Wichta Falls by 5:30am and eat and get ready for a 7:09 start time. We made it there in plenty of time and picked up our packet and shirts (Good thing that we pre-registered b/c the line was long). As we were getting ready the sun had still not started and folks were already gathering at the start by 6am. The races left at 6:40 (still no sun). We lined up by 6:45 and the crowd was already very very large. We moved up as close as we could to the start but we were still aways back. The crowd of riders stretched for 11 blocks. After a jet fly over and a cannon blast we started walking our bikes for a little while before we could get to the point that we could get one and ride. Shortly after we started I saw 4 pairs of spare tires on the ground and I would have stopped to get them if I would not have been run over! When we finally got started I spent most of the first 20 miles in the oncoming lanes of traffic (thankfully there was no oncoming traffic) passing folks who had started prior to us. I would have hated to start any further than the half a block back that we did start.

I guess that is what happens when you have 11,000+ riders!

After about 60 miles we actually stopped for more water and gatorade. We made it to the 62 mile "Hell's Gate" several hours before the 12:30 cut off. They stop letting people pass and do the 100 mile route at 12:30 for heath safety concerns. After the 60 mile rest stop we powered on and kept up a great pace. Other than stopping for a flat and a lose crank (neither on my bike) we did not stop except for the 60 mile rest stop. At mile 80 the only thought that I had was what Todd had told me about never having a good ride over 80 miles. I kept topped off on water and gel and other than the hot spots on my feet I felt great. I took some really good pulls from mile 90 to the end and kept the pace over 20mph. We finished in 5 hours and 7 minutes and had 4 hours and 44 minutes of total ride time. An average of 21.3mph for the whole ride goes to show how flat the ride was. The roads were either flat or a false flat. Many of the roads were very well paved but the rest were typical harsh chipseal. The number of polar water bottles that I saw on the ground was astounding. I stopped counting after 20 bottles.

I still can't believe that I finished my first 100 mile ride in about 5 hours and I still felt fresh enough this morning to do strong ride ( I just could not hold back on the hills and sprint points- my legs were screaming but I had to go for them).

It was pretty nice to do something big like this the weekend before classes start up and the grind begins again.

We will see if I decide to do Hotter'n Hell again but I am very glad that I did it and it was, as they say, "An Experience Fundamentally Texas!"

Hotter than Hell

So Hotter than Hell is a big and I mean big ride here in Texas in August. Last year they had over 11,000 riders. We will have to see what this year is like. I have never done a ride with that many riders, it will be an experience. I figure that I have to do it at least once while I am here. I have never actually ridden a 100 miles so it will be interesting.

While the heat of the last few weeks has been killer it does seem like it has cooled off a little thanks to a front that is coming through. This weekend has been nice, with highs in the upper 80's and low 90's and Monday-Thursday of this week are going to be rainy with a high around 87! Hopefully hotter than hell on Saturday will actually not be that hot.

I will let everyone know how hotter than hell goes this weekend.

WHAT have I gotten myself into! 100 miles in August in Texas with 11,000+ other riders.

Back from NC and it is HOT

Nici and I got back from North Carolina almost a month ago and it has been a crazy time since then. I have spent a good amount of time back in the lab collecting data as well as working on a paper. I have been able to spend more time on my bike and am finally in decent shape.

I was great seeing everyone back in NC and getting to ride with everyone. Thanks to Terry for letting me borrow his bike and to his daughter for meeting me at his place to let me pick it up!

It was great getting do the old rides and new ones (great job on the new ride Sandra) as well as being able to ride to Chapel Hill and back, something that I had oddly enough never done.

Of course getting to see my family was wonderful! Nici and I got to go down to Jenn and David's new house at the beach and relax down there and see their place.

So after getting back to Texas the heat is on. Last Monday when I left my house to go ride it was 105 outside and the highs this weekend were 106 and 107! wow it is hot here. Hopefully it will cool off but at least with taking three big bottles of ice and water you can cool off a little by drinking a lot and pouring a lot over your head! I guess this is why the ride in two weeks is called hotter than hell.

Stay safe!