Texas - 2008 - Hotter 'N Hell 100

Well, I got my number I was not so quick on the draw. I am 1300 and my brother is 1301. 10 forecast shows pretty nice weather for the ride too!

Out of 12k riders we all have numbers in the 400 range?
what's up with that?

I think it all depends on when you register....I registered on Jan 1st...the first day of available registration...I believe that the first few hundred are always reserved for VIP's(this is just a guess)

Well, I got my number I was not so quick on the draw. I am 1300 and my brother is 1301. 10 forecast shows pretty nice weather for the ride too!

here's hoping that forecast holds!!...last year the weather was GREAT!

Did my last long training ride today. The weather looks great. The jerseys are great.

I am ready for another fantastic ride!!

90° forecast for Saturday....that would be a very welcome number!!!

I'm in.

Questions:

1. Are you going?
2. Would you be interested in a BF meetup at a restaurant (Johnny Carino's for pasta was great last year) on Friday night?

Just seeing if anyone is interested. Could put some names with faces.

Were eating at the Steak house close to the start....not sure why but we have the last few years..

:)

PS I still have 2 hotel rooms left, I will let them go sometime this week...let me know if someone need them.

Did my last long training ride today. The weather looks great. The jerseys are great.

I am ready for another fantastic ride!!

Have you seen what the jerseys will look like this year? I searched their site and couldn't find them.

I'm heading there Friday afternoon with TX Bike Rider.

Isn't there pasta dinner at the MPEC? Is it not good?

If anyone wants to meet up, let me know.

Have you seen what the jerseys will look like this year? I searched their site and couldn't find them.

Go to the online store, an option on the home page. It is there, and I like them. I would not buy the one last year, who is going to wear a black jersey? Not me!! Can't be seen very well on the road.

I'm heading there Friday afternoon with TX Bike Rider.

Isn't there pasta dinner at the MPEC? Is it not good?

If anyone wants to meet up, let me know.

I will be eating at the MPEC dinner...it's not great, but it was fine for me last year....spaghetti with or without meatsauce...bread and drink...maybe a salad...and cookies for dessert....I'll be eating there again this year...I like to check out the Expo/Crit Races before and after dinner

Thanks for the info. I'd say that we'll see you there, but there's probably not a good way to figure out who's who with 11,000+ people there! :D

If anyone is camping... we'll be in a tent beside a white xTerra... I have a white/red Trek 1.5 and my buddy has a yellow Trek 1000. Maybe that'll be enough to pick us out...

90 degrees? If it don't rain Friday, it's gonna be hotter n hell Saturday. I'll bet it'll be 105 or more 3 ft. off the pavement at noon.

I hope to be drinking a beer in the big tent by then...

:)

weather channel online is now forecasting a high of 89°, winds form the SE @10mph, and a 20% chance of precipitation.....compared to last year, that's down right on the cool side!!! :)

Decision Time

Well maybe you all can help me out. I've ridden 42 at the Goat Neck and and another 42 at the Melon Patch Festival without any trouble, but I haven't ridden much in the past week and a half. With the weather the way it is looking like it will be this weekend, I'm thinking about making the jump to the 100. What do you think; would it be possible or am I better off sticking with the 65. Any advice would be appreciated.

Decision Time

Well maybe you all can help me out. I've ridden 42 at the Goat Neck and and another 42 at the Melon Patch Festival without any trouble, but I haven't ridden much in the past week and a half. With the weather the way it is looking like it will be this weekend, I'm thinking about making the jump to the 100. What do you think; would it be possible or am I better off sticking with the 65. Any advice would be appreciated.

Live large, man ... do the 100 mile! Besides exhaustion, heat stroke, and heart attack, what's the worst that could happen???

Seriously, though. when you're 90 and telling stories to your great-grandkids, what would you have rather done this weekend?

before I did the 100 last year, my longest ride had been 40 miles....do the 100, just take your time, eat and drink plenty....it's not a race, just look at it as four 25 mile rides...enjoy the great rest stops and you'll be fine.

before I did the 100 last year, my longest ride had been 40 miles....do the 100, just take your time, eat and drink plenty....it's not a race, just look at it as four 25 mile rides...enjoy the great rest stops and you'll be fine.



Oh, and drink the pickle juice!

The way the weather is looking right now, this could be the easiest HHH in a long time, so I'm thinking I'll go for it, too. Longest I've ridden was 66 miles, so do I have another 34 miles left in me? I'll find out, I reckon. I have Friday off so I can run up and see the show, too.

The main thing if you haven't done the long miles before, is restraining your enthusiasm in the early miles.

You're going to have lots of chances to hop onto fast(er) pacelines, and the pace might even feel relatively easy. But if it's only a little bit fast, you're going to be burning fuel that you'll need for the last 40-25-10 miles.

Roll easy the whole way, drink lots, eat steadily but not too much.

i'm definitely in, and would like to ride around wichita falls on friday night some.
anyone down for an easy friday night cruise?!

I wish they'd make up their mind on the forecast... Now Weather Channel has crept up to 91 for a high, but they are calling for 30% chance of rain. WUnderground says 94 w/no rain. Accuweather is 98 /no rain. They're just guessing!!! :D

Well one of them is bound to be right.

hell it's texas, if you don't like the weather wait an hour it'll change. (from hot to very hot)

it's nice and sunny and around 90 here in Milan. life is good!

marty

I've been compulsively checking the forecast. Every time I check again, the forecasted high goes up a bit. Now it's 93. Factor in lingering humidity and we may well have a true HHH.

I've been compulsively checking the forecast. Every time I check again, the forecasted high goes up a bit. Now it's 93. Factor in lingering humidity and we may well have a true HHH.

Good! Who wants to come home and brag about riding in 89-degree heat??? :thumb:

I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get to Hell's Gate before the cutoff, then I'll be draggin' and dying the rest of the way. You guys will be passing me then if you haven't already. I'll need an ambulance at the finish line. Do pickles really have any nutritional value - really? Hey, you know you can't predict the weather in Texas more than about 24 hours in advance. Okay so all you hot shot road racers, don't hog up all the gatorade at the rest stops before I get there - especially the last 40 miles.

I'm heading up today to check out the show and back up first thing in the morning to ride away.

www.weather.com (http://www.weather.com) is predicting a high of 97 today, 92 tomorrow. :)

I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get to Hell's Gate before the cutoff, then I'll be draggin' and dying the rest of the way. You guys will be passing me then if you haven't already. I'll need an ambulance at the finish line. Do pickles really have any nutritional value - really? Hey, you know you can't predict the weather in Texas more than about 24 hours in advance. Okay so all you hot shot road racers, don't hog up all the gatorade at the rest stops before I get there - especially the last 40 miles.


you'll do just fine!!...just pace yourself, stay hydrated and take in some calories...don't stay at the rest stops to long but definitely enjoy the hospitality!!..before you know it, you'll be coming around Hell's Gate and then you're home free!!!

Cleaned and lubed up the bike last night...got all my stuff packed

I just have to take my son to school and then I'm off to Lubbock to pick up a riding buddy and on to Wichita Falls!....we'll be there around 4 to head over to the Expo/dinner

Good Luck everyone!!

Cleaned and lubed up the bike last night...got all my stuff packed

Hmmmm ... cleaning bike and packing gear BEFORE race day????? Interesting. I'll have to try that sometime.

Made it up there today, got registered. Discovered it was farther than what I was thinking, a good 150 miles- I was thinking more like 100 or 120 but hadn't checked it. The consumer show wasn't impressive- if you visit several large-city bike shops, you'll see most of what's there plus some. I'm No. 9561.

well here I am sitting in our room at the La Quinta(translates to "next to Denny's)...went to the Expo, checked in and got a Giro Pneumo helmet for $89 from sunrise...I like it a LOT more than my Giro eclipse....got some BBB gloves and BBB cork handlebar tape for $5 each!.....forecast is calling for 94 and variable winds and humid....looks like it'll be a hot one after all!!!....I've decided to wear my Hammer bibs and Led Zeppelin Icarus jersey(same one I wore last year) so when you pass me you better say "hey"!!!

we skipped the spaghetti dinner as the line was too long for mediocre food and opted for a roasted chicken, potatoe salad,and corn muffins from the grocery store....drinking a couple of beers and it'll be time to settle in....again, I wish everyone an enjoyable and safe ride!!!....see you in the beer tent afterwards!!

Just fixing to pull out of Garland at 2:51 AM. Forecast still shows 94 or so. :)

well I finished another....and man my training this year was pitiful so I was glad to see the finish line....well until I realized I had to ride back to the hotel!!:)....103.12 mile-6hrs 10minutes-16.7mph avg.....not bad for an old fart!!!....how everyone had a great ride....there were some people down along the way that did not look like they were in good shape, I hope all they needed was some fluid, rest, and to cool down.....if I said I was looking forward to next year....I'd be lying!!!.....ask me next week!....but as usual, the organization was phenomenal!

5:10, here. It was a little hotter than I expected, and I struggled on the last 40. I swore I was gonna do this one "solo" (without pace lines), but I succumbed and jumped into one from miles 75 - 95. I'm not too proud to wheelsuck.

Only stopped once (at the mile 60 rest stop for fluids), and that seems to have made a big difference in beating my 5:45 from last year. Slow and steady, I guess.

I don't see how any of you could've ridden back to your hotels afterward; it was all I could do to push my bike 1000' to my truck! Then the cramps set in ...

Whataburger and Starbucks afterward, then home to OKC by 3:30. This cat ain't doin' NOTHING productive tonight.

Hope ya'll all had a safe, happy ride. OK, at least safe. ;)

Wow, talk about fun. Best rally experience I've ever had. Weather was perfect and not too much wind. Finished the 100k in about 3 and a half hours. Matched my 50 mile time last year so that makes me happy.

Finished the cat 4 race with the pack; I think it was 4:11 or 4:15, somewhere in there. Was cramping really hard the last 10 miles or so but still managed 18th. Fun ride.

What's with all the early starters? Nearly caused a number of wrecks.

Note for next year: that little taqueria dive-looking place next to the camping (across the river) makes huge, awesome burritos for like $3.75.

Well, made my first Century ride. Actually got back to the finish line about 4:45 PM, so that's about 9.5 hours. Odometer showed 7:31 actual riding time at 13.6 mph. I started having problems with leg cramps about mile 45, and that slowed me down a hair, continued off and on through the ride. The heat didn't really bother me. More than anything, it was just being tired. Call it the "Longer Than Hell" ride this year, I think.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z172/stephenhazelton/HHH/HHH3.jpg

Only did the 50, but it was a great experience. We camped last night which was fine... not too hot at all. Today did warm up a lot though. Next year I'm going for the 100.

Well, made my first Century ride. Actually got back to the finish line about 4:45 PM, so that's about 9.5 hours. Odometer showed 7:31 actual riding time at 13.6 mph. I started having problems with leg cramps about mile 45, and that slowed me down a hair, continued off and on through the ride. The heat didn't really bother me. More than anything, it was just being tired. Call it the "Longer Than Hell" ride this year, I think.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z172/stephenhazelton/HHH/HHH3.jpg

Thats a good time for your first 100.
Nice pic. Do you have anymore?

I posted some others in the Clydesdale forum on my ride report. I didn't really take any while riding. I have some others as the crowd is building up, but all from about this same spot. You might check on www.bicycle-stuff.com (http://www.bicycle-stuff.com) in a couple of days and see if he has any.

The area above is the "Hell's Gate Hopeful" area. The 50 m and 25 m are off camera to the left. The "Think I Can" area is the next block ahead, and the "Know I Can" area is the block ahead of that one.

Did my first 100 mile ride ever. It was great. Personal best in time and distance. I rode with barlows and c_m_shooter. Cliff was riding a fixie, all I have to say about that is that he's the man. Awesome. Steve pulled us quite a bit, which helped my out of shape a#!. About mile 85, I was really hurting and fell away from my group, but I caught up quick at 'mile 98' where I found them drinking some suds and eating some hot links. All in all, I think it was a better ride than the 100K last year. I finished with 19.76 pace, and ended up with 5:03:41 in ride time.

Wow, talk about fun. Best rally experience I've ever had. Weather was perfect and not too much wind. Finished the 100k in about 3 and a half hours. Matched my 50 mile time last year so that makes me happy.

You ever do any riding from Collinsville? I live in Aubrey and ride up to Collinsville at least once a week.

It was a hell of a ride Ryan. I've never rode the pace we were keeping either, but I think I know the secret. If you had been sipping Johnny Walker at all the rest stops like me and Steve you might not have got tired.:lol:

It was a hell of a ride Ryan. I've never rode the pace we were keeping either, but I think I know the secret. If you had been sipping Johnny Walker at all the rest stops like me and Steve you might not have got tired.:lol:

Yeah, in the end I was starting to see that there was something to the 'secret weapon' that you and Steve were using.:thumb:

Finished the cat 4 race with the pack; I think it was 4:11 or 4:15, somewhere in there. Was cramping really hard the last 10 miles or so but still managed 18th. Fun ride.


I'm hoping to race this ride next year, hopefully. I ended with 4:28:54 (riding time) for the full 100 this year. I'm guessing with the racers, your time is clock time, not just riding time (as is the case with my time).

I'm hoping to race this ride next year, hopefully. I ended with 4:28:54 (riding time) for the full 100 this year. I'm guessing with the racers, your time is clock time, not just riding time (as is the case with my time).

Yeah you should be able to hang in just fine. Are you a newbie racer? I always tell guys, it's not the average speed that gets ya, it's the repeated accelerations from 21 to 30+ then jamming for 2-5 minutes that shell guys. As long as you have some racing experience, it's not that hard to sit in though.

Yes, with the racers, riding time and clock time are the same... no stops, just handups.

Although b/c the racers start early, and your chip time is based on the official HHH time, there's going to be a few minutes discrepancy.

You ever do any riding from Collinsville? I live in Aubrey and ride up to Collinsville at least once a week.

Yes, I do all of my riding in/from Collinsville. I don't recognize your bike but I usually see a few different people around Collinsville on 377 a few times a week. I actually rode down to Aubrey and back the other day, it was about a 40 mile ride. That's as far as I usually go when I'm riding by myself.

I didn't actually hit stop on my Garmin right away....I was too busy drinking!!!

Official unofficial time was 4:22 22.8 mph average. I am very happy about the time. Our group stayed together most of the time and worked well together.

Here's the Garmin data:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/634011

Heres a link to my power data:

http://www.vsstech.com/power/8232008.csv

Very happy with the ride and looking forward to next year where I will probably race it as well.