Road Bike Racing - HHH Road Race

Did the cat 4 100 mi RR.

The course is soooo flat, and this year the temps were mild and there was barely any wind at all.

So... a 30+mph start (did not feel good on my not-warmed-up legs)...
A steady stream of surges and attacks and the accordion effect of an 80 rider pack with one lane (centerline rule)...
Attacks at every rest stop (where well-meaning volunteers were handing up cups of water... right)
Attacks at each of the 2 sanctioned feed zones (thanks to whichever studly dude made me chase while shoving water bottles down the front of my jersey.
Attacks on every patch of road that was not level (not many)

Despite all that, we rolled back into Wichita Falls with at least 50 guys together. And the last 10 miles or so, we had 2 full lanes to spread out in... so what happens? Crash fest! Tired guys + edgy getting close to the finish + room to maneuver = overlapped wheels.

I saw 3 unlucky guys get stacked into a mailbox. Ouchie. Talked to them after the race; bodies ok, 3 bikes to be replaced. I heard a guy right behind me hit a traffic barrel and go down (did not look back) and I heard a couple other crashes on the way in.

So a 100 mile rr turned into a bell-lap crit at the end. Which ordinarily I would dig, except I was full-leg cramping from about mile 85 everytime they surged. I discovered I could stand and sprint and not cramp, so that's how I did the final 3 miles.

Finished 18th. Way out of the money. Need more miles in the legs.

Wow--a Cat 4 100-mile race?

What did the Pro 1/2's do? 250 miles?

Bob

Hey Bobby,

Check out http://www.hh100.org/ . You can ride the century as a race or as a tour. The race is broken into groups, of course... but it's the same distance.

Sounds like torture! What was your time and how did you manage hydration and nutrition?

The clock at the USCF finish said 4:15, but the timing chip said 4:30-something. My speedo said 23.1 avg, which included a very slow ride back to the hotel, so I tend to buy into the 4:15 and suspect the timing chip was based on the HHH rally start time.

I had no team support, so I did a hydration pack w/ 4 servings of Hammer Perpetuem, plus a bit of coffee for flavor. 2 large bottles on the bike, a gel flask and banana for backup. No breakfast other than a big glass of water, 4 sportlegs pills, and a cuppa coffee.

There were 2 feed zones that promised "neutral water" handups and luckily enough they both had plenty of volunteers with pre-opened bottled water. So I grabbed 2 bottles at each one.

I only finished a bit more than half the hydration pack, about half the gel flask and a couple bites of banana, so I probably should have eaten more. Might have prevented the cramping, ya think?

I used up _all_ the water, but timed it well so that I was taking my last swigs as we rolled into town.

If it had been much hotter, the water would have been an issue since I like to pour a lot on me.

Congrats on the finish. That's a long, hot haul.

What kit were you wearing? I was in a black + yellow diagonally striped jersey.

Congrats on the placing, I was happy to not get shelled until the finish

I was rockin my Hans Schneider kit, riding my Schneider CX bike - if you saw a guy w/ a camelback and cantilever brakes, it was probably me.

Saw lots of camelbacks, didn't notice any canti's.

Thought you might have been the guy I lined up next to in an "UNATTACHED" kit who had a seatpost being held up by his extra bottle cage mount :eek: 100 miles of the seat swinging back and forth is not my idea of fun. He said he ended up around 15th or so after his late flyer.

So in the "2 sanctioned feed zones" you actually stopped?

We did the 100 non stop and water was an issue by the end. Our time was 4:22 so I would agree with your 4:15. I am thinking about racing it next year....I just need to understand this hand up idea....if you actually stopped or had bottles given to you that would have been way cool....

Thanks for the info....also are there many RR like this around?

Saw lots of camelbacks, didn't notice any canti's.

Thought you might have been the guy I lined up next to in an "UNATTACHED" kit who had a seatpost being held up by his extra bottle cage mount :eek: 100 miles of the seat swinging back and forth is not my idea of fun. He said he ended up around 15th or so after his late flyer.

I think that's the same guy that does the Plano Tuesday nighters, he's pretty strong.

But yeah... seat-mounted bottle launchers should be banned. Every single one I saw was empty by halfway, and I helped 2 guys remove their cages b/c they were dangling, either broken or had come loose from the vibration.

So in the "2 sanctioned feed zones" you actually stopped? ...

No. The volunteers stand by the side of the road and hold bottles at arm's length. We grab as we go by.


Thanks for the info....also are there many RR like this around?

Not many 100 milers, but plenty of road races. Go here for a calendar. 2 races coming up in Sept, the State Champs, and one in Greenville.
http://www.txbra.org/events/index.asp?page=monthly

Also check out the Rouge-Roubaix race in Louisiana - it's over 100 miles including a fair amount of hills and gravel roads. And it's the first weekend in March. Ouchie.
http://www.rougeroubaix.com/