bowzette

I just found this on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNKSZ6vfCxo
This was the first year there was an official USCF race and the last time I rode it. Steel bikes, 7 speed freewheels and DT shifters. I was shocked to see there was a short video clip on the net. The resent comment posted is mine. Hard to believe that was 25 years ago. 100 miles in north Texas heat the end of August. The name is well deserved.

HigherGround

Cool video, thanks for sharing it! I got in to cycling in the early 80's, so that brought back some memories. For those of us who are used to almost all of the bikes being black, white, and red these days, there should be a warning about all that neon at 1:30!

roccobike

I know a guy who rode in that race several years ago. According to him, it is not uncommon for several riders to land up in the hospital. Apparently it's a grueling ride.

bikepro

Grueling, as in HOT. Thus the name: "Hotter 'n' Hell Hundred".

This is the ride where the Camelback was invented. (True story)

bowzette

Really HOT! No water or muchie stops its a race. As I wrote in the youtube comment I was armed with 5 water bottles and shortly into the ride launched two of them when I went over a RR tract. That was a grim moment. There was bottle hand-up around mile 70 and I got one then. But full out racing in that heat it hard. That's why once was enough although I was doing fine until I flatted. But the last 25 miles with hills and wind were hard and the riders left in the pack were feeling the effects of the heat, effort and dehydration and had a least two major crashes. So I may have been lucky with the flat. My old training partner did the ride in the mid 80s before it was an official race. He and the front group averaged 27 mph. That was the record until resent years. But Alan McCormick was off the front pacing off a camera vehicle, John Howard and Mark Thompson were there. I think Thompson was on a tandem as were some other really fast riders. Semi motor pacing and fast wheel sucking but the results were 27 mph for the front group. The weather was cooler that year and the wind out of the north. Not the typical Hotter'n Hell

therhodeo

All the riders who ended up in the hospital when I rode got there because of wrecks. 14,000 riders in close proximity with lots of noobs and morons mixed in. Its pan flat. Yeah its hot but no hotter than plenty of other places in the south where people ride every week.

Also anyone who says the word "hills" in reference to this ride needs to get out more. Its about as hilly as it is scenic.

bowzette

I agree they are "rollers" but if you are going fast enough and after a lot of hard miles in the legs they hurt. Try 25 mph up the "non hill" and see how much fun they are. But you are correct in that there are no climbs.

therhodeo

I've ridden the 100. Its about as pancake flat as any ride I've ever been on.

bowzette

I assume over 25 years the route has been changed some. I called my old training buddy in Dallas and he confirmed what I remember-rollers and grades in the last 20 miles. After 3+hours of racing, high heat and wind increasing (now cross wind and some head wind) the really fast guys would snap it into a line, gutter you in the cross wind on a longer roller or grade. 300/400 yards of a 3-4 % grade guttered in a cross wind going warp speed and about to spit out a lung is "hell" and only the very strong (which I wasn't) would survive. You can see from the video the pack going down the short steep roller-not "pancake flat". Organizers I'm sure over 25 years changed the course from "the old days". I can't comment on what the course is like today. Like I said 1990 got it out of my system.

bikepro

Interesting story. I never did any racing, but rode it the first time in 83 and again in 85 and numerous time since. I was finishing at around 5 hours in those days. These days I just hope to make it to Hell's Gate before it closes.

bikepro

For anyone doing the HHH, it is hot, which is the real challenge of the ride. As noted by others, there are no real hills. Then there's the hot, dry wind. Which brings me to my point. It is hot and dry. Which can be a hazard because you will sweat a lot but never notice it because it dries instantly. You may even feel comfortable because there's no sweat running down your face or in your eyes. This can quickly lead to dehydration if you don't keep drinking. Likewise, you need to keep eating. In the heat, your body uses a lot of energy just to manage your core temperature. If you're not eating enough, your body will start shutting down "secondary systems" such as your legs to have more energy to manage core temperature. I use a Camelback, and eat Cliff bars as I ride. I take a bite every few minutes or so. This is better than eating only at rest stops. And finally, a lot of people ride too hard to make it to Hell's Gate before it closes. These people are often lining the sides of the road just past Hell's Gate, or worse yet, in one of the hospital tents hooked up to an IV because of dehydration.

bowzette

I'm with you bikepro-if I every ride it again my goal would be to make the cut off time Leave the racing to the kids. BTW when I lived in Dallas I use to ride a lot through the Allen area either with the Richardson Bike Mart rides or my friend I referenced above Greg Cain that use to live in McKinney.

bikepro

Actually, drivers are much more accepting of riders than they were when I first moved here in 84. On the other hand, many of the rural roads are disappearing as civilization takes over.

redfooj

look at how aero those helmets are!

bowzette

Before these it was hairnets