The biggest difference will be the number of people around you. Then there's the heat and wind, which may or may not be a factor this year. How far are you planning on riding? If you are planning on the 50 miler, you may want to get in a couple of longer rides before you get to Wichita Falls. It is a fun event to be a part of. hope you and your wife have a great time.

astig00, if you are talking about the 50 mile route you won't have to endure the worst part of the heat. The event starts early and you might be back at the finish line a good deal before lunch. However I would recommend a couple of rides at least 30-35 miles in some kind of warmer weather before the event.

Our temps right not in North Texas are very high, something like 102-106 for the next 7 days, but temps on event day can be anybody's guess.

Some folks might be interested in the pace group:

http://www.athletesontrack.com/pacegroup/

It's sanctioned in conjunction with the HHH folks. 50/50 I might be one of the pacers. I was asked and need to see if it will fit in with my schedule.

I rode my first HH100 last year solo and finished in 5:25 non-stop, but I attribute that to the relatively cool temps. I might have to consider this pace group to achieve a time anywhere near that this year, given the recent hot temperatures we've been experiencing.

I'll be there. It will be my 5th.

I'll be there, racing the men's 40+ 100k. Why... not real sure except my buddies are going and I have a free place to stay... what the heck, it's the big show and an amazing spectacle.

I think I have talked 3 more from my office into joining me.

About 3 weeks ago I rode 88 mi with 96 deg temperatures. I have been riding moderate distances since. I think I still should be able to do the 100 mi in about 7 hr including the stops.

I can do a long ride this weekend if anybody thinks it has been too long since my last high mileage day.

its is gonna be so much fun

Somebody on the LSR site was asking about the location of the "feed zones" for the racers. By any chance, have you seen a map that shows those?

This is the link to the map from the HH100 website. The file name indicates that it was made in 2009, so I guess it's the same route as last year.

The little bursts with "R#" in them are rest stops. Is "rest stops" the same thing as "feed zones?"

http://www.hh100.org/images/pdfs/hhh100_2009.pdf

Yes, rest areas are feed zones (in that they have food available). They won't hand-up food to you like pro feed zones, though. Ya gotta get off your bike, which is nice.

No, the feed zones are different from the rest stops, and are not on that map, which is why I asked. I do remember seeing signage for the feed zones when riding through, which were all empty by the time I got there. Unlike the rest areas, which were well-populated.

Forecast for Saturday:
Low 72
High 94
0% chance of rain

!!!

We are heading out Friday morning at 5:30 to get there.

Forecast is looking great. My first hh. Doing it solo... Should be a blast

From where are you traveling/
We are driving from Houston to Dallas on Friday morning. We will have dinner in Plano. I am not sure we will make it to Wichita Falls before 10 PM when the packet pick up closes for the evening. I guess we will pick up the packets on Saturday morning.

I was able to get a room in Burkburnett, but my colleague could only get as close as Bowie. He made his reservation last week.

Gonna be a good day for a bike ride.

Southeast Missouri

Forecast looks awesome so far

Msn.com is now saying high of 89 on Saturday, low of 68 Friday night. The ride starts really early so it will be close to 68 at the start.

My daughter and I were in Colorado for the past 5 days. It rained on us all the way across New Mexico and into the Texas panhandle last night and this morning, and the rest of the way to Wichita Falls there was a strong wind out of the North. Wichita Falls radio stations were saying that today it was going to be 20 degrees cooler than yesterday. We stopped and visited my parents and my dad said it was about 107 yesterday, meaning it would have been 87 today. MSN says the high today was 92.

I remember this happening some years ago with slightly different timing- it was 106 on the day of the ride but the next day a cold front blew in and it stayed below 80 all day.

A high of 89 will be great for the ride.

It would be a better day if you could ride with us. I was hoping to meet you.

Wow, it may actually be cooler than last year! This could lead to some fast times...

Weather.com is saying a high of 95 with south winds 10-15 with gusts of 25. Still early for a wind forecast. But damn

Well ... I stand corrected. In 7 HHH's, I've never noticed an official "feed zone". Maybe I need to pay more attention.

The "feed zones" were either little signs by the road, or markings on the pavement, I forget which. Maybe I noticed them because I was moving slower.

And just a reminder to everyone to be careful out there. The ride is noted for lots of crashes. Try to leave some extra room all around so you're not one of 'em.

+1 everyone be safe and have fun!!

Hey can anybody offer parking tips?
 

Hey can anybody offer parking tips?

I've always stayed close enough to pedal to the start in past years, but I'll have to have the car with me this time.

How early should I get there to get a spot in the main lots near the MPEC?

Those lots are pretty big. Seems like I got there an hour or hour and a half before the ride and still found parking places there. But I've slept since then, too.

If you have to do packet pickup after you get there, bring your street shoes so you don't have to clip-clop for a half-mile in your cleats.

Well there are a LOT of people there. There are some crashes but I think if you pay attention to what is going on around you then you should be fine. AND ride in such a way that you don't endanger other people. I've ridden in the ride a lot of times and haven't witnessed any crashes.


I usually park about 10th and Travis (in a church parking lot), which isn't that far away when you have a bike with you. It seems to be about 7 blocks from MPEC. If you go on google maps and look at the satellite view you can see the MPEC parking lots and you can also see where other surrounding lots might be. I see that there are some lots to the north of the MPEC at the agricultural barns and those lots might not be well known so they might be less full.

My wife will have the car and can drop me and my bike off nearby. Where is a suggested drop off point? She will not need to park.