Hotter N Hell Hundred Trip Report

[li10up]

I awoke at 5:00 am and got dressed for the ride. Ate a blueberry muffin, drank a bottle of water then picked up my bike from the bike lockup at the Y. I was riding with two friends and we met up at the start line. After the national anthem and the jet fly-over the cannon blasted to signal the start of the event. We didn’t move for about 10 minutes but when we did we had to “skateboard” our bikes for several blocks. We finally got moving a bit just to be slowed to a crawl going up the overpass. For 20 miles it was shoulder to shoulder and wheel to wheel. I started thinking to myself, “Why in the world do people want to do this ride? This sucks. I’m turning off at the 50 mile mark.” I hinted at that to one of my friends but she said she was going on as planned. So, I decided to stick it out. We stopped at the 30 mile rest stop. I needed my derailleur looked at so I had to wait in line for the mechanic. After that I got a couple of orange wedges and refilled my two bottles. Back on the road it started to thin out a bit. The riding was more enjoyable. We were cruising along at anywhere between 18 and 22 mph. We weren’t even working hard. When we pulled out of the 50 miles rest stop I said to my friends, “I’m feeling really good. Maybe we should think about doing the whole hundred.” We had planned to take the shortcut at Hell’s Gate back to the finish line. They both agreed. A few rotations of the crank later I felt the thump, thump, thump of my front tire. I squeezed the brakes and started moving over to the side of the road. Before I could get stopped my front tire exploded. I got off the bike and saw an inch long gash in the tire. The tube had a hole in it the size of a dime. We tried booting the tire but when we aired it up there was a big bulge. Just then another friend rolled up. I sent my other two friends on to finish their ride. I didn’t want them to miss their chance for their first 100 mile century. My other friend and I caught a ride back to the rest stop. I was able to purchase a tire and get back on the road. She wanted to take the shortcut at Hell’s Gate and I wanted someone to ride with so that’s what we did. We rode through Sheppard’s Air Force Base. They had the trainees lining the street and cheering us on. I pulled out my camera to take a picture and that just made them cheer even louder. One of them stuck out his hand and I tried to high five him. I couldn’t make it to him in time but then all of these hands were stuck out. I rode down the street high fiving them. Everyone was going nuts. I made it to the finish line in 5:49:24. Ride time was 4:39:10. Avg. speed was 16.3 mph. It turned out to be a good ride even though I’m really disappointed that I missed out on getting my first 100 mile century. I’m pretty sure I’ll be doing the HHH again.

[boy in a kilt]

I lived in Lawton for about six months. It's truly amazing that you could ride a bike this time of year down there.

It sounded like you were having a great ride. Too bad your tire gave up the ghost.

[denda]

We just got back from the HHH. We completed the 100 miles. We made it to Hell's gate by 11:00. Our total time was 8 1/2 hours. Total ride time 6 hr. 10 min. We averaged 16.3mph. My husband had 6 flats!!!! We thought the weather could not have been better! It was not too hot and not too windy. We ran into one of our relatives at the 30mile rest stop. You wouldn't think out of 10,000 riders you would run into someone you are related to. We enjoyed the day.
Oh, by the way, we stayed with one of the host families and it was wonderful! They fed us, had a beautiful home and were very friendly. And it was FREE!
Can't wait for next year.

[meridian]

This was my first HH100, and it turned out to be a really enjoyable experience for me.

Very mild temps and wind for the area around this time of year! No mechanical problems, or scarey moments. Even the hills and the last leg's headwinds didn't cramp my style as I feared they would.

I went in alone but teamed up around mile 20 with another rider because we seemed to keep passing each other. I didn't get rolling till around 7:30am, but we made it to Hell's Gate around 11:15 and finished before 2:30. Overall rolling time was 6hrs with an average of 16.8mph, which is almost exactly what I estimated and had planned.

I think this may be the beginnings of a traditional yearly trek to Wichita Falls!

[Righteousbabe]

Congrats li10up...80 or so miles is still an accomplishment! This was my 5th HHH, and they seem to get better and better each year. I hope you decide to do it again next year, because it really is a lot of fun if you can find ways to deal with the number of people out there. After all, it is the crowd and the energy that make the ride the event that it is!

That being said...I did have my own moments of annoyance out there. We did not do the mass start...as planned. We started a few blocks up from the start line, after the racers went by. Everything went well...we got to Hell's Gate (~60 miles) in 3.5 hours. After Hell's Gate I always breath a sigh of relief. I just tell myself I am in the home stretch now. Winds and temperatures were not too bad this year (certainly not near as bad as last year). We did not have the usual south winds after Hell's Gate...they were out of the west, and the high in Wichita Falls for the day was 94.

After Hell's Gate is where I started to get annoyed at the cyclists. For some reason, a lot of cyclists think they are in the Tour de France and can discard their empty gel packets, water bottles, wet towels, tubes, etc. on the side of the road. The town welcomes us every year...and that is the respect we show them? Volunteers have to get out there and clean it up. How hard is it to carry your trash to the next rest stop and discard it there? Anyway…

Another thing that really gets to me are wheel suckers. They do not announce they are right on your wheel (which is really not safe), they do not ask to draft (out of courtesy), and they do not offer to return the favor (just plain rude). For some reason this year was really bad. And for some reason I seem to attract them. I am not an extraordinarily fast cyclist...but I am steady and I think that is why they like my wheel. Early on in the day...when I had someone on my wheel, I would adjust my pace, stretch, do little things to make it annoying to draft me. But later that day, I was too tired to do anything about it. At about mile 90, I had a man pedal up along side me and say that I had a long line of guys behind me. I told him, loudly, that they were all wheel suckers and wanted to reap all the benefits without doing any of the work. He laughed and agreed. Then he said…you should be flattered that all those men are drafting you. And I just laughed, dryly. So on a downhill, I increased my speed a bit and lost them.

Despite those annoyances...all in all…it was another great HHH. I finished in 6.5 hours (total time), and felt pretty good at the end. But I think next year I will put a sign on my back, “No wheel suckers allowed!” ;)

[crazybikinchic]

We got back a little earlier. It was Awesome!!!! We started ahead of the mass start, which I am very glad of. We were still able to see the imcredible fly over. We decided to go through the fifty mile rest stop but our minds got changed only for a brief second when I tapped a wheel in front of me. It was very crowded trying to get through there. I have some pretty good road rash on my knee and lower leg and a massive bruise on my hip. I quickly picked myself up, before I could even think about getting up, someone had picked up my bike (for a second, I was still clipped in) and one of my friends was asking me if I wanted to go to first aid. I said no and she said I was bleeding. I still said no, and we got on our bikes and went on our way. We got to Hell's gate about 11:25. The last 20 miles of head wind was not the most fun. But, I finished the 100, my longest ride. I had a great time and look forward to doing it again.

[Tri Girl]

Nice to hear so many stories from your rides! I KNOW I have to do this one day (and I'm only 1.5 hours away- I have no reason). All those cyclists scare me a bit, tho. I don't like others being around (it's the triathlete in me- give me my space and let me go solo :D ).
Can you start early to avoid so much congestion? Just wondering.

Thanks for all the reports- keep 'em coming!

[Starfish]

Wow, and you guys are all fast! Thanks for the reports!

[indysteel]

Congrats to all on the HHH. I'm glad the weather cooperated and that all of you (minus some flats and minor mishaps) not only survived it, but did really, really well! That's awecome!!!

K-

[Righteousbabe]

All those cyclists scare me a bit, tho. I don't like others being around (it's the triathlete in me- give me my space and let me go solo :D ).
Can you start early to avoid so much congestion? Just wondering.

That is why I always avoid the mass start, and it is pretty easy to do. Just start a few blocks from the start line on Scott, and be sure to wait until all the racers take off and go by so that you do not get in their way. A lot of people do it this way because the mass start is so scary and slow.

[NMRider]

The mass start is pretty slow, but I thought it was kind of fun to have so many cyclists around. I got to talk to some people and it was good camaraderie. After the cannon, it was probably about 15 minutes for me to get across the start line from where I was (back of the mid pack).

There were some at the start who were pretty careless about pulling out without looking or signaling, and a few who were riding (very slowly) in a big group across the road instead of single file without taking into consideration that there were people bunching up behind them... but overall, it seemed like people were pretty aware. One thing to watch out for was those raised reflectors along the lines in the road. I saw one guy take a very dramatic spill less than a mile after the start after hitting one of those.

[PscyclePath]

But I think next year I will put a sign on my back, “No wheel suckers allowed!” ;)

The best way to fix that is that as soon as you make a turn right into the wind, pull off and announce loudly, "Okay, buddy... it's your turn to pull!"

It'll get 'em every time...

:rolleyes:

Tom

[Aggie_Ama]

Or tell them you have IBS. :D

I HATE wheelsuckers!! My peripherial vision is awful and I am always worried I will be unpredictable and cause a wreck.

DH is incredibly strong and without fail we get several wheelsuckers on any organized ride. The exception to my disdain is the wheelsucker I had at the Katy Flatland who took the time to introduce herself and ask if I minded her riding my wheel. A polite wheelsucker is not a problem for me.

[PscyclePath]

Or tell them you have IBS. :D

I HATE wheelsuckers!! My peripherial vision is awful and I am always worried I will be unpredictable and cause a wreck.


I usually don't mind too much. Pack riding isn't that much of a problem for me, and sharing the work is one of the big advantages of riding in a group, especially when there's wind. As an old philosopher says, "Ride together."

But I have had folks take advantage, and let me pull them sixty miles or more...