Hotter 'n Hell 100 - Wichita Falls TX

[li10up]

Thanks Indy! I'll let you know how the ride went.

I have another quick question though. I've found that I need to eat something in the morning before doing a long ride. Since I'll be staying at the Y my options will be limited. Anybody have any suggestions of what I could eat for breakfast? I usually like to eat oatmeal or pancakes before a long ride but that won't be practical on this one. Energy bars don't usually sit well with me and a banana just isn't enough. If there are any restaurants around I'm sure they'll be too packed to get in. Suggestions needed.

[indysteel]

J-

I ran into the same problem at RAIN. I'm usually an oatmeal, banana, yogurt girl before a ride. For RAIN, I bought a (rather oversized) muffin from a bakery near my house the day before the ride and ate it with about 2 hours to go before the start of the ride. I then ate a banana and a package of Teddy Grahams about a half hour before the start. At the Horsey Hundred, I ate a Pop Tart when I first woke up and then at the cafeteria about an hour later. For me, it isn't so much what I eat, but when. I find that if I eat something two hours before, followed by something to "top it off," plus drink a bottle of water, I'm good to go.

You could do muffins, banana bread, granola, bagels, donuts, etc. plus a banana. That should do it.

Have a great ride,

Kate

[sspoor]

Isn't there a pancake breakfast at the MEPC Center? You could always try that.

I've done the HHH twice. Both times the weather gods were in my favor and there was cloud cover and light rain. I skipped last year when the temperature got up to 106.

I think the HHH is a great ride to say you've done it. It's really cool to be there with so many other riders. The organizers do a great job, but the number of people do make it challenging. I've seen others comment on the length of time it takes to get started. The 2 years I did it, we were lined up by 6:30 and then stood around waiting for the 7:30 start. It then took another 30 minutes to move forward to the actual starting line. You need to factor this in as you consider what you're going to eat that morning since you'll probably go about 2 hours between when you eat breakfast and when you get to the first rest stop.

Also, because the HHH is such a popular ride, you get many novice riders doing the shorter routes who haven't really trained and/or don't ride on a regular basis. This tends to cause major traffic jams on all the hill climbs.

Have fun!! It really is a festive atmosphere and something every cyclist in the area should do at least once.

Susan in Dallas

[denda]

This will be our first time to stay with a host family. We don't know what the fee will be. We didn't ask.

[KSH]

I think the HHH is a great ride to say you've done it. It's really cool to be there with so many other riders. The organizers do a great job, but the number of people do make it challenging. I've seen others comment on the length of time it takes to get started. The 2 years I did it, we were lined up by 6:30 and then stood around waiting for the 7:30 start. It then took another 30 minutes to move forward to the actual starting line. You need to factor this in as you consider what you're going to eat that morning since you'll probably go about 2 hours between when you eat breakfast and when you get to the first rest stop.

Also, because the HHH is such a popular ride, you get many novice riders doing the shorter routes who haven't really trained and/or don't ride on a regular basis. This tends to cause major traffic jams on all the hill climbs.

Have fun!! It really is a festive atmosphere and something every cyclist in the area should do at least once.

Susan in Dallas

Susan... we live in the same city and have the same quote! HA!

I totally agree with what you said above. Fun ride... and nice to say you have done it.

Last year due to a bike mechanical that had to be fixed, we got caught leaving with the 10-20 milers... so we pretty much dodged kids for the first few miles. It was a bit nerve racking.

[li10up]

K, Oooohhhh....muffins!!! A big ol' blueberry muffin sounds great. Thanks for the suggestion.

I'm starting with the 2nd group of 100 milers so hopefully that means not having to contend with too many novice riders. I just really want to avoid any accidents and it seems like it might be less likely to happen with experienced riders.

[crazybikinchic]

I am taking a package of oatmeal from the house. I figure that I can heat up some water in a cup and dump the oatmeal in the cup Saturday morning. We are leaving tomorrow between 12-3. I am really getting excited.

[Tuckervill]

I always take an electric teakettle with me when I camp or travel. I can plug it into my car lighter with the car running and the little converter thingy. You can make tea AND oatmeal with the hot water.

The teakettles are about 15 bucks at Target.

Karen