Any tips for the start of the Hotter than Hell Hundred? I know there is a massive amount of riders, so is a two hour prior show a good idea so as to start in the first thousand or so? I am hoping for a sub 5 hour ride and really don't want to get stuck 4000 people back and have to work my way through the people hoping to finish.

It's been a while since I've done HHH, so I hope this advice is useful. The one and only time I did a sub 5 hour ride was I got behind the tandems (that's the tip). Get there early because they leave early, if not first. I rode their wheels until I started to fade. I cruised along to recover and waited for the Cat 1 and 2 types and rode their wheels for a while. I dropped off and rode with the 20-22mph avg riders (I actually shared the pace with these folks). Also I lucked out that year because it stayed cloudy, the wind wasn't a factor and the temps only maxed out in the low 80s by the time I finished, 4 hours and 30 mins later.

You don't want to leave in the middle to the back of the century riders group, especailly HHH. If you're stuck middle-back be prepared to wade your way through a lot of bike traffic; it takes a while to work you way through all of that. Kind of nerve-racking, to be honest.

Check last year's threads on the HnH:
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=10698

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=13486

Avoid the crowd! Start at the bridge or on the other side and wait for the riders to come to you after the gun. You will avoid the crashes. That's both the kind from a mass start and also from when all riders are crammed to one side of the street with people falling down waiting for the start (you have to see it to believe it). I used to start with every one until I saw a rookie (in the middle of hardcore 100 milers) fall over and take out five guys. Also on the road to Iowa Park stay to the outside of the lane. Inside will be guaranteed crashes. Happens every year and people are taken away in ambulances. I rode HHH from 97 - 2002. Almost died going for a PR in 2000 when temps hit 108f. This ride was like a family reunion for me since my parents used to live near Wichita Falls. My Dad and I volunteered yearly to work the registration / packet pick up. My cousin-in-law was responsible for coordinating medical care. It's one of the BEST organized rides you will ever do. If you are trying to get a room at Shepard AFB...good luck.

Starting the ride in the middle hasn't been that bad for me. I don't show up particularly early. Heck, you'll be getting up early enough as it is. I haven't encountered any serious crashes at the start. There are a few people that fall over during the slow shuffle that occurs the first mile. As you get over the bridge it'll get going and you won't have much trouble getting through people. Just hop on one of the high speed pacelines that's on the far left and you'll fly! Don't start your clock until you get over the bridge. Be prepared for heat. I think it's going to be a scorcher this year.

Avoid the crowd! Start at the bridge or on the other side and wait for the riders to come to you after the gun. You will avoid the crashes. That's both the kind from a mass start and also from when all riders are crammed to one side of the street with people falling down waiting for the start (you have to see it to believe it). I used to start with every one until I saw a rookie (in the middle of hardcore 100 milers) fall over and take out five guys. Also on the road to Iowa Park stay to the outside of the lane. Inside will be guaranteed crashes. Happens every year and people are taken away in ambulances. I rode HHH from 97 - 2002. Almost died going for a PR in 2000 when temps hit 108f. This ride was like a family reunion for me since my parents used to live near Wichita Falls. My Dad and I volunteered yearly to work the registration / packet pick up. My cousin-in-law was responsible for coordinating medical care. It's one of the BEST organized rides you will ever do. If you are trying to get a room at Shepard AFB...good luck.
Thanks. I already got a room at the base. I used my permissive TDY to make reservations for a TLF for the whole family. They said there was no way to get space A, but since it is a TDY, I could get it. Fallout plan was Lawton. Not too far away and a lot cheaper.

is that they are a mix of rookies and vets going to Iowa Park. Sometimes they are great and other times people get hurt. Flip a coin and hope for the best! Going out on the righthand side is safer. After the first rest stop the pacelines are better. The whole idea is to finish the ride in one piece. Anyway, I never stop at Iowa Park but all the rookies do.

also in the first several miles, the road has medians- watch out cuz people will not notice them until they are right on top of them, then crash. The ride will split into two streams, then converge, a few times, around the medians

Getting there "early" means really early. It takes over an hour for all cyclists to pass the start once the cannon fires, and people are jamming in the line all over before the start.

Thanks for all the great responses. Are any of my fellow RBR's going to be there this year? I have met some in Tucson for El Tour, some in Santa Fe during that century, and some in Red River New Mexico during enchanted circle. Any of you going to HHH? If so, I would love to meet some more and snap some photos. It sounds like a huge group, so meeting by coincedence will probably be out. I always wear my blue RBR jersey so I am easy to find.

Even though I have gotten away from riding organized rides I'm still considering doing HHH this year. Not looking at inconviencing my relatives for a place to stay however. Since Space A is pretty much a NOGO at Shepard, I'm thinking about a dayroom in one of the lodging buildings where I can crash with a sleeping bag and shower at the gym. Considering I am "El Cheapo" the cost of traveling (gas) is bothering me. I figure $65 roundtrip from central TX. Who knows what the expense will be if Hurricane Emily wipes out the Gulf oil platforms? I've missed doing this ride for two years now.

I was able to get permissive TDY to secure a room. My commander fully supports fitness and allows permissive twice a year for people competing in organized sporting events. The other time I do it at El Tour de Tucson.

I'll be heading out there too. I'm going as a Cat Nothing, but most of the guys I'll be heading there with will be doing the real race so I'll be riding nearly solo during the day. So it goes. Would be nice to know some guys at the start at least preferably ones that have done it before as it's my first one.

My goal at this point is to make it to the 50 stop in 2.5 hours (probably 2.75 with allowance for slow start) and take a good strong break and eat and drink a ton before it gets really, really hot. Then just see how it goes from there probably slowing quite a bit after that.

If I can't make it the whole 100 for heat or legs or snake bites I'll just make a right at Hell's Gate and give it a go next year. Such is life.

I've been training more and more in the hot part of the day. Hope it pays off. Shoot me a PM if you think we could meet up.

Maybe they should rename the race this year. All signs point to <100dF and >60%RH. Yuk. Much better the other way around.

Maybe they should rename the race this year. All signs point to <100dF and >60%RH. Yuk. Much better the other way around.

Butch up!

Just noticed on the website they have host families for people who have nowhere to stay. Free lodging and Texas hospitality! DaveH have you decided if you are coming yet?

I just stepped outside for a second. I couldn't even breathe. How the hell am I going to make it the whole way in this nonsense.

I just stepped outside for a second. I couldn't even breathe. How the hell am I going to make it the whole way in this nonsense.
Hopefully you have been training all summer by riding in the heat...you should have been. Plus, by mid-afternoon you would be finishing up the H'nH. This is why it's called the Hotter 'n Hell Hundred. :p

Hopefully you have been training all summer by riding in the heat...you should have been. Plus, by mid-afternoon you would be finishing up the H'nH. This is why it's called the Hotter 'n Hell Hundred. :p

Yeah, I do most of my base mileage in the morning due to work time cutting into the afternoons and what not. I do my longer rides on the weekends and try to start a bit on the late side to catch some heat or go in the late afternoons. I think I'm good to go because less salt has been escaping lately which is a pretty good sign.

I've never been around this many cyclists at one time. Can someone give me an idea of when the pack will thin out (at what mile marker) to the point where it's two astride or less?

Also, I've heard lots of people talk about getting with a tandem. Is this worth it? And is it kosher just to wheelsuck off a tandem all day?

I've never been around this many cyclists at one time. Can someone give me an idea of when the pack will thin out (at what mile marker) to the point where it's two astride or less?

Also, I've heard lots of people talk about getting with a tandem. Is this worth it? And is it kosher just to wheelsuck off a tandem all day?
Yeah, it's going to be an experience for you. I would say it will have thinned out after about 3 miles. At least the pucker factor will be way down by then.
A tandem would be wonderful after you have gotten onto the open road, but it would be my last choice to be on (well, maybe a recumbent would be) at the start when you are shoulder to shoulder and wheel to wheel.

I've never been around this many cyclists at one time. Can someone give me an idea of when the pack will thin out (at what mile marker) to the point where it's two astride or less? Also, I've heard lots of people talk about getting with a tandem. Is this worth it? And is it kosher just to wheelsuck off a tandem all day?

I don't think it thins out to two astride for about 10 miles. Before that its pretty thick but the the group is taking up about three lanes. Be patient and keep your head up. You'll be fine. I ride a tandem. I never notice the wheel suckers because they are pretty far back.

Well the weather was just perfect (except for a pretty strong shower at mile 40) I couldn't have been more pleased with how I did. 5:14 gun time which exceeded my roll time goal by 45 minutes!!! Just a great day. Easily the single biggest individual athletic accomplishment of my life.

Were you in the tribal RBR kit? I also saw someone in the blue jersey riding a seven. We did a 5:02 total time with a 4:28 ride time. A lot faster than I expected.

Were you in the tribal RBR kit? I also saw someone in the blue jersey riding a seven. We did a 5:02 total time with a 4:28 ride time. A lot faster than I expected.

Nah, I was in a different kit that was made up for a buddy of mine's company.

I'll for sure be back next year or at least enough times to see a really hot day.

What were you wearing? What kind of bike. You and I finished around the same time frame and had to have passed each other.

On a side note about the ride...have you ever seen a ride where people refused to ride on the right side of the lane? People wanted to hug the centerline the whole day. We were cruising along at 22-27 the whole day and people plodding along at 15 were right on the centerline with nobody else on the road. I really don't like passing on the right, so it meant passing in the other lane just to get by these people. Sort of frustrating. I was thinking there was a prize for people who ride closest to the center line the whole day. How about the crash around mile 20 from the USCF race? Found out the cause was the group came up on people who had started on their own at 6:00 AM so they could avoid the official start caos. The peloton overtook the group of six without everyone knowing it and had the horrible crash. As we passed one guy was in convulsions in the ditch while another guy had an obvios broken collar bone. Ugly. If you don't like the confusion of the start, don't do the ride, but starting on your own with a race trying to overtake you will only lead to crashes like that.

Yeah, I saw that wreck the guy was still on the ground freaking out from the wreck. My buddy who went in the cat 3 group said they passed people for 20 MILES! People had to start in the dark i guess as they were averaging nearly 30 the first 50 miles. I got stopped another time at about mile 75 for another wreck that wasn't nearly that bad.

I was wearing a light blue kit that said "XP apparrel" and "xpcompanies.com" I rode a Diamondback Master frame which is dark blue. I carried a small camelback and had my number pinned up vertically on the back of it. My helmet was grey and brought me back in line with the fred I usually am.

There was a group of two or three guys wearing OU jerseys that I seemed to be with all the way to mile 80 even though we didn't stop at the same stops. I left them when they sort of started to sag a bit. Other notables was the triple tandem that drew a big crowd wherever they went.

There were only really two times when I really started to get worried that I would crack. One was after a sweeping turn at roughly mile 55 where we ended up on the access road next to a wall mart. The other was when we made that final turn back home at mile 80 the wind had started to pick up and the crowd really started to break apart.

How about the pickle juice? Did you have the guts to try it? Looked and sounded nasty. I remember seeing the OU guys quite a bit from mile 30 till the rain stopped at around mile 50. I also saw the triple at about the same time. After the rest stop at 53 miles, my friend and I really cranked it up a notch. We had been averaging 21-22 mph up to that point, but turned on the gas and ended up with a 23mph average. He was riding a Lemond spine bike that was carbon/ti, and I was on the LOOK 585.

How about the pickle juice? Did you have the guts to try it? Looked and sounded nasty. I remember seeing the OU guys quite a bit from mile 30 till the rain stopped at around mile 50. I also saw the triple at about the same time. After the rest stop at 53 miles, my friend and I really cranked it up a notch. We had been averaging 21-22 mph up to that point, but turned on the gas and ended up with a 23mph average. He was riding a Lemond spine bike that was carbon/ti, and I was on the LOOK 585.

Ugh. I wasn't paying close enough attention at the 60 mi rest stop and took a big slug of the pickle juice (it's about the same color as the Gatorade). I nearly puked.

Ugh. I wasn't paying close enough attention at the 60 mi rest stop and took a big slug of the pickle juice (it's about the same color as the Gatorade). I nearly puked.

So did you go to hell and back?

How about the pickle juice? Did you have the guts to try it? Looked and sounded nasty.
It wasn't bad and it sure took care of the cramps. I started having heavy duty cramps around mile 68 and my buddy suggested I try the pickle juice. I downed a couple of cups and didn't even have as much as a twinge afterwards. I've been riding for a long time and have tried everything (salt tablets, bananas, endurolytes..etc) and nothing works like pickle juice.

The pickle juice haunts my dreams. I told them they should have affixed warning labels on those shot glasses.

I will admit though... it did seem to help some.

What's the terrain like? How about the pavement?

What's the terrain like? How about the pavement?

The terrain is flat. The pavement is generally smooth.

Terrain is mostly flat. All the incline (if you can call it that) is in the first 35miles or so. Pavement is glass smooth most of the way and it's obvious they street swept the course. Some chip and seal with a rider in the middle.

Thanks to culdeus and bsdc for describing the course. Always promised myself this ride. It comes a week before a ride I've been heavily involved in staging every Labor Day weekend for 19 years, but we're thinking of changing to a cooler date. I'll show up in Wichita Falls soon, very likely next year.

Make sure you get a hotel room now if you plan on going. Stay away from the Kings inn at all cost. We paid $100 a night for the biggest crack house on the planet.

I was surprised to find a room at a reasonable rate for the Hotter'n Hell weekend. I jumped on it, because you're right, spookyload: People reserve rooms way ahead of time. I hope the Holiday Inn is an OK place to stay.

By the way, at 66, I'm not intimidated by Texas heat. I rode a century in San Antonio a few years ago that was hotter'n the Hotter'n Hell. I start my weekly solo centuries at noon during high summer. It hit 99 degrees at the Labor Day weekend century here in Clarksville, Tennessee, in 1990 and again in 1999. The Rotary Club may move it to a cooler date next year. That would relieve the pressure of coming to Wichita Falls the last weekend in August. The Rotary Club rehearses its aid-station crews, course marshals, SAG, and peloton support that weekend, while I paint hundreds of arrows. Our riders can't ride even a quarter-mile without seeing one. Well, I'm coming, come (hotter'n) hell or high water!

I wonder how many sub-four centuries have ever been ridden? I can't understand how ours ended up with faster finishes than the Hotter'n Hell. I'm not surprised our lead peloton finished in 3:53:00. We think it would've finished significantly sooner if we hadn't had 15 mph breezes, the strongest winds here since 1986. But what does surprise us is that the HHH USCF race winner took 3:59:40 or (depending on which article on the HHH web site you believe) 3:59:10 to finish.

I'm happy to brag, and the "Sunrise" is definitely an easy ride with shallow inclines and only one real (66-foot) hill. But faster times here still don't make sense. As fast as it is, our course requires nearly twice as much climbing as the HHH. OK, it was hotter there than here in Tennessee this year (though not by much), and of course, the Texas course is 102 miles long. Ours measures exactly 100.00, but at 25.71 mph, it wouldn't have taken the lead peloton six extra minutes to cover the extra distance.

Bsdc and culdeus describe the HHH road surfaces as "generally smooth" and "glass smooth." Culdeus mentions chip-and-seal. Our course has no pavement that coarse. Not that "chip-and-shoot" (as we call it) is all that bad. It does slow you down a little, compared with smooth asphalt, but my impression is that the Texas course is approximately as smooth as ours.

I notice the winning time for the race was for an individual and that the average speed was terrific early on. Maybe the HHH peloton broke up early. Maybe that explains the difference. Check out the report below, written by one of our peloton riders.

I'm going to try to get the ride director to come with me. He's always wanted to see how the organizers run the Hotter'n Hell. His club is hell-bent on building the "Sunrise" field to 5000 riders within two or three years. The way they've run the ride since they took over in 2004 makes me believe they'll reach their goal. There'll be at least seven aid stations next year instead of six, and there'll be spaghetti after the ride again.

We've always gotten 2.6 times as many riders as preregistrants. Not this year. Five hundred fifty preregistered, but a lot of them called and said Katrina and gasoline kept them home. Only 950 showed up, and only one of them was a Cat 1 racer. The HHH USCF race must have drawn many more fast riders. Our event no longer incorporates a USCF race. There were some serious injuries in 1987, and we suspended the race. We may reinstate it.

This summer, we asked bike clubs in the Southeast to link our web site to theirs They obliged, but we didn't publicize the ride in Texas. I wonder: I'm going to Wichita Falls next August, a town exactly the same size as Clarksville, Tennessee, which offers plenty of lodging and restaurants. So what do you think? Could we interest you and some other Texans in trying our ride?

-------------------------------
Here's Jeff Bauer's report:


A STOKER'S VIEW OF THE 2005 SUNRISE CENTURY IN CLARKSVILLE, TENNESSEE.

Last year I rode with Frieda Barry on a borrowed tandem bike. It was my first tandem ride but I enjoyed it so much that I later purchased a used tandem. On last year's ride, a "studly" tandem couple, Robert and Wendy Wells, led a group to finish the ride in 4:01:13. Obviously the challenge for 2005 would be to finish in less than four hours. To assist riders in breaking the 4 hour mark and to ensure safety, the ride organizers offered limited support to the lead peloton: three motorcycle marshals to control intersections, a SAG vehicle with water and food, and a police escort through Elkton, Kentucky..

A few weeks before the ride I contacted Travis Werts, a bike racer and employee at the Gran Fondo Bicycle Shop. Since he is a stronger and a better cyclist, he agreed to captain (ride the front position) our century ride. Travis added a new stem, an 11-tooth cog and adjusted his saddle height, but otherwise made no adjustments to the bike. Just before the ride, Charles (the SAG guy) asked for someone in the fast group to carry a receive-only radio so he could issue instructions to the peloton. A few people pointed to me, the stoker on the tandem, so I got elected. The radio was actually of limited usefulness, because I had little success verbally conveying messages to the other riders.

The official century ride started at 7:00 A.M., but was delayed a few minutes so the riders who hoped to establish a course record could depart first. I think we had approximately 100 riders who opted to try riding with the fast group. Over the radio I could hear some concerns from the marshals if they could handle such a large peloton. Within a few miles, however, 40 riders quickly got dropped off the back. The first few miles were hard for me because of the fast pace with little pre-ride warm-up. (Prior to the start we warned riders that the initial pace was likely to be in the 28-30 mph range. This proved to be the case, with numerous riders getting dropped in the first 5 miles.)

We took a couple of long pulls on the tandem, at one point overtaking a motorcycle marshal on the right as we urged him to speed up. We had no bike computer on the tandem, so I just used my wrist chronometer to estimate our distance (1 hour ~ 25 miles). At one point during the first hour someone said our average was 29 mph. (In some flats, before the wind picked up, the peloton was traveling 35 mph.) After the first hour things seemed to settle down into a routine. I was riding close to my limit, actually somewhere above my normal threshold, but Travis was smoothly in control of the tandem. Often he would have to ask for more power: especially up a slight incline, to bridge a short gap, or just to pull to the front of the peloton. I now have a better appreciation for being the stoker on a tandem. Since I couldn't see directly in front, I couldn't judge when to apply power without verbal cues from Travis. More often, probably, I was just getting lazy or mentally distracted and needed Travis to remind me to keep up the effort.

Somewhere before our course midpoint everyone agreed to take a brief roadside bathroom break, but people started moving again before everyone was ready. Our tandem took longer to get up to speed and we had to work a bit to get back on the peloton. Travis, who had reluctantly wore a CamelBak, took the opportunity to hand it off to the SAG car.

Charles had detailed information about the course and would communicate to me throughout the ride -- upcoming turns, elevation, etc. During the second hour he mentioned that it might appear that we were going slow, but were gradually gaining elevation. Not having a bike computer meant that we didn't really notice. At the 50 mile mark Charles mentioned that we were about 5 minutes ahead of schedule. He was probably basing his estimate on an even time split and I wasn't sure if we'd maintain this pace throughout the ride.

I learned some new things about riding a tandem with a group of fast riders. We had to work hard coming out of the turns, especially around sharp corners. Fortunately, we had the motorcycle marshals ahead to block the intersections and indicate which direction to turn. The tandem requires a greater turning radius, so if we were in the front this was less of an issue. At any rate, as the ride progressed Travis got comfortable and more aggressive with taking the tandem through the turns.

Another issue was the hills. It's true there aren't any real hills on the Clarksville Century, but any time we were climbing on the tandem, our bike + rider weight of almost 400 pounds would be at a temporary disadvantage to fast single riders with less than half our total mass. It was slightly annoying to have someone whip around us and create a gap after we'd just been pulling them. Travis was vocal about this on more than one occasion. It was especially galling as we were studiously working for the paceline even if it meant that we had to slow down or (horror!) even tap the brakes on the downhill side.

Not far from the 50 mile mark we were riding a fast four lane highway. (New 68/80 between Fairview and Elkton, Kentucky.) Initially we rode on the shoulder, but with the rumble strip and bits of debris Charles radioed that he'd block the cars in the outside lane so we could safely ride on clean pavement. We were on a slight incline and some riders were getting aggressive, wouldn't ride single file, and were moving too close to the center line. SAG was trying to get me to move everyone to the right because traffic was passing us in the inside lane at 65 mph. One rider refused, arguing with me ... while the radio kept telling me to have him move over. (Even with a wide shoulder and a clear lane that was being blocked, one rider wanted to risk life and limb by riding in the unprotected lane. Amazing -- and we sometimes wonder why drivers yell at us when we ride.....)

As mentioned earlier, having instructions sent to the peloton via radio wasn't 100% effective and did have one unintended side effect for Travis. Every now and then he would turn his head and I would simultaneously yell out instructions to the group directly in his ear. Sorry, Travis. ;-)

It was during this slightly inclined section that we lost a bunch of riders. Between the 50 and 70 mile mark the peloton suffered substantial attrition as riders started to fade. If someone dropped off the peloton for just a moment, it was unlikely that they could generate enough power to rejoin. (A number of riders suffered on Beeker Road as the peloton approached Fairview, Kentucky. Beeker has a very gradual uphill grade, with two small climbs. The riders recovered a bit during a long, gradually downhill on 68/80 after passing Fairview. Their hopes ended with a 2 mile ever-so-slight upgrade as we approached the turnoff to Elkton. The peloton leaders maintained a speed that the weaker riders just could not maintain. Rather than blowing up, they backed off and set their own pace. This brought the lead group down to about 15 riders.)

By the 3 hour mark I think we were down to eleven bikes. Charles radioed that we were eight minutes ahead of schedule. At one point Travis and I were spinning our pedals like crazy and I noticed the chain had dropped into the middle ring. Travis was having problems getting it back into the big ring. If he'd not managed to get back in the big ring, we'd have been dropped from the peloton.

During the final hour of our ride we were passing slower riders on the 48-mile route. The motorcycle marshals encouraged them to single file but being inexperienced riders they didn't always get the idea. With less than 30 minutes remaining I was borderline cramping. At a long straight section Travis wanted me to apply more power and I had to beg off. We didn't get dropped, but we were limited to what we could contribute to the peloton during the last few miles.

Throughout the ride my heart rate stayed mostly between 172-177, hardly ever dropping below 166. This may have been an indication of inadequate fluid intake. Although the early temperatures were a quite reasonable upper 60's, by the time we finished it was probably in the lower 80's.

As the radio started counting off the final miles, I realized that we'd actually break a 4 hour century. A few riders made a half-hearted sprint at the finish line, but this wasn't a race, so I didn't even notice who finished first. The clock read 3:52:22 but the clock was started late. Our official finish time was 3:53:00.

We did it. A hundred miles in less than 4 hours and a new course record -- my first (and last) time I have ridden a bicycle so fast for so long. Primary credit, of course, goes to Travis Werts, who managed to finish with the lead peloton despite being handicapped with me. Also major kudos to the other members of our peloton.

We were also fortunate to have an unprecedented level of support for a century ride. The Sunrise Rotary Club worked their butts off to provide a safe and challenging ride, so the bulk of my gratitude goes to them for going above and beyond the call of duty.

Jeff Bauer
Nashville, Tennessee

I think the real reason HH100 does so well is that there aren't any major organized rides near DFW like it. There is a very underrated amount of cyclists in the DFW area and they really go out for this event as their personal Tour De France. I very very rarely find a cyclist at WRL that doesn't have a pin or in talking to them aren't going or have been going for numerous consecutive years. This is THE race to prepare for in DFW for recreational riders. Period. I'm not even sure what is second maybe the MS150 compares tangentially.

WF is <2hrs from DFW which is doable with a bike and is way different than trecking to TN. The hardcore guys from the panhandle and mid-state still show up for the spectacle and it's got some major name recognition for only being around 24 years. I mean people are like "HOLY #!#%!% you did THAT" It's been cool a couple years in a row, but eventually it will be screaming hot. Just existing there on Friday I wanted to die.

I think the times for the 1/2 had to be impacted at least slightly by the rain. Beyond that who knows maybe people were there to win not just knock down some course record.

Thanks for your remarks, culdeus.

I notice the overwhelming majority of HH100 riders are Texans, especially from the DFW area. I didn't know that until last week, and it's a little discouraging. Since the Rotary Club took over our ride, the thinking has been that we couldn't grow our entry field by drawing a lot more folks from Nashville. We're already getting most of the century riders from that neck of the woods. We've been hoping to draw people from farther away (as we presumed the HH100 does).

I take your point. That's not the secret to the Hotter'n Hell's success after all. There are a lot more people in Texas than in Tennessee and almost as many in the Dallas-Fort Worth area alone as in our entire state. And Wichita Falls is an easy car trip from DFW.

I've flown to Boston to run the Marathon and driven to Atlanta for the Peachtree Road Race, but I've never driven much more than 100 miles for a bicycle ride. I don't know why I thought other people would. We do get a handful of people from far away. I suppose any ride does. We've had riders from Minnesota, Florida, New York, and Texas. Maybe they just happened to be here for other reasons.

As I review my own travel to organized rides, it hits me: I've traveled hundreds of miles to football games and more than 1000 miles to automobile races, but I really can't see how an organized bicycle ride could have that kind of drawing power. In fact, as hard as I've worked since 1986 to make our century a success, I enjoy riding with just a few buddies as much, in many ways, as riding in organized rides. They're two different kinds of fun, and for that matter, so is riding entirely alone, which I occasionally prefer.

You're right about the reputation of the HH100. It's a badge of honor to survive the heat, which I realize is ordinarily far more oppressive than this year's. I still think I could handle it, but may be it's worse than the dry heat around San Antonio. I think it's telling that another other famous bicycle ride, the Assault on Mount Mitchell, is also known for adversity. It would be interesting to know how many people would ride it if the park didn't restrict entries. The climb is a terrific challenge. We may be fooling ourselves to think we can promote a ride on the basis of its lack of adversity.

I know there are other well-organized bicycle rides. Still, in addition to the challenge of the Texas heat and Wichita Falls' proximity to DFW, I think the HH100 owes a significant portion of its success to how well it's run, wouldn't you agree? I understand 3000 people work the ride, about a third as many as ride it. That ratio holds here too. We cyclists ought to be grateful that so many non-cyclists work so hard to give us events like the Assault, the "Sunrise," and the HH100.