I really haven't had time to post anything lately, but I want to give my impressions about the 2006 Hotter'n Hell Hundred, held in Wichita Fall, Tx.
The Hotter’N Hell Hundred is an annual bicycle ride in Wichita Falls, Texas. It is held each year in August and includes professional as well as amateur riders. The professional racers ride a 100-mile road race, as well as time trials and criterium. For the amateur riders, there are road routes of 100 miles, 100K, 50 miles, 25 miles, and 10K. The amateur routes are also open for roller blading.
The race was first held in 1982 as part of the Wichita Falls Centennial Celebration, thus the description: one hundred miles (i.e., century) in one hundred degree plus (Fahrenheit) weather, high winds, and humidity (the race is held in August, which is usually the hottest month of the year in Texas and especially in Wichita Falls), to celebrate the city's 100th anniversary.
Hotter'N Hell Hundred is the largest sanctioned century bicycle ride in the US.
This year's event was the 25th anniversary. Over 11,100 riders out for a 'BRUTAL' Saturday ride, if they intended to do the full 100miles, as my buddy, Dave & I had planned was an amazing site.
During the early part of the ride the rest stops come approximately every 11 miles. During the latter part of the course, ,very wisely, the stops are about five to eight miles apart. So of course our mantra, and the people not wanting us to collapse at 'their' rest stop, was "Only 11 more miles to go"...
Families, beginners & long time riders joined together to prove their "worth" in their minds or "insanity" in the minds of family and friends, which was the case personally.
