To Hell and Back 2010!

We are only 45 days until the Hell and Back trip starts. With record temps this year only truly insane will be attempting the ride it seems. I will be there of course! I have counts on about 10 people that are going to ride to WF and the HH100, but the count back there are 0 confirmed due to the heat. We will play it by ear and see what we can do. It is time though to have your SAG setup and your plan to get there and back. My vehicle is full for my ride already so make sure you have your ride buddies and SAG.

As we did last year we will have a caravan to WF the Wednesday before the HH100 weekend to setup motorhomes/campers/tents. If you are going to join us please get in touch with Gary to let him know, they will only let us reserve spots when we show up so you will have to be there when we take the campers up. We are working to block off a nice spot this year like we did last year so the Port-O-Cool is effective for the camp.

To those riding Tour de Paris this year we will see you at the starting line for the 110k and 90k rides. Look for Team Dangerous Curves and The Bicycle Path jerseys!

Only 89 days until we begin our trip, are you ready???? Are you excited???? Are you ready for the absolute blazing heat the year is already offering up? CCC rides are in full effect every Saturday and Sunday, TBP rides are running every Sunday, Monday & Wednesday also. Lots of weekend days to get ready for the 300 mile trip. Join the groups and get ready for the excitement. I believe we have double the amount of riders this year that are wanting to join us. See ya on the road or trails!

So after much sweat and foul language we find ourselves getting setup for the Spring season and already thinking about this wonderful ride again. It seems just like yesterday we were all cussing our beautiful carbon machines and talking about how we never wanted to see them again (yea slightly exaggerated). This weekend marks the official entry into the season for the Team Dangerous Curves riders with the MS150 and we have a records 27+ riders entered for the team representing TDC and The Bicycle Path! It is just a warm up for what is to come and it will officially kick some of those lazy ones (me) into high gear to get back on the road bike instead of going out on the MTB trails daily.

The Hotter N’ Hell organization has released the official sign up and dates for 2011 already so go ahead and register today! I will have the official signup page done in the next few days for the HHHandBack group. The route is going to be the same as last year to get from Decatur to Wichita Falls. We have several folks that are interested in getting from Denton to Decatur safely and are looking for possible routes. If we can manage a good route to get there we will have more than a 100 mile ride to and from WF this year instead of the 97 mile route we did last year. I am truly looking forward to this ride, what seemed a daunting task at this time last year for many of us turned out to be one of the most fun rides we had ever been on. Don’t get me wrong it was very tough, but it was truly an accomplishment. For those riding the MS150 this weekend I can’t wait to get on the road with you and please be safe and have a GREAT ride.

Hotter’N Hell Hundred 2011 – The 30th Anniversary Edition

Date: Saturday August 27, 2011

Advanced Registration is now available at www.BikeReg.com

There is a direct link available on the ”Register for HHH” page to the left.

The 30th version of the Hotter’N Hell Hundred Weekend will take place beginning on Thursday August 25, 2011 and run through Sunday August 28th. Online registration is now available. The link to BikeReg.com for the HHH Endurance Ride is now available.  The HHH Pace Group and the HHH Ultra Road Races and Criterium races registration links will be available as soon as details are finalized.

What an awesome weekend this turned out to be. When this idea first came up as a real possibility (in March of this year) most of us were truly out of our minds in even thinking about making it . Now that it is over, we now know we were out of our minds, but we pulled it off, and in grand style.

A big THANK YOU to everyone who helped put this together and make it happen. Without the SAG support and donations this could have never happened. Now on to the fun ride stuff.

Friday we departed The Bicycle Path and headed to Decatur for a 6ish AM start time. The 3 SAG vehicles got the bikes out and ready while the riders prepped their waters, snacks and lights. It was dark when Connie, Sarah, Chris B. Michael, Manuel, Jason and Kris K. started peddling off onto Highway 1810 but the weather was just absolutely beautiful all day to make it a fast fun ride. The route that Jason picked out was very smooth, flowed extremely well and presented us with some of the nicest drivers we have ever dealt with on the roads. We even had some stop to ask us why we were riding a day early, then they told us we were insane. Our fast guys arrived at the FlyingJ just a bit before those of us dragging up the back end of the group so they indulged in Frosty’s while waiting. Then we all had the pleasure of riding into the MPEC together to enjoy a night with all of the other HH100 riders and get some well deserved rest. The expo was packed and the crit racers were fast!

Saturday we all were up and spry. Surprisingly all that rode on Friday started the ride on Saturday. The weather was a lot warmer for sure and the winds really kicked up, but everyone who started the ride crossed the finish line again on his or her own power! Manuel and Jenny finished their first ever HHH100 ride. A few of us were smart enough to listen to our bodies and graciously bowed out of the most difficult feat of the weekend, the return. After a few beers and pizza we all called it a night. All was set to begin again on Sunday morning.

Sunday’s start was a little slower for us, but thanks to the camp cheerleaders we all got moving quickly. The brave were Jason, Michael, Chris B. and Sarah for the return trip. We got rolling after some camper snafus the 2 backup SAGs caught up to SAG1 and the riders around mile 50 of the return ride. We then took some pictures with some nice horses, fed the riders some snacks and got them back on their bikes. Chris B and Sarah decided to put the bikes on the rack and ride in the a/c the rest of the way home. A big congrats to them for putting in 250 miles in 3 days. Jason and Michael vowed to continue on, and pulled it out on fumes and a cold beer. A couple of hours later they rolled into our starting point slightly slower and a lot more worn out than when we left. 297 miles total for the weekend on our inaugural run!

Again thank you all for your support and dedication to this fun event. I hope to see the group grow next year and new volunteers to offer new ideas and keep this going. Congrats to all that put their bodies on the line for this!

In 7 days a group of 10-15 riders will be embarking on an insane journey. If conditions were in the 80s or even low 90s the level of insanity would be less, but this has been one HELL of a hot Summer. Keep thinking cool thoughts and mentally prepare yourself for what is upon us. This is going to be an epic trip for most of those doing it as it will be officially the biggest ride that we have ever done.

For those riding start fueling and hydrating properly now. Get those last few rides in so you feel mentally prepared.

I believe after rides this weekend lots in the group are feeling our mortality…At 110-115 heat indexes I think we finally got a taste of what we will feel in August for those that are still interested in this trip. We will be having a final meeting to confirm who is really jumping off on this adventure about 2 weeks …prior to the event.

Make sure you have your SAG situation lined up, lots of spares arranged and all travel arrangements lined up asap. We are a little over a month away! Your SAG is your life line so please do not show up the day of without something arranged!

Well, kind of at least. For the folks that go off on this crazy adventure I suspect parts of the journey will truly feel like Hell. The training continues on each week and now that the rain seems to be going away everyone can get back on track! Coming up are the following events, get there if you can.

July 17, 2010 – Tour de Paris – 110k

July 18, 2010 – TBP recovery ride – 30-50mi

July 19, 2020 – TBP Monday Night Ride – 22mi

July 24, 2010 – Tour de Cure – 100mi

July 25, 2010 – TBP recovery ride – 30-50mi

July 26, 2010 – TBP Monday Night Ride – 22mi

We are down to 70 days left for training and preparation!!!! The counter is now on the page to show us the daunting goal ahead. How ready are you if we had to start tomorrow?

Are you prepared physically and mentally for this challenge?

Do you have a SAG that is taking care of you?

Do you have arrangements to get your items to and from the HH100?

Have you REGISTERED for the HH100?

Do you have a place to sleep once at the HH100?

Do you have a box of spare parts to put in the TBP van that will be out on some of the pitstops? (tubes/tires and other easily broken parts)

Do you have a plan for staying hydrated along the trip there and back?

This is a self contained trip meaning that ultimately we are each responsible for ourselves. That is what will make this journey even more special than being part of an organized ride. The feeling of accomplishment to ride 300+ miles in 3 days, but on top of that knowing you relied on yourself to get there and back. It is all the beginnings of joining some of those beautiful big rides such as Race Across the West and Race Across America. Start getting prepared both physically and emotionally, this journey is quickly approaching and I am getting more excited by the day!

Join us if you plan on being on the trip to HHH and back for planning. We are attempting to finalize plans and get an idea of how many folks and how much support is going to be present. Most will be at the TT already so this is a good time to get together and make a plan. The route will be announced as soon as it is given to me.

I know that doesn’t sound too bad, but training for 300 miles should have started a couple of months ago if you want to survive the trip. I highly recommend people riding with both The Bicycle Path and Corinth Cycling to be building up those miles to make the trip. If you know of other rides please start posting them so we can have a successful trip. Getting there is only 1/3 of the journey so make sure you have plenty of resources lined up to get there, stay for 2 nights, ride a Century in Wichita Falls and get home. I will have announcements for a meeting to start getting things lined up later this week. Also, the FB page is being setup now so we can all start coordinating a little better.

Remember this is an unsupported ride so you are going to have to call on friends and family to help you make sure you can get there and back. As riders we will all assist each other, but paces are going to be determined by riding skills. Things to be lining up now:

LOTS OF RIDING!!!!! I am maintaining more than 100 miles a week currently to get ready for this ride.

Sag Wagon – We will share as much sag as possible between everyone coming, but ultimately you need to have arrangements for yourself with a sag.

Fluids/Snacks – Lots of fluids and snacks for the rides, dehydration and heat are going to be huge worries on this ride due to the time of the year.

Spare parts – Tires, tubes all the normal culprits that hurt you on a ride. We are trying to line up having a mechanic riding in one of the sags from TBP to help fix problems quickly.

This will be a blast for all of us if we play it smart and safe. More details to come this week so if you are interested please start posting and let me know. Myself and Michael are doing our best to help coordinate everyone, but this is a new ordeal.