Friday 8/24/01
Bill Cornelius and I arrived in Wichita Falls on Friday at 1:30 p.m. The heat hit like a blast furnace when we left the comfort of an air conditioned vehicle to check into the motel. We unloaded our bikes and headed for the Convention Center to pick up packets and attend a Texas Bicycle Coalition meeting concerning bicycle advocacy. Eric and Galén Williams arrived shortly followed by Roger and Francis Singleton. Kayla Bass, Laurie Pintsch, Dave and Sue Starret, Manny and Rhonda Samaniengo, Gary Lesniewski, James Hughes, and Butch Willingham drifted in later. After the meeting we attended the exhibits and shopped with the vendors. Some of us ate spaghetti in the Convention Center then watched the Criterium.
The Texas Bicycle Coalition Advocacy meeting covered the passing of the Matthew Brown act, how to get involved on the local level, working with TxDOT, and the future of bicycle advocacy in Texas. It was pointed out how important it is for bicyclists to "clean up their act" and follow the rules of the road and practice better etiquette in order to be viewed more positively by legislatures and local government officials.
I was hoping for some break in the hot weather but it looks as if it is going to live up to its name. Bill
and I were more rational on the way down here and were perfectly content with doing the 100k and felt like it was a very wise decision--until we got here and found out how many from Tyler were shooting for the 100 miles, so we were shamed into it. We know what we should do, but we've got to do what we've got to do. We line up on the starting line early in the morning and get under way at 7:30 along with 6-8000 other cyclists.
Saturday 8/25/01 The Aftermath.
Hotter N' Hell definitely lived up to its name this year. Doctors ordered Hell's gate closed at 12:30 p.m. for only the third time in the tours twenty year history. The indicator for closing it was a temperature index of 85. At an index 84 athlete's are supposed to cease all activities. The index finally peaked out at 91 with a temperature of 100 degrees, which ties the record for the event.
Kayla Bass, Bill Cornelius, and I lined up on third street about 7:00 a.m. ready for the 100 mile event. There were 8526 entrants. The cannon sounded at exactly 7:30 a.m. for the start of the 2001 Hotter N' Hell. It took us about ten minutes after the start to reach the starting line. It was elbow to elbow with cyclists front and back as far as one could see. The congestion finally started thinning out when people started stopping at the first and second rest stops, and turning off on shorter routes. We reached Hell's gate at the 62 mile mark about 11:45 a.m. feeling amazingly well and thought the 100K would have been too short. The head wind was strong at times, but felt good when it changed to our backs. After about 70 miles my legs started cramping some and by the 85 mile rest stop it felt as if every muscle in both legs were in a state of tetanus. I finally waddled from the road into a medical tent where I was in good company. A lot of fit looking people were laid out on cots. Some were cramping , some throwing up, and I witnessed one having his rectal temperature taken. A nurse led me to a cot and four very accommodating women massage therapists worked on me. If I wasn't experiencing so much pain, it would have been a much more pleasurable experience. Kayla and Bill were very helpful and stayed around for awhile until it became obvious I would have to take a sag wagon back, which turned out to be a cattle trailer with eight of us in it and more lined up to take the next one. Kayla and Bill finished the hundred miles and had a difficult time of it the last few miles.
Eric and Galén rode the tandem and didn't have any problems, which gives evidence to support Eric's salt intake article. Next year I might mount a salt lick on my handlebars. Bob Hebb and Gary Lesniewski also did the 100 miles. Jim Exum placed eighth in the men's masters road race. Others sited, which I don't know the distances for, were Roger and Francis Singleton, Andy and Sheri Kathan, and J.D. Mitchell. If I missed any, which I'm sure I did, please let me know.
UPDATES:
Believe it or not I finished the 50 mile course. Little did I know theSunday 8/26/01
course had been shortened. I was feeling pretty good until I rounded the
corner to do the last miles heading due south into the head-wind and heat.
I made a few unscheduled stops to cool down. Thanks to Roger, I found
strength I didn't know I had to dig deep and finish....never-mind I was
talking to myself for the last 5 miles or so!! I have made a vow to train
harder and finish faster and farther next year. This one was too much fun
to miss again!!!
Lori
Several of us watched Manny in the crit which began at 8:30 a.m. He stayed at the rear of the pack until the last few laps where he made a strong move to third, but eventually fell back some toward the end.
A weather front, which started building up by the end of the Saturday's tour, brought in clouds and cooler weather, and it even started raining around 10:30 a.m. as we left town.
J.D. Mitchell's Photos
Gary Lesniewski's Photos and account of the event.
Hotter N' Hell Website
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