# Hotter N Hell!



## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

On August 26, 2006, approximately twelve thousand people who all apparently share a similar mental disorder gathered in Wichita Falls, TX, hereafter known as Hell. These mentally unsound people thought it would be a good idea to try to ride 100 miles in the over 100F temperatures of Hell. I'm proud to say that I was one of them.


"Thou follow me, and I will be thy guide,
And lead thee hence through the eternal place"
~Dante


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

*Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here!*

This ride is a big thing in Wichita Falls and the surrounding areas. There are several signs on the way in to the city, and the entire downtown area is essentially taken over for the weekend by the teeming throngs of people and bikes. This is the outside of the convention center where the registration and consume expo took place. Free parking, if you can grab a spot.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

*Purgatory*

Inside the convention center was a madhouse, full of wailing souls seeking their salvation, registration, and spare innertubes. It was so packed you couldn't tell if you were in line for the registration or not. Surprisingly, it was fairly painless once you figured out that the people milling about in the halls weren't in line for anything. What was kind of screwy was that after you signed in, the packet pick up was inside the consumer expo main hall, and hard to find amid the chaos. I found it by accident, and pointed many more lost souls in that direction afterward.

This is just a random shot to give you an idea. The entire expo room was this full, as was the hall outside.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

*campsite*

Since I wanted to get there the night before the ride, I needed a place to crash for the night. On the ride website, they advertised free camping by the river that goes through downtown. Thinking that camping is always a good idea, I gave it a shot. However, my girlfriend and I had one of the worst night's sleep ever: it was hot, we were within earshot of the highway and heard traffic and sirens all night, but worst of all, the lights from the nearby parking lot were on all night and incredibly bright. And, like the tortured souls in the first layers of Dante's Inferno, we were plagued by biting insects all night long.

But, there was a good side: we got a close up view of the Friday night mountain bike race. They came within a few feet of our tent (mainly because the trail wasn't marked as part of a race course, so people were camping practically on top of it).


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

*The Ride Begins (slowly)*

The next morning we made our way to the start line. Actually, we ended up on a side street that connected to the street that we were told had the start line on it. We couldn't actually see it. There were a few people there. Just a few. The first pic shows our initial vantage, the second shows more people lining up behind us, the others show views to the right and left of the main street leading up to the starting line. See that small yellow arch way down the street? That's the official starting line.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

*Off and Rolling*

It took quite some time to get to the point that I could actually ride - somewhere in the neighborhood of half a mile and at least half an hour, probably more. But then, we were rolling and I settled in to my 14 to 15mph solo pace.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

There were so many different types of riders. All the routes started off on the same path, so I got to see many different riding stylesn and bikes: small paceline groups, family style, tandems, recumbents, even a unicycle! Wish I'd gotten pics of them all. Some people had more work cut out for them than others, especially when the stoker tuckers out so soon!


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

*Mechanicals*

I couldn't believe the number of mechanicals I saw. I don't know if the people ahead of me were just clearing the way of thorns and glass and other hazards, or if they hadn't inspected their bikes in awhile, or who knows. During the first few miles, there was one or more bikers fixing flats every few hundred meters. Crazy. If cars flatted that often, there'd be a public outcry. Thankfully I didn't have any problems - knock on wood.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

*We got fans!*

The locals were awesome. Lots of people sitting on their porches, or at the end of their driveways (in the city and the country where you couldn't even see the house because it was so far back on their ranch), or gathered alongside the road. It was great seeing them smiling and waving, clapping, and cheering us on. I tried to wave back to everyone I could. That moral support really helped out in the mental aspect of the ride.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

*Crowded Lonely Roads*

A lot of the roads we were on were long stretches of 2 lane farm road, with a whole lotta nothin on either side. I guess some people don't see the beauty in it (and I got a serious yearning for mountains and forests), but I love looking out over the never ending plains and seeing them stretch out forever. Sort of like gazing out over the ocean.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

*Rest Stop: Pirates and Mermaids!*

Some of the rest stops had themes going, like Pirates and Mermaids. In the miles leading up to this one, there were signs posted road-side with catchy little phrases like "Yo Ho Ho, only 5 Leagues to Go!" with a picture of a pirate. Ok, so maybe you had to be there, but I thought it was clever.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

A fully enclosed recumbent was making better time than me. I'm sure there's a more technical term than "fully enclosed". Fairing? I dunno. He was actually stopped on the side of the road when I saw him, but after a squirrely start, he picked up the pace. I can't imagine how hot it had to be in there with hardly any airflow.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

*It wouldn't be Texas...*

without some horses.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

*Electra*

The rest stop in Electra, Texas. They had a welcome poem printed out on roadside signs that stretched for at least half a mile. I'm surprised they didn't have a "Y'all come back now, y'hear?" sign after the stop


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

*Graveyard*

The route took us by a fairly large graveyard just outside Electra.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

*SAG waggoners*

About this time the number of people being pulled out by the SAG vehicles really started to pick up. I've been training in the heat, so at first I figured it was mechanicals but soon realized that many people were having serious problems: dehydration, cramps, heat exhaustion. As the miles wore on, entire beds of pickups would be filled with riders and their bikes, and entire trailers would be filled, and the ambulances became a more common sight.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

For those still up to the challenge, lots of Texas scenery was still ahead.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

Saw a couple funny signs along the way. 

I'm not sure if "punkin center" is where you buy oversized gourds, or where you get punked. 

I don't know what a bacon switch is, but I'd probably try to eat it anyway.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

*Margaritaville!!*

Now this is my kind of rest stop!! I wish this had been at the end of the ride with some icy cold margaritas and maybe some more mermaids.... but, alas, no booze and no scantilly clad women. I settled for cookies, which were better ride fuel than I anticipated (at least it postponed me eating whatever bland carbs I brought from home).


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

I think this was the rest stop after Margaritaville where we heard that the 60 mile cutoff point "Hell's Gate" had been closed. The cutoff point had been advertised as closing at 12:30, but they shut it down early (around 11am) this year due to the extreme heat. From what I understand, the medical staff just couldn't handle the sheer volume of people who were having heat related problems. From the number of people I saw being carted out, or finding any shade they could to cool down in, I believe it. I really wanted to do the full hundred, but ended up doing the 75 mile abbreviated course since I didn't get to the gate in time.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

*From Hell's Gate to Home*

After finding out for certain that I had to take the shorter route back, I didn't see any reason to pace myself. At that point the routes were all mixed back together, and it looked like even the riders doing the shorter routes were in pretty bad shape: people hiding from the sun under any and every available tree, people walking their bikes on level surfaces, red faces everywhere. I know I had mild dehydration, but it was no different than any of the training rides I'd done up to this point and I knew I'd be ok for the rest of the miles and recover fairly quickly after the ride. I kept it in the 16 to 18mph range and was passing a constant line of people who looked like they were struggling to maintain anything above 10mph. Of course, there were also a handful who passed me like I was out for a stroll. Sorry, no pics for this one as I was just riding to get to the finish.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

*Snakes on the Plane!*

I did slow it down a bit as we passed through the air force base just outside of town to take a few snapshots for Teh Loungers.

A plane that can carry a LOT of snakes.

A plane that can carry a couple snakes really really fast!

A plane that can carry a few snakes lookin like they mean business.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

And then I was back where I started, in the middle of a mass of people and bikes. Overall, it was a great ride and I had lots of fun. Shutting it down early was the right thing to do given the circumstances, so I'm glad I got to ride as much as I did (75 miles total). And, my gf set her personal best of 25 miles, on a mountain bike no less! :thumbsup: 

If I do it again next year, I'm sleeping in my truck with the AC on full blast and with a blindfold on and earplugs in... Then I'll wake up way early and get ahead of the mass start so I can make the cutoff. Of course, next year it will probably be 80 degrees and breezy, so Hell's Gate will be more like Heck's Gate and let everyone through. Here's to hoping!!!


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## vol245 (Jan 20, 2002)

Thanks for the pics and recap of the ride. Great job.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Now this it a hot report!*

You really give us a feel for what the ride was like. I have no desire to do a ride with that many folks but it is nice to see. Quite a change and contrast from the Swiss Alps.

Thanks for posting.


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## wasfast (Feb 3, 2004)

I enjoyed your photo essay! I read the other reports here and on the Serotta list. My thought though was why would a bunch of out of shape people (thousands out of 12 thoushand it sounds like) ride in severe temperatures with inadequate hydration etc? Stupid really it seems. 

Any reason why the organizers don't pick a different time of year? Seems only reasonable to me but I don't live in Texas


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*I wouldn't worry about this group too much.*



nonsleepingjon said:


> Some people had more work cut out for them than others, especially when the stoker tuckers out so soon!


That sure looks like Becky Gerlich and her daughters Becca and Bailee. Becky competed in and finished RAAM a few years back and organizes/runs/owns Hell Week with her husband Nick.

I suspect she knows what she is doing.

BTW amazing that you took a photo of them and that I know who they are.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

MB1: It was very different being around that many bikes. Usually I'm surrounded by cars. I gave people as much space as possible since you never know what level they're riding at or if they'll suddenly swerve in to you (and I did hear of and see a few wrecks), but I think seeing everyone kept me motivated.

wasfast: If they held it at any other time, it wouldn't be Hotter N Hell!   Or, it would be so hot that it would be just asking for trouble. Apparently this year was one of the hottest rides they've done, which is why it was shutdown early. I don't think people realized the extent to which the heat would affect them. Many were from out of the area, and even though there was plenty of water and gatorade at the rest stops, most people only had a waterbottle or two. I was drinking a bottle of gatorade and as much of my 3L camelback of water as possible between rest stops and Floyding constantly (that's an official term now, right?). Even so, my plan was to stop at the cutoff point for half an hour to cool down as much as possible before the last 40 miles. Anybody who hadn't trained for the conditions really didn't know what they were in for.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

MB1 said:


> BTW amazing that you took a photo of them and that I know who they are.


What's amazing is that those shots even turned out! I almost always screw up sideways shots because I have no idea if the camera is even pointed in the right direction. Feel free to pass those along, and if it's her I'd be glad to send the originals.


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## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

sorry..... redundant post based on a cached page.


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## wooglin (Feb 22, 2002)

Seen this? Stolen from another board. Sad. Happened yesterday apparently.

********************

JACKSON, Ky. - A Texas couple, their four children and another relative were identified as those killed in a small plane crash in a wooded, mountainous area of Kentucky, an airport official said Tuesday.

No one survived the wreck Monday in an area so remote that rescue workers on all-terrain vehicles needed help from a helicopter to find it, said Buddy Rogers, a spokesman for the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management.

“At this time, no survivors have been located,” said Kentucky State Police Trooper Jody Sims.

Kathleen Bergen, spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration in Atlanta, said seven people were aboard the twin-engine Cessna that departed from Kickapoo Downtown Airport in Wichita Falls.

She said she didn’t know the destination because the pilot did not file a flight plan, but the administrator at the Wichita Falls airport said the pilot told him he was headed to Kentucky, then Virginia.

Monica Morris, administrator of the Wichita Falls airport, identified the pilot as Jason Christie and his wife as Sherri Christie. The Wichita Falls Times Record News reported in its Tuesday editions that their four children ranged in age from 2 months to 15 years old.

Reports indicated that the pilot was the son of Roby Christie, executive director of the annual Hotter 'N Hell bike tour in Wichita Falls.

Morris could not confirm the identity of the other relative killed in the crash, but the newspaper identified her as Sherri Christie’s mother.

“This is a pretty small airport, and obviously when you lose a member of the airport community, it’s hard, especially when children are involved,” Morris said.

Jason Christie had been flying from the Kickapoo airport since May, but he had been taking off from another airport for some time before that, Morris said. She said he also sometimes flew a smaller, four-seat plane.

The crash happened Monday afternoon in Breathitt County, 100 miles southeast of Lexington and about 10 miles from the airport near Hazard, Sims said.

There was rain, thunder and light fog in the area for much of the afternoon, said Tom Johnstone, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson.

Sims said federal aviation investigators and officials from the state medical examiner’s office were expected at the site Tuesday.

The crash occurred one day after Comair Flight 5191 crashed shortly after takeoff in Lexington, about 70 miles northwest of Jackson, killing 49 of 50 people aboard.


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## Chris H (Jul 7, 2005)

Love the pictures, makes me feel dehydrated all over again just looking at them!

The ride was first done to celebrate the anniversary of the city. So the date was pretty much set. Also, that's one of the biggest draws of the ride. The heat makes it an "endurance ride". Otherwise it would just be another 100 mile ride in the middle of nowhere.

Ironically, when they were first looking for a way to celebrate the centenniel of the city they were going to have a rocking chair rock off. I can't see 12,000 people showing up for that one. Also, I think there have been 6 deaths in the ride since it's inception 25 years ago. I only know these facts because they were in the paper last week.


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## Velo Vol (Mar 9, 2005)

The largest ride I've been in "only" had 2,000 cyclists. That's wild.


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## wipeout (Jun 6, 2005)

Hmm, cool... I don't recall the '82 or '83 HTH being all that flat or straight, but it WAS hot!


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