I think I’m ready for the Hotter’n Hell 100. Yesterday I rode my first century. Well not a century really, I rode 93 miles. It was badass! I’ve been wanting to make this ride for a while but every time I made plans with folks something would come up. I decided this would be the day, I’d just do it by myself. To prepare for the ride I went to sleep about 5 am and woke up around 9:30 am sunday morning. 4.5 hours sleep, that’s recommended right? I double checked the map, took a shower, showed Frank the route I was planning on taking and made it out the door by 11 am. Not the early start I had been recommended. I thought about getting breakfast, however nothing sounded good so I rode on. I did manage to stay somewhat hydrated. I stopped about every 10 miles to rest a refill the water bottles. Getting out of Austin was the hardest leg of the ride. Those hills on S 1st suck! I was feeling good. I planned on an 80 mile trip but a wrong turn added 12 miles. Once I got to San Marcos I was hurting. I was 52 miles into the ride and stopped at a coffee shop. While sitting there I wondered if my ego would allow me to call someone to pick me up. A group of kids sat next to me and were so annoying that I got on my bike and started back. I couldn’t imagine sitting with these kids any longer. The ride back was at times brutal. When I hit 75 miles I started to get excited. It hit me how long this ride was. I’ve never ridden even close to that many miles. It was an amazing feeling. When I got close to the house I thought about extending the ride a little longer so that I could hit 100 miles. I was too close to the house and it was too easy to stop. I am happy with 93.

At one point on the ride back I stopped for water and a break. I was sitting outside the gas station on the sidewalk just beat. I didn’t want to get back on the bike. I looked up and saw to roadies ride by. They were in full lycra, team jerseys and one of the had aerobars. I looked up and thought, “If I can just catch up with those guys maybe I can draft for a while.” Once I got on the bike i decided not to try too hard to catch them, I didn’t want to kill myself I still had miles to go. So I started riding at my normal pace. I started to catch up with them! As I got closer I could see signs of them wearing out. When I caught them I blew by the first guy and said hello. Then I passed the second guy and told him to jump on my wheel. I figured I’d pull first. Well, I cruised along for a while and realized we were making great time, trucking down the road at 25 mph. When I started to loose steam i looked back, it was their turn to do the work. When I looked back they were no where to be seen! I’d dropped them! The ego boost pushed me up the next hill.

I rode 93.27 miles, averaged 15.2 mph in 100+ degree heat. I am pretty proud of myself. I feel like a real cyclist now and I can’t wait to do it again!

The Hotter’n Hell 100 is coming up August 23 in Witchita Falls. It is a 100 mile ride, that is mostly flat. From what I hear the wind and the heat are the big factors to contend with. If I can do this ride by myself... The Hotter’n Hell won’t be too bad!