Hotter N' Hell 2015: How Did it Go?

The 2015 Hotter N' Hell Hundred

Carlos (Center of the photo) finished the ride in 5:10, Levi (Left hand side) came in 10 minutes after me (on the Right). I finished the ride with an elapsed time of 5:38 and a moving time of 5:10.

With the hot month of July we had this year, I thought this year's Hotter N' Hell was going to be a scorcher. Well, it was, in the sense that I am now officially a "Scorcher", or a sub 6 hour century rider. The actual temperature itself averaged in the low 80's, freakishly cool for this time of year in what is supposed to be the hottest part of the country right now.  I am by no means complaining that it wasn't hot enough. You see the guy in the blue, long sleeved jersey in the photo above? Yep, that's me, dressed up trying to protect myself from the sun. The cool, overcast and breezy day kept me fresh on the bike and contributed to my performance.

The first 50 miles of the race, as opposed to last year's Hotter N' Hell, were the hardest.  The roads were so bumpy that even my Selle SMP TRK saddle didn't help to take the edge off the harshness of the ride. I rode the last couple of miles to the 50 mile rest stop standing on my pedals and cramping. At the rest stop, I ate a hot dog and knocked back a few bottles of pickle juice. That might sound disgusting, but after 15 minutes the cramping started to go away. My cramps were so bad that I had to slowly remount and pedal the bike once I was on my way. The pickle juice basically saved me from falling off the pace, maybe even from ending my ride early.

At the starting line.

The 50 mile rest stop.

I rode the rest of the ride at my own pace and wasn't even looking at my average speed until the end of the ride. I caught several pacelines on the way to the finish, dropping back whenever I needed to recover or when I needed a swig of water. I  only stopped one other time at the 85 mile mark, because I had run out of water by that point. I tried to fill up my bottles as quickly as I could and was off to the finish line.

This year was about breaking my personal record, as well as redemption for having been the last among my friends to cross the finish line. I not only broke my record by over two hours but I now can start at the front of the race with all of the other "Scorchers" should I decide to do this again next year. The Hotter N' Hell is basically the one event a year we non-professional riders can aspire to. It's a great event and a bucket list item if you are a cyclist living in Texas that takes riding seriously. If you have a fleeting interest in the sport then this ride is not for you. This race is tough, even though this year it wasn't particularly hot, cyclists still had to turn the pedals for a 100 miles to finish it. Last year we had temperatures around 103 and headwinds of 20 mph for the last 30 miles of the race. In years like that it takes the entire year to train up for a 100 mile race. I'm glad things worked out the way they did this year, because I have not been training as much as I did last year and in years past. This might very well be the last century ride that I do in August, although next year I'm looking at going to Hotter N' Hell for the triple threat. We'll see what happens next year.

The Collin Classic 2015

The 2015 Collin Classic

That's me on the left in the 7up jersey. Ken on the right of me joined me on this ride.

I have been riding regularly for the past few months in preparation for the Collin Classic Bicycle Rally, held annually in Mckinney, Texas. The Collin Classic has three route choices including a metric century of about 64 miles. Being that I had to head out of town almost immediately after the ride, I opted for the 46 mile distance. I averaged 18.5 miles an hour for the whole ride, finishing in 2:42 and so far it is the fastest average speed that I have logged for the distance that I rode. This year I bought a new road bike from Bikes Direct to try to set a personal record for average speed over long distances. The Motobecane Super Strada is proving to be a wonderful ride with the latest technology that I was able to purchase for an even 1k, including taxes. There will be a future review coming up on that bike. 

My friend Ken joined me and rode the same distance as well. It proved to be the longest ride he had ever done. Here are a few photos of the ride.

The early bird gets the worm! We were the first people to show up at the starting line.

No bicycle rally can be complete without a legit blue bear mascot.

Next up is the Hotter N' Hell. I'm still on the fence on whether or not I will be doing it this year. I want to continue to improve my fitness and hopefully meet my goal of a 20mph average.  We'll see what happens.

Traveling to DFW? Bicycle Tour Services by Johnny

Traveling to the Dallas/ Fort Worth Area?

Let's go riding together.

 I have recently been brainstorming ways to monetize from my bicycling hobby while helping others to get into cycling. My blog currently has 11 page followers, 35 google plus followers, 14 YouTube subscribers and about 300 international daily views. The Dallas/ Fort Worth area is popular for having international business traffic from abroad, so why not offer bicycle tours in Dallas?

Whether you're in Dallas on business, here on vacation or a local resident looking to get to know the area better, I am now accepting appointments for guided tours for both on road and off road excursions. There are a lot of interesting things to see and do in Dallas and Fort Worth. From riding around downtown to exploring some of the best mountain bike trails in North Texas, I am looking to let others in on my local knowledge of where the best places for riding are. 

I will try to accommodate as many people as I can per booking in the future, however at this time there is a 3 person limit. The tour package includes hotel pickup, travel to and from the trails and bicycle rental for those who do not bring their own bicycle. At this time I have a range of bicycle sizes that will fit someone between 5'8" and 6'2". 

If you are interested in scheduling a bicycle tour around the Dallas/ Fort Worth area, send me your contact information with your date of arrival, desired excursion (city sightseeing, mountain biking, for example) and any other criteria you might have. Pricing is based on location and duration of the ride, as well as any additional expenses incurred. Tours will be from 2 to 4 hours depending on the location. Tours will be limited to the Dallas/ Fort Worth area but special packages will be made in the future for those wishing to explore outside the metro area. I want to start this venture organically, with the following that I have built up over 5 years of writing this blog. I am an experienced, knowledgeable and reputable cyclist and can give credentials if needed. 

Help me launch this much needed eco-tourism model in Dallas. Send me an email to schedule your tour today!