Hell Week Day 7 - Southern Comfort 1.75

Distance: 100 miles (Garmin accidentally turned off for a bit)
Time: 5:42:51
Elevation Gain: 5,817 ft

A fierce 18+ mph wind was blowing out of the South Southeast when we rolled out from the Sunset Inn this morning so we decided to stick to the route going out, then modify it in Waring / Welfare and give ourselves a nice tailwind coming back to the barn. As a result we logged a little over 70 miles (I accidentally turned off the Garmin at one point) and when I returned to the B&B I felt good enough to head due North into some hills for extra miles. The return trip was tough, but the views were well worth the extra effort.

With only one day left to go in Hell Week and the weather becoming ever more questionable (T-Storms & 24+ mph winds) we decided to make the most of our last day and the four of us that are still here (Chuck, Jeff, Tom & me) stuck together for the duration. Chuck, as always, slaughtered us on every climb. Jeff was riding great today as well and I really enjoyed his company throughout the day. Tom, of course, was our tour guide and did the lion's share of the work.

We rolled south for quite a ways and battled the headwind for many miles. The climbs were already going to be tough, then add in a hard headwind and they get that much more difficult. Still, we stuck together and had a great time. I heard another mix of great stories today (again, as usual) about Hell Week's past and this helped pass the time nicely. Coming up to the Old Tunnel area I managed to drop my bottle in the middle of a climb. I retrieved it thanks to another kind cyclist, and Chuck waited for me until I got it back and we continued.

After the Old Tunnel / Bat Cave and heading toward Waring we picked up a massive group of cyclists. Our number swelled from 4 to 25 in about a mile. Still fighting the headwind we plodded down the road and none of them (despite catching us as a group) offered to come around and pull. Jeff had a great idea and told me to just start soft pedaling and drop the pace. We did so and got as slow as 12 mph before people finally started coming around. The whole group passed us, Jeff and I giggling the entire time, before we accelerated and got on the back. The others decided they wanted to let a gap open but I had other plans.

Since I wanted them all to learn how to work I got on the back and waited a few minutes, then slipped outside and went up toward the front. Coming into a short drop at a water crossing I dove out and attacked. I sprinted off in hopes they'd take the bait... and they did. With a 100 meter gap I slowed and allowed the pack to close on me and simply retake my draft. I then attacked again and opened another large gap then sat up and pedaled at a decent pace and allowed them to catch me... this continued for another three or four attacks before I finally pulled wide and allowed them to come around. I don't know that it made any real point to them, but for me it was just a great example of how people ride like lemmings. Rather than set their own pace or ride within themselves, they simply race after whoever is up the road and then sit on that person's wheel until they absolutely have to come around.

In Waring we filled up at the fantastic convenience store / dance hall and then headed out of town toward Comfort. In Comfort we modified the route and headed due North back toward Fredericksburg and took full advantage of the now incredible tailwind. We rolled back into town and I headed toward the B&B that Betty and I rented for the week. Upon arriving I checked the computer and saw only 68 miles on the ticker. I knew we had worked hard, but I really wanted more miles.

After refilling water and eating a few more Fig Newtons I headed North on Adams to Lower Crabapple and followed that due North toward Route 965. I rode up about 12 miles before turning around (80 miles now on the Garmin) and heading South back toward town and into a very strong wind. The views were incredible going out coming back in so it was well worth the effort. Add to that some excellent climbs coming back in and it made for a great little extension to the day's route.

Hell Week Day 8 -->

Hell Week Day 2 - LBJ Ramble

Distance: 93 miles
Time: 5:15:10
Speed: 18.0 mph

I didn't sleep well last night and more or less napped from 2am until the alarm went off at 7am. Never the less I rolled out and felt pretty good from the start. Tom mentioned regrouping at RT 290, mile marker 25, so when a group formed and broke away early I jumped into the main pack and rode hard. I moved myself to the front of the pack and helped push the pace until we reached a main road. I slid back in the pack at that point and saw some questionable riding... but turned off at Gellerman Ln to stay on the A route while almost the entire pack (save for 10 riders) continued straight on the shorter B route.

I rode with the splinter group for another few miles but tired of the pace line antics of several triathletes and decided to drop back and take it easy to recover my legs. Once I reached 290 I relaxed and waited only a couple minutes for Tom, Gary, Dave and Brent to arrive.

The A route took us on a nice tour of the area, but was plagued by strong crosswinds and headwinds for the duration of the ride.

Dave dropped back early as his native New Jersey does not suffer the same allergens as Texas and he was having a hard time breathing. The four of us soldiered on and made good time despite the wind. Gary was hurting as well and would eventually drop back a bit, then solo in on a slightly shorter route. With only three of us left to finish the route Tom, Brent and I rode steadily and maintained a good pace in the wind.

All in all it was a good day and we had a nice ride. We did get the distinct feeling that although there was a sizable (8 riders) group ahead of us, we were the only people to ride through many of the areas. Generally you see signs of people along the way (shelled riders, debris, people on the horizon) but we saw no traces throughout the ride and weren't sure if perhaps they'd cut the route short.

Either way we had a great ride and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I'm looking forward to the remainder of the week and am very happy with me form on the bike. I had some lower back pain and slight knee pain (lower left knee, on the tendon) and am thinking it was brought on by torquing a bit too hard when climbing.

Hell Week Day 3 -->

Hell Week Day 1 - Going to Camp (Verde)

Distance: 93 miles
Time: 5:01:01
Speed: 18.8 mph

Today was the opening day of Texas Hell Week 2010. We had beautiful weather, great roads, excellent company and a very good day on the road. You can find map and route data at Garmin Connect.

I felt great today and had an excellent ride. This morning I met up with Tom, Allen, Dave and Gary at the EconoLodge and then headed over to the Sunset Inn for the official start. We rolled everyone out as a single group and then split the ride later on depending on what route folks wanted to travel.

Today's A Route headed south to Camp Verde and Center Point with rollers on the way down and some very difficult Tour das Hugel -esque roads on the way back to Fredericksburg. We kept a good pace the entire ride and Tom spent a lot of time pushing hard to try and drop many riders and break up the pack. It worked. While a few riders did get away ahead of us we are pretty sure they will not be around all week... there were a lot of riders here for only opening weekend so picking the right wheel to follow was critical on opening day.

I felt very good all ride and only towards the end started to get a slight headache. I may need to hydrate more in the days ahead but I felt as though my hydration and eating schedule were working well for me. Still, it may help to pull in some additional electrolytes and carbohydrates. To do so I may supplement my normal ride diet of Fig Newtons with additional Clif Blocks. While I had the Clif Blocks with me today I did not start eating those until the end, when I was out of Newtons.

Not much else to report aside from beautiful weather, excellent roads and great company. I'm looking forward to the week ahead! Based on the ride schedule for this week I will need to adjust my goal mileage down a little bit. I will not have access to the 200k route(s) I thought I would (no maps provided) so I'm shooting now for around 800 miles. Many of this week's ride fall just shy of a full century. No worries, the elevation gain and steep climbs more than make up for the extra miles!

Hell Week Day 2 -->